Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

4 out of 5 Stars

Eleanor and Park was my first book by Rainbow Rowell and certainly won't be my last.

This was a charming book about two teens in Omaha Nebraska, in 1986, who don't quite fit in but find an unlikely friendship and love in each other.

Eleanor, the red-haired, freckled, slightly overweight new girl, who dresses in shirts and ties and even a necktie/scarf around her wrist as a wristband, finds an empty seat next to Park on the school bus.

Park is a Korean-Irish American who loves comic books and listening to his walkman, and he reluctantly lets Eleanor sit next to him. Park is "beautiful" with his green eyes and "skin the color of sunshine through honey".

I loved that Eleanor was chubby and beautiful in her own way and did not fit society's usual concept of beauty. Having been the chubby girl, myself, I completely related to Eleanor and her body issues. I felt with her through the bullying and her difficult home situation.

I loved how Park opens "his seat", his comic book, then his music and his heart to Eleanor.

There was no love-at-first sight here, but their relationship starts with some awkward sitting next to each other, sharing of comic books and music, and develops into something beautiful. I appreciated the realistic way that Rainbow Rowell developed the growing feelings between Eleanor and Park.

This character-driven story was told deftly by Ms Rowell in Eleanor and Park's alternate third-person point-of-views, with their distinctive "voices". I loved both these characters.

The book deals with issues of race, bullying, body image and domestic violence.

I loved the 1980's setting and it made me very nostalgic, especially for putting together mix-tape cassettes. :-)

This was a charming, sweet, heart-touching and heart-breaking story.

The ending felt abrupt, to me, and is the reason I'm giving this 4-stars. I just needed MORE. But still... what a wonderful read!

Thank you to my friends Jenn "Awww ...Yeaaahhh", AHenry and Viola for the recommendation!

Lovely Fan Art by IzziBelle on DeviantArt

Some of my favorite quotes:

Eleanor:

"If Park were to look up at her now, he'd know everything.

He didn't look up. He wound the scarf around his fingers until her hand was hanging in the space between them.

Then he slid the silk and his fingers into her open palm.

And Eleanor disintegrated."

Park: 

"Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.

As soon as he touched her, he wondered how he'd gone this long without doing it. He rubbed his thumb through her palm and up her fingers, and was aware of her every breath."

REVIEW: Night Sky by Jolene Perry

3.5 Stars

I’ve been in the mood for YA reads, lately. I saw this book on the blog of Nyrae Dawn, author of What I Boy Wants which I'd read and loved, recently, and the blurb of this one sounded good and the cover is pretty and intriguing.

Night Sky by Jolene Perry is about Jameson a.k.a. Jay who has been in love with his best friend, Sarah, for 3 years, and he never told her. But Sarah has a boyfriend now and Jay meets Sky, a Tlingit from Alaska, who has just moved into his street. Sky attends college and she is very candid - something that takes Jay by surprise as he comes to appreciate her "honesty approach". He finds himself incredibly attracted to Sky at a time when he is grieving the loss of his best friend to a guy he thinks is a jerk. Then, when his family life gets turned upside down, Sky is there for him; they form a connection and she changes him.

I was really looking forward to reading this… but I don’t know… I liked it but I didn’t connect strongly with the characters or the writing.

The first person narrative of Jameson (a.k.a. Jay), senior high school student and star swimmer, was quite engaging but I thought he spent too much time thinking about kissing and touching Sky - way too much (but not in a creepy/pervy way, just in a repetitive way). I know teen boys are known to be “horny teens” and this is likely a realistic portrayal, but the amount of time in the book he thinks about this took away from my enjoyment rather than building the tension. There is a balance to be made between the authenticity of the male voice and the storytelling and tension-building, I feel, and this balance was a bit off, for me.

I know I shouldn’t be comparing, but in comparison to such great Boy Point-of-Views (POV) like that of Alex Fuentes in the alternating POVs of Perfect Chemistry and Sebastian's sole POV in What a Boy Wants, Jay’s “voice” just felt a bit awkward, didn’t flow quite as well, and was repetitive. Jay’s character was very nice and sweet, though; his first date with Sky was very romantic and thoughtful; and there were some other really good moments in here. I really liked Jay and appreciated his growth throughout the story.

Sky’s initial forward behaviour perplexed me; and even more so after I found out her tragic backstory. I guess it just went to show how much she trusted Jay, from the beginning, because of his kind eyes and the eyes being the windows to the soul and all.

' "How can you even be with me? Why did you get in the car the night we met?" Now that I know her history, the comfortable way she is around me, doesn't make any sense.

"You have kind eyes." She breathes out the words, not moving.

"That's it?" My eyes?

"That's everything." Her arm tightens around me.

I run my hands through her hair and down her arms. Her body relaxes against me. There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be, and nothing else I'd rather be doing. It's all right here.'

I still felt like I was missing something with Sky, though; that I didn’t get a full grasp of who she was. But considering that Jay didn’t fully get to know her until the end, because of secrets she kept, that may have been why.

Night Sky was a nice read. It just wasn’t great, for me, especially coming off the back of a really great Boy POV book I’d just recently loved.

I loved this moment when Jay actually WASN'T thinking about kissing Sky ^_^:

'I'm suddenly afraid to touch her. My fingers touch the edges of hers and she slides our hands together. I scoot toward her, so I can take her in my arms. I don't think about kissing her or touching her. I just want to hold her, protect her. It means so much more now.'

