Wishlist Wednesday (7)

So, Nightshade came out yesterday! Insert confetti here! I've been looking forward to this book for a while, especially since I got the chance to help out with the really cool marketing (my post on that here). Unfortunately I've already burned through my book budget for the next two months, so I'm going to have to wait to read it (cue the depressing music).

But in honor of me wishing for Nightshade, today's Wishlist Wednesday is devoted to it. You might remember the trailer if you've been following for a while: it was featured on a previous Trailer Tuesday.






Cool, right? Normally I really don't like trailers that have no action, just words, but it kind of works here.  And it's really pretty, too.

So that's this week's wishlist; if you're as into Nightshade as I am (and have a bigger budget) you can find it on Amazon or the bookstore of your choice. And let me gush one final time: the cover is fabulous! Seriously, one of the coolest designs I've seen in a while~






Anyone else dying to read it? Or anyone lucky enough to score an advanced copy? Weigh in!

Trailer Tuesday (7)

I read Leviathan almost immediately after it came out; I'm a huge Westerfeld fan. And I just stumbled across this lovely little book trailer for it.





Usually I'm not big on cartoon-y type trailers, but it really works for Leviathan. I thought the tone of the trailer fit the tone of the book quite well - light-hearted and just a little irreverant. And the ending made me laugh! It's a nice change from the doom-and-gloom trailers I usually post.


So what do you think about this trailer - love it? Or hate it? And what's your favorite book trailer?

Music Monday

So basically Music Monday is where I tell you about some awesome music that you really should listen to.

Spinning - Jack's Mannequin

Now, I'm not a huge JM fan, but this song is just so amazing.  It makes me happy and sad and a little nostalgic, all at the same time.

This Week The Trend - Relient K

I am a huge Relient K fan. Interestingly, I didn't like this song very much when I first listened to it, but lately it's been growing on me a lot. It's got a good beat, and lyrics that everybody can relate to. Everybody's screwed up, given in to peer pressure, or felt like their life was getting out of control; and this song expresses those feelings perfectly.

Skyway Avenue - We The Kings

I heard this song called "dark," but I don't think it's dark at all. I think it's beautiful and incredibly sweet. It's the kind of song you have to play at 70 miles an hour on the Interstate, with the windows down and the volume up.

Review: Mockingjay

Katniss Everdeen survived the Games - twice. She's become the symbol of rebellion, the young, brave, and beautiful Mockingjay.

The real Katniss is tired.  She's scared.  She never asked to be the Mockingjay, or to watch her friends die because of it.

But Katniss doesn't get a choice.  Her world is depending on her to free them from oppression... but can a young girl really save anybody, much less an entire nation?

Entertainment: ★★★★

Okay, it got a little... gory at times.  And it was more than depressing.  But I couldn't put it down; I finished it in six hours. It's addictive.  For all that, though, I had somewhat mixed feelings about it. Read on and I'll try to explain.

Plot: ★★★

It wasn't predictable, exactly, but it was more than a little deja vu.  At times, the plot was nearly identical to those of the first two books.  And I found that I preferred either of the first two books to this one, plot-wise. It just didn't surprise me, or amaze me, like the first two did; it was only average.

Characters: ★★★

The characterization is pretty amazing... for all the side characters.  I was completely lost on Katniss herself, President Snow, and Peeta.  Katniss actually started to turn wimpy, which horrified me as she had been such a strong character before.

And Collins has a pretty consistent habit of building up really amazing characters and then killing them off, which is beyond depressing to read. Her deaths-per-number-of-characters figure has got to be sky high. By the time I read through Hunger Games and Catching Fire and started Mockingjay, I was suffering from some kind of PTSD; I was having a hard time connecting with characters, since I couldn't help but assume they'd all be killed off in short order anyway. But maybe that's just a personal thing.

Writing: ★★★

Again, I just felt like the quality and taste levels went down a little in this last book.  To be fair, I loved The Hunger Games and it's a lot to live up to.  But still, Mockingjay could have been stellar, and it was only "pretty good."  That disappointed me, a lot.

