Review: Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Fairytale Retelling #3

Release Date: September 4^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 304

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Source: ARC from BEA

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo. Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality. When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

Jackson Pearce never fails at writing books. I hadn’t fallen in love with Sisters Red, but Sweetly had charmed me from the beginning (maybe because of all the sweet talk…). Maybe it was because I had been expecting Fathomless to charm me even more than Sweetly did, but I have to say that Fathomless was sadly not my favorite. I did enjoy it more than Sisters Red, but a little less than Sweetly, which is still my favorite from her. I think a big aspect of that was that I was expecting something different, and there were some elements that left me confused.

One of the things that I did love about the book was the interaction between the two main characters, Lo and Celia. I love seeing all the point of views, point of views that really helped us understand the struggle happening within Lo, and the determination Celia seems to show to help Lo remember her past. The thing I had trouble understanding was why did the girl have those power. I mean, it isn’t related to the Little Mermaid, and I’m guessing it will (hopefully) come back if there’s a fourth book published. Yet, I just don’t get why the three sisters had those powers. What was the source? That left me with many questions.

Again, Jackson Pearce delivers a great retelling of a fairytale we all seem to think we know. She always excels at making at making these stories her own, and she really created a world to connect her various tales. I love the connections made between the books, some connections I’m sure I probably missed (there’s a couple of them that I got days after reading…) Overall, Fathomless may not have been my favorite book this year, but it is still definitely worth reading. If you still haven’t read any of her books, you should really check them out if you enjoy retellings, since hers really have their own twists.

Review: Purity by Jackson Pearce

Purity by Jackson Pearce

Release Date: April 24^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 218

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Source: Bought

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.
Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.
Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

Jackson Pearce is an author I adore. I discover her through youtube and twitter, and I then fell in love with her writing with Sweetly and As You Wish. With Purity, Jackson Pearce tries her hand at writing Contemporary, and she does it well. Purity is a fun and touching read about faith, promises, family and love.

Shelby made three promises to her dying mother before she passed, three promises she intends to keep. Because of those promises, she ends up with having to lose her virginity within 5 weeks. Why? She’s looking for a way out of the promises she has to make to her father at the Princess Ball, a promise to live a “pure life”.

Being no big fan of books with a too strong religious message, I was curious to see how Jackson Pearce would include the “God” aspect. I have to say that she did really well. I got the way she is somewhere between being unable to put faith in him, and being unable to believe in a god that left her mother die. I got that, maybe because I lost my mother at the same age, maybe because I lost any faith I have left because of that. I find hard to judge Shelby, hate her or love her. I see too much of me in her (and that’s scary). I have to say at first I was really annoyed by the way she understood some of the things she had been told (for example, the promises.)

The other characters were also a great addition to the novel. I really liked her father, as he is trying to make his relationship with his daughter better. I like that he wants to be there for her, yet he doesn’t know how. Jonas made me like him instantly. There was something about him, about the way he was Shelby that really made me want him to get everything he wants. I want him to have the happy ending I feel he deserves. Those were really the two characters that I really liked in the novel.

Jackson Pearce has an amazing talent to write funny narration and amazing stories that mixes humor and serious thoughts. One of the things that really made me happy at the end of this book was that Shelby learns the morals I wanted her to learn. That’s what I really liked about it. She was able to mature through the novel, even though it’s only five weeks. She learns to see the nuance between some of the words used in the promises she had to make, and she learned how to really apply them to her life. That’s what made me really enjoy this novel.

Overall, it’s a great book that is definitely worth reading. If you still haven’t read any books by Jackson Pearce, it really should be on your TBR list. She is worth reading.

Review: Sweetly

Title: Sweetly

Author: Jackson Pearce

Series: Fairytale Retellings #2

Release Date: August 23^rd, 2011

Number of Pages: 310

Publisher: Little Brown

Source: Bought

SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

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 This book should come with a warning: This book will probably leave you craving for chocolate, especially if you love chocolate.

I must say I really, really enjoyed this book. I did like Sisters Red, but I didn’t like it as much as this one. It was fun, captivating and excitingly good. I love the uncertainty of who’s real bad, who’s not, who knows, who doesn’t, ect…

The story is set in the same world as Sisters Red, but revolves around new characters. The narrator, Gretchen, was fun to follow. I liked that there was only one narrator, even if I was slightly curious to know what Ansel was thinking. Gretchen was interesting to follow, because there was more going on in her head than simply the story with Sophie and the missing girls. She had her past to deal with, her vanished sister. I like that even thought she was scared of the “Witch” she was trying to become stronger, to be able to defend herself against him.

