In My Mailboxis a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives bloggers the chance to appreciate the books they got last week and to meet new people.
Huge thanks to Michelle from Much Loved Books for sending me Fever and Torn! Also thanks to HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan, Random House and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for these awesome review copies.
I still cannot believe how awesome my week was when it comes to books. I've been dying to read all of these and now I have a hard time deciding what to pick up next. I want to read all of them - immediately. Too bad my semester break's now over... I'd love to spend all of my days reading these awesome books. :D
Distractive Obsessions are books that are going to be released very soon and that I'm dying to read - books that I know I'm going to be obsessed with until I'll finally hold them in my hands and read them.
It's going to be published on April 3rd, 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN: 9780547628349 | pre-order: The Book Depository / Amazon / B&N
Goodreads Summary:
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?
While I already have an eARC of Grave Mercy thanks to NetGalley, this one is distracting me more than any other book at the moment. Since it's going to be released in a few days many reviews are appearing all over the blogosphere and so far I don't think I've ever read a negative (or even mixed) one. Everyone seems to love this and I cannot wait to find out what I'll be thinking about it. My expectations are very high and while all of this hype makes me a bit scared to end up being disappointed by Grave Mercy, I need to read this as soon as possible.
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa Series:Blood of Eden #1 Publisher: Harlequin Teen Expected Publication: April 24th, 2012 Source: NetGalley Format: eARC Pages: 485
Goodreads Summary: Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.
My Rating: 5.0/ 5
First thoughts:
I had very high expectations for Julie Kagawa's new novel and am happy to say that all of them were met. I fell in love with her new characters and her new incredible world immediately and cannot wait to read more of this. I've always loved Julie's writing in the Iron Fey series, but with The Immortal Rules she is now definitely one of my favorite authors. Don't hesitate, go and pick up your own copy! It's amazing.
More detailed:
Again, Julie Kagawa has built an overly imaginative and very complex world that will pull readers in and make them want to know more about it. The world of The Immortal Rules is dark and dangerous, creating a huge contrast to the beauty of the fairy world in her Iron Fey series. And this is exactly what I enjoyed so much about this novel: Julie has proven that she could be writing anything and it will turn out to be amazing.
While I've read less and less vampire books during the last months because I needed a break from them, The Immortal Rules has given this genre a new charm. While some aspects of the lives of vampires aren't exactly new, I love the dystopian / post-apocalyptic setting that turns them into even more vicious creatures than I've witnessed before in other books.
Allison, The Immortal Rules' main character, is perfectly flawed. Some of her decisions and actions made me cringe and I sometimes wanted to shout at her for saying the wrong things. But at the same time it's hard not to love her. She's grown up under unimaginable conditions and while she has always been used to take care of herself, she never forgets the people around her.
The romance in The Immortal Rules develops slowly, but with everything that is happening and the world-building this is the excact pace it needs. At this point, I cannot say whether there'll ever be a love triangle, but I know that I'm more than happy with the romantic aspects of this series so far. Allison's love interest is a wonderful person and I'm really hoping to read a lot more about him in the second book of the Blood of Eden series.
If you liked Julie's Iron Fey series, I'm more than sure that you'll enjoy The Immortal Rules, too. If you want to read a vampire novel that will refresh this genre, you'll need to read this one as well. I fell in love with it completely, devoured it as fast as possible and now I'm dying to get my hands on the second book of this series. Definitely one of my favorite books of 2012!
Have you read The Immortal Rules? What did you think about it? Do you plan to read it? Carina
Living in Germany gives me the perfect opportunity to compare original covers with the ones German publishers choose. Sometimes they're gorgeous, sometimes they make me cringe, but it's always interesting to see different covers for the same novel.
While I don't own a copy, I have seen enough photos / vlogs to know that the US cover of Starters is really gorgeous. It's shiny and this digital image doesn't even come close to doing it justice. But at the same time I'm very fascinated with the German cover. There's something about its darkness and the anonymity that would make me want to pick it up immediately - even more than the US cover.
Thanks to Blogger posting my original Cover Comparisons post for this week on Monday already (you can see it here), you get two chances to vote for your favorite covers.
Today I'm so happy to welcome Wendy Higgins, author of the upcoming YA paranormal novel Sweet Evil, on Fictional Distraction. Wendy has been so kind to answer a few questions for us, some of them about the book that I've been dying to read so badly. Thank you so much, Wendy, for your time!
Goodreads Summary of Sweet Evil:
What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.
Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
A cross-country trip to meet her father forces Anna to face the reality that hope and love are not options for her kind. When she confronts her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?
For all these Twitter-fanatics out there: Try to describe yourself in 140 characters.
A wife & a mother, a romantic & a daydreamer, sensitive & spiritual, believer in hope & love. Can also be a paranoid, impatient worry-wart.
While there are a few lucky ones who already got to read Sweet Evil, what would you like to tell those who are waiting for its release? What should they expect and whom would you recommend it to?
It’s almost here!!! I would recommend it to open-minded, mature readers who enjoy dark love stories.
What can you tell us about Sweet Evil’s characters? Are some of their traits based on people you know – or maybe even yourself?
There may be small pieces of myself and other people I know in my characters, but none of that was intentional. I set out to make them uniquely their own. Anna is the ultimate good girl, both because of her nature and the way she was nurtured, and Kaidan is the ultimate bad boy…for the same reasons.
What was your favorite part of writing Sweet Evil? What was the hardest part?
My favorite part was writing the tension between Anna and Kaidan, building it up to those few precious moments of sweet release. The hardest part was trying to get the plot right. I did a lot of revising.
As I read on your website, it was Inkpop.com that not only helped you edit Sweet Evil, but also to publish it. How would you describe your experience with this community? Would you recommend your way to becoming a published author to other aspiring writers? Or do you have any other advice for them?
I definitely recommend online writing communities to aspiring writers, both for the feedback and the support offered by other writers. It’s a must! Inkpop no longer exists, so unfortunately the possibility of publication through that means has ended, but writers should keep their eyes open for contests and such. Dreams can come true in the most untraditional ways. You never know. :) And my best advice is to write what’s on your heart - whatever story is nagging you, no matter what anyone might think, and don’t be discouraged by rejection. It’s part of the process.
Do you have favorite authors that inspired you and influenced your writing? Which books do you usually prefer to read and would recommend to everyone?
I don’t know if I was necessarily inspired by any particular author. But I definitely have faves. I love Richelle Mead’s work, and I’d highly recommend her Vampire Academy series.
Despite dealing with the lives of teenagers, many people from various age groups love the Young Adult genre. What made you decide to write a YA novel and what do you like most about this genre?
I think the YA genre has raised the bar for writers. Lovers of YA, both adult and teens, are a very vocal readership--they tire easily of clichés and storytelling that does not meet their standards. But they’re also an avid, excited group of readers and their love of books is contagious.
Many adults, such as myself, are drawn to YA because we remember what it was like to be a young adult and it’s fun to live those moments of self-discovery all over again.
And one last question just for fun: If you could live in any fictional world for one day, which one would that be?
Wow, so many awesome choices. But I think I’d love to live in the magical world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts if I could. Oh, to have a magic wand to clean my house…*sigh*
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
Velveteen by Daniel Marks Publisher: Random House Children's Books Expected Publication: October 9th, 2012 Pages: 464
Goodreads Summary: Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that's not the problem.
The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it's not a fiery inferno, it's certainly no heaven. It's gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn't leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what's really on her mind.
Bonesaw.
Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she's figured out just how to do it. She'll haunt him for the rest of his days. It'll be brutal... and awesome.
But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen's obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she's willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.
Velveteen can't help herself when it comes to breaking rules . . . or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.
Wow, doesn't this sound awesome? Creepy and dark, but oh-so-unique. Ever since I first saw it last week, I cannot stop thinking about it - need to get my hands on a copy of it as soon as possible.
Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter Series:Goddess Test #2 Publisher: Harlequin Teen Expected Publication: March 27th, 2012 Source: NetGalley Format: eARC Pages: 304
Goodreads Summary: Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.
Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future. Henry's first wife, Persephone.
This might include spoilers if you haven't read the first book of this series.
My Rating: 4.0/ 5
First thoughts:
After loving the first book of this series, The Goddess Test, very much, my expectations for its sequel were really high. Luckily it didn't take long for me to be sucked into this world of myths, love, friendship, fear and betrayal and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of these characters again and finding out even more about them. The wait for the third book will be torturous though, as Goddess Interrupted ends with one of the worst cliffhangers I've ever encountered.
More detailed:
I fell in love with Aimée Carter's series immediately while reading her first book and I was more than happy to finally be able to continue it. While The Goddess Test could easily have been a standalone novel, I'm more than happy to have read Goddess Interrupted. It was a very fast-paced read and I only needed a few hours to finish it. I also found out much more about certain characters - especially Kate and Henry and their relationship.
