Review: The Keep by Veronica Wolff

Title: The Keep
Author: Veronica Wolff
Source/ Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: YA, Paranormal
Publisher/ Publication Date: NAL Trade, June 4, 2013

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I had a hard time deciding just how much I liked this book after I finished it. It took me some time to get to The Keep, but at least now I can say that I finished the series. And I’m trying to finish more of the various series I started a while ago. And this one happened to be about vampires. I did enjoy the concept of The Watchers series throughout the previous books, and I was looking forward to seeing how it ended.

I’m conflicted, I really am. Don’t get me wrong I liked this book, but it was just sort of average for me. However, there were a few things that bothered me. But first I’m going to start with what I did like.

The Keep sat on my shelf for about two months. I finally decided to read it after finishing and reviewing a book for another blog. This book began a short time after Blood Fever ended, and Drew is basically struggling with what happened. I’m not going to specify what that something was, but it changed things on the island for Drew. Speaking of the main character, well, she was reckless and didn't seem to listen to any advice being given to her—and one aspect of the story almost seemed to become an obsession for her. Though I could understand why, the Isle of Night was a horrible place to be. So I think Wolff did a good job capturing the overall atmosphere of the Isle of Night, and portraying the characters—including those that thrived in that environment and others that didn't do so well.

And now here’s what I didn't like so much: the ending and parts of the plot. The plot…hmmm, well at times I felt like it was a little repetitive but interesting enough to keep my attention. The part that really got me was the ending. It felt entirely rushed and unfinished to me. There were too many mysteries introduced in this novel—even at the very end—and I had to sit down and think for a while about what I wanted to say about The Keep. I believe that this is the last book and I wish that there had been more—maybe even another book to finish tying up those loose ends. I liked this book but not as much as the previous three in The Watchers Series. So that's why I'm going to give it a 3.5.

Excerpt & Giveaway: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott

Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott is nearly here! But before we get to the excerpt & giveaway here's a little more about the book.

Summary from Goodreads...

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

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I swallow and stare at him in the dark, my entire body itching to feel his touch. When I see the anticipation in his stance, the way he looks at me as if I’m both infuriating and appealing — it makes me feel powerful. But when he takes a step in my direction, that power plummets to some place untouchable. Now I’m a seventeen-year-old girl again, standing in the shadows with someone who feels like he’s lived three lives to my one.

“Come with me,” he orders.

There’s no room for refusal, and I don’t want there to be. He takes my hand to help me step over sleeping bodies, both human and Pandora. When I stumble, he leans over and sweeps beneath my knees. I’m brought into his arms with the same ease I may use to curl a rabbit to my chest. But I’m not such an innocent, silent creature.

I’ve got spirit and fire in spades. Though, right now, as he carries me to the single back bedroom, I have neither. I’m somebody else now. I’m Tella Holloway, Boston girl turned Montana transplant, sitting on the edge of her bed, awaiting her very first date with the boy who makes her parents uneasy. A boy who doesn’t speak nearly enough, but when he does, this girl stops and listens. In my mind’s eye, I’m wearing the silver-sequined dress that’s hibernated in my closet far too long. I feel beautiful and confident, and who cares if he said we’re going to the lake at night? I want to glimpse the look on his face when he sees me. I envision how his entire face will light up as if it’s lit from within. How his full lips will part slightly and his cold blue eyes will soften.

Guy sets me on my feet, and I gaze up at him.

Oh yes. Right there. That’s the look I imagined.

© 2015 Victoria Scott. From Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott, published by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.

That excerpt was awesome, right? Anyway, don't forget to visit Victoria Scott...

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Below you can enter for a chance to win a signed UK edition of FIRE & FLOOD, a signed galley of SALT & STONE, and signed swag. This giveaway is open internationally. Good luck to everyone who enters!

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Musing Mondays (19)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

This week I'm going to share a bit about the book I'm currently reading. I literally just started an ARC of Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks. This is a middle grade novel that was released on February 3, 2015.

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More about the book (Summary from Goodreads)...

When Tuesday McGillycuddy and her beloved dog, Baxterr, discover that Tuesday’s mother—the famous author Serendipity Smith—has gone missing, they set out on a magical adventure. In their quest to find Serendipity, they discover the mysterious and unpredictable place that stories come from. Here, Tuesday befriends the fearless Vivienne Small, learns to sail an enchanted boat, tangles with an evil pirate, and discovers the truth about her remarkable dog. Along the way, she learns what it means to be a writer and how difficult it can sometimes be to get all the way to The End...

What are you reading this week?

Book Haul

So, today I thought I would do an actual book haul, which I haven’t done before on Our Thoughts Precisely. But I figured I might as well put together a post since I recently received some books in the mail.

Won…

First, I won Save Me by Jenny Elliott from TheBook Bratz. It’s one of Swoon Reads books so I’m curious to see how it goes.

Next I won Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake (Thank you to RayKayBooks & Kendare Blake).

And finally, I won Finding Serendipity by AngelicaBanks (Thank you to Macmillan Kids, this book sounds adorable and I can’t wait to start it).

For review…

I got Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (A huge thank you to The Novl for this one. I’m really excited to read it, but I think I’ll do the review closer to the release date).

Purchased…

I purchased a kindle copy of Alienated by Melissa Landers (I’ll get to this one eventually, but I do look forward to reading it).

So that’s basically it for this haul. I don’t know, maybe I’ll do another one when I get more books, but for the foreseeable future who knows.

ARC Review: Lucidity by Stephanie Thomas

Title: Lucidity

Author: Stephanie Thomas

Source/Format: Author, E-ARC

Age Range: YA

Publisher/Publication Date: February 7, 2015

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Summary from Goodreads...

Beatrice never thought she’d find herself in the middle of Aura, the city of her sworn enemy, the Dreamcatchers. Nor did she never think she’d abandon everything she’d ever known and everyone she’d ever loved to blindly follow Echo, the Dreamcatcher Prince. Gabe would never forgive her, if he lives, and nor will any of the Seers. Upon arriving, Beatrice is quickly thrown into the Dreamcatcher Queen’s self-serving plot to save Aura from a disastrous plague, and Bea’s anticipated return to the City is becoming less likely every day she is held captive and subjected to the epidemic. Full Summary Here

My history with dystopian books has been spotty to say the least—I liked some and I disliked even more—but thankfully, Lucidity by Stephanie Thomas is one that I actually liked! You have no idea how excited I am about that.

It’s been some time since I read Luminosity, the first book in the series, and it was kind of an average read for me. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the sequel. The writing had a good flow to it, and it was easy to get into the story. There were plenty of descriptions and I could easily visualize the setting and what was happening. I really enjoyed the concept of Seers and Dreamcatchers, and the conflict that surrounded them.

Things literally started where the last book ended, and I was glad to see what happened to the characters after the events of Luminosity. Beatrice was a little indecisive—sometimes she was sure about what she wanted, and at other times she seemed more conflicted. But actually, it kind of worked. Beatrice was raised to have certain beliefs and I could understand why she had a hard time straying from them.

The conflict in Lucidity was enough to keep me invested in the story—the ending wrapped things up nicely and I liked it. Overall, the plot was good and the pacing was nice. The world building was handled well and it was easy to understand the society that the characters had to live in. Who knows, maybe my enthusiasm for dystopian books has finally returned, but regardless I enjoyed this book.

This copy of the book was provided by the author for review, thank you!