A Little Something Different

by Sandy Hall

ISBN: 9781250061454
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: August 26th 2014
Number of Pages: 272
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out. But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship. 

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are ment to be together....

My Rating:  

What a sweet read!!! Aww I loved it :) This is also an interesting book, as we get 14 different points of view with none of them being the two love interests! You might be thinking, well then, how do you know what Gabe & Lea are thinking or wanting? Don't you worry, Ms. Hall does a fantastic job with her characters and you learn all you need.

Everyone around Gabe & Lea see that they have a spark and just want them to do something about it!! But Gabe has some mysterious issues stemming from the time he went absent a year before plus he is extremely shy, so things don't look good.

Characters we hear from:

1.     Maribel (Lea's roommate)

·     Always pushing Lea to talk to Gabe & her partner in crime in stalking Gabe

2.     Inga (creative writing professor)

·     Inga has this niche for matchmaking and her couple this year she has decided will be Lea & Gabe

         “They have a story. I’m telling you, there’s no way they don’t have a story. They have this chemistry that’s impossible to ignore. I don’t even know what it is. But I’m going to do whatever I can to get them together.”  

– A Little Something Different, 27-28

3.     A Bench out on the green

·     The weirdest point of view of them all. Not sure the purpose too much except for eavesdropping on Gabe’s & Lea’s private conversations.

4.     Sam (Gabe's brother)

·     Looking out for his younger brother & always encouraging him to tell Lea “his secret” and just ask her out!

5.     SQUIRREL! 

·     This little guy is just too cute :)

6.     Victor (creative writing classmate)

·     Very angry young man but he does serve an important role in getting these two lovebirds to connect.

7.     Bob (a bus driver)

·    An outsider who sees Gabe’s & Lea’s connection

8.     Casey (Gabe's friend)

·    Gives advice to Gabe about talking with Lea

9.     Maxine (a waitress)

·     This lady is 80 years old and still serving all the college kids at the diner. She also sees the connection between Lea & Gabe and helps do something about it.

·  "Maybe next time I’ll have to accidentally sit them all together. I’ve done that in the past and it always worked out. But my boss doesn’t like it much. Says I can’t go messing around, playing with table seatings like that. And to him I say, 'Ptooie! This ain’t Buckingham Palace!'”

– A Little Something Different, 20

10. Danny (Lea’s friend)

·     As a gay guy, he is absolutely certain that Gabe is playing for his team and isn't shy about vocalizing this to Lea

11. Pam (Inga's wife)

·     I think we only hear from Pam once, and it is to hear Inga talk about her matchmaking antics

12. Charlotte (a barista at Starbucks)

·    Thinks Gabe is a loser but warms up to him & Lea

13. Hillary (creative writing classmate)

·    Wants Gabe for herself and throws a wrench in Inga’s matchmaking scheme

14. Frank (Chinese-food delivery guy)

·     Lea & Gabe always order the same exact thing within hours of each other

·   “Seriously, these two need to get their acts together and order at the same time. I’m getting tired of driving out here twice in the same day." 

            – A Little Something Different, 90

I loved when Gabe wrote & read aloud his story concerning his shyness:

"I did lose some of my wariness and my fear as I matured, but I’ve never quite shaken my shyness. When I think about it, it’s like I would have never been able to grow out of it. It’s like the tree and the bicycle. I grew around it and it became part of me." 

– A Little Something Different, 82

Tree with Bicycle that Gabe references
Read about the real story here

"'…those two seriously need to get their acts together. I mean, how can it be so obvious to everyone around them and not to them?'"

– A Little Something Different, 181

So do these two ever end up finally owning up to their feelings for each other and get together?? Read and find out! ;)

I really want to encourage you to also read the interview with the author at the back of the book. She wrote this book in only 6 days!! She is also a Teen Librarian in NY. If you are a romance writer and are looking for feedback and a chance to get published, go take a look at Swoon Reads' website, "A teen romance imprint and community where writers and readers can share, read, rate, and discover swoonworthy manuscripts for publication."


*Classified as New Adult as the characters are in college.

Vampires of Manhattan: The New Blue Bloods Coven

by Melissa de la Cruz

Series: Book #1 The Vampires of Manhattan
ISBN: 9781401324711
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Publication Date: September 1st 2014
Number of Pages: 240
Source: Local Library
Goodreads
I do not like the summary posted on Goodreads, so instead I linked the book's Goodreads page above and below I am copying what is written on the book jacket:

In a city that never sleeps, an evil has awakened...

