Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Super-mini reviews

I read four books. Two of them were superb. Two of them I didn't like so much that I didn't even finish them. The two that were superb were actually novellas. So instead of trying to write reviews for them, I thought I would write super mini reviews. I'll first start off with the two books I didn't like.

Lost: 2


Title: Spoiled

Author: Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Publication date: June 1, 2011

Publisher: Poppy

Source: The lovely people at ARCycling and the person who donated it to them.

You say Spoiled like it's a bad thing.

Sixteen-year-old Molly Dix has just discovered that her biological father is Brick Berlin, world-famous movie star and red-carpet regular. Intrigued (and a little) terrified by her Hollywood lineage, Molly moves to Los Angeles and plunges headfirst into the deep of Beverly Hills celebrity life. Just as Molly thinks her life couldn't get any stranger, she meets Brooke Berlin, her gorgeous, spoiled half sister, who welcomes Molly to la-la land with a smothering dose "sisterly love"...but in this town, nothing is ever what it seems. 

Set against a world of Redbull-fuelled stylists, tiny tanned girls, popped-collar guys, and Blackberry-wielding publicists, Spoiled is a sparkling debut from the writers behind the viciously funny celebrity blog GoFugYourself.com.

Super-mini review:

The book starts out with Brooke's perspective (in third person), which threw me off. However, after I thought about it, I actually liked how they approached it that way. Instead of starting off with Molly, who the synopsis says the story is about, they start off at the other end. You see Brooke and her first world problems in L.A. along with her daddy issues. She also talks as if she's one of those horribly written characters in a made for TV movie based on someone in Hollywood or in a popular clique. I was relieved once we moved on to Molly. 

When I requested this book in ARCycling's weekly event (if you don't know about it, check it out. It's AMAZING), I had an idea in my mind that it would be part Belles by Jen Calonita, part sugary. I had to stop at the ninth chapter because I honestly could not take it anymore. I know authors work hard to finish a book and it's like their child, but I just didn't like Spoiled. I didn't like a single character, I felt the plot was shallow, and my eyes were hurting from all of my eye rolling.


Verdict: A book I personally felt was not worth going even half-way for and very boring. 


Title: Geek Girl

Author: Holly Smale

Publication date: February 28, 2013

Publisher: HarperCollins

Source: An ARC e-galley via NetGalley and its publisher. 

Harriet Manners knows a lot of things. She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves. 

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did. 

And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

Super-mini review:

Please don't hate me! I couldn't finish this one either. Harriet wasn't connectable to me despite me loving geeky things. There was about maybe one or two amusing places in the part I did read, but I just couldn't get into it. Perhaps I should have given this one more time. Perhaps I'm weird. Perhaps...

I don't know how far I did go into this and I am grateful for being accepted on NetGalley, but maybe it's not for me. Perhaps I'll go back and read it again at another time, who knows. I do know that I was surprised to not see a bad review on Goodreads. I didn't see one review below three stars, which made me feel very weird. 

Verdict: Not interesting enough for me to continue, however I'm probably the odd ball in this case.

Win: 2


Title: Destroy Me (1.5 in series)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Publication date: October 2, 2012

Publisher: Harper

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me,Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45

Super-mini review:

I think we can just look at the cover and read the synospsis and know for a fact that it's already a win just by those two things. Not only was Shatter Me brilliant, Tahereh Mafi's writing beautiful, and Unravel Me (the sequel) has been making me squirm with impatience, this is about Warner. WARNER! 


Yes, not a lot of people have sympathy for him in the first book. Yes, people who have only read the first one and not 1.5 think it's bizarre to actually like Warner. Why like Warner? There's Adam! Go back up to look at my eye rolling Robert Downey Jr. Don't even get me started on Adam. But Warner? Sure, I was hesitant to believe that we could actually root for him. Not only does he go from this mysterious, stern figure to a swoon-tastic, hot one, he also garners lots of sympathy. Honestly, I wanted to hug him lots of times during the novella. 


So please, read it. If you haven't read Shatter Me do that now. Then read Destroy Me. Get your opinions twisted around and then you'll be ready to read Unravel Me

Verdict: More of the same amazing writing with a character I love more than I thought I ever would. 


Title: Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story (Gallagher Girls #5.5, Heist Society #2.5)

Author: Ally Carter

Publication date: January 22, 2013

Publisher: Disney Hyperion 

Source: An ARC e-galley for honest review via NetGalley and its publisher. Also free from Amazon.

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.

Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.

When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

Super-mini review:

Ally Carter is basically my favorite author. I have recommended her books to people and have raved about her until I'm blue in the face. I'm shoved my Gallagher Girl books in my friends' faces (as well as my sisters') and bought Heist Society as presents for my friends as well. During some Twitter party of sorts, I even met really nice people (one of them is the really cool Emily) because we started chatting (well, between chatting and fan-girling) about Ally Carter and the release date of her new books this year. 

I said all that to give you an image. The image of me hearing about this novella for the first time.


And I personally don't think Ally Carter disappointed. We dove right in to the story and there was action on every page. I smirked when Macey tried her guaranteed moves on Hale then sighed with longing when he responded, saying: "I'm sorry I'm not flirting with you. I'm kind of spoken for." 

Of course, Kat (the reason why Hale isn't flirting) is in the story, but she's minor along with Aunt Abby. I wanted to snap my fingers in the Heist Society characters' faces when they underestimated Macey, wanting to tell them, "You do not want to mess with her." in the most ghetto voice I could make. But I know, that's Macey's mission is to have no one suspect her true identity and capability. 

