The Fox’s Mask by Anna Frost [blog tour + giveaway]

 

The Fox’s Mask by Anna Frost @|www
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Blurb: Demon hunter Akakiba keeps many secrets from his human companion. The fact he’s a werefox isn’t the worst one.

In feudal Japan, magic is dying. As a demon hunter, Akakiba finds this problematic. The evil he’s been trained to destroy is disappearing and, along with it, the shape-shifting abilities of the clan he left behind. With his only companion, a determined young human named Yuki, Akakiba traverses the country slaying demons and performing odd jobs.

But when an army of demon possessed humans masses to exterminate his clan, Akakiba must put aside old feuds and protect his family–all while hiding an important secret from Yuki. Will they find a way to defeat the demon possessed before it’s too late? With magic dwindling, will it matter either way?

I received an ecopy of this book from the offer in exchange for an honest review!

I’m not sure if I would have picked out The Fox’s Mask to read on my own, which is one of the great things about book blogging! I haven’t read many (if any) books that take place and incorporate Japanese culture, and I’m always open to more LGBT reads.

Akakiba is a demon hunter, and he kind of ambles around looking for stuff to do. He has a companion named Yuki who he saved and began teaching. They do a lot of odd jobs like help take care of dragon eggs for poor villages. When Akakiba’s clan and family is under attack, he must do what he can to help them (obviously) and this opens up parts of his life he’s kept hidden to Yuki.

Akakiba’s clan has a lot of secrets and they’re special and magical in a world that’s losing magic. Because they are, they’re targets for demons. Akakiba has been away from his family for a long time, and when he returns, he has to face some unpleasant realities of his past. Yuki is even more curious about Akakiba, and wants to know more about his family and his past. Akakiba’s family wants him to be a part of the clan and they’re very interested in his new friend.

I enjoyed The Fox’s Mask! The one thing I kind of had an issue with was some of the demon POV stuff, sometimes I was really confused by what was happening, but I think that was more on me! I loved the setting and that it took place in Japan, and there were dragons, demons, werefoxes. The protective spirits and magic that were missing were really interesting. I loved the relationships, and the twists and turns of the story. The final twist was exciting and heightened my interest: it wasn’t completely shocking because of other events in the story, but it wasn’t something I expected and added a lot to the story. I’m interested to see where the story goes in The Fox’s Quest!

Be sure to click and check out the giveaway for a $30 Amazon or B&N gift card, ran by Anna::

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The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith [thoughts]

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Goodreads | @ | www
Release Date: April 15th 2014
Publisher: Poppy
Series: none!

Goodreads description: Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they’re rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen’s relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and — finally — a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith’s new novel shows that the center of the world isn’t necessarily a place. It can be a person, too

I read The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and liked-not-loved it, but The Geography of You and Me sounded interesting and I saw some love for it from Estelle (hm, she must write great reviews because I seem to link back to her a lot!) and I remember Gaby tweeting about it (but that’s a link to a post including it, because I’m too lazy to find the tweets) .

Lucy lives in a nice building in NYC. One day while in the elevator with a boy she’s seen around, a blackout hits and the elevator stalls. She’s stuck with a stranger-a cute one. They have very different stories and backgrounds, but they spend the day together and fall asleep on the roof. After the day, things go differently than planned but they keep thinking of one another.

If you were to ask me to describe this book in one word, I think I’d say “warm.” I really liked it, and even though I read some awesome reviews for it, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. But these two characters were real, with real issues, real ways of dealing with them, real emotions, and it made me smile and it made me hurt and holy run-on sentence, this is me gushing about this book! I really liked it.

Lucy loves her city but she’s lonely. Her twin brothers are off to college and her parents travel constantly. She doesn’t have any close friends and spends a lot of her time on the edges. When she meets E, she explains how sad this is in a way she’s never really had to face before. After the blackout, her parents kind of freak out about her being there alone and being stuck and trauma and invite her to come to Europe (London, actually). She’s excited, because she has always wanted to go on one of their trips. She opens up about some things with her parents and it changes things immensely. I really love books where characters actually talk out problems because sometimes life is like that and sometimes I just wish life was like that. It’s not always easy to say what you really mean, but sometimes when things are important to you, you can do it. And I really appreciate the movements made in this book on both parts. I loved how involved her parents were, and the discoveries you make later on about how assumptions guided silence for so long and how her mom was more observant than she expected and it made a huge difference for words to actually be spoken.