It's been ten years since the Blue Bloods vampires vanquished Lucifer, and the Coven has enjoyed relative peace and prosperity under their ardent new leader, Oliver Hazard-Perry.

That is, until Hell's Bells start ringing.

Pentagrams are appearing all over New York City and Oliver can't help but fear their ominous presence. These harbingers of doom are bringing back memories of the Great War, but this time, no one is letting the warning signs go unnoticed.

Then a human teenager is found murdered in the subway tunnels under the city with a pentagram drawn in blood above her body, and the vampire secret police suspect the unthinkable: she was killed by one of their own, a horrifying breach of their code. Venator Ara Scott believes this could only point to a conspiracy designed to unravel the victory they fought so hard to win, and she'll do anything to stop it.

Meanwhile, Mimi Martin is learning the hard way that Hell doesn't necessarily make for a hot marriage. After leaving her husband behind to trade fire and brimstone for Chardonnay and Broadway, she's finding that life without Kingsley might be its own kind of inferno. Plus, there's that incessant ringing in her ears...

And Oliver is not willing to let anything get in the way of being officially crowned Regis at the newly revived Four Hundred Ball. This is his chance to give himself fully to the community he's sworn to protect, and to officially devote himself to his human familiar, Finn Chase. Perception, though, does not always lead to reality.

Living between Heaven and Hell, love and death, life and blood...

Welcome to the new Blue Bloods Coven.

My Rating:

That summary is practically as long as the book - just kidding! But at 250 pages, this is a very fast read! I am classifying it as New Adult, though my library has seen fit to place it in our YA collection. This is for older and more mature teens only in my opinion.

Thought this series was over? How could we think that? There are already two spin-offs to this world, it gets confusing a bit. We have the witches (The Beauchamp Family series) and the wolves (Wolf Pact). So let's just continue on shall we?

Oliver has become the Regent of the Coven, Schuyler & Jack have cut themselves off from everyone to live life as viticulturists (aka vineyard owners) and Mimi is *GASP* working! 

"Sometimes, Oliver also wondered how much he had lost when he gained his immortality. His sense of humor, for one; he hadn't laughed in a long time. He never used to take anything seriously - money and position least of all. But now he was Regent of the Coven, and he had no time for childish games, and there was little trace of the sarcastic teenager he had been." - Vampires of Manhattan, 13

We are introduced to a new character, Ara Scott, and see the development of other characters we know from the previous series. There are multiple points of view (which worked for this book) and we also have the plot split into "present" and "five weeks earlier."

This was an intriguing story, I liked the inventiveness of this new "evil plot" and how it came about. Completely blown away by the revealing of the "bad guy" - he/she seemed so sweet!

All of our "main" known characters from the previous series (Oliver, Mimi...) are thirty years old and it is a little odd to read. Ara is *I think* 24 years old, so it is a little better - but yeah, characters age-wise, this book can't be regarded as a teen novel. The storyline deals with teenagers dying, so this is the connection to the YA world.

"Vampires of Manhattan is a continuation but also a new beginning. New coven. New rules. New danger. Same fabulous city of New York." - Melissa de la Cruz 

 If you are eager to continue the Blue Bloods story, this book is for you. There is sexual content and some graphic details surrounding some of the bloody deaths. The main characters are in their mid-20s to 30s. It is a fast-paced read without a whole lot of depth.

There will be a sequel, as the ending is a cliff-hanger!

Grasshopper Jungle

by Andrew Smith

ISBN: 9780525426035

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: February 11th 2014
Number of Pages: 388
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.

To make matters worse, Austin's hormones are totally oblivious; they don't care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He's stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it's up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.

My Rating: 

*Warning* I am classifying this book as New Adult due to the explicit and rampant sexual references (as you see in the summary of this book above). There is also graphic violence portrayed.

The setting is Ealing, Iowa - an extremely small town where a big corporation that provided most jobs for the community has shut down after the demise of its CEO/founder.

Our main character is Austin. He is extremely annoying and really got on my nerves. First off, every other thought he has is sexual. I was never a teenage boy, so I have no idea how accurate this portrayal is. As I warned, be prepared. A lot of these thoughts revolve around his mixed feelings towards his girlfriend (Shannon) and his gay best friend (Robby). I appreciate the introduction of the idea of bi-sexualism in YA literature, though I was a little put off by the fact that Austin didn't want to label his feelings as such.

