debzbookshelf

Interesting peek into the world of Jenna Fox. It's definitely not essential, but getting inside the mind of Allys was interesting!

Jenna Fox would've been better off alone. That book was perfect, and this was far from it. Not that this was bad at all, but it seemed so trivial after something so powerful and unique. There was added mystery and the development of Locke and Kara after 260 was interesting, but I still just couldn't connect well with this one. Hopefully Fox Forever will be better! Full review to come...

I honestly have no intention of reading this because it's just not up my alley, but a mysterious copy just appeared on my doorstep, so maybe its a sign (:

This book was a big bowl of crazy. So many out-of-this-world things were happening it was impossible to keep track of it all! I loved the illustrations which played a role at least as important as the written word in this story. I would chuckle as I read, and then examine the corresponding image, which usually consisted of something even more hilarious. The humor was actually humorous, when I find that usually in children’s books that the humor comes off as cheap and dull. While some times it was a little exaggerated, I found myself enjoying it for the most part. This book is about procrastination. Ironically, I read it instead of writing my essay due the next day. But if I got the message just right, as long as I do interesting stuff while procrastinating, everything will work out. *fingers crossed*.

I started this book, put it aside, and then finally made up my mind to finish it. I got through it in 45 minutes. I don't know what I think of this book just yet. Maybe after I've finished studying it I'll have more well-formed opinions. It did make me interested in seeing the upcoming movie, though! Full review to come...

Where do I begin? This book was just as fun as the last one, but with a new maturity to it. Things are getting more serious and exciting, and I was literally falling out of my seat! I liked America more in this one, though she could be very rash and illogical at times. I don't know if I like Maxon more or less, but I hate Aspen even more. He's a big fat selfish jerk! Full review to come...

Mila 2.0 was exhilarating! It send my head spinning in so many directions that by the time I was finished I couldn’t tell which way was up! It was loaded with kick-butt action and a thrilling plot, but also raises some very real questions that make you think.The book starts as you’d expect any normal story about any normal girl would, but soon Mila’s world is turned on its head when she finds out she isn’t human. Instead, she’s a secret military project who has to hide from all those weirdo’s who are trying to catch her and do who-knows-what. So Mila and her “mom” run. And thus beings an adventure of a lifetime!Mila was a wonderful main character. She starts out kind of confused and alone, but still sure of who she is. After she finds out she isn’t human, though, she really doesn’t know what in the world to think. She was easily relatable and I was able to warm up to her quickly. There was a lot of internal conflict as Mila tries to understand who and what she is. What makes you human? Is it all physical and no emotional? That’s exactly what Mila’s trying to figure out. This and everything else she goes through adds a lot to her complexity and development throughout the book.I loved that Mila was at the forefront of the novel. Sure there’s romance and action, but Mila herself is the center of attention and everything else comes second, only there when it’s playing an important role in the plot. I think less and less we’re seeing books that are so clearly character driven, so I appreciated that.Mila 2.0 was an outstanding debut with a promising future!

Just finished this series with my 5 year old sister. She loved it even more than I did when I was her age, and it was nice to revisit some childhood favorites.

Princess Talia is your average princess. When she was born she was cursed that she would prick her finger on a spindle, then the whole kingdom would sleep until her true love kissed her. It took 300 years before her prince charming came. His name is Jack. He's a 17 year old from Miami whose parents sent him on a month long tour of Europe. Read the Full Review HERE!