Owen and his dad are going through a tough time and figuring out how to make life work. They have to learn about each other and skirt some issues and eventually talk about important things. I really liked their relationship, but I don’t want to get as long about it. But it meant a lot to me that both Lucy and Owen were close with their parents and felt like it was important to make connections and talk to their parents.

And the relationship? I really liked that too. To me, it felt like an instant connection, because I don’t feel like either one of them thought it was love. It’s just like when you meet someone and spend some time with them and really enjoy them and keep thinking about them. It’s not love, but you’re connected. And they have a difficult time keeping up the connection, but they find some ways, and when they meet again it isn’t perfect, but it’s messy and real and the messy parts made me love the book all the more. I loved that they just kept thinking about each other while traveling and their connection was great.

I definitely want to read The Geography of You and Me again, and it’s going on my “buy” list. I really felt connected to it, even though both characters were very different from me and in different situations. It’s cute and sweet, but it is also so much more than that. It’s got depth and meaning, and it’s genuine and warm. It makes me want to revisit Statistical and give This is What Happy Looks Like and some of her other books a try. I really recommend this one to anyone. I’m sure it’s not for everyone and Jen E. Smith’s books seem to be kind of hit or miss, but I really liked this one! If you like contemps with real emotion and a genuine feeling, depth, growth, traveling and development, The Geography of You and Me might be for you!

 

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski [thoughts]

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Goodreads | Twitter | Website
Release Date:March 4th 2014
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Series: The Winner’s Trilogy #1

Goodreads description: Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart

I didn’t really know what The Winner’s Curse was about, but it got a lot of buzz and I was interested.

The Winner’s Curse is about war! Kestrel (oh that name. It had a point but still.) is from a country/society that invaded another country and took it over. They live in their houses and use the people as slaves. Kestrel is a general’s daughter in a highly militaristic society. Arin, a slave she acquires, is…well, a slave. He doesn’t like the people that conquered his land, because really, who would? But they are interested in each other, of course.

Overall, I really liked this book. It was engaging and I was entertained. Kestrel isn’t amazingly skilled at every aspect of life, she’s actually bad at fighting and her father wants her to join the military. She’s good at strategy but she doesn’t want to join up and fight. She also doesn’t want to get married, but those are her only choices. She’s defiant, but she’s vulnerable too.

Arin is a slave and he’s understandably angry. His way of life has changed and now he’s a slave, along with his people. Every day he sees the remnants of his society under the power of violent conquerors. When he’s sold to Kestrel, he’s resistant, but his interest in her grows. I was kind of pleasantly surprised by Arin’s story, I loved that there was stuff going on I didn’t see coming, and it felt realistic.

Their romance was kind of weird for me. I couldn’t always understand why they were drawn together. I wasn’t completely against it, and I could like it at certain points, but I wasn’t completely sold.

I liked seeing the story from both sets of eyes. I liked the world and there were several things going on I didn’t expect. My major issue with it is something I could rant about but don’t want to spoil for anyone, and it might not be as huge for everyone else: towards the end a turn in the book kind of made everything fall apart for me. It kind of tore at some of the ideas the book had built up earlier. I couldn’t take the twist seriously and it bummed me out on the book,. and it’s something the next book will build on, so I’m not very sure about that. But I’m still interested in the world and characters and I want to see what else can happen.

Despite my big issue with part of the ending, I liked this book and this world! I want to read it again at some point and I will keep reading the series. It’s not a case of love but it is a lot of like and appreciation! I’ve actually read The Shadow Society by Rutkoski and I think I gave it 3 stars (before blogging), so I think she’s talented and I’m interested in her work. If you like war, especially if you’re interested in ancient Rome/Greece and strategy and difficult romances, I think you’d enjoy this one!

