Review: Poltergeeks

Author: Sean Cummings
Pages: 320
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Source: Review Copy (Thank you!)
Release Date: October 2nd 2012
Synopsis: 15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. 

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

Buy the Book (Amazon/

Poltergeeks is a new story from Strange Chemistry and I am honestly so conflicted about what I felt. See, there were a lot of really awesome aspects to Poltergeeks but there were some stuff I liked a bit less. I'll settle by mixing the good and the bad in my review.

First, something I personally loved was that the story was by a Canadian author and took place in Canada! Me being Canadian and all, I loved that the story took place in Calgary (which is further from me than the States, but whatever). Not enough books take place in Canada so I get ridiculously excited when they do. Oh! And bonus points for mentioning Tim Hortons!

A negative would be the story felt a touch immature. I think the story is ideal for younger teens. It's very fast paced and moves along well. I think the entire book took place in two or three days. There's nothing wrong with being fast paced- I personally love it, but it left some scenes feeling underdeveloped and the slightest bit stereotypical. For example, Julie was very clichéd as the outsider with the nerdy friends. She always went on about how stupid the popular kids were and how she would rather be different than one of them. For the record, there was only one popular kid even mentioned by name in the books and he was your typical male bully. I honestly don't see that in my high school so characters like that are unrealistic for me.

Another thing I loved was the language. The story was full of humour. The writing wasn't severe- I absolutely freaking loved that Julie talked the way most teens talk. There was swearing, sarcasm, exaggerations and slang. The best parts were reading something Julie said and being all, "HEY! I said that yesterday!" (True story.) The language isn't very elegant but I consider it very realistic.

Julie herself won't make it to my list of favourite characters. See, she was sometimes a little bit too unreasonable, reckless, one might even say dumb. Like, "Look, some super powerful witch is attacking me and my family?! Grrr, I'm going to confront you all by myself, even when my mom told me not to." She was rebellious and made a lot of mistakes. I did think she matured towards the end. I'm curious to see in future novels how her character has progressed.

I think I've explained the bad things in the novel (slightly clichéd characters) so the rest is all the good. I like that Julie's mom was a huge part of her daughter's life. There was a real relationship between the two and they argued a lot but I liked it.

The ending had some pretty good twists to it. I wasn't really sure about some of the reasoning behind the actions, but I was surprised a bit. (Not too much though- see, I had my suspicions about the villain all along.) The ending also wrapped up the story pretty well but left room for a sequel.

The mythology was also very interesting and new. Ghosts, witches, immortals, oh my! There were a lot of interesting little tidbits (or should I say Timbits? I know, bad joke) of information about the supernatural world and I'm looking forward to reading more about that world in depth. I really liked Marcus and Julie's friendship and I thought they were both really cute together. Slightly awkward, but still sweet.

Overall, Poltergeeks was a good debut. There were some aspects to the story I didn't like but that didn't take too much away from the story. All in all, I enjoyed the fast paced action, the real teen speak, and I liked the the story was very light yet super entertaining. It was a good beginning and I'm really excited to see where the story goes from here. Since I liked it, I'm giving Poltergeeks 3 stars,

***

Trailers! YA Book to Movie Updates & Awesome Book Trailers

I haven't been in the loop too much, but I was browsing through Youtube when I found this! I can't wait to see this movie. I'm not sure how it's going to work though. I hope the movie end up being as good as the books.



The Host's book trailer isn't spoiling anything. It looks interesting though- I think I may check it out.




Those were the two trailers I found, but a really awesome list of book to movie trailers can be found here from Big Books Tiny Voices. They have an awesomely comprehensive list.

Now for book trailers... What's Left of Me's trailer ROCKS. It's so good- I can't wait to read that book!



Then I stumbled on this gem. Jay Kristoff sounds like a really cool guy. The more about him I read, the more I think so. Check this out.




The future looks bright for movies and books!