End Result: three stars. A decent book, but not amazingly excellent.

Review: The Tree Shepherd's Daughter

Keelie Heartwood was, more or less, normal.  She had a funny allergy to wood and a dad who she'd never met, but overall she was just another California girl.  Until her mom dies, and she's forced to go live with her dad.  He travels around, working at Renaissance faires; Keelie's worst nightmare.

She's ready to get out of the Dark Ages geekland the second she arrives, but strange things are happening around her.  When she starts communicating with trees, she knows something's up.

Entertainment: ★★★★

It was a nice little read, very entertaining and just happy to read.  I had a great time with it.

Plot: ★★★★

Talking to trees is a new one, for me at least.  It's an interesting supernatural twist, that stands out from a host of books that write about the exact same supernatural twist.  And the plot itself isn't bad, if a little predictable.

Characters: ★★★★★
Most of the characters were very well fleshed-out and decently written, and a few actively impressed me.  Keelie, although appropriately angsty for a teenager forced into a Faire, isn't boring or overly repetitive, and her grief at her mother's death is realistic and not overdone.

Writing: ★★★★

The writing wasn't particularly standout but it was smooth and flowed nicely and Keelie's point of view was well done.

End Result: four stars. A good book, definitely woth your time.

Review: Heist Society

Kat tried to leave the life.  She said good-bye.  She enrolled in a high-class boarding school.  She thought her days of being a thief were over.

She was wrong.  When she's framed for a crime that (for once) she didn't commit, Kat is booted out of school.  And she discovers that leaving the life is a lot harder than she ever could have imagined... especially when her father is being stalked by Interpol and threatened by an angry billionaire, who will kill him and everyone else Kat loves if she can't bring back the paintings he's convinced her father stole.

The only problem is that her father didn't steal them.  Somebody else did.  Somebody brilliant.  Kat is in a race against time to outsmart the anonymous thief with her friend Hale, her cousin Gabrielle, and a mysterious boy named Nick...

Entertainment: ★★★★

Although Heist is more than a little cheesy at times, it was a fun book and I enjoyed it.  And I have to note, I loved the cover.  Really loved it.

Plot: ★★

I actually thought the plot was really cool, in theory at least.  Unfortunately, in the book, it wasn't nearly as impressive.  First of all, I really dislike characters that have "unlimited" money and are willing to throw it around on random billion-dollar ventures without asking for anything in return.  Fiction or no fiction, things just don't work like that.  Sorry.  Next, okay, these random kids - all 16 and under - are all criminal geniuses who've never been caught, despite commiting apparently hundreds of show-boaty, obnoxious crimes?  Really?  I don't think so.  I'm fine with a little suspension of disbelief, but Heist just came off as fake and silly.  Plus, the ending was incredibly cliche.

Characters: ★★

See above quibble: they all just so happen to be geniuses who've known each other since childhood, pulled off fabulous heist after fabulous heist, and have never so much as been suspected?  Plus, there's really nothing original or exciting about them.  And even their relationships sometimes feel contrived and fake.

Writing: ★★★★

Once you get over all the suspending of disbelief that Carter asks you to do, it's actually very well written and very enjoyable to read.

End Result: three stars.  A decent book, but not amazingly excellent.

Feature Friday

   
Not much has happened on novapysch this week, Hoppers, because I've been on vacation and writing college essays.  Still, feel free to poke around and follow if you like, novapsych should be back to normal by next week!

Now, the questions of the week.

How many reviews do you like to do a week?

My goal is to do two a week, one around Thursday and one on Sunday or Monday.

What's your favorite beverage while blogging?

This is kind of a trick question, because my actual favorite beverage is this delicious Ginger Tea that you can apparently get only in Georgia.  I've only blogged while drinking Ginger Tea once, but it was amazing.  Unfortunately, since I do not live in Georgia or near the Thai restaurant where that tea originated, I usually make do with straight black coffee.