Also, the ending? So many questions! 

The third book in the Heist Society series, Perfect Scoundrels, comes out today which makes this book a perfect lead-in for fans. But thanks to my sister for preordering it for me as a Christmas present, I received the book yesterday! Doo-da, doo-da. Okay, that was the end of my happy dancing, bragging moment. 


Verdict: A great book with characters and action I love that I don't think will disappoint fans.

What do YOU think of the books I briefly reviewed over? Disagree or agree? 

25 comments:

  1. Destroy Me... I need to read that! How cool is it that its from the POV of Warner?

    www.booknerdsjourney.blogspot.com

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  2. Don't feel bad about Geek Girl, I HATED the heroine at first, she was a know it all. Her personality struck a cord with me. But I kept with it and I am so glad it did! It really is a fun book! I ended up really liking her in the end, she goes through major character development. Destroy Me, I can't wait to read! Glad to liked it. I've been meaning to catch up to the Gallager Girls series, I do have to say the cover for Double Crossed looks more adult than YA.

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    1. Okay, maybe I should go back and read it then! Usually I'm not so hasty, but along with that, I was bored and thinking about another book waiting for me...so there wasn't much motivation :) It's so good!

      Oh! What GG books have you not read?! READ THEM, they're so good! That's what I thought at first too, but it's definitely not :)

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    2. Yeah look her most as unique, not annoying :) I know what you mean by another book waiting, makes some of them worse than they actually are.

      The first three in her original series. I stopped because I was tired of waiting for them to come out. I'll definitely have to get back into them because they are so fun!

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  3. Ally Carter is amazing, and I love that we met through talking *cough* fangirling *cough* about her. Double Crossed was great, and I agree about the Heist Society characters underestimating Macey.
    I thought Spoiled was a fun book, the entertaining, gossipy kind for which you are sometimes in the mood, but I can understand you finding the plot to be shallow. And yay for not finishing books you don't like-you hear seemingly so many bloggers saying that they can never DNF a book, but I say, "why waste your time?"

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    1. ;)
      See, I really wanted to like it. It was just I heard the characters' voices and they grated on my nerves, unfortunately, along with my other problems with it. Exactly! I hate DNFing a book, but when I know I have a line up of books, I'm not about to torture myself!

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  4. I loved Double Crossed, it was so much fun seeing the characters interact (although I wish Bex was there, she's my favorite GG character)! So glad you loved Destroy Me, and I'm sorry you didn't like Geek Girl, I had been looking forward to that one (but I totally understand not being able to really connect to a character).

    Alice @ Alice in Readerland

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    1. Bex would have been great! Yeah, I'm pretty disappointed I didn't like it either. But still read it!

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  5. I read Unravel Me before Destory Me, and I have to say I sympathize with Warner more than I thought I would. I have but still need to read Destro me. Looks like a winner to me. Wpmderfi;review. :)

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    1. I meant "wonderful" not gibberish, lol! This is what happens when you try to operate on too little sleep :)

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    2. Ah, you really do need to read Destroy Me then because it explains so much! It is :) Thank you! Ah, I totally understand no sleep.

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  6. I love how the two books that you didn't like had very similar premises, LOL. Best to avoid that, right? (; As for Spoiled, I'm super sorry to hear that you didn't like it, because it's been on my TBR for a while. :( And Geek Girl? Well, I'll just know to avoid that one, LOL. (:

    I STILL need to read Shatter Me...like seriously. It sounds really fantastic, so I need to buy it soon..ugh. So many books, so little time, right? And I LOVE ALLY CARTER TOO!!! :D She's so awesome, LOL. I think that I like the Heist Society series better than the spy series, because it is SO CUTE. I wanna find out what Hale's name is, LOL! :D

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    1. I didn't even realize that! Aw, well you might like it!

      YES YOU DO! And you gotta tell me how you like it. Very, I know how you feel ;) Ally Carter rocks, no doubt about it. I think because I fell in love with GG first, I go with that, but Hale is very swoon-worthy along with the awesome plot!

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  7. I have both of these novellas so I'm glad to hear they are worthwhile reads. Now to read them both before reading Unravel Me and Perfect Scoundrels. Can't wait!!

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    1. Oh, they are! I hope you like them, can't wait to see what you think :)

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  8. I love all of the gifs! I usually don't like mini-reviews, but yours are actually substantive and clearly explain what did and did not work for you in the books, with a giffy bonus. How had I not heard of Geek Girl when it comes out so soon? Weird.

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    1. Thank you! Oh, that's so nice, thank you...again :)

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  9. The only one I REALLY interested in is Destroy Me, but I haven't read Shatter Me yet. I know, I know! I do have the book, though. That has to count for something. lol

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    1. Ooh, read it! Ha, it counts for something since I don't have it yet, but get on it ;)

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  10. I like these mini-reviews! The two you liked are ones I don't think I would enjoy either, by the sounds of it. And I do have plans to read Destroy Me but I'm wondering if I'll wait until after Unravel Me instead? I don't know. I'm nervous about the whole Warner thing. lol

    ~Sara @ Forever 17 Books

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    1. Thank you! No, I suggest to read Destroy Me before Unravel Me :) Ha, I was too but he really does grow on you.

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  11. I also loved Double Crossed. It was just SO amazing :) I really want to read Destroy Me soon, although I'm definitely not Team Warner.

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    1. It was! Ah, you might change your mind about that ;)

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  12. I must agree about Spoiled. It doesn't sound very good. That bites when you request i book you think you will like only to find out it is bleeegh. Better luck on your next Arcycling book!

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