Review: Otherworld by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller

Title: Otherworld
Author: Jason Segel; Kristen Miller
Source/Format: Blogging for Books; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Science Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Press; October 31, 2017

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The company says Otherworld is amazing—like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive—that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true. Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted. And it’s about to change humanity forever. Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming...

I’m so very-very disappointed. I’ve been looking forward to Otherworld since it was first announced, because I read Segel and Miller’s middle grade series—Nightmares!—which was phenomenal. Needless to say, I was ready to love this one as much as Nighmares!. So, you can imagine how surprised I was by the fact that I just didn’t like Otherworld and ultimately DNFed it before the hundred page mark. My main reason is the main character. It's told in first person, so, the fact that I didn’t like the main character at all presented some issues I ultimately couldn’t get over. I didn’t like his personality, and his thoughts/internal monologue had me shaking my head “no”, and not in a good way. His actions weren't humorous. Instead, he came off as spoiled and extremely gross. Based off of how this one went, it's not for me, and I won’t be continuing on with this series.

Disclaimer: This copy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books (Publisher) for this review.

About the Jason Segel...

Jason Segel is an actor, a writer, and an author. Segel wrote and starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and cowrote Disney's The Muppets, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Segel's other film credits include The end of the Tour; I Love You, Man; Jeff Who Lives at Home; Knocked Up; and The Five Year Engagement. On television, Segel starred on How I Met Your Mother as well as Freaks and Geeks. He is the coauthor of the New York Times bestselling Nightmares! series. Otherworld is his first novel for young adults...

About Kristen Miller...

Kristen Miller lives and writes in New York City. She is the author of the acclaimed Kiki Strike books, the New York Times bestseller The Eternal Ones, and How to Lead a Life Crime. Otherworld is the fifth novel Kristen has written with Jason Segel...

ARC Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Title:The Love That Split the World
Author: Emily Henry
Source/Format: First to Read, eARC
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Razorbill, January 26, 2016

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves.  Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start... until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right. That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken...

So, I tried to read this book, and I’m a little sad that it ended up being a DNF. The Love that Split the World turned out to be a big disappointment for me. I was actually looking forward to this book. And initially, I thought that The Love that Split the World would be my kind of book. The writing was good. However, and this is a big deal-breaking kind of “however”, there were a few minor details in the beginning that I really didn’t like. After that, I kept putting the book down, and I just couldn’t get into the story even though there were numerous details that should have caught and held my interest. I did give this book the first hundred pages, even a little more—I skipped ahead to see if there was anything that would make me want to read on. Sadly, there wasn’t. At the end of the day, The Love that Split the World didn’t end up being for me. But, if it seems like something you want to read, check out other reviews, and don’t let my opinion stop you.

This copy of the book was provided by Penguin First to Read (publisher) for this review, thank you!

Review: Save Me by Jenny Elliott

Title: Save Me
Author: Jenny Elliott
Source/Format: Won, Paperback ARC
More Details: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: Swoon Reads, January 6, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Something strange is going on in the tiny coastal town of Liberty, Oregon. Cara has never seen a whale swim close enough for her to touch it—let alone knock her into the freezing water. Fortunately, cute newcomer David is there to save her, and the rescue leads to a bond deeper than Cara ever imagined. But then she learns something about David that changes everything, and Cara is devastated. She turns to her best friend for support, but Rachel has changed. She’s suddenly into witchcraft, and is becoming dangerously obsessed with her new boyfriend. Cara has lost her best friend, discovered that her soul mate is off limits, and has attracted the attention of a stalker. But she’s not completely alone. Her mysterious, gorgeous new friend Garren is there to support her. But is Garren possibly too perfect?

Save Me by Jenny Elliott is one of Swoon Reads books, and so I picked it up solely with the intention of giving it a try. And I’m sad to say that not only was I disappointed but I also DNFed this book.

There were a number of reasons why I didn’t enjoy this book. First, I usually enjoy reading from third person POV. However, sometimes the sentences were a little choppy, and it lacked description. Some things were described while others were not, and I never really fully grasped the setting. Save Me just seemed like a book with too many ideas that seemed to overcrowd the plot.

Cara started out seeming like an ok character in the first few pages, but then David appeared and everything just seemed to unravel. Then there was Garren, who was a character I considered to be just shy of being a Deus ex Machina. Almost every time he appeared he seemed to have all of the answers—I almost started calling him the Dude With Too Many Clues. And at several times I felt like Cara never had to discover anything for herself, instead she was conveniently handed the answers for the sake of keeping the plot moving.

And the romance? Nope. The relationship dynamics in Save Me were an aspect of the novel that I found odd—and the details were just things I didn’t agree with.

Ultimately all of the details I didn’t like, when combined together just threw me off and wrecked my enjoyment of Save Me. I skimmed and scanned over the last pages and still, it wouldn’t have changed my opinion. If this book seems like something you would enjoy, then I encourage you to check out other reviews for it. But for me, this one is a DNF.

Musing Mondays (28)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB(Jenn) at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

And I’m back to blogging! I hope everyone had a lovely day yesterday. So, moving right along, this week my musings have to do with DNFing books. It’s a topic I haven’t really spoken much on before, so I thought I would do a post about it.

