Short Story Review No. 1 - Giovanni's Farewell

Giovanni's Farewell
Enthralled:  Paranormal Diversions

By:  Claudia Gray
Publisher:  HarperCollins - Sept. 2011
Pages:  464 Softcover (ARC)
Read:  Sept. 2011
Genre:  Fantasy Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Anthologies, Supernatural

Morbid Romantica Challenge 2011

By the Mad Scientist

First Line:  Before I was awake or aware, before my heart began to beat, Cairo was there.

Black Disaster Fairy's Take:

Anthologies do make me a bit weary.  Some short stories are amazing and then lets face it... some are just so lacking after enjoying a pile of books with huge long plot twists and handfuls of characters.  Let me just say that this story was a shocking start to this anthology.  


Ravenna and Cairo are twins who just happen to be extremely close.  They are on a class trip to the wondrous European city of Rome.  Instead of enjoying a bowl of pasta or a Italian soda Cairo has a rather unusual freak out & flips over the hotel mattress.


Huh... 


Being overseas is not the reason for Cairo's unsettling behavior.  This duo is well traveled and they have a unique background that makes me extremely jealous of them.  No worries it also made me love them even more!


The class is being entertained by a tour through one of the famous must see tourist spots, Catacombs of Saint Cecilia, when Ravenna meets a Italian boy, Giovanni. 


Now Italy is romantic but the obvious location of them being in a ancient cemetery I was waiting for something to happen.  I wasn't expecting for Ravenna to figure out she had a unique power. 


I do kind of enjoy it when characters think themselves CRAZY!

I looked up into the dark chambers above us and felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.
 --- Page 15

This is the first time I have read anything by Claudia Gray.  I enjoyed her small side note tidbits that gave the story something extra.


Overall, Giovanni's Farewell was short and cute.  A small inky package that wrapped up nicely.  However, I would love for her to turn this into a series.  The well traveled background of these twins is just the sort of thing I would enjoy!

*Received from BEA 2011.  This in no way has hindered my weird but honest review.*

Book Review No. 6 - Twenty Boy Summer

Twenty Boy Summer

By:  Sarah Ockler
Series:  N/A
Publisher:  Little Brown & Co - June 2009
Pages:  290 eBook  
Rating:  4
Book Cover Rating:  4.5 Simple & fun but it makes you wonder
Read:  July 2010
Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age

First Line:  Frankie Perino and I were lucky that day.  Lucky to be alive - that's what everyone said.

Has Been Challenged Multiple Times!!
Recommend by :  Wesley Scroggins



Black Disaster Fairy's Take:

I am notorious for not reading the synopsis before I open a book, or ebook.  However, I must admit I'm extremely happy that I did not know a thing about this book.  I mean how much can that heart on the cover reveal?  The shock, happiness, and sadness that wrapped around me was purely from the words on the paper in front of me.  Ockler also had me recommending this book to others by page 11.  It really did!  


 ~~ Warning, if you are expecting this book to be a fluffy fun beach read you need to stop! Red the synopsis or take my advice.  This book mainly deals with grief.  Don't get me wrong... There are a few wonderful romance scenes that made me crave the smell of salt water and the feel of hot sand under my toes while some summer romance blooms.


The story of secrets starts off with a cute adorable cake fight between Anna and her neighbor Matt.  When they are washing Anna's 15th birthday cake frosting off themselves, Matt kissed Anna.  Let us toss in a twist, Matt happens to be the brother of Frankie, Anna's best friend.  The three of them have been neighbors for years, they formed a tight bond.


BAM!  Now things are different.  Cute perfection does not last long.  This book is surrounded by the loss of Matt.  He died because he had a broken heart, literally a broken heart.  He had a hole in his heart that no one knew about until it was too late.  Frankie and her family are dealing with the loss.  Anna is dealing with her grief on her own, she promised Matt that she would not tell his sister.  however, Matt never had the chance to tell his sister before he past away.

"He's probably wondering why the women in this family are so certifiably nuts."