The Weekly Progress (I was reading, therefore I wasn't blogging & I still posted late edition)

*crickets*

Last week (and part of this week) was (is) sucky for me as a poster. I admit that. But just because I wasn't posting didn't mean I wasn't blogging. Okay, I didn't write many reviews but that's only because I read such great books and I wasn't sure how I could review them properly. I also realized that grade 11 is significantly harder than tenth grade.

Books Read

See? How could I blog when I was reading these! Especially If I Die. Oh, my gosh, I LOVED that book. So much that it's one of my favourites (top 3) books of the year. I read it late but I'm glad I did that because I could read Before I Wake straight after. Problem is that now there's only one book left! *sob* I will be so very sad to see that series end. Then I'll buy all the books and reread them. 

Girl of Nightmares deserves some love to. I thought it was a pretty good ending to the series. I liked the conclusion and how it was satisfying. I'm definitely curious to see what else Kendare Blake will be writing. 

Currently Reading

I'm reading two books for school- Divergence (Divergent en francais), and Brave New World for English. So far I'm enjoying both. And I'm also so super duper over the moon excited to be reading Froi of the Exiles. I adored Finnikin of the Rock so I'm expecting some awesome things from Froi. 

Usually I include a 'next I'll be reading' section, but I honestly have no idea what I'll be reading. See, my Kobo got broken a while back but I have all these books I need to review for October (3 from Kobo, two paper) so I need to start writing and reading those. You can always friend me on Goodreads to find out what I'm reading (I post every book I read on Goodreads.) 

Random Thoughts 

I said I was away because I was reading... that's only partially true. I've been away a lot because of Netflix. See, we got it and I've been trying to figure out which devices it works on (Smart TV- nope, Wii- yes, Android- TBD), and what kind of Internet bundle is the best. Because I absolutely hate how in Canada, we basically have two big ISPs and then we have a bunch of nobodies. Seriously, what companies do people know of besides Bell or Rogers? Maybe Techsavvy? 

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any recs for stuff to watch on Netflix. I've watched In Time, and some kid stuff though I'm not sure what else there is to watch. I think I'll try Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead- any thoughts about those? 

Recap

Pretty pathetic recap... I posted a review of a contemporary read (yes, I do read those... on occasion) called Rival. It was amusing enough and it's about two girls passionate about music. 

I also posted a new Cover Wars- Flutter vs. With All My Soul. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the support, especially since I didn't really promote it as much as I would have, had I been around more. If you haven't checked it out, vote there. 

In Conclusion

Last week was a lazy week (blogging wise). I'm going to attempt to organize my time better this week. I already got one post done!

Thanks for visiting everyone and let me know what you're reading in the comments! 

Cover Wars: Flutter vs. With All My Soul

Cover Wars is when I post two covers, and you basically get a week to vote for your favourite. The winner continues on to next week, and it's kind of cool seeing which covers work and which don't. In the comments section we can discuss what we like about what cover, and it's basically some fun and friendly competition.

Last week was the most successful Cover Wars yet. 127 votes. Flutter got the win and now it shall compete against Rachel Vincent's With All My Soul, #7 in the Soul Screamer's series.



Both covers are on the warm, brown scale and feature some very pretty titles. Flutter has more colour variety and its colours are more vivid, while With All My Soul's cover is more dramatic what with the high contrast and all. They're both stunning (I love YA cover designers!) but only one will win and move on. The battle is on.

Vote for your favourite cover in the poll below, which will be available all week long, and don't forget to comment to share your choice.

Let the Cover Wars... begin!

Which is your favourite cover?

Review: Rival

Author: Sara Bennett Wealer

Pages: 336

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: Library

Synopsis: What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had?

Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.

Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation. 

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?

Buy the Book (Amazon)

>

There's nothing like reading a great contemporary novel. Since blogging, contemporary has been one of the genres I've been reading more of as I hear about all the recommendations other bloggers have. With contemporary titles you can directly relate what happens in the story to your own life. It's an escape but a real one if that makes sense. Rival was a great example of it.

