Book Review- A Touch Mortal

I just finished reading A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford for a We Love YA! Tour.

From Goodreads:

Eden didn’t expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else’s game. Her heart is her own.

And that’s only the beginning of the end.

Maybe it's just me, but I found a lot of this book confusing.  In the beginning, I had no clue what was going on.  Nothing was explained well.  And then when things were explained, there was too much new terminology for me to keep straight: Siders, Screamers, Fallen, Bound, Upstairs, Downstairs, Touch, dosing, storing, and so on.  And there were so many different characters that I had a hard time with them too.  I don't feel like we really got to know any of them.  And while I wanted to like Eden because she was trying to help the Siders, I never really did.  And I never felt sympathetic for her. 

This story was definitely action packed.  There was tons of action and it was very dark.  A lot of the story had to do with people who had committed suicide.  And it was pretty gruesome, especially towards the end. 

I'm not really sure what I expected from this book, but this storyline definitely wasn't it.  From the way the end of the story left off, I think there might be a sequel.  I think I will have to read the summary of the next book before I decide whether I am going to pick it up or not.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

A Touch Mortal will be released on February 22, 2011.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 154
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 119
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 108

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of We Love YA! tours.

Book Review- The DUFF

Last night I finished reading The Duff by Kody Keplinger for a We Love YA! review.

From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
 
Wow.  I wasn't prepared for how in-your-face this book was.  I mean, don't get me wrong...I curse with the best of them but I guess I'm just not used to reading that in YA books or at least not with this much frequency.  And the blantat no-strings-attached sex.  Definitely not for the younger crowd.
 
That being said, after I got used to the cursing and the sex, I enjoyed this book.  It seemed to be a pretty real look into some teenagers lives.  I'm not sure if I really liked Bianca or not.  Sometimes I did, but sometimes she just seemed so standoffish.  But I did like Wesley.  Even though he was a player, he didn't deny it.  And underneath that playboy exterior, there was really a boy wanting attention underneath. 
 
There were some definite themes in the book.  That everyone feels like they're the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) sometimes.  And everyone screws up and makes mistakes.  And towards the end, I couldn't put it down.  And I was very happy with the ending.
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 149
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 114
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 39
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 103
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of We Love YA! tours.

Book Review- Trance

I started and finished Trance by Linda Gerber on the plane ride home from Denver today for a We Love YA! tour.

From Goodreads:

It begins with a subtle vibration, a tingling.
There is time to take only one breath.
The trance begins.
When it is through, Ashlyn is certain of two things:
Someone she knows is about to die.
And she is powerless to stop it.
 
This was an engaging story.  I pretty much engulfed it in a little over an hour on the plane.  The premise isn't really new but I still enjoyed it all the same.  I felt so bad for Ashlyn.  I could feel her pain and her guilt.  And I loved Jake!  He was such a great male character and so there for Ashlyn. 
 
I get the feeling that this might be a beginning to a series, or there at least might be a sequel.  The ending was definitely left on a cliffhanger and I want to know what Ashlyn sees in her last trance!
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
Trance will be released on October 14, 2010.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 127
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 95
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 90

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of We Love YA! tours.

Book Review- Salvaged

I finished reading Salvaged by Stefne Miller early this evening for a We Love YA! tour.

From Goodreads:

'My body was being torn apart, and my stomach felt as if it exploded. The pain was excruciating, and I was aware that I was dying... 'Mom?' My vision was murky, but I could see her face. It was bloody, and her eyes were large and full of fear. Her voice calmed. 'Get out of the car, Attie.' Her words sounded crisp and clear. I looked into the backseat in search of Melody and found her lying covered in blood in a twisted heap on the floor. I turned my attention back to my mother and out of the corner of my eye saw fire. 'Get out, Attie!' 'Mom?' Everything went dark.' Attie Reed should have died in the wreck that stole the lives of her mother and best friend. But her life was spared. Why? When Attie moves to Oklahoma to stay with the Bennetts for the summer, she hopes she has left her nightmares behind. But her battle is far from over, and Riley Bennett steps forward to help her fight the nighttime monsters. As the battle wears on, Riley begins fighting monsters of his own: his feelings for Attie. And Attie realizes she must begin to face the monsters of the night herself if she wants to conquer them for good. Can Attie's life be Salvaged?

Ugh.  Okay, I know that I am in the minority in my feelings of this book.  But, if I was the type of person to put a book down, I would have done so with this book.  While I don't mind there being religious aspects in a book, I don't like it to be thrown in my face on every other page.  And I feel this book did just that.  There was so much talk of what God/Jesus wanted for Riley and Attie, and the whole Jesus being in jeans in a tshirt talking one-on-one with Attie and her talking back was just too much.

The plotline was good.  I liked Attie's growth.  It seemed like how a real teenager dealing with what she went through would be like. 

And the characters were just okay too.  I liked Attie.  I felt for her and felt sympathetic for her.  But I couldn't decide how I felt about Riley.  Sometimes I kept thinking "aww, so sweet" but then other times I kept thinking "blah, too soft."  I did really like Attie's friends thought--Anne and Tess and Tammy.  They seemed real and sweet.

I dunno.  This book just turned me off.  I found myself rolling my eyes through a lot of it. 

I gave the book a rating of 2.5/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 91
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 68
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 28

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of We Love YA! tours.