Made For You Review

Made For You by Melissa Marr

Title: Made For You

Author: Melissa Marr

Series: None

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Contemporary; Mystery; Thriller; Romance; Paranormal

Pages: 356

Format: Hardcover

Buy now From Barnes & Noble• Buy now From Amazon• Add On Goodreads

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

My reaction to this book: ….WHAT?! #*@! What the effing F?

Eva Tilling has a classic case of amnesia you often find in mystery murder thrillers. She was a victim of a hit and run and is now the key witness in catching this want-to-be killer. I don’t know about you, but that sure does sound like fun. While caught in a maelstrom of “Who dunnit?” Eva is reunited with him. Nate. Not just a boy, but the boy. I think you see where I’m going with this. So, because a girl’s work is never done, Eva not only has to catch a murderer, but she also has to navigate the treacherous waters of boys and love.

“Creepy” is the first word that pops to mind. Weird is another, but creepy really encompasses the strangeness this book is comprised of. Would you believe that before this book, I was a Marr-book virgin? Never, not once, have I ever read anything of Marr’s before. I have to say I’m a little hesitant to touch another. I’m not really one for creepiness.

The things I liked: the writing and the format. There is no denying that Marr is the queen of suspense and thrill. Her writing had me on the edge of my seat, and multiple times my eyes did that thing where they widen in surprise and awe even though it’s just a book and no one else is there, so you’re kind of just surprising yourself which is a little nerdy and odd. I don’t usually have those eye-widening moments, but in the case of this book, I had many. Which is good, I guess. Also, I’m a fan of the way Marr wrote in the point of view of the killer. Made it even more mysterious. Ooh. (*finger waggle that people do when they try to make a scary point*)

Like I said, I’m not one for creepiness, which lets me move on to what I didn’t like. The obsession and the psychopathness of it all was just a little too…much. I could see where all the people who raved about this book were coming from, I really could. The writing was amazing, but my own personal opinions of what I like to read just got in the way. In the standpoint of an indifferent third party judging purely on the technique and quality of the book, it was amazing. But in the point of view of me, the creepy-sensitive book reviewer, it was not so amazing. Multiple time it just went a little too far. And plus, I just couldn't get into the whole "oh, I have mysterious powers that I automatically understand and don't really care where they came from or why I have them" thing going on. 

I love thrillers and murder mysteries. Just not like this. It’s my personal opinion that I would rather not read stories that make me want to go out and buy fifty more locks and dead bolts to put on my door.

Lynburn Legacy #3: Unmade Review

Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Unmade

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Series: Lynburn Legacy #3

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: September 23, 2014

Genre: Fantasy; Gothic; Romance; Fiction; Contemporary; Supernatural; Young Adult

Pages: 384

Format: Hardback

goodreads

A modern, magical twist on the Gothic romance and girl detective genres, the Lynburn Legacy books will appeal to fans of both Beautiful Creatures and the Mortal Instruments series.
 
Powerful love comes with a price. Who will be the sacrifice?

Kami has lost the boy she loves, is tied to a boy she does not, and faces an enemy more powerful than ever before. With Jared missing for months and presumed dead, Kami must rely on her new magical link with Ash for the strength to face the evil spreading through her town.

Rob Lynburn is now the master of Sorry-in-the-Vale, and he demands a death. Kami will use every tool at her disposal to stop him. Together with Rusty, Angela, and Holly, she uncovers a secret that might be the key to saving the town. But with knowledge comes responsibility—and a painful choice. A choice that will risk not only Kami’s life, but also the lives of those she loves most.
 
As coauthor with Cassandra Clare of the bestselling Bane Chronicles, Sarah Rees Brennan has mastered the art of the page-turner. This final book in the Lynburn Legacy is a wild, entertaining ride from beginning to shocking end.

Brennan, I had such high hopes. You have an idea for a fantastic series, you write an amazing book, a slightly underwhelming sequel, and then this? Seriously, what happened?