A Long, Long Sleep puts a futuristic spin on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty and the result was a beautifully deep story that will stay in my mind for a long time.I went into this almost completely blind. I knew it was a sci-fi Sleeping Beauty and that’s about it. Turns out that was horribly inaccurate. It takes place in the future, where technology has advanced, but it’s not really sci-fi. It’s about a girl who wakes up from a prolonged sleep, but it’s not really Sleeping Beauty. More than anything it’s a story about human relationships. A girl who has spent a lifetime sleeping needs to figure out who she is, and still needs to sort out her relationships with people who had long since passed. It makes you think about different types of relationships and what a healthy relationship is.Rose was a character that I wasn’t sure about initially. She’s been out of the loop for 60 years, and didn’t really leave her past on a good note. She’s confused, but adapts well. She’s forced into new circumstances with new people, and isn’t sure exactly what’s going on and who to trust, only that everything might not be what it seems. Luckily she’s smart, and has a strong head on her shoulders. There were times when she came across as a bit whiny, but in the end I liked her a lot.It was interesting to see her life from the past, especially her relationships with her parents and Xavier. They both turned out to be a lot more complicated than they initially appear. Rose’s parents had her trapped in an abusive, manipulative relationship, and had brainwashed her in ways that had me almost agreeing with them, which just goes to show how excellently this was written. I did have some issues with Rose’s relationship with Xavier that I can’t discuss in lieu of spoilers, but those who’ve read it will probably understand (and if I think about it, the big issue I had was a direct result of her abusive relationship with her parents). But all that aside, I liked him a lot as a person and a friend.I really enjoyed the ending to the story, where things were left open enough for readers to imagine what could happen next, but with enough closure that it would do well as a standalone. I’ve heard rumors of a sequel, but I hope that doesn’t happen.As I read this during Fairy Tale Fortnight while reading three other Sleeping Beauty retellings simultaneously, I found myself searching for elements of Sleeping Beauty, but I struggled to find any beyond her initial waking up to CPR with an attractive boy, and the occasional reference to her being a “Sleeping Beauty”, so that part was disappointing.All in all I was deeply satisfied with this beautiful, thought-provoking story.

Thrilling prequel to what promises to be an exciting new debut!

Stung was dark, gritty, and disturbing on so many levels. It's the kind of book that sends chills up your spine and sets you on the edge of your seat, and in the mean time your heart is pounding and you can't turn pages fast enough. Not many book can do that to me, so that just goes to show how great this book was.The premise stands out in the giant pool of YA dystopia. Can you name another book about ‘the honeybee issue’? Let alone on as dark and thrilling as this one. I didn’t think so. It definitely does share several aspects with other dystopias, but on the whole, it’s completely original.Fiona was a surprising character. She’s been in a coma for several years, and so waking up in the body of a sixteen year old is a little disorienting. But she’s quick on her feet, and soon begins learning how to survive. I think there’s a good balance between displaying her innocence and naivety, and also showing how quickly she’s learning and maturing in the dangerous world she’s living in. Now, so many times there are characters that fall into this kind of situation who will whine like crazy! But Fiona isn’t a whiny. She puts her time and energy into what’s important: staying alive.I didn’t really like the romance much, though. It felt kinda insta-lovey, though apparently Fiona and Bowen had known each other before as children, but the romance still came on too quickly. And if you keep in mind that Fiona still has the mind of 13 year old, and Bowen is 17/18 (can’t remember), you start to worry a bit. And there was one scene in particular that made me really hate Bowen, though only briefly.[Bowen and Fiona are in an abandon hotel. Bowen had gathered all the clean water he can find for Fiona to bathe in, and a suitcase with clothing in it. Fiona bathes and decides to put on a dress because she wants to feel girly. When she comes out Bowen freaks out because she’s not supposed to dress like a girl because since women are so scarce, men can’t control themselves and will usually kidnap and/or rape them. That’s all fine and dandy, but then Bowen says that he can’t control himself either, which I think is crap. He’s not some wild dog! He is capable of controlling himself, and there’s nothing wrong with wearing a dress! So then Fiona goes to change into boy clothes so that Bowen can “control himself”.]Now…I’ve heard rumors that this was a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but I can't find anything “official” confirming it. If I hadn’t heard that from someone (can’t remember who) I wouldn’t have guessed, because the book doesn't follow Sleeping Beauty at all except for a girl waking up from a coma (and something small at the very end). But whether it’s true or not, this book can stand on it’s own two feet.A powerful, gritty, and ultimately thrilling story that’s a scary prediction of what our world could become, Stung is a must-read!

Well, that's 10 minutes of my life I'll never get back. Super fast middle grade horror story that was mildly entertaining and not the slightest bit Scary. Would definitely recommend to readers age 7-9!

This is by far my favorite Alex Flinn book! It takes all the elements of lesser known fairy tales and makes a brand new fairy tale! All the characters were great and I loved all the shoe quotes, especially ones I recognized! (Bonus points for quoting Les Miserables AND Into the Woods!)Full review to come...

