Book Review | Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Shutter (Shutter #1) by Courtney Alameda
Published by Feiwel & Friends on February 3, 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Paranormal
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2

Horror has a new name: introducing Courtney Alameda.

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week.

REVIEW

If you are a lover of young adult paranormal, run to the nearest bookstore and pick up Shutter. This horror novel is the first in a new series by Courtney Alameda, and features a great cast of characters as they go on an epic adventure to kill the ghost who has infected their bodies and is literally killing them from the inside out. I raced through this novel, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dark and thrilling tale. 

My favorite thing about Shutter is Alameda's writing style. She is able to create a dark aura surrounding her words that evokes a real sense of eeriness for the reader. The tone reminded me a bit of the Blood of Eden Series by Julie Kagawa, though the stories are quite different, of course. 

Alameda also excels in character development. Shutter has four main characters – our narrator is Micheline Helsing, a descendant of Van Helsing who is trained to hunt the undead. Her reaping team is made up of three young men, Ryder, Jude, and Oliver, who each have a distinct personality. These four characters work so well together, and each is likable both individually and as a team unit. 

My critiques of the novel are very few, and they are quite trivial. First, there are a few instances in the novel where traditional gender roles are accepted. However, these moments are fleeting one-liners, and probably only stick out to someone like me who is keenly aware of gender relations in all that I read. I also found the beginning of the novel to be a bit complicated, as the world building threw a lot of vocabulary and technology my way all at once. Luckily, as the novel progressed, I quickly grew to understand the world. 

Other than those small issues, I loved everything about Shutter, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series to be released. Whether you love ghost stories, or perhaps you're looking to break into the young adult horror genre, I highly recommend Shutter. It's a dynamic read that is sure to keep you turning pages to the very end. 

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Book Review | Beyond Orange County: A Housewives Guide to Faith and Happiness by Lydia McLaughlin

Beyond Orange County: A Housewives Guide to Faith and Happiness by Lydia McLaughlin
Published by Worthy Publishing on March 31, 2015
Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Christian
Pages: 208
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads: ★★★

When Lydia McLaughlin made the controversial choice to walk away from her popular role on The Real Housewives of Orange County, she had two good reasons: faith and family 

In Beyond Orange County, Lydia writes about the strength and grace it takes for each of us to choose a life of purpose. She also shares behind-the-scenes insights from Hollywood, lessons she has learned both on and off the screen, and what her life looks like now that she's following God on His next adventure for her. Most importantly, she inspires us to examine our own lives and live out boldly the unique calling God has for each of us.

REVIEW

As someone who was once fully addicted to all things Bravo, I knew I had to request Beyond Orange County as soon as I saw it on NetGalley. I really enjoyed Lydia's "character" on The Real Housewives of Orange County. Her personality is refreshing and uplifting, and even though I'm not a Christian, I was interested to read her book. Now, before I jump into my review I want to mention that this is not a memoir, and it's not a book for someone simply looking for juice on the Housewives. Beyond Orange County, as the title suggests, is a guide to Christian faith aimed at married women. Thus, I recommend it for those wanting to learn more about Christianity, especially women in Bible study. 

Beyond Orange County is a good book if you are looking to become a Christian, or if you are hoping to strengthen your faith. As someone who is not Christian, I still enjoyed learning about Lydia's spiritual journey, and I liked how she included personal stories along the way to illustrate how God fits into her life. Beyond Orange County includes several Bible passages throughout the book, and I found these to be well researched as they fit well into each chapter's theme. I also thought it was great that each chapter concludes with a discussion guide featuring questions that can be used for self reflection or group discussion. It's a practical book to keep on hand if you need some guidance with your Christian faith. 

My main issue with Beyond Orange County, however, was the treatment of women in relation to their husbands. In Chapter 8 entitled "Love, Love, Love," Lydia discusses the love she has with her husband. I was quite disturbed when she recounts the time directly following the birth of her first baby with her husband, Doug. Lydia mentions she did not feel ready to be intimate with her husband again, but her doctor encouraged her to do so because, "You are first and foremost his bride, and then you're a mother." Not only was I shocked that a doctor would tell a patient how to act in her martial relationship, but the fact that Lydia was seen as property to her husband and is there to please him is unacceptable to me. This theme of women being beneath men circulated a few times throughout Beyond Orange County, and was very disappointing to read. 

Moreover, the writing style in Beyond Orange County was a bit weak. I never expect much from celebrity books, but there were several grammatical errors, and some of the sentence structures were quite awkward. I did receive this book from NetGalley, so I'm hopeful some of these issues were edited out in the final edition. I did take the grammatical errors into consideration when rating the book, but they did not weigh too heavily on my three star rating due to this being an eARC.

