On A Dark Wing

Title:  On A Dark Wing

Author:  Jordan Dane

Genre:  Young Adult

Publisher:  Harlequin/Harlequin Teen

Format:  NetGalley/Kindle

Release Date:  December 27, 2011

After surviving a horrific car accident that claimed her mother’s life, Abbey Chandler believes she will never be normal. Touching the hand of a beautiful boy—one made up of the clouds and sky—changed her life forever. Now the Angel of Death is using Abbey’s secret crush, Nate, to get to her.  And Nate will pay the price.

On A Dark Wing begins with a car accident and a death, shown to the reader in a flashback. Abbey Chandler survived a terrifying car accident at age ten, an accident that claimed the life of her mother. Abbey has carried that guilt for five years, and it has changed her life. Her relationship with her father is practically non-existent and very strained. She is an oddball at school; her only friend is the wheelchair bond Tanner Lange and her secret crush, Nate Holden, doesn’t even know she exists. Things only get worse when Tanner discovers awful pictures of Abbey posted on a website. Abbey decides to escape town, and possible humiliation, by accompanying her father on his yearly trek to their cabin. Meanwhile, Nate, his father and his best friend set out to climb Denali, an intimidating mountain towering above the skies of Alaska. It is there, on that mountain, that events are set in motion that will change everyone’s life forever. Death’s fascination with Abbey will bring Nate to the brink of death and beyond.

I am kind of on the fence about this book. It had an interesting plot, original and thought-provoking. I felt like it had a lot of potential, but it really didn’t grab my interest like I had hoped. There were some aspects I liked. On A Dark Wing is told from varying points of view. The primary point of view is Abbey’s, told in first person. Other aspects of the story are told from a third-person viewpoint—Nate, Tanner, and Nate’s mother and father. My initial reaction was that this might be confusing, but it worked surprisingly well, giving us a part of the story that Abbey would not have known or been able to tell. I liked the Dane’s message as well:  the reality of a crush.  I also enjoyed Tanner, he was a very refreshing character. Unfortunately, I felt like the other characters were cardboard caricatures, stock and uninteresting. Nate was the typical popular pretty boy, every girl’s dream, Brittany (I think that is her name) was the typical mean girl and Abbey was the typical misunderstood weirdo. I couldn’t find enough about Abbey to fascinate me or compel me to care a great deal about her. Also, this book had a “never-ending” ending. Every time I thought it was over, well, it wasn’t. It just went on way too long.  Let’s just say I was disappointed with the majority of this story.

So, to sum it up, I really didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. It had amazing potential, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to it.

My grade for On A Dark Wing:

  

Follow Friday (15)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee’sView and Alison at Alison Can Read. It is great way for bloggers to make new friends and find new blogs to follow. Go to either blog, follow ALL the instructions and then add your link to the list. It's just that easy!

This week's question:

Question: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don't like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

Wow, where to start?

A plot I can walk through:  I cannot handle an unbelievable plot. Now, I'm not saying I don't like science fiction, paranormal, dystopian books or such. What I don't like is the forced, "please-believe-that-I-am-plausible" plots that are practically begging you to believe in them. The ones that give you so much back story you could wallpaper a large room with it, because the author figures if they drown you in information, you will digest any swill they put in front of you. But the plot is still unbelievable. There are no amount of words that can change that. A wet-paper bag plot is still a wet paper-bag plot.

The blatant rip-off books:  You know the ones I am talking about. The ones that took Twilight or Hunger Games and changed a few key things (like the setting or the character names) and then tried to pass it off as an original book. Ummm, yeah, I already read that book, thank you very much. Guess what?  Your readers are more intelligent than you are giving them credit for and they know a rip-off when they see it.

Punctuation and editing issues:  I have no problem with these in an ARC, but I do have an issue with it in a book put out in the marketplace. There is a popular author I read whose books often have multiple editing errors and she very rarely puts question marks at the end of her questions. And it is sooo noticeable! It drives me nuts! First time I noticed it, I waved it off. But after the fifteenth or twentieth time I noticed it, I realized it was her writing style. But a question is a question. And sometimes the English teacher in me can't help but notice it.

Lack of follow-through in a story:  I think probably my biggest pet peeve is the author that begins a story line in a book, pulls the reader in with it and then drops it, leaving the reader wanting more. This is most often seen in books with multiple plot lines flowing at one time. I understand that sometimes stories drift from their original intent, but I hate to be left hanging. 

I bet I could think of a hundred more (sometimes I can be unforgiving) but these are probably my biggest pet peeves. What are yours? Leave a link to your Follow Friday post in the comments and I will hope by and check it out!