I DID NOT like the way that women were portrayed in this book. Again, it may be because our main character is a teenage boy but STILL. There are absolutely no good female characters in this book. Austin's & Robby's mothers both take drugs to deal with their lives, Austin's girlfriend has no depth (all we hear is how much Austin wants her body), and the female grasshopper is used as a reproduction carrier. This does not seem fair to girls and I did not approve. 

Another problem I had with not only Austin, but with the author's way of writing is the "historian." Austin is apparently documenting and writing down in his journals all of the events that happened for future generations. This is okay with me (the aspect of recording these incidents). What I did not like was how we have Austin's thoughts and then the chapters switch and we are witnesses to scenes that are happening elsewhere. How does Austin know about those events to record them?! He also has this really vexing trait of going off on long tangents about his ancestors. I have no idea how this played into the book or helped further this plot? We do have a reveal towards the end of the book but I don't think we needed such an intensive back-story to understand the twist.

"Even when I tried to tell everything that happened, I knew my accounts were ultimately nothing more than an abbreviation. It's not that I neglected to write details...But no historian could ever put everything that happened in a book. The book would be as big as the universe, and it would take multiple countless lifetimes to read." - Grasshopper Jungle, 67

Now for the juicy stuff that I really liked! Shannon's stepfather, Johnny, owns a thrift shop where in his office he stores weird things that his brother (that corporation CEO) left him after his death. This is where Austin & Robby discover something disturbing: 

"The plaque read:

MCKEON INDUSTRIES 1969CONTAINED MI PLAGUE STRAIN 412E

Inside the globe was a festering universe...The black thing inside the globe pulsed and twitched like a beating heart. It seemed to become more animated the longer we stared at it. It was almost like a gelatinous cauliflower. Here and there on its velvet surface, a mound would rise up, like a mosquito bite, a black pimple, and then burst open at its peak." - Grasshopper Jungle, 55-56

This globe is the source of our exciting science fiction element - the creation of giant, man-eating bugs! We have 7 "victims" that turn and start wrecking havoc on this small community very quickly.

"...we watched as a six-legged bug the size of a small man crawled like some kind of windup mechanized toy out of the hollowed remains of Hungry Jack. It wiped itself clean with four of its appendages, bringing its spiny hands up to its mandibles, licking itself clean and dry with crackling, smacking bug-mouth sounds. The thing's head was triangular. It looked like a praying mantis, only it was as tall as we were." - Grasshopper Jungle, 128 

This is what an actual praying mantis looks like:

Photo courtesy of National Geographic

These insects portrayed in Smith's novel do closely resemble giant praying mantis, as this description from the National Geographic website accurately describes the behaviors of the bugs in this book: "...the insects will also eat others of their own kind. The most famous example of this is the notorious mating behavior of the adult female, who sometimes eats her mate just after—or even during—mating. Yet this behavior seems not to deter males from reproduction." Yet another instance of the sexual references. These bugs (only one of whom is a female) just go around eating people and taking turns reproducing. 

I did like the second half of this story - the discoveries Austin and his two pals make and the twists in the story are disturbingly weird but I liked it. The ending was a little far-fetched for me but oh well.

So, I couldn't really say I liked the book but it was a little bit above being "okay." Thus my 2.5 star rating. Not sure who this book is going to appeal to - possibly boys and probably anyone who likes gross science fiction stuff. The story-telling moves a little bit slow for the reluctant reader and the overwhelming sexual references might turn people away.

Ruined

I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Also, this book is currently only available in ebook format. I am awaiting a reply as to when it will be released as a hard copy book. 

By Jus Accardo

Series: Book #1 The Eternal Balance
ISBN: 97816226621848
Publisher: Entangled: Embrace
Publication Date: December 30th 2013
Number of Pages: 325
Source: ebook (ARC)
Goodreads Summary: Hell is looking for a way to break loose...Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world's first murderer, he's plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely… And it's killing him.After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can't outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she's thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she's been trying to forget.

Sam strains Jax's control over his darkness, but running isn't an option this time. Someone—or, something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.

My Rating:  

This is book #1 in a new series featuring demons. We have twin brothers, Jax and Chase who are total opposites and not very close. The problem with their relationship stems from long ago - they are the descendants of Cain & Abel (biblical brothers; Cain became jealous of Abel and killed him). Because of this, Cain's descendants that are born with a "tainted" soul have to bear the burden of sharing their body with a demon. This demon hates Jax's brother and taunts Jax with images of killing Chase. The only way Jax can deal with the hate of the demon is to stay away from Chase and "feed" the demon with violence.