When reading the ending of The Goddess Test I was scared of a love triangle. While I usually love them, I didn't want anything to ruin Kate and Henry's relationship. And even though the person, who I feared would make problems, didn't end up doing much harm, I got another love triangle. Although I'm not sure whether this is even the right word for it as it's mostly based on unrequited feelings, it fills the book with lots of angst.
I didn't necessarily enjoy Kate's consistent whining and her ever-present fear of Henry not being able to love her enough, but I am very happy that Aimée Carter decided to include this problem. What happened in Goddess Interrupted will give Henry and Kate the power to overcome more dangerous obstacles in the third book, which have now been slowly introduced. You could obviously see how their relationship developed into something more serious and even more believable than before, and I'm very grateful for that.
As I already said above, Goddess Interrupted ends with a very awful cliffhanger, which I simultaneously love and hate. It will definitely assure that I'll read the third book as soon as possible, but it will also make the wait for The Goddess Inheritance almost unbearable. I want to hate certain characters for their decisions, but at the same time, I care about them too much to be angry at them. All I can do is hope that everything will be alright again.
All in all, I'm very happy with Goddess Interrupted. While Kate might have been a bit too whiny for my taste and there weren't enough happy moments for her and Henry, I really enjoyed the world Aimée Carter created again and I can't wait to find out what she has in store for these characters. I'm definitely crossing my fingers for a happy ending. And if you enjoyed the first book, you should definitely pick this one up. If you haven't even read this series yet, what are you waiting for?
Welcome to Fictional Distractions of the Week. It is inspired by Book Journey's It's Monday! What are you reading? and Fiktshun's My Reading Pile and it will show you what I'm planning to read during the next week.
The books I plan to read this week:
At first I'll continue reading Immortal City by Scott Speer, which I started on Saturday. I'm really enjoying it so far and even though I don't think it's ever going to be a favorite, I can definitely recommend it so far. Looking forwad to how it will continue.
Goodreads Summary: Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.
Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.
Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.
Then I'll be reading Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis. I'm participating in a blog tour for this and since I'm really into werewolf-books at the moment, I can't wait to get to this one.
Goodreads Summary: Jaque Pierce was just an ordinary 17 year old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer was going to get a lot more interesting. From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis Lupus, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?
Then I'll be reading Here by Denise Grover Swank, which I also got for a blog tour. I'm very excited to be part of that, because I've wanted to read Here ever since I first found out about it.
Goodreads Summary: Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.
Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.
Living in Germany gives me the perfect opportunity to compare original covers with the ones German publishers choose. Sometimes they're gorgeous, sometimes they make me cringe, but it's always interesting to see different covers for the same novel.
A colour scheme is definitely recognizable and I love it. Sadly I like the German cover the least - in my eyes it's just weird and I don't think I'd ever pick it up in a book store. Love the US and UK covers though and I'm having a hard time to decide on a favorite. I think I like the new US cover best, because I love everything about it - the picture and how its colors were so beautifully modified, the light (= the glow)... just everything. For the second place, it's a tie between the old US and the UK cover - they're really beautiful, too, but in my opinion not as much as the new US cover.
In My Mailboxis a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives bloggers the chance to appreciate the books they got last week and to meet new people.
Starling by Lesley Livingston (Waiting on Wednesday) Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (Cover Comparisons) Unraveling by Elizabeh Norris (Distractive Obsessions)
Huge thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Teen, Kyani Swanigan, J. Meyers and J.L. Bryan.
These kind of IMM posts make me fall in love with my Kindle all over again - all eBooks (which is why there are no photos). But they are sooo awesome that I can't wait to read them. Already read and reviewed The Goddess Hunt and finished reading The Immortal Rules yesterday - it was amazing! Julie Kagawa is definitely one of my favorite authors... another 5-star-read! Also can't wait to finally start J.L. Bryan's books, because I've heard so many great things about them.
I know, I know, I just did a column on Mitt Romney last week. But let's face it: The dude's a gift that just keeps on giving.
In this case, the gift to his opponents, both Republican and Democratic, came from Romney communication director Eric Fehrnstrom. It was the day after Romney's decisive victory in the Illinois Republican primary, and the Romnoids had fanned out across the various news and political shows to talk up their candidate.
Everything was going OK until a CNN host asked the fateful question: "Is there a concern that Santorum and Gingrich might force the governor to tack so far to the right it would hurt him with moderate voters in the general election?" To which Fehrnstrom replied "Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again."