Jared has, once again, gotten himself stuck in a mighty difficult hole to dig himself out of. Kami, fettered with magical ties to the wrong boy (why she doesn’t just cut them, I don’t know; there is literally no reason for them to continue to be stuck together, and yet, they still are) must for the ten thousandth time save Jared’s suicidal ass. Rob Lynburn, like the good little evil villain he is, terrorizes the town and is strangely placated and not at all hostile. He could do so much worse, and why he doesn’t, I am again unsure. As protocol calls for, Kami and all of her friends wade through obstacle after terrible obstacle. As this magical and gothic series comes to a close, a totally predictable battle scene leaves one force victorious and the other entirely destroyed in this not-really-epic conclusion of the Lynburn Legacy.

If you can’t already tell, I was entirely unimpressed with this disappointing and seemingly rushed conclusion to a series that was once one of my favorites. In the summary, the tagline reads “Powerful love comes with a price. Who will be the sacrifice?” I can answer that: the readers. The readers are to be sacrifices along with the quality of this gothic romance.

One of the best things in this series had utterly departed in this conclusion. The humor, the thing that made this whole series worth it, was gone. Vanished. Nowhere to be found. In the first book, there were times when I was literally rolling on the floor, hysterically laughing almost to the point of crying. Let’s just say the most this book got out of me was a twitch of the lips. No matter how much I wanted the opposite, there was nothing other than that small amount of amusement.

If I’m going to be completely honest here, I’m just going to say that reading this book was like walking through a forest trying to enjoy the scenery during the night while it is foggy to point of zero visibility. I didn’t retain anything. Sure, my eyes saw the words, and I heard the sentences in my head, but did I actually pay attention? No. No, I most definitely did not. This was mostly due to the fact that I was being bored to tears. The whole middle section of the book was just like blah blah blah blah.

Rusty was stepped on and marched over during the whole book, and the author did a horrible job of trying to convince me that Jared was worth more than sweet Rusty. Anyone with a mass of gray matter between their ears can see that Jared is the hoity-toity prince of a rich family who goes off to the woods to sulk and generally be a jerk, and Rusty, amazing Rusty, is selfless (not all the time, but much more than Jared) and willing to be there for his friends (something Jared is frequently not). Kami, also, didn’t grow at all in Unmade. Instead, it’s like she regressed into a pathetic, little, helpless girl who was incapable of being the badass I was expecting. That was probably the biggest disappointment of all.

This series was just too strong in the beginning for me to accept this mediocre and sub-par novel as an adequate ending to an otherwise wonderful series. I closed the cover to this book, and all I could do was wonder what exactly happened to have caused the cataclysmic destruction of this phenomenal series. I would ask for Brennan to try again, but it’s already just too late. I’ve said my goodbyes to this series, and I won’t be sad if I never see this second-rate finale again. 

Lynburn Legacy #2: Untold Review

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Untold

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Series: The Lynburn Legacy #2

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 24, 2013

Genre: Romance; Gothic; Fiction; Fantasy; Supernatural; Young Adult

Pages: 367

Format: Hardback
goodreads

On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.

But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?

A darkly humorous take on Gothic romance, Sarah Rees Brennan's Lynburn Legacy weaves together the tale of a heroine desperate to protect those she loves, two boys hoping to be saved, and the magical forces that will shape their destiny. 

Just a piece of advice: when you finish a book that ends in a soul-crushing cliffhanger, do not–do not–read a sneak peak (specifically this sneak peak) posted by the author. It will destroy you. Just patiently wait for the whole book to be available for your reading pleasures. It will save you so much pain.

Kami Glass, aspiring reporter and journalist, will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets of the Lynburns. Now that she has discovered magic and unleashed a villain that has promised to plague the town, she must choose to fight or surrender. Kami must protect her family, the town, and the two boys that have so suddenly come into her life. A journalist’s work is never done. After breaking free of the bond that has held her and Jared together since childhood, Kami has the power to choose between the two beautiful Lynburn boys. Can Kami find love and save Sorry-in-the-Vale from magical destructive ruin?

Like almost every sequel ever written, I liked the first book more than the second. But I also loved the second. If I were to plot my love of these two books on the graph, there would be an almost unintelligible downward slope between Book 1 and Book 2. Just barely less than the first, but still less. The first book had an element of suspense that the sequel did not seem capable of grasping. Also, Jared’s attitude made me very angry.

