Review: A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

A Tale Dark & Grimm #1

Release Date: October 28^th, 2010

Number of Pages: 252

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Source: Bought

In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches. Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after. 

Okay, I have to be honest, I didn’t really know much about A Tale Dark & Grimm. I had picked a copy of its sequel (or companion novel, I’m not that sure) at BEA without knowing much about it, except it was about Grimm’s Tales. If there’s one thing that is true about me, it’s that I love the original (I have a bilingual version of the German version of the tales, with the English translation included.) This made me pretty excited to read this version of the tales.

The thing is, there were a little thing that really annoyed me in the book, which made it really hard for me to get into the story: The narrator’s addition to the story. The thing is I found it to make me unable to really get into the story. Every time the narrator stopped the story of Hansel and Gretel, I had trouble getting back into it, which made it harder for me to really enjoy the book.

The story itself was a great, but I would have preferred to have it on its own, without the interruption of the annoying narrator. I feel like I didn’t get as much as I wanted from the book, remembering mostly how annoyed I was by the interruption every few pages, instead of remembering Hansel and Gretel. I lost everything to that small element, and I personally couldn’t get over it, which is really sad. Because, I feel like if I reread it without stopping for his comments, I would really enjoy it. I’m actually tempted to do that for book two, because I still want to read it. And I’m not sure if knowing about that narrator will make it easier for me to get into the story, or if I should simply just ignore it and be safe.

Overall, it was far from love. I still know that many have loved it, and I think if you don’t mind the interruption (or if you can easily ignore it), you will enjoy it. Maybe in the future, I’ll be able to enjoy it if I reread it. Still, something I would recommend you check out if you enjoy this kind of books. Some will like it, others won’t. 

Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade Trilogy #1

Release Date: May 4^th, 2010

Number of Pages: 309

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Source: Bought

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart. 

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

  

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. "Almost."

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

 

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I first started reading Shade, but one thing is for sure: I didn’t think I would read it in one sitting, yet I did. I quite enjoy the story Jeri Smith-Ready created here, with the Shift, and the post-shifter being able to see ghosts. I’m really curious about why that is, and it’s one of the reasons why I liked that the characters don’t even know what created the Shift. It’s like we all have something to discover together, which add something to the romance and the ‘quest’ to save Logan from turning into a Shade.

I quite liked Aura. I could easily understand where she was coming from and why she was acting the way she did, especially with Logan and Zachary. I could understand why it was so hard for her to move on after Logan’s death, especially since he was still hanging around her. I may not really like Logan (I mean, the way he sometimes acted with Aura slightly annoyed me.), but she loves him, and she physically lost him. I could understand that she wouldn’t want to let his ghost go at first. On the other hand, Zachary was simply amazing in my opinion. Okay, he may have some secrets up his sleeves, but still. I liked the way he acted with Aura, how patient he seems to be.

Jeri Smith-Ready blew my mind with this book. The world she created hooked me form page one, and I have trouble resisting the urge to run to the nearest bookstore to get my hands on the sequel. This book is more than just a book about ghost. It is more than just a love story. The book has so many things going one, it is unbelievably captivating. There might be a love triangle in this book, but even if you don’t usually enjoy those, try it. I felt like the love triangle was more about moving on from one lost love (because after all, Logan’s dead. He isn’t ever going be able to completely be there) to a new one, a living one.

Overall, it is a book really worth giving a chance. It is simply captivating and addicting. I already can’t wait to get my hands on Shift, so I can know what will happen next. The ending may not have a cliffhanger, but it was intense. It leaves you begging for more.

Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Nevermore #1

Release Date: August 31^st, 2010

Number of Pages: 543

Publisher: Atheneum

Source: Bought 

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look. Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. 

Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind.

Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. His life depends on it. 

I ended picking this book after receiving the sequel for review. I had heard some many great things about this book that it scared me a little to start it. Will I enjoy it as much as everyone else did? Will I be captivated by the world Kelly Creagh created? Well, the answer is easy: I did! I didn’t expect to be caught in the story as much as I did. I ended up reading it in one sitting, spending most of the day simply reading it, the hours passing not mattering. Luckily, I didn’t start it before going to bed. I may have spent an other sleepless night.

Now, Varen and Isobel are really two complete opposite. One is the popular cheerleader, the other the Goth boy. Isobel grew on me, as I didn’t like her at first. She seemed slightly superficial to me, but I did like her interaction with Varen, especially once she starts getting to know him. On the other, Isobel’s friends (or rather old friends) were kind of jerks. I mean, She’s stuck with someone for a school project, and they blame him? It’s not like it’s his fault. Brad is far from a good boyfriend. He’s an ass, to both her and most people he disagree with. The things he and Mark did to Varen were mean. Nikki kind of annoyed me at some point, especially at the beginning. Shouldn’t you take your best friend’s side instead of her boyfriend?

The Poe’s aspect of the book was quite interesting. I really enjoy having piece of his work in the book. After all, Edgar Allen Poe was a master of what he did. It was well incorporate into the story, first from in their assignment, then in the dark world Isobel is taken into. I really enjoy the mix of all the elements Kelly Creagh brought in the novel; you got some school drama, a little romance, some ‘monsters’ and many other things. It’s the mix of all those things that made the novel that captivating to me.

I’m already excited to start the sequel, Enshadowed, which comes out in August! Have you guys read this one yet? Are you excited for the sequel?

Review: Radiance by Alyson Noël

Radiance by Alyson Noël

Riley Bloom #1
Release Date:August 24th, 2010

Number of pages: 183
Publisher: Square Fish
Source: Bought 

Welcome to the Here and Now
Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she’s summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can’t quite figure out.
Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he’s never met Riley. . . .

I liked the Immortal Series by Alyson Noël, but this one is not my favorite. I didn’t enjoy it at all. I couldn’t get into the story. It didn’t feel as if it was a real book, more like a fan fiction someone wrote about someone’s sister. I ended up being annoyed by Riley.  I finished it because I hate giving up on books before reading the last words, but this book felt to me as if it was a waste of my time. Riley’s series is definitely not one I will follow.

Still, the visual of the book is cute. I like how all the pages are not equal, which gives it a little something more.

Pretty on my shelf, but not as good as it looks.