I enjoyed how different and unique this story is. We have the paranormal aspect of demons and we also have sort of a twist on the old story of Cain and Abel. 

I don't want to give anything away, but I will say there are many surprises to this story. I was hooked and could not stop reading it until the end.

I did not give a higher rating to this book because I did have a problem with the relationship between Samantha & Jax. There was a good background story to them and his reasons for leaving her behind are legit. I don't like the idea or portrayal of this "all-consuming, obsessive" love between them. Doesn't feel true to life when we have that type of love. I am classifying this book in the New Adult category, as the characters are older (18) and it does have some racy scenes (as one of the emotions demons can feed off of is lust). 

I will probably pick up the next book to continue the story and see how it turns out. I do find that 3 books may be too much, as it sounds like the story could be wrapped up in just one other book.

The Infinite Moment of Us

By Lauren Myracle

ISBN: 9781419707933
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: August 27th 2013
Number of Pages: 316
Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now... not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn't even know what they are?

Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.

And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them...

My Rating:  

I recommend this book for more mature readers. The main character is 18 and I would classify this book under the emerging genre many are calling "New Adult."

Wren is an only child and it seems that she is just a by-product of her parents. Her desires, likes and dislikes, and goals seem to not be her own but her parents'. 

"She yearned to be her own person, not an extension of her mom and dad, and she longed to do something brave, something that mattered, something that helped others in an immediate and tangible way." - The Infinite Moment of Us, 8-9

After graduation, she has decided to defer going to the college her mom works at (the prestigious Emory University in Atlanta, her hometown). Instead, she has signed up to go to Guatemala through a program called Project Unity, where she would be helping teach English to children and performing community service. She doesn't want to wait 6-8 years to become a doctor before she can help people. She has this urge to do something now. 

The story alternates between the POV of Wren and that of Charlie, a smart but quiet guy who has loved Wren since her first saw her. He has a very complicated (and to me, a little weird) on/off relationship with a girl named Starrla, which will cause quite a few problems throughout the course of this book. Charlie has been bounced around almost his whole childhood from foster home to foster home before ending up with the wonderful couple - Chris and Pamela. I enjoyed reading about his foster brother - Dev. 

Charlie and Wren come together in a "meeting of souls." Enter an atypical summer romance. They not only hold hands and go on dates, but they also really talk and discuss deep subjects. It seems like this book focuses on their relationship but I also feel like Myracle really depicts how these two young people are learning about themselves and growing up through their relationship. 

Must say I really liked the characters of P.G. and Paige. They provided comic relief and were great at steering Charlie and Wren together.

I can say I really enjoyed the story and the development of our two characters. One problem I did find is the all-consuming obsession that Charlie & Wren have with each other. I know that first love certainly feels like this, but it usually grows into real love. I don't think that their relationship ever moved past that stage. The ending was open-ended and tied up a little too easy. 

Good realistic fiction that will probably appeal mostly to girls, though some guys might like how Charlie's thoughts are half of the book. 

In the Age of Love and Chocolate

By Gabrielle Zevin

Series: Book #3 Birthright/Anya Balanchine
ISBN: 9780374380759
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: October 29th 2013
Number of Pages: 304
Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: All These Things I’ve Done, the first novel in the Birthright series, introduced us to timeless heroine Anya Balanchine, a plucky sixteen year old with the heart of a girl and the responsibilities of a grown woman. Now eighteen, life has been more bitter than sweet for Anya. She has lost her parents and her grandmother, and has spent the better part of her high school years in trouble with the law. Perhaps hardest of all, her decision to open a nightclub with her old nemesis Charles Delacroix has cost Anya her relationship with Win.

Still, it is Anya’s nature to soldier on. She puts the loss of Win behind her and focuses on her work. Against the odds, the nightclub becomes an enormous success, and Anya feels like she is on her way and that nothing will ever go wrong for her again. But after a terrible misjudgment leaves Anya fighting for her life, she is forced to reckon with her choices and to let people help her for the first time in her life.

My Rating:  

For readers of this series, I believe most will be happy with this conclusion. What I like most about this series (and specifically this last book) is that we really see our characters grow as people. There is a chapter entitled "I AM WEAK; REFLECT ON THE TRANSFORMATIVE NATURE OF PAIN; DETERMINE THAT MY CHARACTER IS BUILT" that really shows how far Anya has come. At the end of this chapter, we have a conversation between Anya and Mr. Delacroix:

"’One year, I came close to going to Teen Crime Scene Summer, a program for budding criminologists in Washington, DC, but I struck a deal with the acting district attorney that landed me at Liberty Children's instead.’

