Review: Academy 7

This book counts towards the What's in a Name challenge.




Dane is a child of privilege, rebellious son of one of the four rulers of the Alliance.  Aerin is an outcast, a runaway slave girl.  They are stubborn, lonely, and the most competitive students at the most competitive school in the universe, Academy 7.  Despite their intense competition and their intense fear of attachment, they find themselves slowly falling in love.  They seem perfect for each other.

But of course, the universe would never let it be that easy...

Entertainment: ★★★★

A quick, fun space romance that made for an enjoyable afternoon.

Plot: ★★★

I liked that the romance took its time and proceeded naturally, instead of simply flinging the two together and declaring them Soul Mates.  I also thought the romance itself was sweet and enjoyable.

Characters: ★★★★

Although the basic rebellious rich boy and rebellious ex-slave character type isn't anything new, Osterlund breathed new life into them with Dane and Aerin.  I liked them both.

Writing: ★★★

Although I wasn't awed by the description, I liked the dialogue very much and the intelligent debates kept the writing interesting.

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

Blog Hop/Follow Friday!

Hi, fellow blog hoppers, welcome to novapsych!  While you're here, check out my current contest!

Follow Friday Question: 

WHAT IS THE BOOK THAT YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO ADMIT TO LOVING? 

I.... don't really have one.  If I love a book I love it, and as far as I'm concerned that's that.  If anybody else has a problem with what I read, well, that's their problem, right?

Blog Hop Question: 

Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?

Depends on what you mean by "best."  When I was little, I think seven, my dad told me my pet had died!  It was horrible - but it's certainly the one prank that left the biggest impression on me.  As far as the funniest prank, or something like that - probably the time I convinced my brother, five or six at the time, that a stuffed animal had come to life.  I hid a walkie-talkie inside and he was convinced that it was talking to him :)

Contest: Win a Copy of Nickel Plated!

Check out my review and an interview with the author!

If you read my review, you know I loved Nickel Plated.  So I'm delighted to host a contest for a copy!

Rules:

-To enter, fill out the form.

-US only - sorry, overseas friends.

-This tour runs for seven days (March 31st-April 6th).

-Bonus entries for following and spreading the word about this contest!

Author Interview: Aric Davis, This or That

Check out my review, and enter to win a copy of Nickel Plated!

As part of the Teen {Book} Scene tour for Nickel Plated, here's a fun  "This or That" list from author Aric Davis!

Outside or inside?

Outside! I love the outdoors, even though winter in Michigan can be a little rough. Still, fall weather and
all of barbecue season more than make up for it.

Summer or winter?

Summer, hands down. Body piercers make less money in the winter, and snow removal and being broke
is a deadly combo. Plus, for whatever reason I seem to write more when it’s nice out.

White chocolate or dark chocolate?

Dark, because it’s easier to cook with.

Sweet or sour?

Sour, but can I pick both? I love food that challenges the palate, the more complex the better.

TV shows or movies?

Movies, but HBO TV shows make it close.

Dictionary or thesaurus?

Dictionary.

Pen or pencil?

Pen. Bic, medium point, please.

Cats or dogs?

Cats!

M&Ms or Skittles?

Skittles, but it’s been years since I had one.

Gold or silver?

Stainless steel. It’s paid my bills for almost fifteen years.

Poetry or prose?

I love both, but poetry wins out.

Truth or dare?

Truth, but only if you go first.

Thanks for stopping by, Aric!  Great answers!

Review: Nickel Plated

Nickel is a survivor.  After escaping a series of abusive foster homes, he's set up shop as a freelancer.  He makes money blackmailing online pedophiles, selling homegrown marijuana, and doing some private jobs. For adults, he's expensive.  For kids in trouble, he's free.  So when Arrow, a high school girl, asks for help finding her missing sister Shelby, Nickel accepts.  This case is going to be different from his previous jobs. It's deeper, it's darker, and it's going to take him places he may not want to go...

Entertainment: ★★★★

This book is not for the squeamish.  It's gritty, tough, real.  And it's absolute adrenaline.  It's definitely not a book to be taken lightly, and I know I'm not going to forget it anytime soon.

Plot: ★★★

I loved the plot, up until the last few chapters.  Then I went down to only liking it.  Sans spoilers, all I can really say is that things got extremely convenient.  But ending aside, I thought it was a unique, very interesting, and absolutely enthralling plot.

