Book Review: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Crescendo (Hush, Hush #2)
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: 10/19/2010
ISBN:1416989439







After reading & adoring the first book, I'll admit that I was eagerly awaiting this sequel. It didn't matter that there was no general release date or any concrete knowledge about it. I just wanted a copy in my hot little hands. And now I finally got a chance to read it & know that it was worth the wait.

Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

One of my previous issues with the book was that in Hush, Hush the relationship between Patch & Nora was all physically oriented. She was warm for his form & didn't really know anything about him. I'm really, REALLY glad to say that in this book that has been brought up. In fact, it's actually the main gist of the book- Nora realizes that she knows absolutely nothing about Patch. As her attempts to learn are rebuffed by him, Nora's mistrust of him grows. It doesn't help that he's spending an awful lot of time around Marci either. For these issues to be addressed in this book & for them to be such a driving factor in the plot was absolutely awesome.

The pacing of the book was wonderful & I loved absolutely every paragraph of it. I even loved Vee, who was a lot less annoying in this book. If you loved the first book then you're going to love this entry into the series. Not only has Fitzpatrick's writing matured, but the characters have as well. Nora's still a bit of an idiot when it comes to her self-preservation, but hey- you've got to get to the book resolution somehow.

If you didn't like the first one or are looking for anything other than a Twilight-esque type read, you're probably going to be disappointed. If all you want is an escapist read, then you're in luck- this book has that in spades. All I know is that despite not being a huge fan of Twilight, I still loved this book & can't wait for the third book to come out in fall of 2011.

Book Review: Night of the Vampires by Heather Graham

Title: Night of the Vampires
Author: Heather Graham
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: 11/23/2010
ISBN: 0373774869

As a soldier, Cole Granger fights to restore peace to a world divided by war and evil. His extraordinary talents are enlisted to prevent the president's horrific premonition from becoming reality. Nothing—and no one—will stop him from fulfilling his duty. Especially the mysterious young woman who claims to be his comrade's sister. Enemy or ally, he can't yet determine. But one thing he knows for certain is that he must keep her close. Very close.

Megan Fox's quest to uncover a family secret leads her to the center of vampire riots in West Virginia. To find the answers she needs—and clear herself of suspicion—she must join forces with Cole. They work undercover to bring justice, but they can't disguise the potent attraction and need that draw them together. Yet trust doesn't come easily for Cole…and when Megan unearths the grim, dark truth, can she trust him to believe her?

There’s just something about a heroine with the name “Megan Fox” that makes me take that character a little less seriously. I know it isn’t fair, but I can’t help but imagine the actress each time I read the book & wonder if Heather Graham had been watching trailers for Jonah Hex when she was inspired to write this book. Mercifully this book isn’t as horrible as Jonah Hex was. To Graham’s defense though, this is more of a re-imagining of history ala Pride, Prejudice, & Zombies, though. (But with vampires.)

Graham has managed to weave the supernatural & history together incredibly well, to the point where it is honestly believable. Readers will love the little history references as well as the interaction between Megan & Cole. Also interesting is the mini-rivalry between Megan & one of the other female characters in the book (not mentioning who due to spoiler issues later in the book)- unfortunately it is woefully underserved for the vast majority of the book.

Unfortunately this isn’t really amazing fare for Graham. She’s had better in the past & this is sort of mediocre for her. It’s good, but apart from the mixture of history & horror there isn’t much here that’s new for her. This just wasn’t Graham at her best.

Still, this is a worthwhile book & it was quite a bit of fun to read. True, it isn’t her best but I would still recommend it to fans of Graham or for those who like seeing things re-imagined.

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

November's giveaway & more Lying Game news!

Hi all!

I just wanted to let you know that I'll be participating in the Blog Followers Gratitude Giveaway, plus I'll be giving away books to TWO lucky winners! I'll be giving away a copy of a Stephenie Meyer book as well as a Baldacci ARC, so check back here on the 17th as well as on the blogs in the link above- it'll be a great chance to pick up some great stuff!

Got any other ideas for things that would make for a great giveaway prize? Let me know in the comments below!

Also, I just wanted to take the chance to geek out a little more about The Lying Game & the upcoming television pilot they're filming. While landing a role in a pilot doesn't guarantee that you'll be in the tv show if it's picked up (check out the Buffy pilot to see the changes in casting), it still gives you a pretty good chance if the producers like what they see.

In any case, the producers have cast Alexandra Chando as the lead character(s) of both Emma & Sutton. That's going to be a pretty impressive role for her to brag about- not only will she be in the tv adaptation of a Shepard book, but she'll also be playing two characters that appear to be pretty different in personality.

Book Review: Fart Party 1 by Julia Wertz

Title: The Fart Party
Author: Julia Wertz
Publisher: Atomic Book Company
Release Date: 12/4/2007
ISBN: 0978656938
Buy it from the author!