For opponents of a candidate who already had a reputation as a flip-flopper who'd say anything to get elected, the image proved irresistible.
Sales of the classic children's toy immediately took a jump as everyone associated with the Santorum, Gingrich, and Paul campaigns, not to mention every member of the Democratic National Committee, rushed out to purchase one, the better to (figuratively) beat Governor Romney over the head with.
A Santorum spokesman even showed up at a Romney event to pass Etch A Sketches out to reporters. Newt Gingrich gave one to a young boy at one of his rallies and said, "Now you can be a presidential candidate," which no doubt both pleased the youngster and confused him to no end.
Gingrich later said that if Fehrnstrom had "set out to highlight for everybody why we distrust Romney, I think he couldn't have done a better job." Of course, someone like Gingrich, who can say on a Tuesday that "any ad which quotes what I said on Sunday is a falsehood," doesn't have much room to complain about someone else's "resets."
The fact that no one in the supposedly liberal media has yet pointed out the rank hypocrisy of his statement may be because, once again, Gingrich's campaign has faded to the point where reporters have trouble remembering that he's still actually running, and the ones who do remember don't care.
The president, as of this writing, has not commented, although one liberal blogger has already put a virtual Etch A Sketch up on the Web, highlighting some of Romney's contradictory statements. I'll tell you one thing, though: If we don't see as many Etch A Sketches being waved about at the Democratic Convention as there were flip-flops being waved at John Kerry in 2004, then the Democrats need to find a new communications team.
Now, it's true that Fehrnstrom was simply stating one of the venerable principles of presidential politics: You play to your base to appeal to the true believers who vote in the primaries, then "tack toward the center" during the general.
The problem is, we don't live in an Etch A Sketch world any more. We live in the world of YouTube and Google, where everything is recorded, and everything is available forever. Heck, Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show" have based their entire shtick around it.
Say something that contradicts what you said six months, a year, five years, or even 10 years ago, and if it was ever on video, the legion of research gnomes who work for Stewart will have your contradictions on the air by 11 the next night, accompanied by Stewart's patented pained look at the camera, the look that says, as clearly as any words, "Does this person think we're as stupid as he is?"
In addition, with the "bases" of both parties getting both farther and farther apart, and more and more hardened in their respective positions, a candidate seeking to "tack toward the center" finds him or herself with a much longer distance to sail.
Fehrnstrom's statement reflects an older mindset, one that doesn't take into account the fact that these days, information is forever, the reset button doesn't work, and all your public history resides in the cloud. The icon for the modern political scene isn't the Etch A Sketch. It's the iPad or Android phone running the YouTube app and showing videos of everything you've ever said in public.
You can shake that bad boy all you want, but you can't make the stuff you don't want to admit to go away.
The Goddess Hunt by Aimée Carter Series:Goddess Test #1.5 Publisher: Harlequin Teen First published: March 1st, 2012 Source: Bought Format: .mobi (Kindle)
Goodreads Summary: A vacation in Greece sounds like the perfect way for Kate Winters to spend her first sabbatical away from the Underworld...until she gets caught up in an immortal feud going back millennia. Castor and Pollux have been on the run from Zeus and Hades's wrath for centuries, hiding from the gods who hunt them. The last person they trust is Kate, the new Queen of the Underworld. Nevertheless, she is determined to help their cause. But when it comes to dealing with immortals, Kate still has a lot to learn....
This might include spoilers, if you haven't read the first book.
My Rating: 4.0 / 5
What I though about it:
The Goddess Hunt is starting only a few days after the end of The Goddess Test and gives us a first glimpse into Kate's sabbatical of six months before she can return to her new husband Henry. I really loved the first book of Aimée Carter's series and was very happy to find out that there would be a novella published very close to Goddess Interrupted's release, the second book of this series.
And, as expected, The Goddess Hunt didn't disappoint. Of course there isn't anything happening that will influence the main story too much, but I always like being able to see a fictional world in between two novels. And considering there are so many different characters in this world, it turned out to be a very interesting and informative novella.
Even though I was warned by another review that Henry and Kate wouldn't have too much time together in The Goddess Hunt, I was still sad about how little they actually interacted. But considering that this takes place during Kate's sabbatical, it's understandable. And it actually just made me want to read Goddess Interrupted even more to see how their relationship will develop.
