The Infinite Curio - 3 stars reads Archive

Retro Friday Review : Being Nikki & Runaway

Published on May 25, 2012 by Kay in 3 stars reads, 3.5 stars reads, Featured

Retro Friday is a meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time!

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Being Nikki : Runaway : by Meg Cabot
Genre : YA, Fiction with a touch of science-fiction
Series : Book 2 & 3 in the Airhead series

On Goodreads : Being Nikki and Runaway

My Thoughts :

Whenever I start reviewing a series on the blog, I feel that I need to review the following books too (if I don’t drop the series, of course!) Which is why today I decided to feature books 2 and 3 in the Airhead series for Retro Friday.

I read and reviewed Airhead, the first book in the series, in 2010 (you can find my review at the bottom of this post). I called it “fun, intriguing and entertaining”, and was captivated enough that I went on to read the following books soon after. Both were one-day-readings, and though the second one definitely suffered the sophomore book syndrome, I really enjoyed it. Meg Cabot is a favorite author of mine, (even though I still have plenty of her books to read!) which is another reason why I really wanted to do this post!

When I look at the notes I took while reading these books, oh so long ago, one of the words that comes up a lot is “twists”. There are many surprises in this story, which took turns I didn’t expect. Yes, the romance part of the story was a little predictable, but that’s usually how they go. I still really liked sweet and down-to-earth Em, although there were a few moments where she definitely would have needed someone to give her a good kick in the right direction! But I also feel it is the burden of Meg Cabot’s characters to often be unaware of what’s happening around them, so in that sense, maybe Em is just what a Cabot fan would be expecting!

If I had to use one word to describe the series it would be : fun. It’s not dark and serious and questioning the world or society, like most YA books do right now with the trend of dystopia. And you know I love dystopian universes, but sometimes, it’s also fun to sit and read something completely silly and light like the Airhead series. If you want a series where you can just turn your brain off and relax, this might be the one for you!

Series Reading Order :

Airhead
Being Nikki
Runaway

Tags: contemporary, fiction, read in 2010, science fiction, Young Adults

1 Comment

Review : Fools Rush In

Published on May 8, 2012 by Kay in 3 stars reads, Featured

Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins
Pages : 379
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about :

Millie’s life seems to be on its way to perfection : she just got a job as a local doctor in her hometown, along with a new home and mostly adorable puppy. Now, all she needs to be a hundred percent happy is to complete her makeover and seduce Joe Carpenter, her former high school crush.

My Thoughts :

Kristan Higgins has quickly become my go-to author when I need a “pick-me-up” read. Her romance novels are closer to what is commonly called “chicklit”, with main characters who have more than love on their minds – which is essential to me. Fortunately, Fools Rush In was no exception to this rule.

I liked Millie from her first words. “I’m a stalker. The good kind”, she says on page one, and her description of a young teen’s crush immediately had me laughing. So even though she turned out to be the silliest of Higgins’ main characters (at least of the novels I have read so far), most of the time, I was just having fun watching her trying to seduce Joe Carpenter. And while we’re at it, can we just take a moment to mention how ridiculous Joe Carpenter’s name is? Of course, he is a carpenter not only in name, but in profession too. It is perfect in its context! Just by the name, I imagined him like a Ken doll. I don’t know why. The power of words, what a mystery! That’s the kind of silly details I really enjoy.

So, yes, I was having fun with Millie’s story. She had just enough personality and wits, with a history that explained her insecurities. Family was again an important theme, but I enjoy that Higgins always treats it differently. Millie’s complicated relationship with her sister is something that I have seen many times in novels, but it still worked well. Higgins writes with humor and charm, so I don’t mind when parts of her stories are, maybe, a little less original.

What I did mind, and really affected how I felt about the novel, was the romance itself. If you read the book’s jacket (which might spoil the book for you, so read carefully!), you’ll immediately know what I mean and guess why I was slightly uncomfortable with it. Millie and her loved one definitely had a great chemistry and connection; there was no denying that. They were, very obviously, a perfect match. However, context really mattered in this case. I had a hard time getting over that and it definitely tainted my enjoyment of the book. In the end, the situation was a bit of a mess and I can’t imagine that, in real life, things would fix themselves so smoothly. Not with these characters, anyway, but that’s just my opinion.

This being said, I’m still a fan of Kristan Higgins, but if you want to give her books a try, I would recommend starting with Too Good to be True or Just One of the Guys.

Tags: chick lit, contemporary, fiction, read in 2011, romance

4 Comments

Review : Endless Summer

Published on April 10, 2012 by kay in 3 stars reads

Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols
Pages : 587
Genre : YA, Romance
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about :

Ever since she was a kid, Lori has been friends with the boys next door, three brothers who share her passion for wakeboarding. As far as she can remember, she also has always been in love with Sean.

This summer Lori will turns sixteen, and she has decided the time has come for her and Sean to be together. And if updating her wardrobe and adding a little makeup isn’t enough to get noticed, Lori has another plan : pretend to be in love with Adam, the youngest of the three boys, to get Sean a little jealous. Surely this plan can’t go wrong… right?