Usually, if I feel the need to DNF a book it’s because I’m not personally enjoying my reading experience. I give the books the first 100 pages, sometimes even a little more, to impress me enough to want to keep reading. But on some occasions I just give up and move on. It could be for a number of reasons—sometimes its the story itself despite the writing, which could be some of the best I've ever come across, it just depends.

I have no problem DNFing a book or sharing my reasons for doing so. Think of it this way. Why would I want to spend hours finishing something that I’m not enjoying? I have a bunch of books sitting on my shelf that are practically calling my name—I figure that it would be better to spend time reading what I enjoy rather than the other way around. I used to be the kind of reader that tried to finish every book I ever started, but by doing that—even trudging through books I didn’t like, from start to finish—I ended up in too many reading slumps.

The bottom line is that DNFing when necessary works for me, especially when I don’t have the enthusiasm to continue on with the book in question.

So, what are your thoughts on DNFing? Do you feel the need to finish every book you start?

Review: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Title: Seeker
Author: Arwen Elys Dayton
Source/Format: Won, Hardcover
More Details: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, February 10th 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’. Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her...

There will be no spoilers or much of a review. These are just my thoughts about why I’m DNFing this book.

Seeker…oh boy…this book…*sigh*. Ok, so I admit that the synopsis for this book got me. This book seemed like something I would like—really it did. Thus I can’t really say much on this book because I didn’t get very far into it. This book failed to grab me. It didn’t get my attention for more than a few short-lived moments, because honestly, I kept setting it aside. It took me so long to get through the first chapter, and then from there I just kept putting it down. It was to the point where I let it sit on my shelf for weeks without trying to read more. From the first few pages I was bored; I wasn’t interested in the world or the characters. And the opening scene was just ok—but it just wasn’t enough—and as soon as the romance came crawling out of nowhere, and the explanation for it, my interest just…vanished in a puff of smoke. Will I try to read Seeker again? Right now my answer is no. Basically, this book just wasn’t for me.

ARC Review: The Winners Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Title:The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Source/Formate: Goodreads, Bound ARC
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Farrar Straus Giroux, March 14, 2014



My Thoughts:

     Today I'm going to keep this kind of short, so rest assured there won't be any angry rants ahead. *Warning there will be...nope, kidding, there aren't any spoilers ahead so continue on.
     The Winners Curse was the first YA book I’ve picked up in a while, and all I have to say is that I’m really disappointed.  While the synopsis sounded mildly interesting, once I started reading I found that I couldn’t get into this book.  It wasn’t for me, at all.  And you know what?  The writing style wasn't even an issue at all.  My problems began with the opening chapter, it didn’t captivate me, and it certainly didn’t draw me into the story.  I was more or less indifferent towards it, and unfortunately I found myself leaning more towards dislike.  I didn’t like the concept of the slaves at all, nor did I like the initial setting of the slave market.  And Kestrel, oh gosh, what to say?  She was just another YA heroine that I’ve seen so many times already that just…blah—just another cookie in the giant jar filled with them. This book, from what I read of it, left a bad taste in my mouth.  While it might not have been a fit for me, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check it out if it’s something that interests you.  But sadly for me, this will probably be the only thing I’ll ever read by Marie Rutkoski.

This Bound ARC was won through Goodreads First Reads, thank you!

ARC Review: Relic by Renee Collins

Title: Relic
Author: Renee Collins
Publisher/Publication Date:  Entangled Teen, August 27, 2013
Format/Source: E-ARC, Publisher
Age Range: YA

AMAZON     BARNES & NOBLE     GOODREADS





Summary from Goodreads

After a raging fire consumes her town and kills her parents, Maggie Davis is on her own to protect her younger sister and survive best she can in the Colorado town of Burning Mesa. In Maggie’s world, the bones of long-extinct magical creatures such as dragons and sirens are mined and traded for their residual magical elements, and harnessing these relics’ powers allows the user to wield fire, turn invisible, or heal even the worst of injuries. Read More

My Thoughts

After reading the summary of Relic by Renee Collins, I was really excited to read the book. I was intrigued by the Old West setting, so I eagerly took the plunge but was disappointed to find that the story wasn’t as I’d imagined. The history pertaining to the power of  relics was interesting, but when considering that this book was categorized as a young adult novel, I just couldn’t get over some of the content. In the beginning it seemed like Maggie was evolving into a strong heroine. After she was faced with the tragedy of losing her parents, it seemed that Maggie had started to overcome adversity as she found a job as a hostess at a saloon and cared for her sister. Okay, so here’s the problem, Maggie was only 16, and she worked in a saloon that employed dancers who also worked as prostitutes. The behavior of her boss, Connelly, can be described as nothing less than repugnant. He had a crass attitude and treated the young female employees like property and a paycheck. I personally found Connelly’s behavior so distasteful that I did not finish this book.

 

I received an e-arc of Relic by Renee Collins from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, thank you.

