Review of Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

Title/Author: Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey
Publisher/Date published: Walker Books For Young Readers, January 17th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.
The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife... Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric - who may or may not betray them."

I haven't had the best experiences with books about the fae in the past. I'm probably one of the only ones who didn't enjoy Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (yes, I know). But when I saw the summary of this book, I thought it sounded incredibly interesting and definitely like something I would enjoy, so I decided to read it and just see what would happen.

And I did like the story itself! The concept was really interesting and the whole intrigue and all the politics are amazing. BUT. (Sadly, there's a 'but')

While I did like the storyline as in the overall concept of Stolen Away, the execution didn't really work for me. It felt rushed and even though it switched POV between the two main characters Jo and Eloise, I never felt like we got to know them beyond some basic character traits. Also: there's some serious insta-love going on and that's just not my thing.

I LOVED the idea of paranormal creatures appearing a certain way because humans thought they should look like that and it actually altering their appearance. SO GOOD! I also really liked the whole complicated mess that is Eldric surrounding the capture of Eloise. And I liked Lucas, but he's the good guys, so that's basically a given ;)

There were however a lot of things that felt to me like they were only half explained in the rush to get to the end and I would have liked a little more backstory. Stolen Away was an ok read for me, but I think that it could have been so much more!

My rating: 2 stars

Review of Tempest by Julie Cross

Title/Author: Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross
Publisher/Date published: St. Martin's Griffin, January 17th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.
That is... until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.
Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.
But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit... or kill him.
Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly... and possibly the entire world."

I really, really like the idea of time-traveling. It makes for some amazing storylines and if done right it can be absolutely wonderful. And though I wasn't as in love with Tempest as I would have liked to be, this was an extremely well-done tale of time-traveling!!

The scientist in me gleefully cackled at the actual well, science, that was involved in all of it! Jackson is smart and he works together with another even smarter guy to try and figure out how it's all happening and I loved that! The science did slow the storyline down somewhat, but I didn't really care about that, cause it was just so awesome! I love understanding how things work! I also really liked that Jackson didn't always have complete control over his time-travels, no instant-skills and all that. Also, there are consequences if you push yourself too far and I liked that as well.

The thing that did bother me about all of it was that when Jackson time-traveled back to 2007 and couldn't find his way back to 2009, he seemed more concerned about his love-life in 2007 then the actual getting his life back and learning more about why the hell he and his girlfriend Holly were attacked in the first place. And stopping it from happening again. But Jackson gets his priorities straight after a while and when that happened the story REALLY picked up for me! I LOVED the last third of the book! I mean, I really enjoyed the first part too, but after that I just couldn't stop reading until the end!

There were some major things being revealed and there are still some things that have left me going: WAIT! There HAS to be more!! I'm really curious about Jackson's sister and the little girl that appears towards the end (weren't the scenes with both these girls amazing?? I LOVED them!). So yes, I am most definitely picking up the next book cause I'm dying to find out where Julie Cross will take us next with her storytelling! Also, the end was kinda heartbreaking, but I've never respected Jackson more, I don't know if I could have done the same thing. The wait for the second book will feel like an eternity I fear... (I wish I had time-traveling skills and could just jump to the time when it was already out, read it, and come back, that would be awesome).

My rating: 4,5 stars

Review of The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards

Title/Author: The Queen's Lady (The Lacey Chronicles #2) by Eve Edwards
Publisher/Date published: Delacorte BFYR, April 10th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "1584 – Surrey, England When Lady Jane Rievaulx begins service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled at the court’s newest arrival... Master James Lacey. Despite her previous courtship with his older brother, James is the man she truly loves. And for his part, he cannot deny his fascination with her. However, James is setting sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Lady Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, there is only one man to save her. Will Master James return to his lady ­- before it’s too late?"

So, I really enjoyed The Other Countess, the first book in the Lacey Chronicles and the main characters in The Queen's Lady, Jane, made her debut in that one already. And I really liked Jane, so I was happy to see she was getting her own story!

Jane is seen by everyone as being cold and haughty when in fact she's not at all. It's just the fact that she's a woman and the loyalties of even her own maids lie with her father and even more with her brother. So it would be pretty hard for her to trust anybody. Jane doesn't come from a loving family and is mostly used by both her father and brother as a means to further themselves in society. Because that's what girls are for right? (stupid men)

In the previous novel I really, really liked James. He was fun and friendly and charming and just someone to fall in love with. In The Queen's Lady he turns a lot darker and harsher and I'm not sure I appreciate this change. I get that he's had some life-altering experiences fighting in the war, but well, let's say I could have done without him having undergone them. I did love the family dynamics between James and his brothers and even the half-brother they never knew they had up until this novel.

