Review: Perfect Chemistry

Alex is a Mexicano, a poor kid from the south side of Fairfield with gang tattoos and a reputation to match.  Brittany, the head cheerleader, is white and rich and beautiful.  They could never be together... or could they?

After they're matched up - unwillingly - for their chemistry class, they start to learn things about each other.  Things like the fact that Brittany's "perfect" life is inches from chaos, as her mother is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, her father is never home, and her older sister has cerebral palsy.  Things like the fact that Alex doesn't want to be in a gang, doesn't want to deal drugs or hurt people; he only wants to protect his family.  Slowly they discover a growing respect for each other... and maybe more.

Entertainment: ★★★

This is a little, maybe even a lot, out of my usual genres, but I still liked it.  A little predictable, maybe, but a nice and exciting and even funny at times book.  And I have to mention, that cover is basically awesome.  I don't even know why I love it so much, but it's the best cover I've seen in ages.  Seriously.

Plot: ★★

I was a little underwhelmed by the plot - hello, Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story, again - but Elkeles does manage to pull it off to a certain extent.  And I did like the ending, even if I could see it coming two hundred pages away.

Characters: ★★★★

I liked Brittany.  She's quite an impressive protagonist.  Alex is nice too, although I didn't connect with him quite as much.  The really good thing about the characters in this story is not the characters themselves - although they certainly hold their own - but their interactions with each other.  Brittany's relationship with Colin, particularly, really shone; it was the best example of a brilliantly written failing relationship I've seen in a while.  Completely realistic.

Writing: ★★★★

Elkeles does a great job of giving his protagonist distinctive voices.  Really the only thing I disliked about the writing was the continual gushing about how hott Brittany/Alex are.  Okay, we get it, he's got abs.  Okay, we get it, she's got perfect hair.  Move on.

Besides the gushy bits, though, Elkeles is a really talented writer who manages to make two very disparate worlds and two very different people come together in a completely believable way.

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

Wishlist Wednesday

On Wishlist Wednesday, I blog a little about an upcoming title I'm excited to read; this week, I can't wait for Enchanted Ivy!





The summary, courtesy of Amazon: What Lily Carter wants most in the world is to attend Princeton University just like her grandfather. When she finally visits the campus, Grandpa surprises her: She has been selected to take the top-secret Legacy Test. Passing means automatic acceptance to Princeton. Sweet!



Lily's test is to find the Ivy Key. But what is she looking for? Where does she start? As she searches, Lily is joined by Tye, a cute college boy with orange and black hair who says he's her guard. That's weird. But things get seriously strange when a gargoyle talks to her. He tells her that there are two Princetons—the ordinary one and a magical one—and the Key opens the gate between them. But there are more secrets that surround Lily. Worse secrets.


When Lily enters the magical Princeton, she uncovers old betrayals and new dangers, and a chance at her dream becomes a fight for her life. Soon Lily is caught in a power struggle between two worlds, with her family at its center. In a place where Knights slay monsters, boys are were-tigers, and dragons might be out for blood, Lily will need all of her ingenuity and courage—and a little magic—to unite the worlds and unlock the secrets of her past and her future.

So yeah, what's not to love?! And a were-tiger sounds really, epicly amazing.  I can't wait!

Trailer Tuesday

Fun fact: today I learned how to pronounce "meme."  I'd always said it like two "me's" put together: me-me.  I was wrong.  Apparently it's properly said "meem."  Interesting.

Now, on to the trailers!




I just read The Dark Divine recently (review coming ASAP~) and liked it.  This is the trailer to go with it!  Here's the thing: I love it until the close-up of the guy's face.  He looks nothing like how I pictured Daniel (or Jude, for that matter.)  But maybe that's just a personal thing.  It's still a nice trailer.




Nightshade is coming out in just a few weeks, and it's been getting a lot of buzz in the blogosphere.  I know I certainly want to read it!  Anyways, the trailer is fabulous!  Seriously, I'm in love with the artsy, pastel-y, flowery feel!

What do you think of these trailers (or the books themselves)?  And what's your favorite book trailer?

Save the Words Sunday!

I stumbled on this crazily amazing link earlier today, and after wasting a few years on this site I just had to share it!

http://savethewords.org/

It's a collection of all the fabulously descriptive words that nobody uses.

It's actually a little depressing when you think about all those poor, forgotten words.

But you can spend a fun and very educational hour clicking around enjoying all the crazy words.  My new favorite word is "quibblism," or maybe "operiment," or even "stiricide (the falling of icicles from a house)."  I adopted all three.

Come on!  Let's spread the words!  Go and adopt and start utilizing those obscuriferous words!

(And come back and tell me which you adopted!)

Review: Poison Study

Before her execution, Yelena is offered a choice: hang for her crime, the murder of Reyad; or, become the ruler’s food taster. Naturally, she chooses the option offering even a limited chance for survival. Under the guidance of Valek, the chief spy-assassin of the realm, she learns to distinguish poisons by scent, texture and taste, and then is responsible for ensuring the Commander’s survival. The cost of failure, of course, is death.

Under Valek’s guidance, Yelena blooms again next to Ixia’s most powerful man. If she can detect and survive poisons, she can live a happy and prosperous life beside the Commander... and beside Valek. But Yelena has more on her mind than poisons. There is the ghost of Reyad, who haunts her. There is Reyad’s father, General Brazell, one of the most powerful men in Ixia, who wants nothing more than to see Yelena die in agony. There is her growing but deadly attraction to Valek. There is her own dark past. And on top of all that, there is a subtle but fatal plot spreading like a disease over Ixia…

And oh, yeah, Yelena might be a magician, which in Ixia carries an immutable sentence of death.

