Inland, by Kat Rosenfield

Inland, by Kat Rosenfield

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary. Paranormal

Rating: 2/5 stars

Publication: June 12, 2014, by Dutton Juvenile

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)



Goodreads Summary: The psychological labyrinth of a young woman’s insidious connection to the sea, from the Edgar Award nominated author of Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone.

Callie Morgan has long lived choked by the failure of her own lungs, the result of an elusive pulmonary illness that has plagued her since childhood. A childhood marked early by the drowning death of her mother—a death to which Callie was the sole witness. Her father has moved them inland, away from the memories of the California coast her mother loved so much and toward promises of recovery—and the escape of denial—in arid, landlocked air.

But after years of running away, the promise of a life-changing job for her father brings Callie and him back to the coast, to Florida, where Callie’s symptoms miraculously disappear. For once, life seems delightfully normal. But the ocean’s edge offers more than healing air … it holds a magnetic pull, drawing Callie closer and closer to the chilly, watery embrace that claimed her mother. Returned to the ocean, Callie comes of age and comes into a family destiny that holds generations of secrets and very few happy endings.

Review:

DNF @ 110 pages.

"Her husband could have her body, but not her heart. Never her heart. That was how it would happen, because that was what she'd planned. Because her heart had been claimed by another. It always had been, and would be forever. It was as she had promised, that first night on the shore, still in her bone-white wedding gown."

   I haven't become the black sheep with this book. Many people have disliked this book, and I agree with all of you out there. I almost didn't pick this book up at the library, but then decided to because the psychological premise caught my attention. I usually adore those sorts of books, but this was just a downer, sadly. 

    Callie Morgan is pretending to forget. Pretending to forget about the drowning death of her mother, a death that Callie actually witnessed. Her father moved them away from the trouble and from the setting of that day, and they've been moving around ever since, but never to the water. They unexpectedly move to Florida, where Callie's symptoms go away. The ocean's pull begins to draw Callie closer to the water that holds many secrets.

      

        This book was very strange and messed up. I didn't enjoy it, adding to the fact that it was strange itself and I saw something more than psychological... I get the fact that there was some paranormal aspects included, but it was all too strange and confusing for me to handle. I guess I just wasn't in the mood for something dark and deeper than expected. The concept wasn't built up straight, and from the 110 pages that I read, I had no idea what was happening. So I just left the book, and I didn't care how it would end up.

          One of the things I did love was the beautiful writing. Not many authors write like this, and Kat Rosenfield is definitely a unique writer. The way she writes is very flowingly and gorgeous. It sounds very historically inclined and dark, suiting the subject.

           The book bored me. I just didn't care what was happening or who it was happening to. If you get those sort of signs when reading, that really means that you should gear yourself away from the book. 

             Of course, Callie was a very weak character, especially coming from her condition. She wasn't strong and intelligent, and wasn't too likeable. 

              I vowed that I would at least read 100 pages before giving up, and that's when I did. I recommend this if you're a person who doesn't give up on bad books easily, because who knows, maybe it would improve for me if I kept on going.

Mercy, by Rebecca Lim

Mercy (Mercy #1), by Rebecca Lim

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Angels, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery

Rating: 1.5/5 stars

Publication: October 28, 2010, by HarperCollins Children

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed)





Goodreads Summary: Mercy doesn't realise it yet, but as she journeys into the darkest places of the human soul, she discovers that she is one of the celestial hosts exiled with fallen angel Lucifer. Now she must atone for taking his side. To find her own way back to heaven, Mercy must help a series of humans in crisis.

Review:


  After reading this book, I have come to realize that getting book recommendations from people shouldn't be 100% trusted. One of the reasons that I picked up this book was because someone at my local library recommended it to me, having me be a YA reader. I read the summary, trusted her word, and took it out, despite the fact that it kind of reminded me of David Levithan's Every Day. And there you have it, I didn't like this book at all.

    "I am my worst enemy; that much I've figured out." 

    The concept and confusion was the thing that worsened the book the far most. During most of the book, I was like:

      And then I was like:

        Because I honestly thought that it was just me who was confused. But then I read other reviews and turns out I wasn't the only one hating this book by page 100. But I guess you could say that the romance kept me going. It was like the only good part of the book, next to the characters. The author made it so difficult to understand the world and what was going on and who Mercy really was. It was all mumbo-jumbo, and reading this was like trying to understand a language that you've never heard of before. I don't recommend this if you're the easy-to-confuse type.

        Mercy is a fallen angel who takes places of different humans for days to come. When she meets Ryan, a lover of the girl who's body she is currently taking over, her whole life changes forever. She needs to find her way back to heaven, so in exchange, she helps out different humans.

        So you must be rolling your eyes. *rolls eyes and sighs* But the thing is, I was once earlier intrigued with this summary and idea. So don't be laughing at me. ;) As I began reading this book, I realized how unoriginal the concept really was. David Levithan, are you there? Here's a total recap of your book with a minor twist added to it. Yes, angels. *bawls in corner*

        Originality is such an important key in writing a book. There are a lot of people out there who have read many of books (such as myself) and if you write a book that is unoriginal, we will catch the mistake and will realize it. It's not the first, or second time that we've seen something like this. ._. Meh.