My Jay (Edilson Nascimento) and My Sky (Orianka Kilcher)

REVIEW: What a Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn

5 Stars

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! (As Bastian would say ^_^) WHAT A BOY WANTS was just what I wanted right now!

Thanks again to Karla for recommending this to me! Karla, sweetie, you can recommend YA reads to me ANY TIME, from now on! ^_^


WHAT A BOY WANTS is such a fun, cute, sweet, heart-warming, charming and highly enjoyable YA Romance, by self-published author Nyrae Dawn, about a boy who may be an expert at hook-ups but is brought to his knees when he actually falls in love. I really enjoyed being in Sebastian’s head through his realisations about love and whether it was worth it, and his growth throughout the story.

I’ve read YA Romances with alternating Boy-Girl POVs (point-of-views), like Simone Elkeles’ Perfect Chemistry series which I just love, but this is the first I’ve read which is fully from the Boy’s POV. I really enjoyed Sebastian’s voice - his inner monologues and reasoning processes were funny, thoughtful and insightful.

Sebastian Hawkins is a cocky, funny, sweet, protective, noble and loyal 17-year old boy.

“Feel free to tell me how sexy I am any time though. A guy can never hear it enough – ouch! You pinched me.“

Sebastian is the only child in a single parent family (mother). He considers himself an expert on “hooking-up” and has made a small business of providing advice services as a “Hook-Up Doctor”, giving advice on how to win someone over.

While Sebastian may know a lot about hook-ups, he is completely uneducated in romantic love. Having seen his mother fall in love many times and having gone through several failed relationships, he doesn’t really believe in love and long-term relationships. Plus, he doesn’t want to hurt, or be hurt, the way his mother has, not liking having seen her shed so many tears over the years. For this reason, Sebastian is up-front with girls he hooks up with and is careful not to lead girls on.

Sebastian’s beliefs are shaken to the core when he finds himself reacting “abnormally” to a girl he never expected to feel that way over.

“I’m cool,” I said, trying to play it off when really I was anything but cool right now. She shouldn’t look so hot at this moment, but she did. Is this what love was? Thinking a girl looked beautiful in her pajamas and glasses?”
…
“And, holy shit, did I want to touch her. I wanted to trace the strap of her shirt over her shoulder and down her back. Her skin looked so smooth, so creamy that I almost needed to touch it to make sure it was real. I wanted my tongue in that hollow spot at the base of her throat, and for the first time, I wondered what she tasted like.”

I loved seeing cocky Sebastian squirm and work through what love is, whether he was in fact in love, and once he decided he was, how he was going to handle it, because he felt completely out of his depth.

‘I’d never been in love before. How did I know for sure? It could have been lack of female attention, rebellion, or, I don’t know, delirium or something. Stranger things had happened. Jumping to the conclusion it was love, was just a…what’s it called? Hypothesis? My science teacher would be so proud.’

Sebastian’s beliefs that he knew all about girls were certainly tested. I felt for him through all the mistakes he made as he attempted to navigate his way in the uncharted territory of love, and my heart ached for him and the girl he loved when they inadvertently hurt each other. I was delighted when he made it all right.

“You have such a big heart, Sebastian Dale Hawkins.”
“Shh, don’t tell anyone that either.”
“Your secrets are safe with me.”
I buried my face in her hair, to hide from the seriously mushy words that were about to come out of my mouth. “And your heart is safe with me.”

I admit it: I have a “book crush/love” on Bastian. I think he is “book boyfriend” worthy. ^_^

I loved Sebastian’s relationship with his mother, and how protective he was over her, and how he turned to her when he was so confused.

Sebastians group of friends – Jaden, Pris and Aspen – were something awesome and the friendships they had are ones I believe will be life-long ones. I really loved the dynamics within their little group and they played such a huge part in this story.

I also loved the character of Crystal and would love to see her get a HEA.

I’m SO excited to see that Jaden is getting a story – WHAT A BOY NEEDS! Because, as I read this, I thought there was a wonderful and potentially heart-aching story there to be told. Oh, Jaden...

What wonderful timing for me to have just finished reading this and then to see on Nyrae Dawn’s Blog that the cover for Jaden’s book is about to be released along with a teaser this Sunday, 6 May 2012!

Check it out here:

http://www.nyraedawn.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/covers-and-exerpts-and-blog-posts-oh-my.html

My Sebastian (Tyler Blackburn) and the girl he loves (Ashley Benson)

Yes, I have been influenced by Pretty Little Liars. LOL The Sebastian on the cover reminded me of Tyler, especially his eyes, and well, I think he and Ashley are so cute together. ^_^ But picture her with slightly darker hair, as I remember she was described as having "honey" hair and for some reason I thought it was more honey-blonde rather than honey-brown. Oopsies! ^_^

Source: Teen Vogue

Source: Pretty Little Liars stills

REVIEW: Hex Hall (#1 Hex Hall) by Rachel Hawkins

4 Stars 

Hex Hall wasn’t quite Hexcellent, but was certainly enjoyable! 
(...And lovely cover ^_^)

Sophie Mercer was sent to Hecate Hall a.k.a. Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent “Prodigium” (Witches, Warlocks, Shapehifters, and Fairies) after she performed a love spell at the prom, for a classmate, that went terribly wrong, threatening to expose the Prodigium world to humans. “Hex Hall” is located on an island off the coast of Georgia.