My Thoughts :

Endless Summer is a volume grouping The Boys Next Door, previously published in 2007, and Endless Summer, its sequel. My summary describes mostly what happens in the first half, although the second book follows a very similar path.

I will be upfront and say that yes, I found Lori’s plan a little silly. Even her narration is at times so naive that I sometimes just wanted to sigh, roll my eyes and close the book.

Fortunately Lori is, despite her young age, a fun character to follow. I loved that she had a passion for wakeboarding, and that she refused to purposefully fail at it just to get a guy’s attention! Even though she did try to change who she was to please him, she didn’t completely erase her personality. I also appreciated her brother and father, who were reasonably protective of her.

The romance also was totally adorable. It was clear very early on that Lori’s plan had some flaws. It was also obvious enough how and why her plans would or wouldn’t fail. Still, the author managed to make the story fun, cute and charming and I didn’t get bored. The Boys Next Door was perfect as a light, adorable romance and I could see why the fans asked for more.

Sadly, I do think the story should have ended there. While the second part of the book had a few nice moments, the games between Lori and the boys felt over-the-top silly, and it totally killed the romance for me. It started to feel more like an insane, negative relationship. Plus, why the dual narration? It wasn’t necessary to have someone other than Lori’s point of view, not at all. I really didn’t enjoy it much, to be honest.

Overall, Endless Summer was a cute summer romance with a strong beginning. It reads easily and makes you wish it was summer already. And it definitely had me watching some wakeboarding videos on youtube!

Tags: fiction, read in 2012, romance, Young Adults

4 Comments

Review : Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study

Published on April 8, 2012 by kay in 2 stars reads, 3 stars reads, 4 stars reads

Poison Study; by Maria V. Snyder
Genre : Fantasy
Series : Study series : Book 1
My Rating :

Magic Study; by Maria V. Snyder
Genre : Fantasy
Series : Study series : Book 2
My Rating :

Fire Study; by Maria V. Snyder
Genre : Fantasy
Series : Study series : Book 3
My Rating :

Sentenced to death, Yelena will seize any opportunity to stay alive; so when she is offered the position of food tester for the Commander, she immediately accepts. It’s an offer that comes with a twist; to ensure that she doesn’t try to escape, she will be poisoned, and given daily her dose of antidote -which she would die without. But danger might come from unsuspected sources, and as Yelena steps into what she believes to be a temporary situation, her true story is revealed and her life is forever changed.

The Man of the House and I first read Poison Study when it came out in 2007, and we loved it. I thought the setting, the characters, the plot, everything was great and just different enough to be refreshing when compared to the traditional fantasy I was devouring at the time. So when the following books came out, we added them to our shelves. It took me a while to get to them though, so last year I finally reread Poison Study and followed with the next two books.

I was happy to discover that I still loved Poison Study, even after a second reading. I loved Yelena, found her story intriguing, and felt her relationship with Valek was paced perfectly through the pages. It was a great mix of mystery, romance and worldbuilding, without stepping into the overfantastical-fantasy type of fiction (you know, the kind with magic and elves and mythical creatures and wars and demons, etc). I did feel that some part of the plot was a tad too obvious, but the ending itself had a few surprises.

Sadly, the amazement I had felt in the first book evaporated as I started reading Magic Study. What had been an original setting became a more traditional one of fantasy, with magic school and all that. Yelena was still a nice character and I loved the part that was about her reuniting with her family, but the plot itself was less surprising. Also, not enough Valek.

Which is a trend that continued in Fire Study. At that point, I had a very hard time reading. I will be honest and say I was bored. Had it been the first of a series, I would probably have given up, but after spending so much time with Yelena, I wanted to know where this led. Again, I missed Valek, and despite the action, there wasn’t enough to keep my interest. Plus, I found that Yelena hadn’t developed as a character. To me, her voice was more adult in the first book. It might have been that I wasn’t paying attention enough though.

A side note about age : I was very surprised to see this book being shelved as YA on Goodreads! Here, the books are sold in the regular fantasy section, not with the YA literature, and I have always thought of them this way. It doesn’t really matter really, but I thought it was funny; adult YA readers often argue that good YA doesn’t have an age, and this seems to prove that. I personally think the characters are a bit too old to be considered YA (Yelena is 21, and I imagine Valek is older? I guess?), but honestly, I don’t think the tags matters much. If you want to read it, read it!

So, I’m not sure what happened between book one and three, but I didn’t like it. I would not hesitate to recommend Poison Study to readers, but I would advise to lower your expectations before getting to the following books. Hopefully, you will enjoy them more than I did, and will be able to appreciate the complete series.

Tags: fantasy, magic, read in 2010, read in 2012

8 Comments

Review : Forget-Her-Nots

Published on March 8, 2012 by kay in 3 stars reads

Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White
Pages : 384
Genre : YA, fiction
Stand alone
My Rating :

What it’s about :

Laurel is still grieving her mother when she notices there’s something unique about her; flowers make her feel things, things that other people don’t seem to notice. By offering them to the right person, she can also influence their life.

