Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Not much new to report on Desiderium. Revisions are still under way, but I have to say that I feel like I might be getting close. I hope I didn't just jinx it by saying that. Depending on how much time I'm able to devote to my revisions, I might be able to send it off in a month or so to test the waters. Cross your fingers for me! Now, onto the review...

I just finished reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. I actually purchased this book because  with my discount at B&N I was able to get it for $3.70, and I really liked the Unearthly series so I decided to buy it. Here's a summary of it.

Hush, Hush Summary:
A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Hush, Hush Review:
This book felt a lot like Twilight. Except with angels. Girl meets dark, mysterious boy at school who is clearly dangerous. Boy stalks girl. Girl doesn't think anything of it. Girl starts to wonder if boy may not be human after all. Girl does Google search on a hunch and is able to figure out what he is. Girl's life is in danger. Boy saves girl. Boy and girl enter into blissful relationship which will undoubtedly be put to the test in the sequel.

That being said, I thought that Becca Fitzpatrick had a great writing style and did a gread job of keeping the readers hooked. We gave this book away at the library to teens who read 20 hours over the summer, and quite a few of them are hooked. I made the comparison to Twilight to one of the boys who loved Hush, Hush, and he freaked out and refused to see the similarities. Aside from the unoriginal plot, the writing was enough to carry me through to the end and make me consider picking up the sequel. Happy reading!

Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been working diligently on my first two chapters. I think I'm finally starting to get them right where I want them, so now I just have to play the waiting game to see what some of my beta readers think. For anyone interested,  you can find a very recent version of my first five pages here. I get one more round of feedback from the creators of the blog and guest author Leah Cypess. I also have my first five pages out in the YALITCHAT community now, so I'll hopefully receive more feedback soon.

But on to the review. I recently finished reading Mistwood by Leah Cypess. Many of you may remember that she did an interview for the blog a couple of months ago, and that she is also the guest author for the workshop I'm doing. Coincidence? No, not really. I had met Leah Cypess a  year or two ago, and loved Nightspell. I never got around to reading Mistwood though until recently.

Mistwood Summary:
The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.

But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.


Mistwood Review:
Let me start off by saying that this book was excellent. Leah is a phenomenal writer, and she always does an excellent job with surprise twists. I have to say that I think I liked Nightspell better than Mistwood, but I definitely liked Mistwood. I won't spoil it, but I will say that there is definitely a surprise twist there that I have to say I didn't see coming. She kept hinting at something, but I was unable to put the pieces together until she revealed them.

The idea for this book was definitely original. My only complaint is that for reasons that are revealed later in the book, the Shifter can't shift and she doesn't know why. It would have been cool to see the shifter get to shift into anything that she wanted, but that would have ruined the storyline. Overall a great read.

Shadow and Bone & Other News

I just submitted my revision for the First Five Pages workshop, so it should be posted here on Monday. As always, I feel like Desiderium is getting better, and I long for the day when someone says it's good, not just better. If it ever gets here.

I just finished reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. A co-worker of mine recommended it to me, and although I was a little skeptical based on reviews, I have to say that I liked it a lot. I definitely give the author props for coming up with an origianl concept.

Shadow and Bone Summary:
Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.

Shadow and Bone Review:
Alina, although weak at times was an excellent main character. The concept behind the Grisha and the Darkling and the Shadow Fold was well crafted and original. The author even did an excellent job of making the reader sympathize with Alina all throughout the journey, and did an even better job of hiding the book's secret from the reader. All too often the reader knows it's coming, but I thought this revelation had a nice element of surprise to it.

The one thing that irked me about this book was that her best friend Mal would hook up with all these women, but the first time she kisses someone else, he makes her out to be the worst person in the world. It was very annoying, but at least the main character called him out on it. The ending of the book was a little bit of a let down, but I have high hopes for the two sequels. I would definitely recommend this book without reservation.

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

Today's blog is going to be about You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis, but before we get to that, I entered Desiderium into a First Five Pages Workshop, in which a couple of authors and anyone reading the blog can provide constructive feedback. If you have any interest in following along, you can read all about it here. I've been focusing on the revisions for the first five pages via a different YA publishing community, so I'm hoping this workshop will be just what it needs to grab the attention of an agent. Cross your fingers for me. Now, down to business...

You Have Seven Messages Summary:
It's been a year since Luna's mother, the fashion-model wife of a successful film director, was hit and killed by a taxi in New York's East Village. Luna, her father, and her little brother, Tile, are still struggling with grief.

When Luna goes to clean out her mother's old studio, she's stunned to find her mom's cell phone there—charged and holding seven unheard messages. As Luna begins to listen to them, she learns more about her mother's life than she ever wanted to know . . . and she comes to realize that the tidy tale she's been told about her mother's death may not be the whole truth.

You Have Seven Messages Review:
From the very first page of this book I fell in love with the author's voice. The male author did an excellent job of portraying the 15-year-old female character, and gave her a very unique, authentic voice. I'm not usually drawn to books about loss, but the original spin on the premise caught my attention. I thought Lewis did an excellent job of creating very real characters and did an excellent job transitioning Luna into adulthood despite the fact that she was only 15.

My only complaint about the book is the love interest. All of a sudden Oliver stops talking to Luna and starts going out with her old best friend, who coincidentally is just trying to get his attention to prove a point. And then all of a sudden he realizes the friend was a fake and wants to get back together with Luna. I liked the forgiveness aspect of the situation, but I thought Luna was too quick to jump back into things with Oliver. I would definitely recommend this book, and it definitely doesn't hurt that it's such a quick read.