‘I imagine the experience was character-building for you.’

‘Oh, it was. Enormously.’ I rolled my eyes. ‘Though I have had no shortage of character-building experiences in my life.’

‘At this point,’ he said, ‘I think we can safely consider your character built.’”

- In the Age of Love and Chocolate, 219

One thing that separates this series from others is the span of time the books cover. We follow Anya for six years. She starts off as a teenager (16 years) in All These Things I've Done and we stay with her until she really is a young adult - 22 years old. I enjoyed this, as I mentioned above - we are able to watch her grow as a person. Your teenager years up until you become an "adult" at 21 - these are your formative years. This was truly a coming-of-age story. (Because of the age of Anya in this book, I have classified this book as New Adult too).

Anya - I've already touched on her a bit with my "coming-of-age" talk. She certainly makes mistakes as a person, but what young person doesn't?? She learns from her mistakes and moves on. All that she has accomplished at such a young age - truly inspiring. She's very mature for her age and enjoyed her voice in this book (including the asides she includes to foreshadow for the reader).

Loved book 2's cover much better than this one:

Maybe they should have come up with a different cover for Because It Is My Blood since it relates more to this book anyway.

Now, I don't want to give anything away, so I'm not going to include spoilers in this review (until the timeline at the bottom). I must sound like a broken record - I just think almost all of the characters in this book have really grown up. Leo and his wife Noriko take over one of the clubs on the other side of the country and succeed. Little sister Natty even grows up (though there is that silly business with Win). Speaking of Win, man does he change. I was quite upset with him at the end of book 2 (Because It Is My Blood) and about the first half of this book. I couldn't get past his selfish ways in breaking Anya's heart and not supporting her. I have come to terms with this - they had to break up and go their separate ways in order to find themselves. Anya hardens herself and became an international successful businesswoman. More on Win to come.

Yuji's story was heartbreaking and Sophia is truly a sociopath. Poor Theo - I really liked him in book 2. Throughout this book I was rooting for him, but towards the end we don't see much of him (understandable given what happens...) but still sad because he is so lovable and I think he became jaded. 

Think Anya made an excellent decision regarding The Family and Mouse. :) 

One character I have come to really like is Mr. Delacroix. He is able to prove that people can change. His friendship/partnership with Anya is portrayed beautifully and even he gets a happy ending! 

Now for the that half a star away from a perfect score......the relationship between Win and Anya. Just couldn't get over the about face Win does. Some people compared their relationship to Romeo & Juliet and being star-crossed lovers. I didn't really buy into that. 

"Bad girl meets good boy. Ambitious father gets in the middle. Girl chooses business over boy. That kind of thing." - In the Age of Love and Chocolate, 157

That quote describes the relationship better.  To not give the ending away, I find that Win and Anya's interactions seemed unnatural and the ending doesn't really do justice to Anya.  She deserves a strong man that is his own person and can meet her as an equal. I personally don't think that guy is Win. 

One character I don't think we saw enough of was the best friend - Scarlet and her son Felix. Would have liked more on her struggle being a single mom and trying to make it as an actress to boot. 

As everyone probably knows, chocolate is used as an euphemism for a certain illegal drug in our day and age. I personally think it was ingenious: 

"a bit of chocolate never hurt a soul, and I'll sign my name to that on as many prescriptions as you want...Cacao could be used to treat everything from fatigue to headaches, from anxiety to dull skin." - In the Age of Love and Chocolate, 37

Sound familiar?? I'll let you draw your own conclusions. 

A spoiler timeline of the series:

Book 1:
2082 - 16 years old - Anya meets and dates Win; also serves time at Liberty

Book 2:
2083 - 17 years old - Anya is released from Liberty; she then hides out in Mexico and meets Theo

Book 3:
2084 - Anya turns 18 and opens a cacao nightclub 

2085 - She opens more nightclubs; enters a "relationship" with Theo; he proposes & she refuses

2086 - Anya turns 21; marries Yuji and is widowed when he dies shortly after; almost dies herself at the hands of Sophia

2087 - Anya recuperates and spends a summer in Niskayuna with Win & her sister;  The Dark Room is shut down and she wins in court; attends wedding of Mr. Delacroix  to his ex-wife AWWW!