It is a year later and the loss is still heavy around everyone.  Due to the fact that they are all trying to move on, Frankie's parents decided to invite Anna on their yearly vacation to Cali.  Frankie comes up with a brilliant plan.  After all, Anna needs to loose her virginity, AKA the albatross.  Twenty boys in one summer and she is bound to find the right guy on the Cali beach!  Is there a better place to find a summer romance?  This will be the BEST summer ever!

Book Love <3
Tree Love <3

"As I lick a runaway line of melting cherry chocolate ripple from my hand, I become hyperaware of our surroundings.  The back-and-forth ancient lull of the tide.  The cray of seagulls passing over head.  The smell of salt and fish carried on the warm breeze.  With each step along the old wooden planks of the pier, tiny grains of sand that hitchhiked from the beach below are pulverized under our heels.  Sand that traveled a millions of miles over billions of years across shifting continents and churning oceans, surviving plate tectonics, erosion, and sedimentary deposition is crushed by our new sandals.  The cosmos can be so cruel."

Throughout the summer in Cali the girls film their vacation, sneak out of the beach house, and of course, one of them gets a huge sun burn!  Naturally, there were boys.  Boys, Boys, and more Boys.  Their friendship is tested along with the anxiety of being at the beach house for the first time with out Matt.  Anna is afraid of erasing all of her memories of Matt.  Will she let go of her loss and enjoy the Twenty Boy Summer?

"We could make chocolate chip pancakes."  It's not psychotherapy, but chocolate chip pancakes work for a lot of things.

The book is deep and tender as Ockler touches a deeply taboo subject; death and loss.  I loved thsi debut novel and I cannot wait to read more from her!


BDF highly recommends this book!!  Thanks to Scroggins!  

Book Review No. 4 - Speak

Speak

By:  Laurie Halse Anderson
Series:  N/A
Publisher:  Puffin - April 2001
Pages:  148 eBook  
Rating:  5
Book Cover Rating:  5 (It truly fits the book!)
Read:  Sept. 2010
Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Sexual Violence

First Line:  It is my first morning of high school.

Has Been Challenged Multiple Times!!
Recommend by :  Wesley Scroggins

Black Disaster Fairy's Take:

This book was attacked by Wesley Scroggins in a article last year about this time.  There is a particular part of his claim that had my eyebrows peak and my brain try to wrap around his intriguing statement, "material that should be classified as soft pornography." 


Soft Porn?!?


This guy is considering rape to be soft porn?  WOW!!!  Let's get this out in the open right away, I am a twisted person who came over from the dark side, who reads books that contain sexual violence.  However, I would never ever consider rape to be porn.  That is creepy even for me!


 ~~ Warning, it is hard to not write this review without spoilers.  If you do not want spoilers please stop reading. I do not want you to stop talking to me.~~


Melinda is our main character/narrator.  She does not get much description but for me it worked.  Many can relate and put themselves in her shoes.  We enter the book by going into the high school as a 9th grader.  (Geez, that was a while ago for me.)  High school can be the greatest years, full of amazing memories but so far for Melinda it is the time where no one talks to you & people throw mash potatoes at you.  I could not possibly dare to begin how that would feel.  Just completely humiliating, too cruel.

Book Love <3
Tree Love <3

Soon we find out that everyone scorns her because during the summer she calls the cops at a huge party were a few people get tossed in the slammer due to her actions.  Naturally, now she has the bulls-eye of hate on her, even her friends classmates do not even speak to her.  If only they knew the reason why!!  Speak up Melinda!!  Ok, that was me screaming at her!  

"My goal is to go home and take a nap."

Instead she draws into herself, retreating from family, school, and people who are trying to be her friend.  She found a place that she could call her own.  A place she could go and hide.  I must admit that I loved her closet!

"My journal entry of the day:  Exchange students are ruining our country."

Anderson does not say out right what happened to Melinda.  This taboo subject normally has people walking around what happened.  She did a good job with this while leaving clues.  Biology class is the biggest clue that should ring bells.  