Ansel wasn’t my favorite character in this book, simply because I didn’t enjoy his story line with Sophie that interesting. I wanted to know more about Sophia, but through Gretchen rather that him.  Why? Because Gretchen was a much more complex character that we may have thought at first. There’s more than meet the eyes with her, that for sure. We can see that easily when she is with Samuel. Ah, Samuel. I liked how he was with Gretchen. I liked that he wasn’t simply the nice guy that Gretchen could fall in love with. No, he has a strong personality that makes him a little less approachable. 

Jackson Pearce’s retelling is far from the Disney version of Hansel and Gretel. A new twist on a story that most of us think we know. Yet, do we really?

Review: As You Wish

Title: As You Wish

Author: Jackson Pearce

Release Date: September 1^st, 2009

Series: None

Number of Pages: 298

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: Bought

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

Jackson Pearce spins a magical tale about star-crossed lovers, what it means to belong . . . and how important it is to be careful what you wish for.

One of the things I adore about Jackson Pearce is how present she is on the net. Honestly, I was a fan of hers even before reading her books, simply because I enjoyed her youtube’s video and tweets way too much.

I ended up getting this book online, because my nice bookstore never seems to have it. So while waiting for my copy of Sweetly, I thought, “Why not read this book on my way to New York, it seems like a fun and light book! It should keep me entertained for the long hours spent in the car!”

Well, I ended up loving it! It is cute, fun and perfect for a summer read. I just love summer read. They are the best when you have a lot of time to read, with the wind in your hair, because it makes you smile. It is one of those books that make you smile a lot.

Viola, the main character is absolutely fun to follow. She just felt real, without all the superficial stuff. I could get the why behind her actions, even though I wouldn’t have needed that much time to make my wishes…. Hey, I know what I want, what else can I say. It reminded me of high school, how it felt to sometime feeling invisible, to be something wishing for more. Lawrence was great, but I have to say that my heart goes to Jinn. I liked Jinn. I want a Jinn. Not only can he grant wishes, but also he is so amazing with Viola. Wish jinns were real…

If you liked Sisters Red, you should read this one, because it was better to me! If you haven’t read any books Jackson Pearce and are still wondering if you should, you should check her out on twitter or facebook to realize how funny and amazing she is. Seriously.

Review: Sisters Red

Title: Sisters Red

Author: Jackson Pearce

Release Date: June 3^rd, 2010

Series: Sisters Red #1

Number of Pages:324

Publisher: Little Brown

Source: Bought

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The story of Scarlett and Rosie March, two highly-skilled sisters who have been hunting Fenris (werewolves) -- who prey on teen girls -- since Scarlett lost her eye years ago while defending Rosie in an attack. Scarlett lives to destroy the Fenris, and she and Rosie lure them in with red cloaks (a colour the wolves can't resist), though Rosie hunts more out of debt to her sister than drive. But things seem to be changing. The wolves are getting stronger and harder to fight, and there has been a rash of news reports of countless teen girls brutally murdered in the city. Scarlet and Rosie soon discover the truth: wolves are banding together in search of a Potential Fenris -- a man tainted by the pack but not yet fully changed. Desperate to find the Potential to use him as bait for a massive werewolf extermination, the sisters move to the city with Silas, a young woodsman and long time family friend who is deadly with an axe. But the clues to finding the Potential aren't adding up, and Scarlet is shocked to learn new details of Silas's family history. Meanwhile, Rosie finds herself drawn to Silas and the bond they share not only drives the sisters apart, but could destroy all they've worked for.

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I was kind of excited to read this book, because I absolutely adore Jackson Pearce. I find her incredibly funny, and I love her videos and tweets. Yet, I had a lot of trouble to get into the book. I just didn’t get into the story until the second half of the book.

The story is a twisted retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Except, they are two sisters. And they kill the bad werewolf (or rather Scarlett does). Then, they become hunters. Not what I was expecting. Not bad, just not what I was expecting. There was action, which was fun, and a little romance, which I wasn’t too fond of. The ending was sweet, a nice little happy ending for both sisters. Also, the story was kind of slow, which kind of didn’t help me get into the book.

The characters were just okay. Scarlett is slightly too obsessed about hunting. I know she lost a lot because of the Fenris, but does she really need to give up her entire life because of that? Then Rosie is just too obsessed about what her sister will think. Yes, she saved your life, but you do have to live a little now! It annoyed me that she couldn’t seem to do anything for her; instead everything was for her sister. Finally, Silas just creeps me out a little. At first, he seems sweet and all, but then you start learning a couple of things. Really, after Scarlett, you go for Rosie? Ummm, not sure.

The writing was fun and easy to follow. I enjoy it, and it makes me want to read her first novel, especially since I heard good comments about it.

Yet, this one kind of disappointed me. Maybe I was expecting too much? Still, retelling of Fairy Tales can be tricky. After all, most of us grew up with them. It wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t what I expected.