A little side note here: I really appreciated that Davis didn't just skim by the "oh, he's underage and lives alone and has electricity that he never has to pay for" issue.  Nickel has to work, he has to buy groceries, he has to pay the bills.  And he has to be careful, has to be sure not to tip anybody off to the fact that he's living alone.  And yeah, he sells drugs and blackmails online creeps to get money.  It's not pretty, but it has to happen.  I'd just like to say thank you, Davis, for having a realistic living situation for your protagonist.

Characters: ★★★★★

I wasn't wildly in love with any of the side characters, but I did adore Nickel.  He had a tragic past, but he wasn't whining about it every other page; he was sucking it up and making the best of what he had.  A drug-dealing blackmailer doesn't sound like a sympathetic protagonist, but in fact by the end of the book I not only respected Nickel, I outright admired him.  He's one of the best, most realistic, most 3-D characters I've seen in a while.

Writing: ★★★★

I guess I can describe it as "quietly powerful."  It's not flashy, there's not a lot of long words, and Nickel's voice comes through loud and clear.  It's enjoyable to read and very, very memorable.

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

Review: Matched

Cassia's life is planned out perfectly.  Her future job, her future husband, the number of children she will have, even the type and amount of food she eats at every meal - all carefully measured and controlled by the Society.  That's good, because the Society never makes mistakes; they can keep her happy and healthy for her entire eighty-year prescribed life span.  So when Cassia is Matched with her childhood friend Xander, she's thrilled to know he's her new husband.


Until the screen flashes a different face for a moment before going black.  Ky's face.  And suddenly Cassia isn't so sure about anything.  She isn't sure who she loves, she isn't sure who to trust, and slowly she's losing faith in a Society that won't let her be with the person she chooses.  And this couldn't come at a worse time.  Something, somewhere, is going wrong, and the Society is getting worried.  All too soon, Cassia is going to have to make some impossible choices...


Entertainment: ★★★★


I thought the world building was incredible, I liked Cassia okay, I loved Ky, I thought the plot was interesting... overall, it was just a good book.


Plot: ★★★★


This is one of a select few romance-centered novels which have a plot I can respect and enjoy.


Characters: ★★★


Cassia was pretty cool, most of the side characters were okay... Ky was fabulous.  I mean, he's sweet, he's handsome, he's an artist... I think I'm a little bit in love with him.


My only real complain is Xander.  He faded to the background in just a few chapters.  He never seemed like a viable corner of the love triangle, just some kind of annoying loose end.  As a character, he wasn't much, and as a love interest he was even less.  I wish he had played a bigger part, or at least been more interesting.


Writing: ★★★★


Unique and interesting, that's all I have to say.

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

Review: Wither

This book counts towards the Debut Author Challenge




In Rhine's world, men only live to the age of 25; women can only survive until 20.  Rhine has been kidnapped, taken away from her twin brother and only surviving family member.  She's been kidnapped to be sold as a polygamous bride to a rich man, a booming business in her dystopian world.

Her new life is pure luxury: a mansion with endless gardens, parties, makeup and diamonds and pearls, so different from her previous life.  Her husband is kind and seems to honestly care for her; her sister-wives, Cecily and Jenna, are friendly and well-intentioned.  But Rhine is miserable.  The one thing she wants is the one thing she can't have: freedom.

Entertainment: ★★★

Wither was... not what I expected.  It was a lot slower and more thoughtful than I had anticipated.  I ended up with fairly neutral feelings: I liked it okay, I didn't love it or hate it or really have much of an emotional reaction at all.

Plot: ★★

This is definitely a introspective story, not an action story.  Basically the plot is Rhine's internal conflict.  Besides said conflict, the story is kind of weak.  There's a few major holes in the worldbuilding, among them that the virus was very implausible.  Rhine's romance was abrupt-seeming, and didn't have a whole lot of development.  Frankly I didn't want to know nearly as much about Cecily's pregnancy as was included in the book.  Rhine's internal conflict was okay, but I expected a story with a little more things happing, as opposed to feelings, and I think I would have preferred it with a touch more action.

Characters: ★★★★

Wither is being called a "character driven story," and I can see why.  It's definitely the characters that make the book.  Rhine herself is decent, as a narrator, but I absolutely fell in love with the side characters.  Jenna and Cecily, the sister-wives, were unique and really relatable, particularly Cecily.  Cecily felt like somebody I could meet on the street or somebody I'd know from school.  Linden was sweet, albeit remarkably oblivious.  Destefano did an interesting job of capturing some of the complex feelings and emotions stemming from a polygamous marriage - particularly the thin line between cooperation and competition between the wives.

Writing: ★★★

Although I didn't love Rhine's 'voice' as a narrator, I thought the description and dialogue and such were well done.

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