Before this, Sophie has only ever lived in the human world, with her mother, and hasn’t known her father, a warlock whose relationship with her mother ended before she was born.

In a way, this story reminded me of Harry Potter as he first attends Hogwarts, but without quite as much whimsy, magic, and detail. There were certainly some moments of attending class including a “Defence” class, a creepy forest nearby, but no moving staircases or talking pictures. There’s an interesting connection between fallen angels and the Prodigium, though, that I liked.

In line with these thoughts, the plot of this story actually reminded me of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, with mysterious deaths/injuries, a ghostly, helpful figure, blame being cast on an “obvious” suspect, and the protagonist being caught up in the middle of it all. Though, this was most assuredly NOT a replica of The Chamber of Secrets.

Hex Hall was an enjoyable read, with a steady pace, and a great climax.

The story is told from Sophie’s first-person perspective. I really liked Sophie, who looks like a girl-next-door, with a great sense of humour and smart-ass wit, and the struggles she faced against the “mean girls” of Hecate Hall, led by gorgeous redhead, Elodie Parris. I enjoyed Sophie’s humourous voice, and her inner monologues, especially in regards to her crush on Archer Cross, made me smile. I really liked that she admittedly had an inexplicable "crush" and didn’t consider herself immediately “in love”.

I also really liked Sophie’s roommate, Jenna, the only vampire student at the school, who funnily adores the colour pink, and with whom Sophie forms a close friendship.

Alas, I didn’t find another “book boyfriend” is this one with snarky, lean, dark, and bad-boyishly good-looking, Archer Cross. *sad sigh* I mean, he was aiiight, but he didn’t have me sighing and swooning. Which is one of the reasons why this didn’t garner a 4.5-5 Star rating from me. Hey, I take my “book boyfriend” collection very seriously, okay? LOL

Cal, the blonde, down-to-earth, quarterback-physiqued, and magically talented groundskeeper, on the other hand, intrigued me, somewhat. Hmm... And no, he doesn't look like Hagrid. ^_^

“So if you can heal with your touch, why are you working here as like, Hagrid, or whatever?”

There was some romance in this, not a lot. And for parents, it should be noted, that there is mention of sex and a rather passionate kiss, but that’s all.

All in all, a nice, fun read. Recommended.

'“Let's just say you may regret that second piece of cake."
Oh my God. Regret cake? Whatever was about to happen must be truly evil.'
....

'“Sophia Mercer," Elodie intoned, "we have come to induct you into our sisterhood. Say the five words to begin the ritual."
I blinked at her. "Are you freaking kidding me?"
Anna gave an exasperated sigh. "No, the five words are 'I accept your offer, sisters.”'

My images of the characters...

Sophie (Kaya Scodelario)

Archer (Wade Poezyn)

Cal (Zach Roerig)

Elodie (Simone Simons)

REVIEW: Flat-Out Love by Jessice Park

5 + Stars!

WOW. I FLAT-OUT LOVE this book by self-published author Jessica Park!!!


I’ve been struggling with my reading lately and I wanted a story that would really captivate me and this is just what I asked for. Thank you to my dear Goodreads friend, Karla, for recommending this to me!

I haven’t written any reviews in a few months but I seriously just HAD TO write one to share my LOVE for this book! Please, give this book a go!

This quote sums up how this book made me feel, how it inspired me through my journey with it, and even after I reluctantly closed its pages...

The story begins with this quote:

“It's not what you know - or when you see - that matters. It's about the journey.”

This quote had me thinking from the get-go.

In Flat-Out Love, Jessica Park takes readers on an amazing journey with some incredibly crafted, quirky and lovable characters. This story is truly special because of the engaging, entertaining, sweet, heartbreaking and emotional journey it took me on. I was laughing, smiling, sighing, my heart aching, crying, and feeling positively giddy when I finished this. I hope it touches other readers as much as it did me. This was such a beautiful and wonderful story, with characters who will remain in my heart for a long, long time! Thank you, Jessica Park!

I loved it so much I'm going to buy the paperback.


Whether you’re a reader, like me, who feels you know what’s going on from the first few chapters yet keep hoping it’s not true, or a reader who is taken by surprise, at the end, one thing is for sure, even if you think you know what’s going on, I believe you will be captivated by this story, its characters, and staying up late to finish it.

Yes, there’s a mystery in this story, but this isn’t a Mystery book, and even if you figure out the secret early on, I don’t think it will detract from your enjoyment of the story. In fact, for me, having strong beliefs about what was going on with this dysfunctional family - even though I wasn't 100% sure - added a layer and subtext to my reading, that had me feeling things I might not have felt, about certain communications, were it not for my beliefs surrounding the big secret of the Watkins family. If that makes sense…

Flat-Out Love is an intelligent, unique, humorous, witty, quirky, warm, and heartbreaking story of love, family, and coping mechanisms, but most of all, it is about a journey – several characters’ journeys – towards healing and living.

This is not a YA Romance per se, but there was certainly a beautiful romance in it. It is a slow-building romance, so please bear with it, because it had me in tears and smiling, at the end.