If you're into books that don't involve liberal amounts of cussing, blood, drinking, or other wonderful things, then you might not like this book. If you like one or all of the above, then you'll like it.


Anyway, Fart Party is a semi-autobiographical comic on Wertz's life that covers just about everything that goes through her head. Life with her boyfriend? In here. Drinking? In here. A probably obsessive love of cheese? In here. Things that never really happened, but Wertz wishes they did? In here too.

Not every comic in this book is going to be a belly laugh, it's still an incredibly funny book to read. If you don't find at least one comic in here to laugh at then you probably skipped a few pages. (Seriously, how can anyone not laugh at Crack Whore Appreciation day?) Sure, the artwork isn't as defined as stuff in her latest book Drinking at the Movies, but even Wertz will say that this was her early stuff.

It's just really nice to see an indie comic out there that isn't trying to pass along some sort of higher message, throw in an endless supply of pop culture references, or be pretentious in some way or another, (I still like those comics but I'll admit they're pretty unrealistic.) Fart Party doesn't do any of that stuff & it's why I love it.

Seriously, check this book out. It's got some serious laughs in it!

Sara Shepard's The Lying Game is becoming a tv show!

I just discovered that Sara Shepard's Lying Game has been picked up for a tv pilot, which means that there's a chance for it to become a tv show at some point in time. With Pretty Little Liars on the air, it makes a lot of sense for ABC to try to bring out as many similar things as possible- especially since PLL has decent ratings & won the Teen Choice Awards.

This makes me want to read the book even more- after all, if it's getting picked up for a pilot without it being released yet then the book must be pretty good!

Book Review: Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish

Title: Savannah Grey
Author: Cliff McNish
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group (under the Carolrhoda Lab Imprint)
Release Date: 04/01/2011
ISBN: 9780761370253






This book has been my second foray into Carolrhoda Lab's library & I have to admit that I'm pretty impressed. These guys really do have a great eye for titles that are not only readable, but don't fall into the normal cliches of YA fiction. (As a heavy reader of YA, I can say that there's a lot of titles that tend to follow the same formulas.)

A monster's out there... Only one girl can stop it. But will love get in the way?

It's a difficult time for fifteen-year-old Savannah Grey - she's settled into her latest foster placement, but her body is acting oddly. Then other strange things begin to happen. Birds behave erratically; gusts of wind blow leaves so fiercely they seem to lure people away. And Savannah discovers she has supernatural powers.

Only new boy Reece Gandolfo thinks Savannah's powers are a special gift. No wonder she's attracted to him. But there's another force that wants to lure Savannah from safety into danger...

Readers who are looking for a little something above & beyond the usual "girl with powers" fare will rejoice in this book. Not only does McNish try to build a deliciously slow build up to a huge showdown, but he also gives us great character interactions & a twist that you'll enjoy. Also something to praise is the mixture of science & fantasy/horror- there's definite horror to this, but all of it can be seen through a scientific point of view. It's well mixed in to the point where many readers might not even notice it, which is the sign that it is also done well.

While I loved the slow buildup to the finale, people who are looking for nonstop action & huge fight scenes to be interspersed throughout the entire book might be a little disappointed. This isn't that type of book.

Overall, this is a great book & I'm pretty impressed by McNish's writing style. Want a sneak peek? You can read an excerpt of Savannah Grey at McNish's website!

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Read this book: The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Hi all! After mentioning Nickel Plated in one of my other blogs, I figured I'd mention another book you should read.

More than likely you've heard of Pretty Little Liars, an awesome book series turned tv show. It's one of my favorite teen reads, something I've recommended quite often through work. Well, Shepard has a new series coming out that's along the same vein as PTL, called The Lying Game. It comes out in December & I literally can't wait to read it. I pretty much think that this book & the last book in the Wicked Lovely series are the two top books I'm waiting for this year.

Here's the book synopsis:

Sutton Mercer has a life any girl would kill for...and someone did.

Shortlybefore her seventeenth birthday, Emma discovers she has a long-lost twin. She contacts Sutton, who agrees to a rendezvous, but never shows up. Curious at first, Emma slips into Sutton's life, assuming her identity. When it becomes clear that Sutton is not coming back, that someone made sure she never could, Emma plunges in to investigate who could have wanted her sister gone (a fairly long list, she discovers). Unfortunately, taking over Sutton's life means innocent little Emma has inherited all that bad blood-and then some.

I have to say, I wish books like this were out when I was a teenager. While some might balk at some of the mature themes, I absolutely love that authors have been upping the ante in YA in general. (Heck, I always recommend that the parents read the book along with the kids- it'll give them a lot to talk about together!)

Hopefully school will be kind enough in December that I'll be able to read this right away & post a prompt review here on this blog!