Like Ellie in The Other Countess, Jane needs a lot of rescueing. And you know, I like my heroines to at least give the rescueing a good try themselves and in this both novels have let me down. And I thought the 'bad guys' who were threathening her were able to go really far without anyone even trying to do anything about it. Not even Jane's brother and father tried to protect her, something I definitely don't understand. I mean, she was valuable to them as in that they wanted her to marry someone of their choosing again, so why not protect her?

I did think this was a sweet, fast read and I'm definitely picking up the last novel in the trilogy The Rogue's Princess cause its main characters is Christopher, the half-brother and I find him endlessly fascinating!

My rating: 3,5 stars

Discussion: Books You Shy Away From

I'm gonna be completely honest with you guys and admit that there are certain types of books that I will probably never pick up. And it's not because I dislike the genre, but it usually has more to do with the topic these books discuss.
You see, in my line of work (for those who don't know it, I'm about to be a doctor) there's a lot of good things happening. I mean, babies get born, people are cured or we're able to help them in some way that makes their life better.
The other side is much less pleasant and a day at the hospital can consist of me telling a patient that he or she has cancer and there's nothing we can do about it. Or actually helping someone be as comfortable as possible in their last few hours/days.

I wouldn't trade what I do for anything in the world, but I have noticed that since starting my internships, I have started to avoid certain topics. When I'm at home, reading, I just want to relax and get lost in the story and not be confronted with how harsh reality can be sometimes. And maybe this will change in the future, but right now I need magic, romance and nothing that comes too close to that reality that I see in the hospital every day.

So while I know that there are some amazingly beautiful books out there dealing with cancer, death, suicide, war, drug abuse, eating disorders, physical/emotional/sexual abuse, I will probably not read them anytime soon. These are the topics I shy away from. For example, I know that everyone and their great aunt is raving about John Green's The Fault in Our Stars but after I read the summary I couldn't bring myself to jump on the bandwagon.
I used to love books dealing with these types of stuff and I used to read SO many of them. But right now, everything in me flinches away from it.

Also, I cannot bring myself to read anything that has to do with World War II. I am not even entirely sure why, but it might have to do with the fact that my grandmother lived through this war and it just hits a little too close to home. Because Germany is right next door (seriously, I live about 20 minutes from the border) and it all happened here as well.

I also know that it's crazy that I don't read contemporary or historical novels dealing with war, because hello, in those fantasy novels I love so much they're at war a LOT. I know this, but when it's swords their fighting with it doesn't seem so real. This is also why historical fiction dealing with war where they still fought on horseback with swords works.

So what about you? Are there topics you can't bring yourself to read about? Books you would recommend that would convince me I need to abandon this fear?

Review of The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James

Title/Author: The Duke Is Mine (Fairy Tales #3) by Eloisa James
Publisher/Date published: Avon Books, January 1st 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Destiny will be decided between the sheets in this all-new tale of "The Princess and the Pea.
For Olivia Lytton, betrothal to the Duke of Canterwick - hardly a Prince Charming - feels more like a curse than a happily-ever-after. At least his noble status will help her sister, Georgiana, secure an engagement with the brooding, handsome Tarquin, Duke of Sconce, a perfect match for her in every way... every way but one. Tarquin has fallen in love with Olivia.
Quin never puts passion before reason. And reason says that Georgiana is his ideal bride. But the sensual, fiery, strong-willed Olivia ignites an unknown longing in him - a desire they are both powerless to resist. When a scandalous affair begins, they risk losing everything - Olivia's engagement, her sister's friendship, and their own fragile love. Only one thing can save them - and it awaits in the bedroom, where a magnificent mattress holds life-changing answers to the greatest romantic riddle of all.

You know how sometimes a book starts of so extremely well and then it goes a bit downhill after the halfway point? Yeah, that kinda happened with The Duke Is Mine.

I had never read anything by Eloisa James before and seriously, her writing is really good, at least for the first half of the book. After that the story turned slightly ridiculous. You see, there was all this wonderful tension going on with Olivia wanting to be loyal to both her sister and her fiancé, who doesn't have all his chickens lined up so to speak. But there's Tarquin who makes her heart go BOOM very loudly and who seems to return the feeling. So YES clandestine meetings and tension and stolen kisses and all those FEELINGS! And I was loving it.

And then they did the dance with no pants for the first time and I was... disappointed. I mean, I get that it's realistic for a woman to feel pain when it's her first time, but this was slightly ridiculous. Also: it was not sexy. And it's a problem when the sexytimes aren't sexy. Cause that kinda defeats the point, no?