Flat-Out Love is the story of Julie Seagle who moves from Ohio to Boston to attend college. I loved that this was a YA book set in the first year of college rather than the mostly high school fare out there. When Julie’s housing plans fall through, she is kindly welcomed into the Watkins home, the home of Julie’s mother’s college friend. But Julie discovers there is something “off” about this family, where their thirteen year old daughter, Celeste, has “Flat Finn”, a cardboard cut-out with her, for everything other than school, of her adventurous eldest brother, Finn, who is off travelling the world on various volunteer projects, and enjoys skydiving and bungee jumping.

I adored Julie and her clever wit, her ability to be so understanding of Celeste’s eccentricities, and her courage and strength to want to help the Watkins family. I also adored sweet, intelligent and nerdy Maths and Physics major, Matt, and how protective and so “there” he was for his family. I enjoyed Julie’s, Matt’s, and Finn’s Facebook status updates, Julie and Finn’s Facebook messages and chats, and Julie and Matt’s banter.And Celeste was just so precious.

It was humour like in this scene at the beginning, where Matt is picking Julie up, for the first time, which had me laughing out loud:

' "Mom. I have to go. I think this Matt character is here.
"Are you sure it's him?"
Julie peered into the car as the window lowered. “I see a maniacal-looking guy with brightly-colored candy in one hand, and he’s waving a sickle with the other. Oh! He’s beckoning me to the car. This must be my ride.”’

And to share something of a scene that made me sigh and gave me tingles:

‘His hand was still on her back, his fingertips starting to trace the curve of her shoulder blade, moving up to brush the nape of her neck, then traveling up and down her arm. She took his free hand in hers, intertwining their fingers, and squeezed.
He squeezed back.’
…
‘His mouth was soft and unhurried. Teasing, even. His tongue brushing hers and making her tremble. She kissed back, tasting him, breathing him in. Julie was dizzy, and shaky, and inundated with his heat. He made her temporarily lost, not able to see beyond the way this kiss felt.’

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

My images of the characters… 

Julie Seagle (Carly Rae Jepsen)

 Matthew Watkins (Benjamin Stone)

Finn Watkins (Alex Pettyfer)

Celeste Watkins (Chloe Grace Moretz)

REVIEW: Froi of the Exiles (#2 Lumatere Chronicles) by Melina Marchetta

5 of 5 Stars!!!

Melina Marchetta is the Queen of Richly Developed, Real, and Complex Characters in YA!

PROLOGUE

‘They call her Quintana the cursemaker. The last female born to Charyn, eighteen years past.

Reginita, she claims to be. The little Queen. Recipient of the words writ on her chamber wall, whispered by the gods themselves. That those born last will make the first, and blessed be the newborn king, for Charyn will be barren no more.

And so it comes to be that each autumn since the fifteenth day of weeping, a lastborn son of Charyn visits the palace in a bid to fulfil the prophecy. But fails each time.

They weep for fear of hurting her. But she has no tears for herself. ‘Come along,’ she says briskly. ‘Be quick. I’ll try to think of other things, but if your mouth touches mine, I will cut it out.’

Most nights she concentrates on the contours of the ceiling, where light from the Oracle’s godhouse across the gravina shines into her chamber. She holds up a hand and makes shapes in the shadows. And inside of her, in the only place she can hide, Quintana sings her song.

And somewhere beyond the stone that is Charyn, the blood of a lastborn sings back to her.’

…..

WOW. As with the powerful opening scene of On the Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta had me totally gripped with the Prologue of Froi of the Exiles. I found myself already aching and devastated for Quintana of Charyn. Quintana is one of the most fascinating YA female protagonists... But I’ll get more into that a bit later…

Aussie author, Melina Marchetta, is one of my absolute favourite YA authors! But to classify her Lumatere Chronicles series as just YA Fantasy would not do it justice. Melina Marchetta’s stories and characters are intricate, well-written and complex enough for Adults to appreciate. Melina Marchetta is well deserving of the multiple awards she has been nominated for, and won, over the years (including the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Award of Excellence in Young Adult Literature in 2009 for On the Jellicoe Road, and the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel for Finnikin of the Rock).

Froi of the Exiles (Froi), the sequel to Finnikin of the Rock (Finnikin), was released here in Australia on 3 October 2011. It was the day I dropped my parents off at the airport. I was sad to see my parents leave, but what better comfort than a Melina Marchetta book! (Though "comfort" is not quite the right word, as this is a darker book than her previous works... darker even than The Piper's Son, though that was a difficult book to read, for personal reasons - Still amazing, though!). I COULD NOT WAIT to get my hands on Froi, such that I paid the AUD$26.99 that they were charging for it (and I admit, I SQUEE-ed, a little, because they had it at the airport ^_^). It would have been cheaper at the bookstore, but I didn’t want to waste time. I wanted to… Get. Right. Into. Froi!

The dark blood red cover, with the hilly, rocky kingdom in the background, Froi’s profile in shadow, and he’s… shirtless??? Say, what??? Whoa. And he has this foreign (almost elvish-like) writing across his right shoulder blade...and there are shiny red flower patterns around the title... I loved the cover and walked to the car, tempted to whisper, “My precious, my precioussss…” Seriously, THAT’S how happy I was to be holding Froi in my hands! LOL

The US Cover has another sword on the cover - What is it with US covers and SWORDS??? The image of Froi is lovely, though, with his piercing eyes...