Overall, I'm glad I had the opportunity to review Beyond Orange County. At just over 200 pages, this is a quick read and I think any reader can get something out of it whether or not she is a Christian. However, I do recommend this for the suggested audience, as it truly is a guidebook for Christian housewives. With Mother's Day coming up soon, this might be the perfect gift! 

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Book Review | This Side of Home by Renée Watson

This Side of Home by Renée Watson
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on February 3, 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2

Identical twins Nikki and Maya have been on the same page for everything—friends, school, boys and starting off their adult lives at a historically African-American college. But as their neighborhood goes from rough-and-tumble to up-and-coming, suddenly filled with pretty coffee shops and boutiques, Nikki is thrilled while Maya feels like their home is slipping away. Suddenly, the sisters who had always shared everything must confront their dissenting feelings on the importance of their ethnic and cultural identities and, in the process, learn to separate themselves from the long shadow of their identity as twins.

In her inspired YA debut, Renée Watson explores the experience of young African-American women navigating the traditions and expectations of their culture.

REVIEW

I've been on such a YA contemporary kick lately, and This Side of Home is a great addition to the list. The story chronicles the life of twins Nikki and Maya as they finish up their last year of high school. Maya is our first-person narrator, and lets readers into her life in Portland, Oregon. The neighborhood in which she grew up is changing – new businesses are popping up everywhere, new families are moving in across the street, and Maya feels as if her culture and friends are being forced to leave. This Side of Home is the perfect combination of a contemporary YA story and a discussion on race relations. 

As Maya and Nikki take on their senior year of high school, they go through numerous struggles both at home and school. Nikki refuses to attend her best friend's birthday party because she is afraid the guests will call her "white" due to her straight hair and love for vintage clothes. Maya, on the other hand, is the student body president at Richmond, her notoriously dangerous high school. Maya takes on her new principal as he tries to focus on diversity, and not on the black history that Maya craves to feature at school events.

While This Side of Home takes on a variety of serious issues, it is also a quick read that I flew through in just a few hours. I grew to love the characters, and I loved the balance between a realistic teenage love story, and the fight to overcome racism in a public high school. I was thoroughly impressed with the writing in This Side of Home, as it flowed easily and was at a steady pace throughout. If this is what a debut novel from author Renée Watson looks like, I'm excited to see what comes next!

At a time when the We Need Diverse Books campaign is at the forefront of readers' minds, This Side of Home begins many important conversations. I was truly impressed with Watson's ability to write characters that battle with the same struggles that we as readers have. There are no right answers to these questions, but This Side of Home helps us to open up and become comfortable with discussing these issues. I recommend it for all readers of contemporary young adult, and those craving a diverse book. This Side of Home is a refreshing and thought-provoking read. 

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Book Review | My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on March 3, 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads: ★★★★

An Appalachian summer walks the line between toxic and intoxicating in this debut novel about first loves, broken hearts, and moonshine.

Luisa "Lulu" Mendez has just finished her final year of high school in a small Virginia town, determined to move on and leave her job at the local junkyard behind. So when her father loses her college tuition money, Lulu needs a new ticket out.

Desperate for funds, she cooks up the (illegal) plan to make and sell moonshine with her friends. Quickly realizing they're out of their depth, they turn to Mason, a local boy who's always seemed like a dead end. As Mason guides Lulu through the secret world of moonshine, it looks like her plan might actually work. But can she leave town before she loses everything?

My Best Everything is Lulu's letter to Mason--but is it a love letter, an apology, or a good-bye?

REVIEW

When I received an email from NetGalley describing My Best Everything as a debut novel for fans of Rainbow Rowell, I knew I wanted to pick it up. The plot summary really intrigued me – how could a girl who worked so hard to stay on the straight and narrow suddenly put her morals aside and begin an illegal business selling moonshine? I had to know how this story panned out.

The writing style of My Best Everything is quite unique. Our main character Lulu is writing a letter to Mason, the love interest in the story. Thus, readers are placed into the role of Mason, and whenever Lulu speaks to "you" she is speaking to Mason. This style was a little difficult to get into, since I'm not used to playing the role of a teenage boy, but once I settled into it I really liked the flow and rhythm of the writing. In addition, this format added a lot of mystery to the story, because I had no idea why Lulu was writing to Mason, and had to keep reading to find out. 

Moreover, I really enjoyed the characters in My Best Everything. Each character has a well-developed story, even if he or she is not in the spotlight. For instance, Lulu's best friend Roni faces some difficult challenges, and grows substantially throughout the novel. I really liked this attention to detail, and I thought the smaller plotlines added a lot of depth to the book. 