There were two perspectives in Rival: Brooke and Kathryn. They're enemies though you won't find out why until later on. They both have one important passion in common: music. They're both incredibly talented.

Brooke is honestly a very different kind of character. All she cares about is music. She hates being fake and isn't into the popularity thing. Of course, she is the most popular girl in school. Brooke doesn't care about it though except to use her influence when she needs it. She doesn't think she deserves to be that popular either, it's something about her. She fascinated me. I loved and hated Brooke. She had seemingly everything but she felt so lonely. She hurt Kathryn without even thinking it. She has her issues though, like how she feels like she's way too tall.

Kathryn is our Cinderella. She lives with her whole family and is embarrassed by her sweet dad and having her mom make her clothes. Kathryn needs money and unlike Brooke, has practically no friends with the exception of Matt, her geeky friend. Matt was stereotypical but there were some very cute moments with him. I wish we could have seen more. Kathryn herself had me rooting for her and rolling my eyes at her. I think this is exactly what Sara Bennett Wealer wanted.

At the end of the day, I can't pick which of the two girls I like better. Both of them I've hated and loved. Not one of them is better than the other. That's exactly how it should be and I'm pleased to feel that way.

What I liked most about Rivals were two things: the music, and the characters.

I'm not a huge music buff so most of the references didn't mean much to me but I loved that Brooke and Kathryn had something they both cared for so much. They knew about music the way some bloggers know books- intimately well. That was their passion and I loved reading of it. I think everyone should have something they care about like that- something that takes time and energy and work. It needs to be rewarding though and music was. I understood that.

The characters (and by this, I mean mostly Chloe) were very unique and memorable. Chloe was the popular girl's best friend. She was always trying to make sure Brooke "fulfilled her duties". Those were running homecoming campaigns, taking down anyone in Brooke's way and finding the next generation of popular people. She wasn't really a friend and acted fake all the time. It was so easy to hate Chloe but then you'd learn something about her that had you wondering. Chloe is the character who I consider needs the most help and I would love to read a book about her to get to know her better. It's rare that a side character leaves that kind of impression.

The plot itself wasn't the special part. As plots go, I'd say it was fairly good. The way it was done was the great part. If you haven't done so already, I recommend you check out Rival to see what you're missing. 4 stars,

****

The Weekly Progress (Success! Thank you so much edition)

I said last week that I was kind of sucky at posting blog posts. Well, this week I seemed to remedy that. You guys definitely helped though- 300 PAGEVIEWS for one post is absolutely insane. I never ever thought that I'd ever get close to that when I started blogging. I've always dreamed of it, but the fact that it actually happened makes me beyond happy. So thank you.

In other words, here is my week in books. 

Books Read

This week was not my best. Light From a Distant Star ended up not being my type of book at all. I didn't finish it. Underworld and Until I Die were both entertaining, but left a little to be desired. I still love their covers though. 

Currently Reading

Very curious to see read Embrace- I haven't heard too much about it but I'm hoping for some paranormal fun. Also, I'm re-reading Divergent- but in French for French class independent reading. So far it's just as good the second time around. 

Next I'll Be Reading

I'm dying to read Girl of Nightmares, and Wake seems pretty cool too. Good books ahead! 

Random Thoughts

Labour unions have been messing up my junior year. So far my teachers canceled all clubs and there's an NHL lockout. You know, the sport I only became a real fan of last year? 

The worst part is that as a student and a fan I'm getting screwed by both of these disputes, yet there's no one I can really blame. Ontario needs to cut down debt. Teachers are entitled to the right of striking, as it's written in the Charter of Canadian Rights and Freedom. Players shouldn't be forced to always give up money and salary to billionaires. And the owners should be able to have healthy, and profitable franchises. 

