We'll Always Have Summer - Jenny Han

We’ll Always Have Summer – Jenny Han

Pages: 291

Publisher: Razorbill UK (Penguin)

Release Date: 3^rd May 2012

Other Titles in the Series: The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’sNot Summer Without You

Just when she thought she had all the answers...

Isabel has only ever loved two boys, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher.

One broke her heart; the other made her happier than she ever thought she’d be. But each brother is keeping a secret, and this summer Isabel must choose between the Fisher boys, once and for all.

Which brother will it be?

I devoured We’ll Always Have Summer on the day it arrived after absolutely adoring the first two books in the trilogy in January.

We’ll Always Have Summer kicks off at the end of Belly’s freshman year of university, two years after the end of It’s Not Summer Without You and her and Jeremiah are still a happy couple. The time jump surprised me a lot, but I’m really glad Jenny Han made that decision. Belly’s choice between the boys, now at nearly nineteen, now had a stronger and more important baring as she was moving on into the real world. I loved seeing how she had changed and grown-up, but in a realistic way. She still had those quirks that made her character and retained some flecks of childhood and teenage angst that made me love her even more. She’s so, so realistic; she could be me, my best friend, the girl I wave to in class every day but have never had a conversation with or the girlfriend of one of my friends. She leaps off the page and straight into my heart.

One of the biggest things about this novel was that I finally chose my side; like Belly, it was time for me to pick between the Fisher brothers. I was actually very surprised at how quickly I made my decision after my complete indecisiveness in the previous two novels. I chose Conrad. And, oh my goodness, that boy broke my heart. I loved the chapters from his point of view. A boy like that is nearly impossible to read so hearing his thoughts directly was the only confirmation of what he thought and felt and it only made some of the decisions made, conversations had and situations played out so much more agonising. It was a genius play on Jenny Han’s part.

Other than those things, I’m finding it hard to sum up just why I’ve fallen so in love with this trilogy. Maybe it’s the setting of Cousins Beach and that sense of an endless summer and the constant possibilities of it; the tense, sultry moments between Belly and her boys; the unusual focus on the parents of the kids and the element of family that brings; the agony of unrequited and first love or maybe Jenny Han’s smooth, enveloping prose that carries me away to the beach. Who knows. But whatever it is, I’m glad it’s there.

I adored every word of this trilogy and I wish I could wipe it from my mind and re-read them and re-read them fresh each time.

For my 2012 Contemporary YA Challenge

Sophie 

The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules – Julie Kagawa

Pages: 512

Publisher: MIRA Ink

Release Date: 4th May 2012

Other Titles by this Author: The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen, The Iron Knight

In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. She must decide what – and who – are worth dying for.

My vampire creator told me this:

‘Sometime in your life, Allison Sekemoto, you will kill a human being. The question is not if it will happen, but when. Do you understand?’

I didn't then. Not really.

I do now.

I’ve been a fan of Julie Kagawa since the ever-awesome The Iron King so after Megan’s story came to a close, I was anxious to see what she’d write next. Then I heard: a dystopia, with vampires and I got very excited...

Julie Kagawa got the blend of the vampire fantasy and epic dystopian novel perfectly balanced. She used the idea of a Plague and a mutated virus to explain both elements and combined them seamlessly so that it felt as if the existence of the rabids and the control the vampires had over the humans in the vampire cities was inevitable. The system by which the vampires ruled New Covington had stirrings of Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires, but not strongly enough for it to have a negative impact on it for me.

Ones of the things that set The Immortal Rules apart from other vampire YA for me was that we saw a vampire-hating human to a vampire and then a vampire girl falling for a human boy. I loved the role reversal and I really felt Allie’s struggles against what she became and the never-ending Hunger she faced much more than in others. I really do love a kickass heroine who saves the boy. And Allison certainly is kickass: she’s fierce, strong and hell-bent on surviving. I have to admit that I didn’t really champion the love story until very near the end of the novel for some reason even though I thought Zeke was adorable. Admittedly, I had a soft spot for stern, mysterious Kanin – I kind of shipped them.

As ever, Julie Kagawa excels when it comes to world-building. Her imagery is vibrant and involving and she really knows how to make her fantasy worlds come to life. The city of New Covington was dark and desolate with a smothering atmosphere of danger and dread hanging over it and Old Chicago was bustling and new, and I could feel how just different it was to New Covington through Allie.

I did expect to be blown away by The Immortal Rules, and I sadly wasn’t, but I still really loved it and I’m looking forward to the next instalment of the Blood of Eden series.

For my 2012 Dystopian YA Challenge

Sophie 

When You Were Mine - Rebecca Serle

When You Were Mine – Rebecca Serle

Pages: 334

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: 26^th April 2012

What if your love story didn't have a happy ending?

What is you were the girl Romeo loved – before he met Juliet?

Meet Rosaline. She’s in love with her best friend Rob and, when they finally kiss, she knows it’s meant to be.

But then her cousin Juliet moves back to town. Beautiful, intriguing, and a little bit crazy Juliet – all the boys love her, and Rob doesn’t stand a chance.

Like her namesake, Rosie is about to find out that while being written out of your own story might feel like the biggest tragedy of them all. Being alone isn’t the worst fate of them all.