 

One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva [thoughts]

One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva  www
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon
Release Date: May 27th 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Series: none

 

Goodreads description: Funny and heartfelt, One Man Guy serves up the raucous family humor and gentle romance of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, as told with David Sedaris–style wit

Alek Khederian should have guessed something was wrong when his parents took him to a restaurant. Everyone knows that Armenians never eat out. Between bouts of interrogating the waitress and criticizing the menu, Alek’s parents announce that he’ll be attending summer school in order to bring up his grades. Alek is sure this experience will be the perfect hellish end to his hellish freshman year of high school. He never could’ve predicted that he’d meet someone like Ethan.

Ethan is everything Alek wishes he were: confident, free-spirited, and irreverent. He can’t believe a guy this cool wants to be his friend. And before long, it seems like Ethan wants to be more than friends. Alek has never thought about having a boyfriend—he’s barely ever had a girlfriend—but maybe it’s time to think again

I chose to read this book because it sounded cute. That’s all the reason I need!

Alek is Armenian and his family is very serious about culture and background. They’re also pretty strict and make him go to summer school to stay in honors. He has a crush on the Ethan, a bad boy type. Romance and family issues ensue.

One Man Guy was pretty cute. I loved that Alek was Armenian, it was really interesting to read about Armenian culture and Alek’s exasperation with certain things his parents thought were serious. He got annoyed with how intense they were about social things that just seemed ridiculous to him. It was fun to watch him grasp and learn, and I really enjoyed the development between Alek and his brother Nik.

The romance between Ethan and Alek was mostly cute, but for some reason Ethan rubbed me slightly the wrong way. I should have written this review right after I read it, but it’s been a while so I don’t have examples. It could have been a personal thing, it wasn’t huge or I’d be able to remember it better. I also wasn’t a huge fan of Becky. She just annoyed me, but a lot. I’m sure the friend situation represented here might be common, but it didn’t sit well with me.

I enjoyed One Many Guy, but I don’t think it’s a book I’d want to pick up again. I re-skimmed some of it for this review (because I read it so long ago) and I didn’t feel super connected with it. But it is cute and it has depth and diversity, and it’s definitely worth a read, and I feel like my annoyances might be personal things that other people might not feel the same way about. I plan on reading more of Michael Barikiva’s work!

Have you read this one/Do you plan to?

 

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel [thoughts]

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel @| .com
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon
Release Date: May 13th 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Series: none

 

 

Goodreads description: A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete’s nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she’s falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up–and the troubled beauty trapped between them

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

slight spoilers.

I love Peter Pan, so I was interested by Second Star‘s premise of a modern day retelling. I got a chance to read it now on Netgalley and I was really excited.

Wendy Darling’s brothers have been missing for months, and most people believe their dead. But Wendy can’t and won’t stop hoping that they’re still out there. She searches for them and meets some interesting people.

I am mainly just really confused by this book. Honestly, I think it would be better for the book to not be seen as a retelling at all. It doesn’t feel like a retelling and doesn’t seem to have much in common with what most people are probably familiar with. Maybe as a separate entity, it could just be a story about a girl who misses her brothers and gets involved with stupid and dangerous people.

That is basically what happens. She goes looking and meets Peter, a homeless surfer guy. He’s squatting at an abandoned house on a cliff. He used to be in foster care and ran away from that life. Now all he does is surf and helps kids. They scavenge to live, from the houses of the wealthy. It is kind of ridiculous. Wendy even goes with them and finds this activity glamorous. Peter hates his old friend Jas because he turned to drug dealing. When Wendy finds out Jas might have more information about her brothers, she gets involved with him, and some drugs. It is beyond ridiculous.

Wendy’s hope is easy to care about and in that respect, she’s easy to sympathize with. It’s easy to let sadness sway you and get mixed up in awful situations. But I just couldn’t understand her actions. She’s reckless and after a certain point, I couldn’t pull for her anymore. Freeing yourself from responsibility by surfing might be fun. Stealing because nobody that lives in the house wants to do anything but surf isn’t. Making sacrifices to find your brothers might be strong, but not waiting a damn night and taking drugs to get into the house isn’t. It’s stupid. Not that characters that make mistakes or do drugs can’t be enjoyable, but besides her hope, nothing about Wendy was enjoyable for me. Nothing about the story was enjoyable or meaningful to me, I didn’t feel like she learned  anything or grew at all, which made the story seem sort of pointless to me.