I devoured The Goddess Hunt in one, very short sitting and was happy to be back in Kate's world and read a few chapters from Henry's point of view. Aimée Carter has made it possible for me to get back into the story without any confusions, even though I have read the first book in the series almost a year ago. If you liked The Goddess Test, I'd definitely advise you to continue this series and read The Goddess Hunt before starting the second book.
Distractive Obsessions are books that are going to be released very soon and that I'm dying to read - books that I know I'm going to be obsessed with until I'll finally hold them in my hands and read them.
This week's pick is UNRAVELINGby Elizabeth Norris.
It's going to be published on April 24th, 2012 by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062103734 | pre-order: The Book Depository / Amazon / B&N
Goodreads Summary:
Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.
But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.
From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.
Okay, someone please tell me that this isn't awesome! I have to admit that when I first read the summary, I didn't add it to my to-read list immediately, but my slowly developing love for action and mystery made me regret that very fast. Ben and Janelle's love story sounds creepy, exciting and addicting at the same time and I can't wait to uncover all of the above-mentioned secrets. Also, it's fairly long - 445 pages of suspected awesomeness will hopefully keep me very busy once I get my hands on a copy of this. And should I end up not liking it, just imagine how gorgeous it will look on my shelf... the cover's almost enough reason to pre-order a copy.
Heaven by Christoph Marzi Publisher: Orchard Books First published: February 2nd, 2012 Source: Received from publisher Format: ARC Pages: 384
Goodreads Summary: The night that Heaven lost her heart was cold and moonless. But the blade that sliced it out was warm with her dark blood...
David Pettyfer is taking a shortcut over the dark rooftops of London's brooding houses, when he literally stumbles across Heaven: a strange, beautiful, distraught girl who says that bad men have stolen her heart. Yet she's still alive...
And so begins David and Heaven's wild, exciting and mysterious adventure - to find Heaven's heart, and to discover the incredible truth about her origins.
Part thriller, part love story and part fairy tale, this brilliantly original novel from a bestselling German author will take your breath away...
My Rating: 3.5 / 5
First thoughts:
This story turned out to be as fairytale-like as expected. Christoph Marzi created a magical world that is both beautiful and imaginative and will leave its readers wanting more. While I had a few problems with the pacing, I loved the plot and the lore which is used in Heaven and that always made me want to continue reading. If you're looking for a modern fairytale, this could be the right one for you.
More detailed:
Heaven is a book that makes me curious to find more works of its author. It has originally been written in German, and while I had planned to compare this translation with the original, I sadly couldn't do so yet.But of course I enjoyed it nonetheless and especially liked its magical and fairytale-like feeling.
I have to admit that the beginning was a bit too slow-paced for my taste and the narration made it a bit hard for me to connect with the characters immediately. Heaven is told by a third-person narrator from David's point of view and while I love reading books from a male POV, it took a while for me to truly care about David and Heaven.
Nonetheless they are very intriguing characters who you can't help but sympathize with once you get to know them more. David has had a difficult past, but despite that he manages to ignore his own fears and problems and help Heaven deal with the danger she suddenly finds herself in. And while you only get to know her from David's point of view, it's hard not to like a girl like Heaven.
Most of the other characters are either good or evil and even though I'm not a fan of one-dimensional characters, it worked well with Heaven's fairytale-like composition. The things David and Heaven experience are crazy, but I loved how Christoph Marzi managed to incorporate the paranormal elements in an almost realistic and very believable way.
All in all, I ended up liking Heaven a lot. Sadly it took a while for me to get into the story and while I didn't want to put it away during the second half, I had some trouble getting through the first half of the book. But once you start caring for these characters, you will turn the pages as fast as possible to find out whether everything will turn out alright.
Living in Germany gives me the perfect opportunity to compare original covers with the ones German publishers choose. Sometimes they're gorgeous, sometimes they make me cringe, but it's always interesting to see different covers for the same novel.
Maybe I should start by saying which cover I would not pick up in a book store: the UK version. While I like how they tried to portray the characters as close to their description as possible, I just think it's weird - pink reminds me of happy / funny contemporary novels, not a dystopian like Under the Never Sky. Sadly I'm having a very hard time to choose between the US and the German cover. I always loved the US cover (and have a pretty hardcover copy of it on my shelf which I love to stare at - yes, I'm weird like that), but when I saw the German cover in my local book store, I fell in love with it immediately, too. It doesn't reflect the story / world as good as the US cover, but the colors and the illustration are so, so gorgeous.