I'm taking Law class for homeroom so if there's one good thing about all this is that I can probably do a really awesome summative. 

Recap

It started with a pretty great battle between Asunder and Flutter for last week's Cover Wars. 

I also got two reviews posted- The Power of Six and Hades. I wasn't overly impressed with either title, honestly. 

I also tried something I called TV Talk Thursday where I talked about an upcoming show on the CW called Arrow.

As for a blogging week, it went very well. I got a decent amount of posts, as well as variety. 

Oh, and do not forget to check out the awesome giveaway going on! 4 books! 

In Conclusion

Last week was very awesome. This week will be even better. 

Review: Hades

Author: Alexandra Adornetto

Pages: 424

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Source: Library

Synopsis: Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.

The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times - bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test.

Buy the Book (Amazon/

The Halo series by Alexandra Adornetto seems to be a hit or miss among reviewers. Either you'll love it or you'll hate it. That's why I was really nervous to read Hades. I thought Halo was okay but I was getting scared by the reviews of Hades. I finally told myself that as a reviewer I'd have to face my fear and if I wanted to read the book, I should. With such a beautiful cover, and me being as vain as I am, I couldn't ignore this title.

I didn't hate it. After reading Hades all I feel is a bit of disappointment due primarily to how the story ended. I'll start with the good though.

It's hard to stop reading once you've started. I wouldn't say it's an addiction but Hades just draws you in so well and you're always going to question what will happen next. The premise is fantastic and though there are a few clichés, they're easy enough to overlook if you like the story.

If you don't like the story you may have some issues. My first issue was with the characters. I remember loving Bethany and Xander in Halo and hating Jake. I completely switched sides. Bethany and Xander as a couple are codependent. I love that even Bethany's girlfriends, some characters barely seen except to prove that Bethany does have friends, even say so. You might say it's true love and then I'd be stumped because I haven't encountered that yet. Except that this not being able to live without each other kind of love never rang true. Instead of being empathetic and rooting for the happy couple I was thinking how I'd react if I met a Bethany and Xander in real life. Bethany and Xander don't do much without each other. I would have rather Bethany had a personality and individual interests outside of him but she doesn't. I can't really admire that as being individual is really important to me.

I didn't really like any of the characters either. Ivy and Gabriel fell flat again and I saw them as robotic. They were in a way. They're angels and not really human. Mollie was one of the most frustrating characters I've read. I liked that she had a clear personality but that personality bothered me to no extent. The only character I really wanted more of was Jake. He made awful, awful choices and then good ones. In the end I was so fascinated with him that I had to continue reading. The only thing I couldn't understand was why Jake had a thing for Beth. I thought that was a cliché and it really wasn't explained so I was disappointed in that regard.

In Hades we're in a brand new setting: Hell. Even though there were numerous descriptions, Hell never really came alive for me. I liked the concept but we were more focused on Bethany who cared more about Xander. There were some things well done though- "Big Daddy" made me giggle for instance. I would rather have seen more.

What Hades had a ton of were moments where I really wondered how real it could be. Some of the actions by the demons had me wondering how demonic they were and some of heaven's choices made me not root for the other team either. There were too many beautiful people between the angels and demons and at one point I was wishing for someone normal to appear. Thankfully, they did. I was really pleased with one of the very minor character's story for one. (Sorry for being vague but vague is much better than spoiling.)

Plot wise, I also wasn't impressed. I really wish I was but I feel like not much happened. There were 400 pages in this book- above average. That made for a long read as not much stuff happened. There was potential- Bethany was in hell. Hell is a setting where so much is possible but I didn't feel anything. And the conclusion didn't overjoy me either.

All in all, though I did ramble on about what I didn't like there is a reason I keep reading this series. It reminds me of Lauren Kate's Fallen series- you know it's not the best book out there but something about it has you hooked. If you want to read Hades, I won't discourage you. Every book deserves a chance. 2.5 stars.

**