After that they go on this mad dash across the Channel to save Olivia's ex-fiancé and she shows herself to have a LOT of too-stupid-to-live qualities which made me want to say something I NEVER say: CONTROL YOUR FEMALE. Someone needed to make her see sense because she was not only jeopardizing her own safety but also that of several others. And everyone just accepts that fact.

As for Tarquin, I would have growled at anyone who dared contest that the duke was not mine if I'd been Olivia. Because that man is swoonworthy! I really, really liked him and his kindness and protectiveness and all of his manness! And I enjoyed the chemistry between him and Olivia very much.

So the first part of the book would have easily gotten 4-5 stars but the second half kinda killed the moment.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Top Ten Books To Read In One Day

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics, check them out here!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about books to read in one day. So it's basically a list of books that had me so on the edge of my seat reading them that I shushed everyone who dared interrupt me :)
Also, my list is totally featured on The Broke and the Bookish today, so it is in fact a duplicate of that list ;)

1. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi: Seriously you guys, if you haven't read this book and are a fan of good dystopian YA GO OUT AND GET YOUR HANDS ON IT NOW! It was SO good and I just wanted to keep reading from the moment I started it.

2. Witchlanders by Lena Coakley: I'm still not entirely sure how this book hasn't been getting more buzz cause it's so incredibly awesome! The writing is beautiful and I absolutely didn't want to put it down. I'm still wishing there will be a sequel.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: towards the end there is too much tension to find out if there will be a happily ever after to put it down for the night! I had so much adrenaline going on I couldn't sleep after even though it left me with a big smile on my face!

4. If I Stay by Gayle Forman: reading this was such a rush and I couldn't bring myself to stop until I reached the end. I was an emotional wreck after finishing it.

5. Delirium by Lauren Oliver: because the ENDING! The storytelling is wonderful and it completely sucked me in, but after the ending you will wish you had already had the forsight to order Pandemonium as well so you can read it straight after! Although I'm told Pandemonium also ends on a cliffhanger...

6. Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake by Sarah MacLean: the romance in this one is AMAZING! Really, this whole series is wonderful. There's all this tension and conflict and heartbreak and a swoonworthy man... If you like historical romance, definitely read this one. I couldn't put it down to save my life.

7. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: because it's a classic that's actually exciting and will have you wanting to know what exactly is going on at Manderley and what the deal is with Rebecca.

8. Graceling by Kristin Cashore: do I even need to explain why? It's EPIC fantasy and it needs to be read all at once to get the full experience!

9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I started this book and 'woke up' 374 pages later to discover several hours and meals had passed. You will thank yourself for picking a time when you can read it all at once when you start it cause doing other stuff will just feel irrelevant.

10. You Wish by Mandy Hubbard: because it's just absolutely cute and a great way to spend a sunny/rainy/neutral weather afternoon. It is that good.

So what are books you read in one day? Or books you think should be read in one day? I personally feel that most books are best experienced when you read all of it in a short amount of time and I seem to enjoy them more when I do read them in one day.

Review of The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

Title/Author: The Gathering Storm (Katerina Alexandrovna #1) by Robin Bridges
Publisher/Date published: Delacorte BFYR, January 10th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.
An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources... including two young men — George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.
The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose — and to whom will she give her heart?"

You guys know how I love mythology and I must admit that before reading The Gathering Storm, I'd never read anything about Russian mythology. And it's full of awesome!! I mean, really, I'm not really a big fan of vampires as a mythological creature, but they have these AND a bogatyr!! They have the tsar able to change into a bogatyr to defend his country, how cool is that?

And apart from that, I did really enjoy most of the story. I was a bit overwhelmed by all the names and pet names and so on, but after a while I got the hang of it and it became easy to understand who everyone was talking to/about. And if I didn't know I assumed the characters weren't all that important anyway.

I liked Katiya, she has big plans to study at the university to become a doctor in a period of time when society only expects her to marry and produce heirs. I really respected her drive and the effort she put into learning all she could about medicine within the limits of society's approval.

There was one thing I had a big issue with: Katiya learns she has this ability and then she just refuses to be taught how to control it. She's given a book with information and she doesn't seem the least bit curious to actually read it and find some answers. I wanted to scream at her to not be so stupid, especially when she used her power without meaning to. And let's just say that unconsiously bringing someone back to life has some major consequences. So yeah, that part didn't work for me.
Also, she was constantly ignoring advice from people older and wiser than she herself was and of course bad stuff happened because of that.

I did like the interaction between Katiya and George Alexandrovich and I really enjoyed Katiya's bond with her family. The romance was a bit meh for me, but the court intrigue is fascinating and I loved the Russian mythology and hope it gets expanded more upon in the next book in the series!

My rating: 3 stars