There are, however, some things I did not like about My Best Everything. First, the pacing in the novel was off for me. The first 75% of the story moved very slowly. I was never bored, but I did stop and think to myself, "Wow, nothing has really happened yet!" at several points in my reading. The last quarter of the book is definitely rushed, and I would have preferred a more balanced pace. A lot of information was dumped on the reader right at the end, and while I did like the ending, the information dump did take away some credibility for me. 

Similarly, I did not like the lack of consequences for Lulu in this story. I will be vague in this criticism as to not spoil the book, but Lulu is constantly breaking the law and finding herself in dangerous situations, yet for some reason she gets away with it. Her parents do a terrible job of supporting her, and even the other adults in her life, like her boss and local priest, do not keep tabs on Lulu or provide guidance for her. The lack of consequences for Lulu's actions was really aggravating for me, and definitely took away some of the believability in the story. 

All in all, I gave My Best Everything a four star rating because I thought the writing was very well done and overall enjoyed the story. While there are a few aspects with the story that I wish were different, My Best Everything is still a great young adult contemporary, and a solid debut novel for author Sarah Tomp. I look forward to seeing what she comes out with in the future, as I know her strong writing skills will lead to even better books. 

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Snapshot Sunday | Books of Wonder

I've wanted to stop by Books of Wonder for a while now, but never find myself in that part of town. Today I happened to walk by on my way to the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, so I decided to stop in. I took a peek at the Young Adult section, and found beautiful shelves replete with signed copies. Due to my budget, I couldn't grab anything at full price. However, I'm so glad I finally had the chance to see what this shop has to offer. I hope to visit again soon (they have a lot of book events!).

Book Review | I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson

I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson
Published by Atria/Keywords Press on March 10, 2015
Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Comedy
Pages: 228
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased (I also received an eARC from NetGalley)
Goodreads: ★★★★

The book that more than 12 million YouTube subscribers have been waiting for! Shane Dawson’s memoir features twenty original essays—uncensored yet surprisingly sweet.

From his first vlog back in 2008 to his full-length film directorial debut Not Cool, Shane Dawson has been an open book when it comes to documenting his life. But behind the music video spoofs, TMI love life details, and outrageous commentary on everything the celebrity and Internet world has the nerve to dish out is a guy who grew up in a financially challenged but loving home in Long Beach, California, and who suffered all the teasing and social limitations that arise when you’re a morbidly obese kid with a pretty face, your mom is your best friend, and you can't get a date to save your life.

In I Hate Myselfie, Shane steps away from his larger-than-life Internet persona and takes us deep into the experiences of an eccentric and introverted kid, who by observing the strange world around him developed a talent that would inspire millions of fans. Intelligent, hilarious, heartbreaking, and raw, I Hate Myselfie is a collection of eighteen personal essays about how messy life can get when you’re growing up and how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done.

REVIEW

I've been a Shane Dawson viewer for a few years now, and was excited to hear that he was releasing a book. I Hate Myselfie is a unique memoir containing short essays that document events throughout Shane's childhood. It is a very quick read, and I ended up flying through it on the day I purchased it. Shane was holding a book event at Barnes & Noble Union Square, so I jumped at the opportunity to meet him in person and get a signed copy. You can read more about my experience at this event very soon (I'll link it here once my post is live!). 

When it comes to rating and reviewing I Hate Myselfie, I'll admit it's not an easy task. First and foremost, I'm a biased reviewer because I've watched Shane's videos for so long that I understand his comedy style. The average person picking this book up off the shelf might be offended by the crude language and anything-but-policially correct stories. I decided to base my four star rating on the fact that this book will mainly be read by Shane's fans, who I imagine will relate to my reading experience.

The first thing I really enjoyed about I Hate Myselfie is the writing style. Shane's written voice is just like his spoken one, and that made the essays feel extremely genuine. It felt like Shane was writing letters to me, and not like he was writing a book for the public. The essay format was a great choice, as it allowed readers to hear about many different events in Shane's life, and permitted him to jump around in time without the book feeling choppy. I especially liked the sections of dialogue within each essay. They made the stories flow very easily, and added a personal touch. While this writing style might feel very colloquial to some, it was a logical choice for this genre, and helped make Shane even more accessible to his fans. 

I also thought it was great that the book included fan art. Each essay's title page had an illustration by one of Shane's viewers that corresponded with that particular essay. Readers even got to know each artist a bit through a short bio on the back of each illustration, and many of those bios included social media information for the artist. While this may be a small part of I Hate Myselfie, it was such a nice touch to include Shane's audience in the book. I liked the feeling of community these illustrations brought. 