A very real and rather enjoyable take on Cinderella set in the town of Beau Rivage. I don't know about you, but I'd love a series of short stories set in Beau Rivage! Full-ish review to come...

For the longest time I was afraid to read this book. When I initially found out about it, it was through raving reviews. It sounded unique and exciting, so I added it to my Goodreads TBR. But then all of a sudden so many of my favorite, most trusted bloggers were giving it 1 or 2 star reviews, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I was scared that I’d either hate it and feel like I wasted my time reading it, or worse love it and be the oddball out for loving what others thought was a piece of junk. I ended up falling into neither category, and making a new one for myself, an inbetweener.Kill Me Softly had so much potential. Everything about it sounds to-die-for amazing! A girl discovering her fairy tale destiny in a world of teenagers living out the lives of fairy tale character? Yes! I will say that that aspect more than lived up to my expectations. Both the well known and lesser known tales were featured throughout the book. Stories like Snow White and Cinderella were there, in their full-blown Grimm glory (with a lot more blood than Disney ever spilled), as well as more obscure ones like Toads and Diamonds and The Red Shoes. This mix of fairy tales was fun, and my favorite part was probably picking out all the different elements.I liked the minor characters for the most part, though they were drunk for the majority of the time. Seeing these classic characters reincarnated into modern teens was interesting. They were fresh and new, but still had their fairy tale essence intact. The biggest reason I just couldn’t fall in love with this book was Mira. From other reviews I’d read, and from my initial impression of her after the first few pages, I knew I’d have a difficult relationship with her. Even though she was gifted with both kindness and intelligence, she was pretty rude and selfish and not very logical most of the time. And when it’s revealed that everybody is a fairy tale character including her, she doesn’t freak out. It makes perfect sense in her head. She doesn’t question anything at all. If I were her, I’d probably pass out from disbelief and ask a zillion questions!And there’s kind of a weird love triangle (square) thing going on. Mira, who’s 15; Blue, who’s 18ish (I don’t remember); Felix, Blue’s 21 year old brother; and Freddie, Mira’s “Prince Charming”. Already you can see how who wrong this sounds. Well, what if I told you that less that 24 hours after running away from home Mira (using her excellent judgment) sleeps with Felix (JUST sleep, but still). And neither of them sees any problem with the 6-year age gap, or the less-than-24-hours issue. In fact, they keep getting close to going a step further. In the mean time Blue, who can be a jerk but is nice deep down, is “just a friend” who Mira hangs out with during the day. He’s honest about his feelings with her, and she has feelings back, but she’d rather be with his sexy older brother. And then there’s Freddie, Blue’s friend who’s a super nice guy and is destined to be Mira’s Prince Charming and savior. But Mira doesn’t want to be with Freddie simply because that’s what she’s supposed to do. I can understand wanting to make your own choice, but she’s just plain awful to him!Okay, that was a long mini-rant.I enjoyed the mysterious aspects of the story. You were never quite sure exactly what was going on and who was who; never sure when Mira’s curse would begin. And the biggest mystery of all was who exactly Felix was. Some might’ve guessed it early on, but it took until the end for it to finally hit me, at which point it was so obvious I was almost embarrassed.I really liked the writing and actual plot, aside from the fact that we were in Mira’s head for most of the story and have to deal with her…strange thought processes. The writing set the mood for the story. It was fast-paced and did a great job of keeping me interested in a book I might have otherwise set aside. In the end I enjoyed the book a lot, despite some big issues I had with it, and I definitely recommend that you at least give it a chance to wrap you up in it’s spell!Moderate Language, Sexual Content, and alcohol use by minors[Multiple uses of S***, D***, G**, and more. Mira shares a bed with someone much older than her and wants to go further; she buys lingerie the next day; She kisses (or is kissed) by multiple boys, and most times the powers of the boys kissing her drains her physically, making her pass out (and in one case, nearly die). Near the end Mira is forcibly kissed (the intention being to kill her).There are several parties over the course of the book, each one including excessive use of alcohol by nearly all teens. It’s also heavily suggested that certain characters are have sex with each other, though nothing ever gets explicit.]