         So because of the major confusion during the whole book, I didn't really enjoy the plot either. I didn't know what was going on. The concept of mystery added to it was just pointless and boring. I was majorly boring throughout and having Mercy as a detective isn't the best idea either. What is she, the next Nancy Drew angel sleuth? Naw.

        Speaking of Mercy, as a character, she wasn't too bad. Compared to other protagonists in very low rated books of mine, she's pretty good. She wasn't horrible, but she had her dull moments where she deserved a slap in the face. But don't all protagonists do? *creepy grin*

       

          My utterly most favourite thing about this book was Ryan. I LOVED THIS GUY SO MUCH. Like from when he was brought into the book, I felt a connection to him and we had an insta-love relationship! *squeals* But if you know me, you'll know that I have this insta-love connection with most fictional men.

          The romance between Ryan and Mercy was just utterly cryptic but stupendous at the same time. Ryan accepted Mercy for who she was and they loved each other like hell. You could instantly tell. 

           But those were the only two positives. Everything else really disappointed and I expected much better. If you're looking for a good unique read, then I'd recommend staying away from this one. It's boring, confusing, and totally not worth it. 

The Beautiful and the Cursed, by Page Morgan

The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1), by Page Morgan

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Paranormal, Historical, Gothic, Romance, Mystery

Rating: 1.5/5 stars

Publication: May 14, 2013, by Doubleday Canada

Format: Hardcover Edition (Borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: It was bizarre and inexplicable, and after it happened, Ingrid Waverly was forced to leave her life in London behind. She had to trade a world full of fancy dresses and society events for exile in gothic Paris with her mother and her younger sister, Gabby.

In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and disturbingly, the house rented by Ingrid's twin brother, Grayson, isn't a house at all. It's an abbey. A creepy, old abbey with a roof lined in stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.

And to top it all off, Grayson is missing. 

Yet no one seems to be concerned about Grayson's whereabouts save for Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant who has some deep and dark secrets of his own. 

There's one secret about the city that even Luc can't keep hidden, though: there's a murderer on the loose. And every day that Grayson is missing means there's less chance he's still alive.

Ingrid is sure her twin isn't dead--she can feel it deep in her soul--but she knows that he's in grave danger, and that it's up to her and Gabby to find him before all hope is lost. 

And yet the path to him is more dangerous than she could ever imagine.

Review:

"Whatever the black liquid being injected into his bloodstream was, it was changing him. He should have wanted to help the girls. He should have felt remorse when each girl eventually stopped screaming. But it just wasn't happening. Instead, he found himself smiling. Laughing. Wanting to make them scream louder."

   LOL. That gif cracks me up every time. 

   This book was a flashback for me. It surprisingly and weirdly reminded me a lot of Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel, one of my most favourite series, ever. It's weirdly similar. A girl looking for her brother, who mysteriously disappeared? Paranormal, vampire stuff going on? This sounds too much like the NYT bestselling trilogy that took my heart away. And that's a big reason why I disliked this book too much.

   Originality is a key to a reader's heart, I believe. At least, it's one of the things. This book didn't have an original idea. It was gothic and Victorian and paranormal. Does anyone else realize this? o_O This idea has been done with over and over again with. There's an ordinary girl, and there's a guy who's a half monster/human creature. It just doesn't flow well for me.

    I usually never pick up gothic reads. They're usually not my type of thing, but the few ones that do catch my attention are just so hard to stay away from, and I end up needing to read it. This was one of those cases, but I regret it. Don't waste your time reading this novel if you trust my opinion. That's my key line in this review. 

    I was the black sheep, as I am during many other times. Everyone is loving this book, and meanwhile, I'm here wanting to throw it off the balcony. I'm so disappointed with the outcome of this book.

    This is about Ingrid and Gabby, who's brother Grayson suddenly and mysteriously goes missing after they move into Paris with their mother. Luc, a handsome servant who Ingrid has a connection to notes that there's a murderer on the loose and there's a less possible chance that Grayson is alive because of this catastrophic event. The main idea is basically a: What will the protagonist do? moment. 

     Like I said: I hate copying. This was a mixture of Clockwork Angel and Twilight. 

       This plot sucked. I was bored most of the time and I ended up skimming the end of the book because it showed no importance or structure to me. The whole book was bland, especially from the middle to end. The beginning showed some signs of potential, but then it all dropped and ended up making a huge disappointment for me. It was very slow-paced and since the concept wasn't my type, I wasn't interested at all, but I somehow made it through the end.

       The only good thing was Ingrid and Gabby. I liked them, a lot, but not enough for them to brighten up the whole book and make it enjoying. They were a good team, and I loved their loving relationship. It's been a while since I've seen a great sisterly relationship like this.

       Luc was just an ass, and I hated him. He was snobby and thought too good of himself. Ew. I just don't even want to think or speak of him. So think about it, if I hated him, then what did I think of the romance? The choices are: (a) I loved it and I SHIP (b) EW GTFO I HATE IT or (c) IDC IDK. If you guessed B and C then you're right. :)

        Overall, I was very disappointed with this book. It's probably the worst book I read so far this summer that I had no interest in but the characters and plot in the beginning kept me reading until the end. Something made me stay, but I just can't figure out what it was. Not recommended from my eyes.