I couldn’t get into any sort of romance, it was all creepy to me. Peter and Jas are both creepy in different ways, but Jas is especially disgusting and I just didn’t understand why Wendy wanted anything to do with him. I was also really confused by the ending but at that point I didn’t even care anymore, I just wanted to be done with it. This didn’t feel like a retelling to me. While books about similar situations might be interesting, I just kept questioning everything that happened and wondering why any of it was happening.

This was not a book for me. But if you really like surfing, recklessness, and some darkness and drug-related stuff, you might enjoy it and should give it a shot!

 Have you read this one? Are you interested in it? Do you love Peter Pan? Let me know!

DNF: Twisted by Holly Hook and The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Twisted by Holly Hook | Goodreads | Amazon

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I sort of just saw Tornadoes and being from Oklahoma, I was kind of interested. I should have read more carefully (I’m bad about blurbs, guys) because I did not realize that it was about WEREtornadoes. I do not mind were-things. Teen Wolf is one of my favorite shows. However, in my mind, to make sense, things need to be living for this concept to work? And a tornado is just air. This was really confusing to me. But the main character is a girl who is really into science and there are some creepy like hill country wind cult folks that are kind of interesting. This book wasn’t for me, but if it is something that sounds interesting to you, I think you should check it out!

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares | Goodreads | Amazon

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I might have mentioned before that I really love time travel stories. Time Travel is really important to me and it probably has a LOT to do with the Back to the Future movies, which I will always love. So this story about people from the future evacuating to a safer time seemed like something I would love! The people from the future aren’t supposed to get close to anyone in the past or stand out in anyway. Main character Prenna has problems with this and gets in trouble for it a lot. THEN this guy knows something and tells her she must stop something important that has a huge effect their future. It sounds so interesting. But…it isn’t that interesting? It’s slow and the way Prenna and even the way Ethan (a boy from the present that she is friends/more with) doesn’t talk normally. I couldn’t handle it. Some things were also really obvious and others were kind of weird time travel stuff that bugged me. I might skim the end to see what happens with the big event, I only got about half through this one. However, it might be right up your alley. I’d recommend also or rather watching Continuum and reading All Our Yesterdays (my review) because they are excellent.

 

Have you read either of these? Did you like/dislike them? Have anything similar to rec? Let me know!

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan [LGBT April]

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan 

Published August 27th 2013 by Knopf Books for Young Readers 

Goodreads description: New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. 

While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other

Confession time: I was actually not all that excited about this book once I learned the exact meaning/premise of  Two Boys Kissing. I am, in general, not a huge fan of world records. To a certain point, they are amusing. But mostly I just think they are pointless. So wen I found out that the book had boys going for the world record of longest kiss recorded (at 32 hours, 12 minutes and 10 seconds For some reason, they have to stand up the whole time. What about kissing means you have to stand up? I’m really confused about that point. People can kiss sitting down, obviously.), my interest level dropped considerably. Why would you want to kiss someone for so long? For your name to be in a big book and maybe you get some sense of achievement or recognition, but it just doesn’t seem that amazing to me. BUT I knew there was more to the story than just the kiss. I’ve seen some amazing reviews and for LGBT month, I knew this was one I should pick up. I’m glad I did, weird world record and all. AND that part of the story is based on actual events that happened in 2010, and I had never heard about it, but it was interesting to find out about after reading the book.

There is so much to say about this book and I don’t feel like I can do it justice at all. It was touching, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. I wanted to know more about the characters, I didn’t feel ready to say goodbye. I actually wasn’t completely sold on the chorus style narration, though I do think it got the point across and added a lot to the story, sometimes it felt distancing for me, which might have been on purpose. I wouldn’t say this is a favorite book, but I enjoyed it and appreciated it. It definitely made me cry on several occasions, but it also made me smile and want to hug it.

Since I don’t really know how to eloquently explain my feelings for this one, I’m going to share three quotes:

 “Love is so painful, how could you wish it on anybody? And love is so essential, how could you ever stand in its way?”

–

“But does he see everything, or only what he wants to be seeing? This is always one of the greatest questions of love.”

–

“We wish we could show you the world as it sleeps. Then you’d never have any doubt about how similar, how trusting, how astounding and vulnerable we all are.”