Froi of the Exiles, like all of Melina Marchetta’s books, did not disappoint. It enthralled me, had me holding my breath, smiling, my heart aching, racing and even had me weeping – tears of sorrow and joy. 

Froi is almost twice the size of Finnikin. It’s BIG! (Get your mind out of the gutter! Oh, wait... that’s me! LOL) I was pulled in…no, enveloped into … every single one of its 593 pages! Melina Marchetta is like a spellcaster, whose words wrap around me and I am transported into the landscape of the Land of Skuldenore, immersed in the languages, the people, and cultures of the various kingdoms.

The landscape of Charyn is inspired by Cappadocia in Turkey

Three years after the events in Finnikin of the Rock, Froi has found his home... Or so he believes...

Froi was not what one would describe as an admirable or endearing character in Finnikin. He was downright feral, and I was interested to see what Ms Marchetta would do with his character when I found out that he was the subject of the sequel. Froi has come a long way since Finnikin. I highly recommend you read these books in order. It is essential to fully appreciate the complexity of Froi and the growth that he goes through as a person, as well as the journey of the cast of other amazing characters.

Froi is rough; he grew up on the streets, stole to survive, and it was a chance meeting at the slave traders market with Finnikin and Evanjalin that changed his life. As a result of the acceptance he found with Finnikin and crew, Froi became fiercely loyal to them.

Froi is ashamed of his past and fears that there is a monster of great baseness living within him. For this reason, he steers clear of the girls of Lumatere. He is impulsive and quick tempered and has been trained by the Captain of the Guard to count to ten before doing or saying anything. Froi counts a lot. And despite his coarseness, Froi has a sharp mind and an affinity for languages. But it was his moments of compassion and tenderness (which he considers himself incapable of), especially with Quintana, that really got to me and won me over.

In this sequel, Froi is sent into the enemy kingdom of Charyn on a secret mission.

His mission involves the half-mad Princess of Charyn, Quintana, with her tangled, bird’s nest hair, crooked teeth, eyes that squint and stare unabashedly, filthy clothing, and strange, crazy way of talking. As I mentioned, Quintana is one of the most fascinating YA female protagonists I have ever come across...and my heart ached for her. She is an interesting mixture of vulnerability and strength, ferocity, cynicism and wonder, conflicting multiple personalities, and is…quite mad, really. Yes, that’s right. She’s mad. Having that glimpse of what she suffered in the prologue, you can understand, to some extent, her madness, though, right? But there is much more to the story…

I won’t go into the plot except to say that there are plots within plots and twists, and it is tightly written, as I would expect from Melina Marchetta. There are multiple storylines with scenes weaving back and forth between the going-ons in Lumatere and in Charyn, keeping me intrigued.

Being drawn into one of Melina Marchetta’s stories is like watching an intricate, beautifully choreographed dance, which is performed with such raw emotion, moves you to tears, and leaves you in awe… And you want to watch and experience it all over again.

The love story between Froi and Quintana is… startling – I mean, when you read about these characters, you wonder how these two damaged people could fall in love - but there is an aching beauty to it. Melina Marchetta said on her website that “Froi's love story was the most difficult because I had to find the beauty in a relationship that begins out of deceit for one, and duty for another.”

There is more than one love story in Froi of the Exiles. We get to see Finnikin and his love in their marriage (so sweet and sexy!), Lucian of the Monts and the wife he didn’t want (I can’t wait to read more about them!), and Trevanion and Beatriss who broke my heart with the wounds of the past that threatened to keep them apart… and we also get to meet some really interesting new characters!

‘ ‘Ask me,’ she cried. ‘Ask me something. You never ask me of the past and without questions, I can’t speak, Trevanion. These unspoken words choke me inside.’

He looked at her, shaking his head with despair at not being able to release the words himself.’

‘What do you want me to ask you, Beatriss?’ he said, anguish in his voice.’

*sniffles*

Melina Marchetta’s stories always have strong themes of loss, separation, family, friendships, community, love, belonging, and growth of self that have moved me so much, as she interweaves the story with such a realness, and magic, all at the same time. Her characters matter to me. I feel their pain, their hope, their anger, their fears, their love, and their need to belong - to a love, a family, a people, a place.

“If we forget who we lost, then we forget who we once were, and if we forget who we once were, we lose sight of who we are now.”

If you’ve never read a book by Melina Marchetta then you are really missing out!

Warning: This books ends in a cliffhanger. I knew this before reading it but it sure didn’t stop me!

I am VERY EXCITED for Quintana of Charyn to be released next year!! *bounces*

‘‘Is your queen what you are searching for in a woman, Froi?” Grijio asked.

Froi thought for a moment. ‘I never imagined I was looking for something in a woman. But if I did, I’d have to judge her by the way I felt laying beside her before I went to sleep at night and how I felt in the morning waking up to her.’

‘Oh, too profound, my friend,’ Olivier mocked. ‘Much too profound.’’

The Lumatere Chronicles Reading Order:

1. Finnikin of the Rock - My Review Here
2. Froi of the Exiles - US Release 13 March 2012
3. Quintana of Charyn - Australia Release October 2012

Froi is capable of compassion and tenderness
...even if he doesn't think so...

