Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) Review

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2)
By Lauren DeStefano
Expected Publication: 2.21.2012
From Goodreads:

 Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion. But danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago―surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The Two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous―and in a world where young woman only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can't seem to elude Rhine's father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion… by any means necessary.

In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano's harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price―now that she has more to lose than ever.

My Thoughts:  I started reading Fever at the hospital, waiting for my Mom to improve (she since has), and finished the book on Friday the 13th, so setting and time were very appropriate.  Fever picks up where Wither leaves off, with Rhine and Gabriel on the run, trying to make their to New York and Rhine's twin.  Like most plans in a dystopian world, things do not go well.

Rhine and Gabe run afoul Madame, who runs what is basically a carnival/cat house.  All seems bleak as Gabriel is kept drugged and Madame has big plans for Rhine, but the duo befriend Lilac and her young, malformed daughter Maddie.  Because DeStefano isn't going to turn our beloved heroine into a prostitute, you can pretty much bank on Rhine escaping again. Wither was slow paced, but Fever's main theme is running, and Rhine does a lot of it.  My favorite part of the book was that you're introduced to a wide variety of new characters, and old favorites pop up.

I had a problem with Gabriel in Wither, and the second installment does little to endear him to me.  Rhine had a more complex and interesting relationship with Linden, and she has more heat with newcomer Silas than she does Gabriel.  He just feels more like a comfortable best friend than a potential lover.  Honestly, he bores me a bit.  The most interesting thing about him is his withdrawal from "Angel's Blood" that the Madame hooks him on.  But there were no awesome "Intervention" type rages here, sadly.   Rhine keeps a little light of hope alive in my heart as she continues to wear Linden's ring on her finger.  Am I the only one rooting for Linden?

The ending of Fever, while not shocking, definitely leaves you with Must Read Next Book feeling.  The entire time I was reading this book, which was just two days, I kept hearing the soundtrack to Repo: The Genetic Opera! in my head.  The cover of Wither, the first book, would have fit this book too- Rhine literally finds herself in a cage, but even after she escapes that, she's still in a different kind of cage constructed by Linden's father.

Fever gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of Fever gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

 I'm not sure I love it as much as Wither, but it's still gorgeous and very appropriate to the story.

Disclaimer: I received a temporary copy of Fever through Around the World ARC Tours in return for my honest opinion.

In Too Deep Review

In Too Deep 
by Amanda Grace
Expected Publication: 02.08.12
From Goodreads:

I never meant for anyone to get hurt. All I wanted to do that night was make a play for Carter Davis. His heartless rejection was mortifying, but people got the wrong idea when they saw me leaving his bedroom, crying. That’s how rumors of rape started.

Now girls at school are pouring out their sympathy to me. Guys too. But not everyone’s on my side. The school has become a war zone and the threats are getting scary. What began as poetic justice has morphed into something bigger-forcing me to make a terrible choice.

My Thoughts: There are two major story lines in this book- one is about a misunderstanding that morphs into a lie that spirals out of control, and the other one is a sweet love story between the boy and girl next door.  Put together and you get a pretty powerful novel, although don't look for a tidy, happy ending here.

Sam is in love with next door neighbor and best friend Nick, but because Sam is extremely passive about her life, she decides to try to make him jealous instead of just telling him that she loves him.  Which is how she ends up in Carter's bedroom, which leads to the imploding of her life.

Sam has a very strained relationship with her over protective law enforcement dad, so she's fairly unused to alcohol.  By the time she get's to Carter's room, she's pretty trashed.  Carter is a flirt, but it turns out he's not very nice, and when Sam comes stumbling out of his room crying, gossip girl Michelle assumes Sam's been raped.  The weekend goes by without Sam realizing that the entire small town she lives in is discussing what happened at Carter's party.  Nick finally makes the move on her, and for once Sam is feeling happy.

Monday brings Sam's happiness crashing down.  Unaware that most people assume Carter raped her, Sam instead thinks he spread a rumor that he bagged her, or told everyone how he put her down.  By the time she realizes what's really going on, she feels helpless to correct the lie.  Soon even Nick believes that she's been raped, and afraid of losing him, Sam continues to keep quiet.

Is a rumor really that powerful? Is my rumor really that powerful?

The school is divided, those that support Carter (mostly the jocks he hangs out with) and those that easily believe Carter capable of sexual assault.  Sam suddenly finds herself with new friends, Tracey- Carter's ex whom he dumped after she put out, Macy- who Carter dumped for not putting out, and Sam's old friend Veronica- who Carter spread rumors that she was a lesbian after she wouldn't date him.  Even after admitting to the truth to the girls, they convince Sam to keep quiet, feeling that since school is almost over that Carter deserves to suffer a little.  Sam's unsure, but having been passive her entire life, she keeps mum.