Investigating the source of her power, Laurel discovers she might have inherited her abilities from her family. And as her power grows stronger, Laurel struggles to control it and protect it from some greedy friends…

My Thoughts :

I had few expectations for this novel; I had heard little about it prior to reading it, so I wasn’t sure what the consensus was. I’m glad I did, as it turned out to be a very pleasant novel which stood out from most paranormal YA novels I usually read. I even made a list to explain this :

Things paranormal YA novels usually have, that you won’t find in Forget-Her-Nots :

Constant Life or Death situations
Teen aiming to save the world from doom with newly found superpower
Hot and Steamy romance that leaves place to nothing else

So for me, these are all points in favor of the book. Though I have loved books that used this formula, I do find a lot of them tired and always enjoy being taken out of this comfort zone to explore new ideas. Thumbs up to Forget-Her-Nots for stepping out of the mold on these parts. It’s refreshing to have a story that is not all doom and gloom, even though Laurel was going through some difficult things in her life.

This being said, a few things didn’t work as good for me. Laurel felt a little young to me so I had a more difficult time to connect with her. Her grief was, surprisingly, the thing I related to the most, even though I haven’t lived a loss such as hers. The pace was also uneven, sometimes too slow. I don’t believe you have to put your characters in life or death situations to create suspense and hook your reader, but you need to have a general sense of direction. At some point, I wasn’t sure where this was going or what the plot was, and the story lost my interest a little.

In the end, I was pleased with Laurel’s story even though it won’t be a favorite of mine. There was a fun cast of characters, a cute romance that didn’t took over the story and an interesting idea. I love the last few chapters and the conclusion though, and learning about the flowers was fun. I had heard of the language of flowers before but not with as much details. It sure made me want to find out more!

Tags: fiction, magical realism, read in 2012, Young Adults

4 Comments

3 Reviews : Annie on my Mind, The Lonely Hearts Club and The Vinyl Princess

Published on February 26, 2012 by kay in 3 stars reads, 3.5 stars reads, 4 stars reads

Sometimes I don’t feel like talking to a

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Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
Pages : 234
Genre : YA, Fiction, GLBT
Stand Alone
My Rating :

From Goodreads : First published in 1982, this is the story of two teenage girls whose friendship blossoms into love and who, despite pressures from family and school that threaten their relationship, promise to be true to each other and their feelings.

My Thoughts : Prior to reading it, I had often seen Annie on my Mind recommended as a must-read of young adult GLBT fiction. One of the first of its kind, this book has been featured not only on readers’ shelves but also recommended or banned by schools and various associations. I know I first saw it in high school, among other GLBT books, in the context of a school event promoting acceptance and tolerance.

So this book came with some sort of a “build up” for me. I wouldn’t say my expectations were high, but my curiosity for it definitely was. I also wondered : could this book still deliver a strong message even though its first publication occurred before I even stepped into this world?

The short answer ; yes. But, only to a certain extent. What struck me was how, if this story was written today, it would probably end up very differently for one reason : social media. Maybe the conclusion would be similar, but I believe the plot would certainly take different turns. It still was nicely written, with a good story, and I am sure many teen would recognize themselves in the characters, but it was an interesting point for me to think about.

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The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
Pages : 323
Genre : YA, Fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating :

From Goodreads : Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It’s a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there’s this certain boy she can’t help but like. . . .

My Thoughts : I felt the idea was cute, and fun, and could be something original. I imagined that, instead of a straight-forward romance, it would start as a non-romance with a promise of something more. Mostly, this is exactly what I got, and unfortunately not much more.

It was a cute story, yes, and Eulberg’s writing makes it a quick and pleasant read. But the book lacked some punch, some obstacles for the characters to fight with, some unexpected turn for them to show off their true colors. I found that the whole thing was a bit plain, and I kept confusing the club’s members. Nice ending, though. So, while it wasn’t bad or very memorable, it still was a cute read I could recommend for when you need something light for your heart.

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The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
Pages : 313
Genre : YA, Fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating :

From Goodreads : While working full-time at Berkeley’s ultra-cool Bob and Bob Records, 16-year-old Allie develops her secret identity as The Vinyl Princess, author of both a brand-new zine and blog. From the safety of her favorite place on earth, Allie is poised to have it all: love, music and blogging.

My Thoughts : I think the best word to describe my feel of this novel would be : unexpected.

I thought it would be one of those traditional YA romance with a touch of music; instead, I found a YA novel that was much more complex than expected. Allie’s passion is music, and it lives through every page of the story. Even though I don’t share her passion, I found myself extremely curious about the bands and records she mentioned (though I don’t think she would approve of most of my musical selection!)

I loved that this book had a mix of everything : family, friendships, romance, a cat and a touch of mystery. Allie felt realistic to me because I got a glimpse of every aspect of her life. She wasn’t only focused on her hopes and dreams or her romance, and I always enjoy that. I know I’ll want to read more by Prinz!