But Froi is fierce and he grew up wild...

Princess Quintana has tangled, bird's nest hair...

And she has multiple personalities...

But she is more than she seems...

Credits:
My Froi -Thomas Dekker
My Quintana - Hannah Murray 

The photo of Cappadocia, Turkey, is from Melina Marchetta's website (link below). Interesting Info: Melina Marchetta will be travelling around Europe for further research to fine tune the landscape for Quintana of Charyn:
http://www.melinamarchetta.com.au/main/page_news_and_stuff_news_and_stuff_1.html

REVIEW: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

5 of 5 Stars

A Super Thank You to my dear friend Jennifer from San Francisco for bringing me this book on her trip to Australia!!! How appropriate that this book is set in San Francisco. ^_^ I loved the setting! Having been to San Fran 2 years ago, I liked that I had images of some of the places mentioned in the book, from experience, not just from seeing it on TV.

Oh. My. Anna and the French Kiss (Anna) was such a wonderful read – one of my favourites of this year – so I thought it highly probable that I would also enjoy Lola and the Boy Next Door (Lola). I was wrong. I freakin’ LOVED it!!!

What started off as an engaging and enjoyable enough read – I’ll be honest, I was thinking it was more of a 4-Star read for about the first half – had me up until after 2am, on a worknight, as I just HAD TO finish it . I was literally grinning from ear to ear and feeling elated and giddy as I drifted off to sleep. Dare I say it that I think I may even love it more than Anna? Hmm…Though I may change my mind again when I re-read Anna. Because I was certainly grinning silly after finishing Anna, too!

Lola is a sort of “sequel” to Anna. In Lola, we get to see Anna and Etienne, as secondary characters, in San Francisco attending college. Anna works with Lola at a movie theatre and Etienne St. Clair is, of course, wherever Anna is. These two are so cute together. I really wish the author didn’t have to keep reminding us readers, though, that St. Clair is short. We get it. He’s super cute and charming, with his adorable British accent…and short. Being someone short, myself, I just felt, is mentioning his height so often really relevant? Or maybe that’s just my own height issues coming out…Hmm… ^_^

Anyway, back to Lola…Lola is into costumes, in a big way. Every day is an opportunity to be different and she dresses in colourful outfits and wigs. Her dream is to one day win an award for Costume design for films. Her best friend, Lindsey Lim, is a Nancy Drew aficionado and wannabe. I liked how Lola and Lindsey were not your usual high school girls. They were different and interesting characters, but still relatable in their teen confusions and fears about love and relationships. Lola, attempting to assert her independence by going out with a twenty two year old rocker that her gay dads do not approve of. And Lindsey, determined not to get involved in relationships as it would distract her from her goals.

The story begins with Lola’s neighbours, the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, moving back into the neighbourhood. Lola and Cricket have history and their unresolved feelings shake things up for Lola.

I LOVED Cricket Bell … well, except for his name. ^_^ He is sweet, smart, adorable, caring and just so NICE....and not in a boring "he's nice" way but in a "how-can-you-not-love-him?!" nice way. He’s an inventor. It’s in his genes, being a descendant of the famous Alexander Graham Bell, who is credited with inventing the telephone. I really liked finding out some interesting alternate history in relation to Bell.

Cricket is 6’4’ (without taking into account his high hair) and lanky, though he’s filled out somewhat since Lola saw him 2 years ago. And we were told many times that Cricket is “tall”. Strangely, this didn’t bother me as much the mentions of Etienne being “short”. Hmm…It really MUST BE my own “short issues”, then, rising to the fore! :-P

I loved seeing Cricket come out from the shadow of his Olympic hopeful figure skater sister, Calliope. I liked how deftly Ms. Perkins enabled me, as a reader, to go from really disliking Calliope to actually sympathising with her.

Cricket is so romantic, in an unintentional way. He is so “there” for Lola and understands her and loves her for the colourful and creative person she is. There are some scenes about the moon and stars in here that some may find cheesy but had me positively sighing and swooning.

I loved how Lola understood Cricket, too, and how they both helped each other see that what they saw as inadequacies in themselves were the things that made them special and was what they loved about each other.

I loved how Ms. Perkins portrayed Lola’s and Cricket’s friendship, and their physical attraction and emotional connection to each other. I loved their dialogue and all their conversations across the space between their bedroom windows. Stephanie Perkins is adept at building the tension and longing between Cricket and Lola and she electrifies a scene with the significant looks and little touches between Lola and Cricket.

"And then...I'm aware of another presence.

Cricket stands behind me. The faintest touch of a finger against the back of my silk kimono. I close my eyes. I understand his compulsion, his need to touch. As my parents burst into congratulating Calliope, I slide one hand behind my back. I feel him jerk away in surprise, but I find his hand, and I take it into mine. And I stroke the tender skin down the center of his palm. Just once.

He doesn't make a sound. But he is still, so still.

I let go, and suddenly my hand is in his. He repeats the action back. One finger, slowly, down the center of my palm.

I cannot stay silent. I gasp."

Like Anna and the French Kiss, Ms Stephenie Perkins penned yet another sweet romance with likable characters.