And also direct you to three reviews that are better than mine:

Danielle – Christina – Jamie

And one confession for the road: I’m not actually a David Levithan fan. I’ve read Naomi & Ely, Nick & Norah and Every Day and while I liked certain aspects of the last two, I mainly think of them all as being kinda meh. But maybe I will try some of his other work at some point in the future, based on this read. If you’re interested in LGBT books, you should definitely check this one out!

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge [thoughts]

Cruel Beauty by Roasmund Hodge
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon
Release Date: January 28th 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Series: Cruel Beauty Universe

Goodreads description: Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

I decided to read Cruel Beauty  because I enjoy retellings and it was getting crazy amounts of praise among bloggers I follow. I don’t think I knew about the mythology factor much beforehand, but that would have made me want to read it more.

Nyx is a princess type person (I don’t remember her father’s title) and she has been brought up to marry an evil ruler person who is monstrous. There’s a plan for her to murder him and free the land but things get complicated. The Goodreads summary for this one seems pretty spot on.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I liked a lot of the world building. It was based on a lot of Greek/Roman ideas and I think (I don’t have the book with me right now, I read it on Overdrive) it’s almost like an AU of somewhere in Greece. I loved the house and how it changed, but I wasn’t completely sure about all the seals and magic that was supposed to be used. I loved other magical things, and the use of mythology. I thought it added a lot of depth to the story.

I loved how selfish Nyx was, and that she wasn’t just dying to be the hero. She wanted a life that was her own, and not having a choice really bothered her. She let herself be afraid and she didn’t force herself to be strong at every single moment. I liked that, it was different from some YA heroines. She wasn’t completely hateful and unlikable, she felt guilt and love, but I understood where all her negative feelings were coming from. It’s okay to not be the perfect girl that wants to fall in line and do everything you’re told, well-behaved women and all that. I also liked Nyx and Ignifex’s relationship, it was antagonistic. She was sent in with a mission but it was easily confused. It seemed like it was fun for her to get to know someone that was completely different, and she enjoyed getting to know him and arguing with him, even knowing that he was…evil.

I did not care for how Nyx’s family worked at all. I was on Nyx’s side, and when she started to feel guilty about her selfishness, I wanted to yell at her. Some of the fire in her attitude seemed to fizzle at the first sight of a sprinkle. She was too easily swayed one way or the other, and it annoyed me. There is one big decision in the book that really made me frown and felt disappointing for me. I don’t think it would be as annoying to everyone else, though. The ending was something else I didn’t love, or maybe not what happened but certain circumstances, but again, I’m not sure it would bother anyone else the same way it bothered me.

As you can tell, I have mixed feelings about Cruel Beauty, but I did enjoy it. It’s a difficult decision whether this gets a 3 or a 3.5 but I think I could possibly want to reread it at some point, so I’m going with 3.5. And I believe, from how the series seems on Goodreads, that there might be more stories in this world but not exactly a series. I’m not completely sure, but I plan to read more by the author. I recommend it if you love retellings, strong girls that don’t just fall into place, and feisty relationships. Goodreads average rating: 3.82.

Roasmund Hodge‘s website and twitter!

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill [thoughts]

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon
Release Date: September 3rd 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Series: Al Our Yesterdays #1

Goodreads description: What would you change?

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it… at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win. All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

I saw All Our Yesterdays getting a bit of buzz from bloggers, and I like time travel anything. For some reason, even with interest and positive reviews, I wasn’t really super excited about it. However, I was pleasantly surprised!

Em is the main character and she’s in a bad future where time travel is possible. Other versions of herself and a friend named Finn have gone back in time to try to correct/stop something big, but it never works out. She has managed to leave herself clues on what to try next. Along with Finn, she goes back in time to see if one thing she doesn’t want to do will save the future. I really enjoyed how the book was set up with alternating POVs from the same person in different times.

Sometimes I get weird about small details, but I felt like this story kept focus on what happened during the time travel and the story rather than time travel itself. There was some science and paradox talk, but I felt like it worked. There was nothing huge that bugged me, and I didn’t feel like it was too complicated. The situation of trying to change the world before it goes wrong and trying to decide what changes to make and if you can hurt someone you love  if you knew it would make the better place and prevent awful things from happening. It was thought provoking and very interesting.