I really understood Sam, and while I don't think Carter deserved the stigma of sexual predator, it's easy to see how someone like Sam could quietly go along with the rumor.  As she points out, she never actually told the lie, she just didn't correct it.  Carter is a very unpleasant golden boy, used to getting his way, and he and his friends make Sam's life very uncomfortable.  Sam is afraid to tell the truth, and she's afraid of what will happen if she doesn't tell the truth. She's very aware of the suffering Carter is going through, even if he's not the nicest person on the planet.

What In Too Deep really exposes is quick we as a society are to make judgements.  It happens all the time, in the news, in the media, and in our own towns.  It's not just that most of the school is quick to believe Carter raped Sam, it's also that some of his friends are quick to dismiss the possibility and threaten Sam. It really makes me want to go back and watch the movie Gossip.  I honestly think this would make a great book club selection, but also a good book for teens to read along with their parents.  Everything in this book worked well for me and I'd definitely recommend it.

In Too Deep gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of In Too Deep gets a Midnight Cover Rating of:

I think it fits the story well, and illustrates how alone and trapped Sam feels.

*I received a copy of In Too Deep through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Pandemonium (Delirium #2)
By Lauren Oliver
Expected Publication: 02.28.12
From Goodreads:

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.
Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

My Thoughts: Pandemonium swings between the past (Lena escaping over the wall without Alex and finding sanctuary with over "invalids") and the present (Lena being all tough and working for the Resistance).  Both in the past and present she is haunted by the memory of Alex, and the realization that Hana has had the cure.  In Delirium, Lena had to wake up to the truth that the government hid, but in Pandemonium her struggle is physical as she strives to regain her strength.  Without Alex, Lena is lost.  She finds a new family of sorts in the wilds, and ends up working with the resistance.

Through this she meets Julian, poster child for the cure.  Lena and Julian end up thrown together.  He is as naive as she once was, and Lena finds herself in the role that Alex once took with her.  Julian is hot and sweet, but Alex is never far from Lena's mind. With Alex dead, is Lena going to be able to move on?

Lots of new characters are introduced in Delirium, and they all add to Lena's story.  There are so many wonderful moments and back stories, especially Blue's history.  I challenge you not to tear up when you get to that part.  The only part I had trouble with was how Lena ended up working in the resistance, the jump seemed skipped over.  One minute she's living in the woods and struggling to survive, and the next she has a new idenity, a fake cure scar, and she's living in a new town.

I'm not sure I loved Pandemonium as much as I did Delirium, although the fault may lie more in the numerous dystopian novels I've read this past year than in Oliver's writing. Pandemonium was a great, compelling read.  It would be an  extreme understatement to say that I'm eager to get my hands on the third book.  The ending of Pandemonium, while not completely unexpected (I gots skills), still leaves you suckerpunched.  In a good way.  Maybe. Still, it's a great dystopian series, and if you only make room on your shelves for one or two dystopian novels, than this series definitely rates a place. 

Pandemonium gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Pandemonium gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I loved the subtleness of Delirium's cover, and this one doesn't really do much for me.

Across the Universe

Across the Universe
by Beth Revis
From Goodreads:

 Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

I was a fan of Beth Revis long before I finally read this book. I follow Revis on her blog and twitter accounts and I get the feeling that I'd be friends with her if she lived on my street. Perhaps that's why Across the Universe has lingered so long on my shelf. I was afraid that I wouldn't like it, the same way I would feel if my a friend handed me her manuscript.  I know my friend can write, but I'm fearful of not loving it as much as I think I should.

Fortunately my fears, once again, proved groundless. I am not a huge science fiction fan, preferring the fantasy aspect of science fiction to the actual sciencey part of the genre. Now, like the Host by Stephenie Meyer, Revis doesn't try too hard to go over my head with the details about space travel. Maybe that will bother science fiction purists, but I think it makes for a great intro to sci-fi for the YA audience.


Across the Universe is thought provoking YA novel- which is kind of funny because most of the YA I read in the late 80's and early 90's during the time I actually qualified as young adult were designed much more to entertain and not to make the reader think. The entire story takes place on a ship heading for a new planet- a new Earth. The ship is fueled as much with lies and secrets as it is anything else. Amy, our heroine, was meant to sleep her way across the universe, waking only when the ship arrives at the new planet, but someone awakens her early and life aboard the ship is as alien to Amy as Earth is to the ship's inhabitants.