I must say, though, that I do wish that YA book writers and/or publishers would stop with the “love triangles” already. It seems like it’s a “must” in YA books now and I really wish it wasn’t. Lola’s boyfriend, Max, starts out as a nice enough guy but turns into a real jerk in this book (which was a bit too easy), so there was no competition and no “teams” to take in this one. My main issue is that I don’t like having one of the characters being in a relationship with someone else when they are in love, or falling in love, with another. It takes away from my full enjoyment of the story as I don’t like reading about cheating. While there is no overt physical cheating going on in this story, there are emotions involved. And even if one of the characters in the relationship is a total jerk, it doesn’t make me feel any better about the situation.

I did, however, appreciate how Stephanie Perkins dealt with this from the point-of-view of having Lola realise she had done wrong by Max (and herself and Cricket) by being in denial of her feelings for Cricket and hiding her friendship with Cricket from Max. I loved how Cricket was such a gentleman, but he really struggled to keep away from Lola and wanted to be her friend, even though it killed him.

One other part in the story that I really appreciated, and which showed Lola's growth, was how Lola realised that she wanted to be "whole"/"full" before she could be in a relationship with Cricket, and I loved how understanding and patient Cricket was. I just love Lola and Cricket together!

Anyway...I suspect “love triangles” may be around for some time yet in YA, but I do hope it won’t be in Isla and the Happily Ever After! Pretty please, Ms. Perkins!! With Belgian chocolate on top? ^_^

That being said, did I mention that I LOVED this? Now I just hope I haven’t hyped it up!! This may not be a perfect book but it was a perfectly splendid book for me, right now.

Hmm… I better get to finally writing my review for Anna and the French Kiss now, hadn’t I?

On a more serious note, this particular scene below made me so teary and was scary because it is so true:

"Because that’s the thing about depression. When I feel it deeply, I don’t want to let it go. It becomes a comfort. I want to cloak myself under its heavy weight and breathe it into my lungs. I want to nurture it, grow it, cultivate it. It’s mine. I want to check out with it, drift asleep wrapped in its arms and not wake up for a long, long time.”

I know this feeling all too well.

P.S. I love the message in the Acknowledgements to the author's husband, and how he was her real life inspiration for a scene in this book in relation to Cricket and also Lindsey and her red Chucks. So cute! ^_^

My Lola (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) And 

My Cricket (Arthur Sales)

 

Lola, Costumer Extraordinaire.

Cricket, the cute, sexy inventor, and childhood sweetheart.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lola is disconcerted when Cricket returns to the neighbourhood.

Lola's heart lurched the very first time she saw Cricket in pants. In nice pants. (She's also partial to his "difficult equation face" ^_^)

It hurts to look at Cricket looking so good in pants. ^_^

When she isn't wearing a wig, Lola is a brunette.

Cricket, he's sweet, reliable and his hair defies gravity.

And, boy, does he look good sleepy and disoriented, when Lola wakes him in the early hours by chucking bobby pins at his bedroom window.

"OHMYGOD. HE'S ONLY WEARING BOXER BRIEFS. DON'T STARE AT HIS BODY. DO NOT STARE AT HIS BODY."

 

REVIEW: Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3) by Simone Elkeles

IN DECEMBER 2010, BEFORE READING…

Muy caliente! HOT cover! To be released 24th May 2011 ...16th August 2011. Bring it!

I've had LUKE PASQUALINO in my mind as my Luis Fuentes ever since I saw him on UK Skins Seasons 3 and 4 (LOVED him as Freddie Mclair. *sighs*). And now, strangely, I think he kind of looks like the guy on the cover. Really looking forward to reading this! Loves me some Fuentes brothers! 

SEPTEMBER 2011…AFTER READING…

4.5 of 5 Stars

(This is an Adult-who-enjoys-reliving-the-stirrings-of-first-love-and-self-discovery-during-the-teen-years-through-YA books review)

**CONTENT WARNING - Since this is a YA book I will include a warning that this book contains some Sexual, Drug and Alcohol, Course Language and Violent Content - Recommended for Older Teens and Adults who enjoy YA books**

*sighs* Still loving ‘em Fuentes brothers! ^_^

I was totally drawn into this, read it quickly and really enjoyed it… but… Perfect Chemistry is still my favourite. What can I say, I ADORE Alex and Brittany!

Now, about Chain Reaction….In August 2010, in an interview for Return to Paradise, Simone Elkeles had this to say about the third “Perfect Chemistry series” book:

“Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn’t live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he’s never known, and just when he thinks he’s got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?”

Link to interview here

When I read this, I was interested to see Simone Elkeles turn around the “bad boy – good girl” formula of the first two books to a “good boy – bad girl” story in Chain Reaction. This is not what she ended up with, however.

While mostly everything else in the above blurb remained unchanged, Nikki is not the “bad girl” that Elkeles had originally planned on, and Luis certainly isn’t such a “good boy”. Please see the link below where Ms. Elkeles talks about why she changed this:  

Link to interview here

In Chain Reaction, Simone Elkeles gives us shades of gray in both Luis and Nikki instead, ie. ordinary teens who make some grave mistakes, that they can overcome and which need not direct/ruin the rest of their lives. I really liked that she did that!