I liked all of the characters, I was even intrigued by the “bad guy.” Em was determined and I enjoyed her so much. She went through some tough things, but she grew and I liked how the book handled her transition and how she dealt with her feelings for the past and her past self.  I also enjoyed Finn and would have liked even more of him! I think I would have liked a little more of their memories and time together, too. The romance was not the book’s focus, and I liked that, but I was curious about that some parts that were left out and would have liked to get to know them better. While I enjoyed them all, I didn’t really fall in love with any of them.

All Our Yesterdays hooked me early on, and I read most of it in one sitting. It was engrossing, and I kept thinking about it all day after I finished. I wanted more! This is a book I can see myself enjoying again. I would also love to read more of Cristin Terrill’s work and even though I have no idea what the rest of the series will involve, I’m excited about it! I recommend All Our Yesterdays, but especially if you like time travel.

Cristin Terrill‘s website and twitter!

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund [thoughts]

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon
Release Date: October 15th 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Series: For Darkness Shows the Stars #2, companion novel that can stand alone

Goodreads description: Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

Across a Star-Swept Sea was on my fall TBR (and yes I’m still working on that!) because I liked For Darkness Shows the Stars. I actually have a post drafted for FDStS but my thoughts were messy and it never really evolved into a publishable review. Hopefully this one will be better!

This book is set in the same post-apocalyptic world as For Darkness Shows the Stars, where there have been wars that reset the population. Genetically modified foods (and I think other genetic modifications) altered human development and caused the Reduced, people who are mentally handicapped. People that abstained from the modifications and are unaffected are generally in power.

In Across a Star-Swept Sea, I will completely admit some of the politics kind of confused me. But, the story is based on the Scarlet Pimpernel, so think French Revolution-ish. Persis Blake is a wealthy friend of the Princess of a Albion, and the island of Galatea is in a state of revolution where the oppressed cured Reduced are now lashing out at anyone that had power, or anyone related to anyone that had power, in vicious ways. Persis Blake interferes with this as Wild Poppy. Justen is a medic from Galatea and doesn’t agree with what is happening, even though he’s grown up on the side that is currently in power. He goes to Albion for help/asylum and meets Persis, who purposely appears to be vapid and flaky. They pretend to be in a relationship. There are a whole lot of aspects to this story that are just really difficult for me to summarize quickly.

I liked Persis! She was smart and self-sacrificing. She worked hard to make a difference and help others. She wasn’t perfect, which made her interesting and realistic. She was also snarky and witty. Justen was interesting, but I don’t feel like I got to know him very well as a character. He was nice and wanted to help people, too. I liked their romance and wanted things to work out, but I didn’t feel extremely invested. I think it just needed more of them spending actual time together for me to feel like it was OMG amazing. I did think they were cute, but I needed more depth.

“Love was magma, shooting from the Earth. It had the potential to form pillars of rock that would last for a thousand years or plumes of ash that choked the sky.”

I already mentioned that there was a bit of confusion. I think that maybe some of the terms used might have been slightly confusing. I think the history of the islands and political groups needed more details, or at least details put together differently. But mainly it seemed to boil down to people not in power wanting power, people in power abusing power, and some people trying to fix things.

There was also a lot of medical stuff and genetic stuff going on that was both interesting and sometimes confusing. There’s a cure for the Reduced but the cure sometimes leads to another sickness. The people of Albion have palm ports, which are kind of like smart phones but are a part of the body, and they have to eat certain things to have energy to use them. They also have genetically engineered animals! Creepy but also cool.

There were also some interesting gender issues going on. I think the society and world operates on a patriarchal system, but a lot of people don’t agree with it. Some people seem to just accept it and others kind of go around it. It wasn’t just that that was the issue though, but the characters discussed the issue. I loved the discussion of it, and that the characters were realizing so many problems in their world and that was one of them.

I enjoyed Across a Star-Swept Sea! It kept me entertained and wanting more. I think it’s one I could probably read again at some point, too! I’m not sure if there are going to be more books set in this world, but I kind of hope so. It’s odd and can be slightly confusing, but I do like it. I do think the characters could use a bit of depth, and I think the romance could use a little bit more. I think you might like Across a Star-Swept Sea if you like dashing lady heroes in disguise and intelligent characters!

Diana Peterfreund‘s website and twitter!