ARC Review: Darker Days by Jus Accardo

 

Title: Darker Days (The Darker Agency, #1)

Author: Jus Accardo

Publisher/Publication Date:  Entangled Publishing, August 26, 2013

Format/Source:  E-ARC, Publisher 

 

Summary

     Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They’re your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They’ll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...
     When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.
     Seven deadly ones, in fact.
     They’ve got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...
     There’s a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.  

My Thoughts 

     Darker Days by Jus Accardo started out as a lighthearted paranormal book. At first I thought that the storyline was amazing. I liked the bits of humor spread throughout the story as the Darkers investigated unusual paranormal events. The writing style and pacing were good. Jessie’s investigative skills were a little messy yet entertaining. And some of the characters were just priceless, especially Mr. Winkie who showed up at the most inopportune times. At times there was crude language, but that wasn’t the bad part. My major issue with Darker Days was one of the key players, Vida better known as Lust. The events surrounding this character were cringe worthy and I had a difficult time discerning the target audience. There was an instance in the book in which one of the characters didn’t want to tell when she found herself in a bad situation. So, I started to question whether this sends the wrong message to teens/young adults. Yes, I understand that the seven sins had a hold on some of the townspeople, but there are just certain behaviors/situations that deserve consequences/corrective actions, even in fiction. And I totally get that young adult books of today try to capture the harsh reality of life, but there are just some things that shouldn’t be broached in books for teens.

     I read until I reached the beginning of page 173 before I decided to call it quits. Overall, Darker Days has a promising premise that can be transformed into an amazing story with some changes.

 

I received an ARC of Darker Days from the publisher for an honest review, thank you.

Review: Shelter (A Mickey Bolitar Novel) by Harlan Coben

Title:  Shelter (A Mickey Bolitar Novel)

Author:  Harlan Coben

Publisher/Publication Date:  Speak, August 21, 2012

Format/Source:  Paperback, Purchased

Goodreads Summary

The stunning young adult debut from international bestseller Harlan Coben is now in paperback!

Mickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools. Fortunately, he's met a great girl, Ashley, and it seems like things might finally be improving. But then Ashley vanishes. Mickey follows Ashley's trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that Ashley isn't who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. Soon Mickey learns about a conspiracy so shocking that it leaves him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew. Read More

My Thoughts

Okay so I got bamboozled into buying Shelter by Harlan Coben after reading the sample chapters online. Some of the content was just so inappropriate that my jaw dropped and I can’t even pick my lip up off the floor. For a YA book, the scene at the "Plan B Go-Go Lounge" in which a teen was admitted with a fake identification was just preposterous. Do I need to say anymore? I can’t believe I had to DNF two books in one weekend. My only advice is to consider the target audience…..

 

Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits(Click title for Synopsis)
Source/Format: Purchased, Kindle edition
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: July 31, 2012, Harlequin Teen



My Thoughts:

     Ok, I admit it, shame on me for once again buying into the hype surrounding a popular book. Shame on me for thinking it was going to be something, you know, entertaining and worthwhile. I have another confession to make: I really, really, REALLY wanted to like this book, and I did have high hopes for it. But Pushing the Limits was none of that for me and I just didn’t get very far. I’ve read contemporary novels this year, some of which I’ve really liked, and some, well, not so much. Pushing the Limits just didn’t do much for me other than make me shake my head at it, and wonder why I was reading it in the first place. I don’t get this whole thing were substance/alcohol use has to be in every single book, and to be honest it just didn’t sit well with me. I don’t know, maybe I’m missing something here, but I just couldn’t do it. And I'm sorry to say that I didn’t even like Noah.

Exhibit A:
From Noah's POV

"She swept up her backpack and left the office.  Her tight @#! swayed side to side as she marched down the hallway."--pg.20

     I don't know, I just had a problem with the way Noah described Echo at times.  And I did not like his drug use.

Exhibit B:
From Echo's POV

""Yep." I took the cup from her and finished it off.  I didn't particularly care for the taste, but when at a kegger..."--pg52

"The warm fuzzy feeling that helped take the edge off also slowed the thought process."--pg52
    
      So suddenly under aged drinking is ok?  Where are the parents?! So, um yeah, that’s just my opinion, but I’m not saying you shouldn't read it because I didn’t like it. By all means, take the plunge…if you want.

My Thoughts: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me (Click title for Synopsis)

Source/Format: Won, Paperback

Age Range: YA

Publisher/Publication Date: HarperCollins, October 2, 2011

My Thoughts:

     Originally, I’d heard lots of good things about Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi around the web—good reviews, good comments on twitter, etc..  But when I finally got around to reading it, I was kind of disappointed.  It’s not that it was the most horrible book in the world, it’s just that there were some things it could have done without.  All the crossed out sentences, really, it made the book tough to read.  Sometimes there were three or more sentences crossed out on one page.  It was so often that it made my eyes hurt.  Also, I find it kind of odd that all of the detailed explanations/thoughts were the ones that got crossed out, only to be restated in a simplified—often one-word—explanation.  On top of that, I didn’t get the whole thing where the sentence would start on one line, and then there was one word after that—not even capitalized—and then four or more one-word lines later the sentence would finally end.  What?  So, it pains me to say it, but I did not finish this book. Will I be getting the second book in the series? No.

 

DNF (Did Not Finish)