Entertainment: ★★★★

I liked the characters, I liked the plot, I didn’t see all of the plot twists coming, and overall I enjoyed reading this.

And I have to note, this cover is basically amazing. Especially how her eyes match the green of the plants perfectly...

Plot: ★★★★

First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about a food taster before; I loved that unique angle. The storyline was interesting, if occasionally predictable, and the romance fairly well-written. There were a couple of twists, some of which were expected but some of which came as a complete surprise and kept the story interesting.

Characters: ★★★

I loved Yelena. She was interesting, and she had a dark past but wasn’t whining about it every other page. She was also practical, and didn’t let her faith in humanity and nice things like that get in the way of basic survival. I like heroines who aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves instead of their ideals (yes, people, there's a difference.) Unfortunately, she couldn’t quite make up for the other characters, who all felt a little fake and flat.

Writing: ★★★★

Snyder is a very good writer, who keeps the story moving at a good pace but still provides enough description to draw the reader into the story and really make them cheer for Yelena.

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

Playlist Friday

Alright, so technical issues (read: Blogger is being obnoxious and not allowing me to upload pictures properly) are preventing me from having Fashion Friday like I'd like to.  Well, I didn't want to just post three reviews in a row; I mean, even book bloggers can get a little tired of reviews.

So, after some thought, I've decided to institute a temporary replacement meme. Drumroll please. Playlist Friday!

Which is kind of uninspired, as names go, but whatever.  Basically I'm just going to post ten songs that I love this week.  So feel free to look them up (I promise they're awesome), comment on them, or let me know what you've been listening to!  I love hearing about great new music almost as much as great new books! And you know I love comments :)

About A Girl - The Academy Is...

(also, an excellent music video.)

Break Your Little Heart - All Time Low

Bring It (Snakes on a Plane) - Cobra Starship

(I actually hated this song initially. But somehow it's grown on me... a lot)

Can't Stand It - Nevershoutnever

(I can't explain why I like this song, exactly. But every time I hear it, it just makes me smile uncontrollably! Also, minor profanity alert, if that bothers you)

Hello Brooklyn - All Time Low

(My new life goal is to visit all of these cities)

Hold My Hand - New Found Glory

My First Kiss - 3Oh!3/Ke$ha

Skyway Avenue - We The Kings

Stupid Love Letter - The Friday Night Boys

This City Is Contagious - The Cab

I have what I like to think of as "eclectic" tase in music (this translates to I Will Listen To Literally Anything But Country.)  So seriously, let me know what your favorite band/song/music video is!

Alright, this post had absolutely nothing to do with books, so I'll add this: I've just finished a series of pretty cool books, so look forward to some great reviews in the next few days!

Review: Aurelie, A Faerie Tale

Princess Aurelie, Loic the river-drac shapeshifting boy, Garin the foreigner, and Netta the serving girl all played together as children. Loic gifted his friends with the ability to see the magical beings around them, the Fae. His gift can be deadly, though, for if the Fae discover it they will exact terrible prices from the humans.

After a tragic incident in which Netta slips up and loses her sight, the four are forced to split up and go their separate ways. Now, a few years later, they are all young adults with their own agendas. Princess Aurelie wants to stop the brewing war between her country and Garin’s; Netta just wants to be with Loic; Loic has grown powerful but cold in the world of the Fae; and Garin is forced to choose between his love and his country. Meanwhile, someone is pulling all the strings behind two countries on the brink of war, and that someone has a dark plan for the princess, the Fae, and anyone else that gets in her way…

Entertainment: ★★★

There wasn’t anything bad about Aurelie, but there really wasn’t much good either. It was just a bit… bland.

Plot: ★★

First of all, there wasn’t much plot. Until the whole first half of the book had gone by, there was no real villain or antagonist, and all the protagonists just kind of did their own thing. Even once they got their act together (way too far into the story), it wasn’t much of an act. Two boys, two girls, perfectly matched up. There was hardly any romantic tension, and no worrying about who would end up with whom. The villain was fairly obvious, pretty much as soon as they appeared. True, I didn’t guess the big ending, but only because in my opinion the author really didn’t provide enough information or foreshadowing; my immediate reaction was, “Um… what?” And for all that, the climax wasn’t too impressive anyways.

Characters: ★★★★

Here, Aurelie did shine. I liked the take on the Fae; they weren’t the usual, “Humans, but prettier and immortal and environmentally friendly!” No, there were all sorts of different creatures, all quite imaginative. I particularly liked Loic, the river drac; his species was quite interesting.

As individuals, the characters all did fairly well for themselves. My only quibble is that I never felt like they were really in danger; there was a token enemy or peril to face at every turn, of course, but I was never seriously worried that any of them would get anything less than a happy ending.

Writing: ★★★

I disliked the fact that Tomlinson used funny names for her Fae; for example, a weird beastie called the gargouille. I assume this is a play on “Gargoyle,” but it was confusing and complicated. Not the best wordplay ever. Tomlinson also insisted on plenty of other entirely unpronounceable names. Maybe it’s not a direct problem for you if you’re not reading the story out loud, but I like a character whose name I can say without stuttering and mispronuncing it. Aside from this, the writing was quite good, although a little short on description sometimes. Tomlinson did a good job mixing up her characters’ voices; when the narrator switched, I could tell from the change in tone and vocabulary and such, which is always nice.

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