One critique I do have of I Hate Myselfie actually has nothing to do with the writing or content of the book itself. I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the book binding. By this I mean that the publisher chose to release the book in paperback that is not the best quality. I purchased the book brand new at Barnes & Noble, and the edges were damaged and the spine was coming apart as I read it (quite carefully) for the first time. In addition, the title and cover pages are very plain, and I was surprised at the lack of design on the book itself. In fact, I Hate Myselfie feels almost more like an unfinished ARC (advanced reader copy) than a finished work. I wish the publisher put more effort into the book's presentation do to Shane more justice. I know this is somewhat of a petty complaint, but when a paperback book of under 300 pages is $16.00, I expect a good quality product. 

Putting that aside, I really did enjoy I Hate Myselfie. I'm not sure that I would recommend the book to those who don't know who Shane is, but if you are even vaguely interested in learning more about him, or if you enjoy comedic memoirs, I say go ahead and pick up a copy. While I didn't necessarily learn anything surprising about Shane in this book, I do feel readers get to know him more on a personal level, and get a good peek inside some very emotional times in his life. I would love to read more essays from Shane in the future should he get the opportunity to publish another book. 

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Book Review | Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Meyers

Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Meyers
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on February 10, 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads: ★★★★

Avery VanDemere says she's lived her whole life in prisons—-one is a mansion, the others are private schools—-but prisons, still. That's why, during the last couple of years, she's perfected the ability of learning how to escape. On the brink of finally freeing herself from a hated boarding school, she is unexpectedly returned home and thrust in the middle of a competition. Her grandmother, the family matriarch, is now determined to discover the most worthy VanDemere to be named sole inheritor. With the help of Riley Tate, the handsome son of her grandmother's lawyer, Avery sets out to do much more than prove she should inherit the massive family wealth. She has a secret mission of her own, and that's to discover the truth about what really happened to the mother she never knew. Along the way she must pass difficult and sometimes perilous challenges, avoid treacherous relatives, and sort out her growing feelings for Riley. She'll have to act quickly, though; the pressure is on and with each challenge, her competitors are more desperate to win—and to them that means getting rid of Avery.

REVIEW

I was drawn to read Inherit Midnight as soon as I heard it's about a rich family competing against one another in a race around the world to inherit their grandmother's estate. How awesome does that sound?! I love movies such as National Treasure, and this story is along the same vein. I absolutely loved the fast-paced adventure in this novel, and had a very difficult time putting it down. However, there are a few things I want to discuss.

First, the romance in Inherit Midnight is extremely cringeworthy and one of the worst cases of instalove I've experienced. I thought it was interesting that the author admits to the instalove, but that didn't justify it. Instead, I felt extremely uncomfortable with the dialogue between Avery and Riley, and couldn't get over how "in love" they were after just a few weeks of knowing one another. In fact, I would have enjoyed Inherit Midnight much more if the romance was put aside. I wanted to focus on the family competition, and not on the angsty teenage love. 

Moreover, there were a few small details in Inherit Midnight that annoyed me. For example, the chapter titles were unnecessary and distracting. I'm not sure why they were included at all. In addition, I was a bit unnerved by how the lawyers were written in this story. As a law student, I didn't like the portrayal of the lawyers and their behaviors, but I'm one of the few people who would actually pick up on that. Finally, the ending of the book was really unbelievable, but I cannot say more without spoiling you.

Putting those critiques aside, I really enjoyed Inherit Midnight. I loved following Avery as she and her family were tasked with the different challenges, all while traveling around the world and learning about their family history. The action never wavered, and once the competition began I didn't want to stop reading. I also loved the character development in this book. Avery learns a lot about her family in Inherit Midnight, both her ancestors and those she's competing against. The competition really showed each character's true light, and Avery learns who she can trust and who she can't. 

I also really liked how the author included some subplots in the book, but I won't get much into those because they are spoiler-filled. I will say that I predicted a huge plot twist right from the beginning, but I was excited to find out I was right towards the end. Because this particular twist was a subplot and not the main story, it didn't detract from the overall book when I was able to predict the outcome. I also really loved the last scene of the book. It was sweet and touching, and filled me with hope for Avery's future. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience of Inherit Midnight. In reality, this book probably deserves a three star rating because of the instalove and cringeworthy dialogue, but because it was so action-packed and exciting, I gave it a four star rating. I highly recommend Inherit Midnight if you love The Amazing Race or the National Treasure movies, or if you are looking to break into the thriller genre. Inherit Midnight is a ton of fun! 

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