The romance between Amy and  Elder is subtle, and not the main focus of the book. When Amy is awoken early from hibernation, her memories of Earth feel like yesterday, and not 200 years ago. It makes sense that she'd be preoccupied with what's happening on board. It also makes sense that she wouldn't be quite ready for romance if she still has memories that feel like yesterday of the boy she left behind.

Elder is faced with many moral dilemmas and it was his character I most enjoyed reading about, if only because there is so much Amy's character was kept in the dark about. Side characters, especially the shadowy Orion, helped invest me in the goings on aboard Godspeed. I'm hoping to meet even more characters in the next book!

(Spoilerish)
I'm interested in Elder's struggles as Eldest. Will he become a leader who rules through fears and lies or will he continue to try to follow his heart? While Amy would probably say his path is clear,  and that truth and honesty should rule the ship, I think that Elder realizes that leadership is not that easy. I think the most interesting aspect of the next book will be Elder's continuing awakening along with the rest of the people on board. Although Elder has Amy by his side, he's been "raised" by Eldest, so who knows how Elder will rule?

I can't wait to read A Million Suns. The only benefit to waiting as long to read Across the Universe as I did is that now I don't have to wait long for the second book! Across the Universe was part of my Mount TBR challenge and I'm glad that I finally got around to it! I don't read too much of this kind of genre (lately it seems I only read dystopian, which I still love, but it's nice to have a change of pace).  I'm even thinking of going back and re-reading my Xanth novels by Piers Anthony, which were my first real introduction into sci-fi.

Across the Universe gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of Across the Universe gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I love the colors!  And I love the image of figures, it's as if Elder is leaning down to kiss Amy as she lays sleeping in hibernation. 

Confessions of a Neglectful Commenter

 

I feel a bit bad.  I've fallen WAY behind on my google reader, and I haven't been commenting on all of your lovely blogs.  I apologize.  Sometimes life just gets in the way, but I'm hoping that by the end of next month things will be back on track to Awesomeville.

A few weeks ago I went to visit my mom in Northern Virginia.  She lives with my aunt and uncle, and they were going out of town and my aunt let me know that my mom wasn't really eating much and not able to go down the short flight of stairs to the kitchen anymore.  For those of you that don't know, my mom has advanced COPD.  Growing up in a coal mining town and then smoking for 50 years obviously leads to poor lung function.

We've been trying to get Mom to move down to our part of Virginia for years now (I grew up in NoVa, I love it, but the traffic and travel time up there and back is ridiculous. Plus, last time I checked we hadn't won the lottery, which would be the only way we could afford to live there). Mom being mom, she said no, and continued to smoke despite our pleas and the doctor's order to quit.  "It's the only vice I indulge" is her motto.  My response is that I'd be fine if she started drinking, as she has years to destroy her liver, and that since she's a widow, she's free to start sleeping around.  Mom wasn't much amused.

But when I went up to see her, things were far worse than I could have guessed.  Not only wasn't she eating, she wasn't smoking.  She wasn't drinking COFFEE.  Prior to last month, coffee made up 50% of the fluids in her body.  And while Mom hasn't been a chunky monkey in years, her weight loss was particularly noticeable, especially when compared to the edema in her legs.  Still, she said she was okay.  Maybe, just maybe she'd move her doctor's appointment up.

She's a stubborn woman.

My amazing sister-in-law, Amy, and my brother Patrick came up on a Saturday, and Amy was able to convince Mom to go to the hospital... on Sunday.  See, stubborn.  And even then, she was so weak it took almost two hours to get her ready. 

Mom had pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and just for fun, her hear was in afib. Her weight was under a hundred pounds.  It was pretty scary.  Thankfully, INOVA Mount Vernon is a wonderful hospital, and Mom fought hard, and now she's doing much better.  She's out of the hospital and in physical rehabilitation. She still has a weak heart, and we'll have to watch her for CHF, but with enough exercise and conditioning she'll be much better off than she's been in a long time.

*On a side note, despite being almost 70, Mom never signed up for Medicare. *headdesk* She has great insurance through Blue Cross/Blue Shield Federal Employees (Thanks, Dad!), but they don't cover skilled nursing facilities.  The great social workers at the hospital told us that in some cases Blue Cross will create a benefit to cover rehab, meaning they pay for it out of their pockets and that they won't get reimbursed by the government.  Janis at Blue Cross approved Mom, and she's busy getting healthy again.  I have nothing but praise for Blue Cross!!*

Mom's still having ups and downs, but more ups this week.  And she's agreed to move in with the Hubs and me!!!

Now what all this means is that I've been busy.  I've been running back and forth from NoVa to here, looking at houses (we currently live in a second floor apartment but stairs are not going be Mom's thing), and now that we found a home, I have to pack and move in a week or so.  Plus I'm getting back to work.