Because the greatest love story ever told might not be the right one, but we all know how it ends.

I had massively high hopes for When You Were Mine. It promised all of the things I love: contemporary romance, a twist on a classic story and an a brand new author to fall in love with, and yet it didn’t quite hit the spot.

Romeo and Juliet is one of my favourite stories so I was at once extremely excited and slightly wary of how it would be rehashed in When You Were Mine. Rebecca Serle took Shakespeare’s classic from a completely different angle: Rosalind’s story, one I’d never even really considered. It occurred to me that Rosalind/Rosaline’s story is the one that I’d relate too, the one that would resonate with people all over the world in a way that the original just can’t. This was a bit of a revelation and I almost hated myself for thinking it!

I have to admit that I was actually able to forget the inspiration behind When You Were Mine and the inevitable ending and see it as a story on its own. At first, I championed Rose and Rob and thought Len was a bit if a creep, I soon changed my mind. Rob is the guy we all know and think we’re in love with; Len is the boy who makes your story. I really loved Len. But him and Rose were the only characters that I actually did like. I empathised with Rose entirely. Watching the guy you’re in love with be with another girl is one of the hardest things ever, especially when he’s your best friend,  and my heart broke for her, but she was the only character that really elicited an emotional response from me.

Charlie was hard and controlling, Olivia was a little bit shallow and rather annoying, Juliet was just a bitch, no excuses, and I can’t even really remember any others, let alone have cared about them. This is going to sound a little odd considering the basic plot that this novel follows and probably for those that have read it as well, but I just thought everything was a little too perfect. All the girls are stunningly beautiful and well-off, able to snap up boys left, right and centre, even if they don’t keep them for whatever reason. I mean, even Rose managed to find someone to heal her heart after she lost her Romeo – is that really realistic, or am I just prematurely bitter and jaded?

When You Were Mine didn’t live up to my staggeringly high expectations, but I will still keep my eye out for Rebecca Serle’s future works.

For my 2012 Debut Author Challenge and 2012 Contemporary YA Challenge

Thank you to S&S for sending me a copy to review.

Sophie

In My Mailbox 112

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets unless otherwise stated.

For Review:

Bringing the Summer – Julia Green

I turn on to my back and let myself float, arms outstretched, eyes open to the wide blue sky. For a moment I let myself drift, held by the water, surrounded by light.

It’s the lazy end of summer but Freya is ready for something new, a change, and then she meets the gorgeous, good-looking Gabes. Freya is drawn not just to Gabes himself but everything about him, including his large, warm and shambolic family, so different to her own.

Then Gabes’ older brother makes it clear that he is interested in Freya – and Freya has some difficult decisions to make about what she wants...

Thanks, Bloomsbury! I love Julia’s light, heart-warming summer romances.

Sophie

Goddess Interrupted - Aimee Carter

Goddess Interrupted – Aimee Carter

Pages: 296

Publisher: MIRA Ink

Release Date: 6^th April 2012

Other Titles in the Series: The Goddess Test

Fate brought them together

The Underworld wants to tear them apart

After surrendering her mortal life, Kate’s about to be crowned queen of the mythical Underworld, home to the Gods.

Her king – dangerous, mesmerising Henry – the boy she sacrificed everything for, is becoming ever more distant and secretive.

Then he is abducted in the midst of her coronation.

Forced to take up her role in a bitter war between the Gods, Kate battles to save Henry’s life. Worse, her only hope of victory means turning to Persephone, Henry’s first true love...and the greatest threat to Kate’s future.

Kate now knows that rescuing the one she believed to be her destined soulmate means losing him forever.

I loved The Goddess Test so Goddess Interrupted had high expectations to meet. It definitely met them.

Kate’s struggles were beautifully portrayed. She’s trying to be a calm and dignified queen and do what she can in the upcoming war while trying to deal with the thoughts that Henry no longer loves her. It was heartbreaking to see her crying out for his attention and his constant denial, especially after the Henry that we got glimpses of in The Goddess Test. the switches between brave, mature decisions that held lives on the line and her mini-tantrums showed how much pressure her new role is at such a young age.

Now, I don't know how many of you know, but I have a serious fascination with Greek mythology and the story of Hades and Persephone has always been one of my favourites. This series takes all of these gods and goddesses out of context and into reality and I love it. Persephone is one of my favourite goddesses and in Goddess Interrupted she is a bit of a selfish cow, really. She knew what power she had over Henry and she used it and it only ended up hurting Kate even more, she even managed to cause trouble when she tried to do good, albeit in a twisted sort of way. And yet you can't argue that she’s not a brilliantly crafted character that I really hope comes back in The Goddess Inheritance.

I loved how after introducing all of the known myths of the original six in the first book, the mythology was taken deeper as Kate was further embroiled in the world of the gods. In Goddess Interrupted she was launched into the tales of the Titans and learned the origin stories of the original six gods that were made by the Titans. I knew very little about this branch of the mythology so I gobbled up every tidbit of information and I’ve been left with a yearning to really read up on it.

I’m thoroughly enjoying this series and I can’t wait for Kate and Henry’s story to conclude in The Goddess Inheritance.

Thank to MIRA Ink for providing a copy for review. Make sure to check back later on in the month when Aimee Carter stops by on her UK blog tour.

Sophie