Luis Fuentes, is considered the “good boy” in his family, but what the Fuentes family didn’t know, until Luis gets injured in a stupid stunt two weeks before Alex’s and Brittany’s wedding…pause for a SQUEE-SQUEEE!!! Uh-Huh…^_^...is that Luis is an adrenaline junkie.

So, it is Luis’own risk-taking nature that leads him to make some stupid decisions when he returns to Fairfield, Illinois, involving the Latino Blood (Alex and their father’s old gang). This misadventure leads to Luis to discovering some horrible truths that shake his very foundations, causing him to spiral out of control.

While I suspect some may think this book is too similar Perfect Chemistry, and may be dissatisfied, as a result, I felt that Elkeles was trying to portray that even for the so-called “good boy” of the family, he couldn’t run away from the legacy of the past of his family’s involvement in the Latino Blood. Also, for me, other aspects were different enough not to be an issue.

Of course, there were some parts when I was like, “What??? Luis, nooooooooo!!! Don’t be such a pendejo (idiot/dumbass)! Aaarggh!!!”

Yes, I clearly went on an emotional ride because of Luis. LOL

And Nikki…. Out of all the girls in this series, Nikki has the most “baggage,” from a painful life experience, which she suffers at the age of 15. I really connected with Nikki and felt for her. Nikki is feisty and vulnerable, at the same time. In order to protect herself, Nikki has built walls around herself and has severe trust issues with boys...and who could blame her? But Luis Fuentes makes her want to believe in a happily-ever-after, even though she fears trusting her heart to him.

Luis is just as sexy as his older brothers. I enjoyed the chemistry between Luis and Nikki and there were some very hot scenes between them. Hot Daaaammnn!! Although... it wasn't as strong as, definitely, Alex and Brittany, and perhaps, Carlos and Kiara...for me, anyway.

I loved that Luis wanted to reach for the stars, literally, and I loved the special gift that Nikki got for him. And his poem? *sighs* Luis is a romantic.

I loved Nikki's after school job and I adored "Granny"!

I loved how Luis was with Nikki's brother, Ben.  

I loved that while Nikki had been born in Mexico, she wasn’t in touch with her Mexican culture, and it was Luis who showed her the importance of not forgetting where you come from, to be proud of your culture, while not letting it confine you, either.

I enjoyed seeing Mrs Peterson, the “hard-ass-zero-tolerance” Chemistry teacher, again.

I really liked Nikki’s best friend, Kendall, and her boyfriend, Derek. But OMG, I seriously wanted to smack Nikki's ex, Marco, soooo many times!! Grrr!!! No love here for that total pendejo!!!

I loved the brotherly bonds between the Fuentes brothers!

I loved, LOVED seeing Alex and Brittany with little Paco, who we met briefly as a teen in the epilogue of Perfect Chemistry, and is an adorable toddler here. I loved seeing Carlos and Kiara, a few years down the track, and how Carlos can still be an idiot. LOL Thank you, Simone Elkeles, for giving us readers this continuity in the later books!  I love this aspect of the series!

Oh, and I loved the epilogue!!! I love seeing the snippet of the Fuentes family, many years down the track.

So... that's a whole lotta "love", huh? WHY was this a not-quite-5-Star read, for me, then? You mean, besides the times I was yelling at Luis? ^_^ Well, mamacitas, I still had some questions surrounding the shocker in this book. It just felt a bit unresolved and rushed, for me.

Also, I must say that I was a little disappointed that the shower scene on the cover, while was a cute scene, was not the hot scene I expected it to be. C’mon, Ms. Elkeles, how could you tease us like that?! LOL Though I never thought there were handcuffs involved; having always thought the chain in the picture was the shower pull.

And while I love the Mexican-Spanish words included in all the books, I do wish Simone Elkeles would have included a Glossary of those terms in the books so I wouldn't have had to google them.

I was actually debating giving this book 4 Stars, but seeing as I loved a lot about it, was so happy with the Alex and Brittany and Paco parts, and I'm re-reading it, soon after... well... I had to give it 4.5 Stars!

Being a huge Alex and Brittany fan, I just have to share this scene I loved:  

‘”I got Peterson for chemistry. Feel sorry for me?”

Brittany and my brother smile at each other.

“Definitely. She’s brutal,” Alex says. “Brit, didn’t she give us detention every day?”

“I’ve tried to block those days out.” Brittany cringes. “I really hated you back then, Alex.”

He slides the back of his hand slowly across her arm. “Come on, chica. You wanted me, but you were afraid to admit it.”

Brittany bites her bottom lip as she looks into my brother’s eyes. He cups her cheek in his hand and pulls her close, then kisses her.

I slide my nephew off my shoulders and shield his eyes. “Seriously, guys, aren’t you past the honeymoon stage by now? You’re on your second kid already.”

“I don’t want to get past this stage,” my brother says.

"Me neither," Brittany coos.'

*sighs* I love you, Alex, mi corazon!

If Ms. Elkeles does do any Fuentes next generation stories, I will certainly read them, what with how she’s completely whetted my appetite with the epilogues in this series! Though I hope she mixes up the formula. Keep the Fuentes swagger, but no more gang related stories, please. ^_^ 

Reading Order for the series:

1. Perfect Chemistry - Review here
2. Rules of Attraction - Review here
3. Chain Reaction 

My Luis (Luke Pasqualino) and My Nikki (Victoria Justice):