Does this mean I won't be posting reviews or I won't have time to read?  Hells no! The world didn't end, so of course I'm still reading.  But it just means that I don't have time to scroll through my Google Reader and comment.  So please, if you have a post or review in need of some comment love, something you think I might have missed (I did), then put a link in the comments and I promise to make it a priority.

Despite all the craziness, there have been so many blessings in the last two weeks.  I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family, and an amazing husband.  I'm grateful to my friends, and fellow bloggers!  Thanks for being patient.  Hopefully I'll soon be posting even more reviews (the Hubs got me Dragon, that voice to text program, although it takes a lot to set it up.  Ugh.  Dragon, I'm lazy, aren't I just supposed to do the talking while you do the writing?) and commenting again.  Thanks for being patient, even if you didn't know I wasn't around as much!

Drive Review

Drive
By James Sallis
From Goodreads:

Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake. Later still, of course, there’d be no doubt. But for now Driver is, as they say, in the moment. And the moment includes this blood lapping toward him, the pressure of dawn’s late light at windows and door, traffic sounds from the interstate nearby, the sound of someone weeping in the next room....”

Thus begins Drive by one of the nation’s most respected and honored authors. Set mostly in Arizona and L.A., the story is, according to Sallis, “about a guy who does stunt driving for movies by day and drives for criminals at night. In classic noir fashion, he is double-crossed and, though never before has he participated in the violence (I drive. That’s all.), he goes after the ones who double-crossed and tried to kill him.”

My Thoughts: A lot different from the movie, but in someways even better. Driver's quest for revenge is even more bloody and successful in the book. While characters like Shannon in the movie have a smaller role in the book, great side characters like Doc and Manny add flavor to the story. Plus, I was still able to picture Driver as Ryan Gosling, so the book was a total win. It does not have the sweet, subtle romance that the movie had, but you get Driver's back story which helps you understand why he is the way he is and how he's able to do what he needs to do in order to survive.

Seriously, even if the summary doesn't interest you even if my opinion doesn't sway you, buy the book just for the yummy Ryan Gosling cover. 

Drive get's a Midnight Book Rating of:

The book cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

Because Ryan's so delicious!

And my attempt at a Ryan Gosling meme:

The Not So Sweet Valley Review

Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 Years Later
by Francine Pascal
From Goodreads:

Ten years after graduating from Sweet Valley High, the Wakefield twins have had a falling-out of epic proportions. When Jessica commits a complete and utter betrayal, Elizabeth flees to New York to escape the pain and immerse herself in her lifelong dream of becoming a journalist.

Jessica remains in California, dealing with the fallout of her heart-wrenching choices. She has a career she loves and lots of old friends, but misses her sister, her oldest friend. With Jessica as her enemy, Sweet Valley is no longer the idyllic town of their youth.

Jessica longs for forgiveness, but Elizabeth can't forget her twin's duplicity. She decides the only way to heal her broken heart is to get revenge. Always the "good" twin, Elizabeth is now about to turn the tables...

My Thoughts: I was so excited about this book, I really was.  Growing up, I read so many of the Sweet Valley High books, learned so many lessons from the twins and friend's mistakes, and fell in love with Sweet Valley.  But I have to say this book disappointed me so much.  Some characters were just completely ruined for me (really, Pascal, Winston Egbert grows up to be a jerk!), Elizabeth was whiny, Todd was bland as ever, and Jessica was no where near as sparkly as usual.  Stephen and Cara, a couple I adored in the series, whole past was trashed, although I understand that Pascal wanted to make Sweet Valley a little more PC.  I get that, but I wish the characters could have kept the personalities I once loved.  The saving grace, for me at least, was Bruce Patman.  I actually adored him in this book, although at times in the series I disliked him.  Bruce in this book is the only character that appears to actually have matured, and it reminded me of his love for Regina.  The writing is pretty sub-par so I'm not sure exactly who the intended target audience is supposed to be, most YA books are better written and I'm pretty sure that most people buying Sweet Valley Confidential are former 80's tweens like me.  I just expected so much better.  It just felt like Pascal was trying too hard to go all Gossip Girl on this, but even in the Gossip Girl books the characters are more likable.  So can I recommend this book?  Not really.  But honestly, the bad reviews wouldn't have kept me from reading this book.  And I will give Pascal credit for giving me a brief glimpse of Jeffrey French, who in my opinion was Eliabeth's best match and not that lame-ass Todd Wilkins and his "coffee colored eyes".  Yeah, I'm bitter.

Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 Years Later gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

 Let's just hope they leave the Babysitter's Club alone!