"Our frog lies on her back.  Waiting for a prince to come and princessify her with a smooch?  I stand over her with my knife.  Ms. Keen's voice fades to a mosquito whine.  My throat closes off.  It's hard to breathe.  I put out my hand to steady myself against the table.  David pins her froggy hands to the dissection try.  He spreads her froggy legs and pins her froggy feet.  I have to slice open her belly.  She doesn't say a word.  She is already dead.  A scream starts in my gut - I can feel the cut, smell the dirt, leaves in my hair."

I just love her wording here!  


This book hit me, it is profound writing on a subject hard to touch because of society expectations.  I loved struggling with Melinda.  Watching her work on her tree subject for art, yelling at her to pour out her hate, fear, and hurt into the tree (of course only in my head).  Then there was this spark, she wrote on the bathroom wall.  Courageous of her.  What she wrote, not that she did.  That spark shot off as soon as there was a reply.  I almost cried when I read that.  Powerful statement, all on a smelly bathroom wall.


BDF highly recommends this book!!  Thanks to Scroggins!  It was a unique book with a voice.  It will be a re-read more then once.  Unbelievable!

Book Review No. 2 - Firelight

Firelight

By:  Sophie Jordan
Series:  Draki #1
Publisher:  HarperTeen - Sept. 2010
Pages:  323 Hardcover (Own)  
Rating:  5
Book Cover Rating:  5
Read:  Sept. 2011
Genre:  Fantasy Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Dragons

Morbid Romantica Challenge 2011

By the Mad Scientist

First Line:  Gazing out at the quiet late, I know the risk is worth it. 

Black Disaster Fairy's Take:

Dragons?  Really Dragons?


WOW!  I can't smirk at the concept of dragons no longer.  Sophie Jordan had me deeply enthralled with the draki world she created.  Added bonus... The cover is beautiful!!  


Draki's are descendants of dragons, their secrets must be kept at any price.  They shapeshift into a human form, however, some of their talents are still available.  Jacinda is the first Fire Breather in centuries and she struggles to control her life.  As the soul fire breather her pride has made plans for her future for her.  A future of mating with Cassian, the next alpha, to create more little fire breathers.  Honestly, I think there is a spark between Jacinda and Cassian... Maybe I'm hoping for more in the next book.  *Fingers crossed*


Of course, this leads to the hot headed Jacinda to rebel.  Except she puts her life on the line and risks revealing the secret of the pride.    


She is takes a huge risk... one that changes her life quickly.  Jacinda's mother is pushed into drastic measures, whisking her and her twin Tamra to a town in the desert where they live among the humans.  Against her will she starts to lose her draki side, she will risk even more to keep this part of her alive. 


The chemistry between Jacinda and Will, a draki hunter, is flaming hot.  Smoldering!  LOL!  Will awakens her dying draki senses which is clearly dangerous if she cannot learn to control herself around him.  She has to keep her secret from him, at least for her family and draki everywhere.


Ah, a Forbidden Love!

A hunter in love with his prey. 

It is more then that.  Jacinda struggles to find where she fits in.  What her life is about and where she belongs?  A basic internal conflict of personal identity and purpose that young adults go through.

Sophie Jordan's world flowed wonderfully.  Her characters were diverse with many layers.  I enjoyed finding out about them throughout the book, ALL THE WAY TO THE END!!  Literally!  What an amazing way to end the book!!

Overall, Firelight has wonderful characters and a beautiful world for you to get lost in!  Jacinda will surprise you, the vivid description of the draki's will intrigue you, and a girl fight in the bathroom will draw you in while the uniqueness of the book will keep you reading.

After running for my life from hunters, a girl with too much lip gloss doesn't register on my fear radar.

BDF highly recommends this book!! It is defiantly for more then just the paranormal fan.  Dragons, hunters, and boys!  Oh, My Goodness!

*Recommend by Jen at In The Closet with a Bibliophile*