Daily Dose #1

Daily Dose is hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly.

 

 

 

Review: Kiss It by Erin Downing

Title: Kiss It

Author: Erin Downing

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pub. Date:June 15, 2010

Length: 273 Pages

Summary (from goodreads):

A girl’s gotta do who a girl’s gotta do.

Chastity Bryan has never been shy about going after what she wants. And when sexy, mysterious, so-not-from-this-town Sebastian walks into Chaz’s life, she knows in an instant that what she wants next is him. Chaz has no intention of playing for keeps—but she most definitely has intentions. Who needs true love when you’ve got true lust?

Sebastian has no idea what he’s in for—but maybe neither does Chaz….

My Thoughts: Kiss It is one of the funniest books I've read in a while. Chaz was hilarious and her story  addicting. I simply couldn't put this one down. It's funny, well written, and the characters well developed.  Basically, it's more than what the summary leads you to believe. 

Okay, so, I have to rant about how much the summary bothered me. It was mostly just the one sentence "Sebastian has no idea what he’s in for—but maybe neither does Chaz…." that ruined it for me, but it also made Chaz seem kind of... Slutty. Not like really, really slutty, but enough that I noticed it when I read it. She's not really like that, and the writing isn't that bad. But this is only the summary, so let's get on with the book. 

 The story begins with Chaz and Sadie, her best friend, watching a show about bunnies "getting it on." So you know from the start this isn't a book for younger teens. However, most of the innuendos do go away after the first few chapters. Some scenes are still pretty detailed, but they are the scenes that were necessary to the story line. It just wouldn't have been the same without them.

Chasity, or Chaz, is entertaining (laugh out loud hilarious) and "drawn to all things sexual." She's funny and sarcastic, but is still smart and strong. I really love her thoughts about the bedroom scene where she checks her email... if you've already read it you know what I'm talking about. It was hilarious! I liked all of the characters in their own way, except for Sebastian. I know what you must be thinking: Why? And, honestly, I'm not quite sure.  I had a (hot) image of him in my mind, but everything else was just kind of blah. And the reason why he is acting so weird to Chaz? It just didn't seem like that big of a deal. 

I think part of the reason a lot of people decided not to read Kiss It is because Chaz seemed like one of those girls who gives it away like it's nothing; but once you're past the first few chapters in you know this is not the case.  I don't want to give anything away; I'll let you find it all out  for yourself, but Chaz has a kind heart and is very helpful, especially when Sadie needs her.

Rating:

4.5 Moons

         

Review: Identical by Ellen Hopkins

 Title: Identical 

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

 Pub. Date: August 2008

Length: 592 pages

Summary (from goodreads):

Do twins begin in the womb?
Or in a better place?
Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that''s where their differences begin.

For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.
Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is- who?

I was first introduced to verse writing when I read Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams. This stuff is powerful. Its raw and full of emotion and leaves nothing that needs to be said out. I've never read anything by Ellen Hopkins before, not even Crank. It's not that I don't want to read it, its just that I've been running low on money lately and my library doesn't have it, so I haven't been able to read it. So, when the opportunity came for me to read Identical, I grabbed it.
"When I look into a mirror, it is her face I see. Her right is my left, double moles, dimple and all. My right is her left, unblemished." And so begins the story of two sisters, Kaeleigh and Raeanne. Their parents are married, but only by name. And their father loves Kaeleigh, but not in the way he should.
This is the type of story where the less you know before you read, the better. Although I was a little suspicious through the entire thing, the ending surprised me. It isn't the type that leaves you feeling amazing at the end. Its grimy, its disgusting, its powerful, its amazing, and I loved it.
I have read a lot of books; a lot that haven't left a definite impression. The ones that have are rare. Do you want to know exactly how many? Four. Just four books out of all the ones I've read. Identical got to me in a way most books never do. It's one of those books that will stay on my mind and continue to for a long, long time.

Rating:

5 Moons

Waiting on Wednesday: Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Falling For Hamlet

by Michelle Ray

Published by Poppy

352 pages

 Release: July 5, 2011

Sometimes love can make you crazy.

Meet Ophelia, high school senior, daughter of the Danish king’s most trusted adviser, and longtime girlfriend of Prince Hamlet. She lives a glamorous life, has a royal social circle, and her beautiful face is splashed across magazines and TV. But it comes with a price -- her life is dominated not only by Hamlet’s fame and his overbearing royal family but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go.

After the sudden and suspicious death of his father, the king, Hamlet spirals dangerously toward madness, and  Ophelia finds herself torn between loyalty to her boyfriend, her father, her country, and her true self.

This is a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from Ophelia’s point of view filled with drama, romance, tragedy, and humor. And this time, Ophelia doesn’t die. 

I don't know why I want to read this, but I really, really do.

Review: Zombies Vs. Unicorns

Title: Zombies Vs. Unicorns

Authors: Kathleen Duey, Meg Cabot, Garth Nix, Margo Lanagan, Naomi Novik, Diana Peterfreund, Libba Bray, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Scott Westerfeld, Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Pub. Date: September 2010

Length: 415 pages

Summary (from goodreads):

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths—for good and evil—of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

My Thoughts: I didn't know what to expect  from Zombies Vs. Unicorns. It was going to be the first anthology I'd ever read and was a little unsure about how would turn out. Fortunately, the stories were all pretty good. I discovered new authors I had never heard of, like Maureen Johnson and Diana Peterfreund. I really like the cover illustrations of all the zombies and unicorns attacking each other.

Zombies Vs. Unicorns features many different types of stories (romance and funny, scary and thrilling), so any reader will find one they like. My favorite stories were the ones by Cassandra Clare and Diana Peterfreund, so I guess I'm pretty neutral  on the whole Zombies Vs. Unicorns debate. 

This review is so short because I've already expressed all I wanted to and, well, I read this book a while ago so my mind isn't very fresh on the details.  Just read it. Believe me, its good.

 Rating:

4 Moons