Jared is a jerk. I mean really, how can he be that horrible and that perfect all at the same time? Brennan is mean that way, I guess. Ash is just plain boring. The only good guy in this book is good ol’ Rusty. Ahh, Rusty. Who can escape your impish whims and childish charms? You really are the best guy out of all of them.

Kami has to be one of the best female heroines I’ve read in a long time. Strong, capable, independent, brave, funny, smart. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be Kami Glass? Now, if she could just get a handle on her romantic situation, then she would be unstoppable. And her friend, Angela, is just as perfect as ever. She perfectly complements Kami’s character and personality. Her cynicism is such a vital part to the life of the story. Brennan forges her characters with incredible expertise. So much work goes into their personalities, everything else is almost left out. If the plot was worked on as much as the characters, it would bring this whole series to an extraordinary new level.

As to be expected, this book ended in a horrible, good-for-nothing cliff hanger. Brennan works real magic into her books, and I can’t wait for what she’ll do in the third and final installment of the Lynburn Legacy.

Unmade

Unspoken Review

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Unspoken

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Series: The Lynburn Legacy

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 11, 2012

Genre: Supernatural; Fantasy; Romance; Gothic; Mystery Young Adult

Pages: 370

Format: Hardback

goodreads

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Get ready kids, for some serious bookage.

Kami Glass, an aspiring world-changing journalist, is like any other ordinary girl. Well, except for her witty sarcasm, slightly overenthusiastic go-get-‘em attitude, and her obsession with discovering the secrets of her little English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Oh, and the boy in her head that she’s never met and loves that keeps talking to her in her head.

Okay, so maybe she’s not so much like any other ordinary girl.

When the Lynburns (the mysterious legends of Sorry-in-the-Vale) come back to their home, two Lynburn sons, one of which has a special connection with Kami, make an appearance in her life. Something strange is happening over at the Lynburn mansion, and Kami intends to get the scoop. What starts as secret digging quickly turns into a murder mystery as peculiar killings happen all over their quiet (or quiet up until now) town. Gothic romance and supernatural mysteries collide in this original story about magic and dark secrets.

I actually read this book about a week ago, and I am just now writing the review. I have a good reason, too. If I had written it any time before now the review would probably look something like this: I can’t…I–I don’t…Why is–Why can they–How is–Ahhhhhh!

And no one wants to read that.

No joke. This book is amazing. You may have to excuse the rare peeks at the narcotic fangirl I am so desperately trying to conceal as I write this review. Hey, nobody’s perfect.

First off, the writing. The writing!! I want to be a writer, but when I read someone with this level of talent, I get depressed. Cause really? No one should be that awesome of a writer and be that funny. I cracked up out loud like twenty four hundred times throughout the entire novel. IT WAS SO FUNNY! (See: narcotic fangirl just make an appearance. Deep breathes, Blots) I would share with you some of the few incredible genius hysterical moments, but I don’t feel like writing a novel of a post today. Cause seriously that’s how long it would take.

Secondly, the characters were perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. One more time now, Perfect. I loved Kami. You know when you read a character that is so incredibly awesome that you say, the entire time you are reading the novel, “I wish I was like her/him”. This was the character that I couldn’t stop saying that about. She was so spunky and had so much gumption and was so hilarious. And Jared was the best bad boy. So deliciously dangerous and swooningly endearing. Yeah, Ash was okay, but he wasn’t a Jared. And I really liked Jared. I also really liked Angela, Kami's lazy and bristly best friend who didn't like people in the slightest. Yeah, she was a joy to read. 

To any of those reluctant readers out there who may be wondering: “What about the inevitable insta-love that is obviously going to happen?” My answer to you is, “There is none!” And there isn’t. No matter how much you want there to be, there isn’t. No matter how much you pray and pray for the romance to come quickly, it doesn’t. It’s excruciating. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And the best, best, best, best, best part about all of this is that I don’t have to wait for the sequel! It’s already out! And the third book is following quickly behind. There is goodness in this world.

I loved this book so much, and the fangirl inside of me is ready to devour the sequel and any more that comes after that. That kind of makes the fangirl in me sound like a stomach, which I guess she kind of is, always ravishing for the best books mankind has to offer. That also sounds kind of gross…Anyway, please read this book, and I hope you love it as much as I do!

Untold