Teaser Tuesdays (Nov. 29)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

·         Grab your current read

·         Open to a random page

·         Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

·         BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My teaser is from the new Stephen King book, 11/22/63:

"I took another step forward and went down another step. My eyes still told me I was standing on the floor in the pantry of Al's Diner, but I was standing straight and the top of my head no longer scraped the roof of the pantry. Which was of course impossible. My stomach lurched unhappily in response to my sensory confusion, and I could feel the egg salad sandwich and the piece of apple pie I'd eaten for lunch preparing to push the ejector button," (pg. 29)












Leave a comment with the link to your Teaser Tuesday and I will stop by and check it out!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title:  The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author:  Michelle Hodkin

Genre:  Young Adult 

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Format:  ARC/Paperback   

Release Date:  September 27, 2011

Moving on after the death of your best friend is hard. Wondering if there is more to her death than what you’ve been told is harder.  Not being able to remember anything about the accident that caused her death and only you survived is the hardest. Until falling in love adds itself to the equation. Life as Mara Dyer is nearly impossible. It gets even harder once Mara starts to remember. Or is she just losing her mind?

This book is hard to summarize. I don’t want to give away too much in my description, so I am stating the bare minimum. The story is definitely engrossing, and it grabs your attention on the first page. The story begins with Mara waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there or what happened. She discovers that she was in an accident; an accident that killed three of her friends, including her best friend since childhood. Mara’s world spins out of control, so her family sacrifices everything to move and start over. It is at her new school that Mara meets Noah, a bad-boy she is inexplicably attracted to, despite the warnings of her new friend, Jamie. But Mara is still dealing with the aftermath of the accident and getting close to someone is something she is not sure she can do.

I really expected a lot from this book, so many people have given it phenomenal reviews. It was definitely good, but in my opinion, not “5-star” good.  So, I’d like to address a couple of the obvious things I noticed. Best friend who is always there for her (Jamie) versus the bad boy loner no one really knows (Noah). Hmmmm?  I was sure Mara was going to give us a love triangle reminiscent of the Edward/Bella/Jacob love triangle. It was similar, though not exactly the same. And Noah, well, his description reminds me of a certain handsome, scruffy-faced, bed-headed British actor who plays my favorite vampire. Every time Hodkins described him that is who I pictured. Seems a little coincidental to me.  There were some confusing time jumps also, due to the problems Mara was having. While I understand they may have been necessary to the story, the confusion they caused might have been too much. A little explanation goes a long way. That being said, it was a good story, very original. Despite (or maybe because of) the similarities I noted, I really liked Noah. He was adorable, vulnerable, misunderstood and broken. You just want to fix him. And I also liked Mara’s family, especially her older brother. I liked this book, though I didn’t really like the ending. Was that a cliffhanger? Is there a sequel? So many questions left unanswered.

Overall, this is a very readable book. I would recommend it to high-school-aged teens, I think the language is a bit strong for the junior high set.

My grade for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer:

Follow Friday (14)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee’sView and Alison at Alison Can Read. It is great way for bloggers to make new friends and find new blogs to follow. Go to either blog, follow ALL the instructions and then add your link to the list. It's just that easy!

This week's question:

Question: It's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. so we want to know what you are Thankful for - blogging related of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

There are a lot of bloggers who have helped, probably inadvertently. Definitely Kristi at The Story Siren, her blog help articles have been extremely helpful. Also, all the blogs with weekly memes that have helped me increase my followers and spread the word about my blog: Alison Can Read,  Parajunkee, Should Be Reading and The Story Siren. 

Books I am thankful for:

The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer (the YA books that pulled me in and didn't let me go)

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

And really, all the books I have ever read. I am such a bibliophile that books have literally become my life. That started when I was a kid, and has never stopped.

So, what are you thankful for? Leave a link in the comment section and I will hop by your blog and check it out!

Teaser Tuesdays (Nov. 22)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

·         Grab your current read

·         Open to a random page

·         Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

·         BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser today is from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin"


"For a second, I could not think. It was as if all feeling beneath my elbow had been cut off. Like the rest of my arm never existed. Then the scalding pain clawed at my skin, my bones, inside out, outside in." (pg. 147)






Please leave a link in the comment section and I will stop by and check out your Teaser Tuesday!

Twilight The Graphic Novel Volume 2

Title:  Twilight The Graphic Novel Volume 2
Author:  Stephenie Meyer, Art and Adaption by Young Kim
Publisher:  Yen Press
Genre:  Young Adult Graphic Novel
Edition:  Hardcover

Now that Bella knows exactly what Edward is--a vampire--she must reconcile that fact with the love she feels for him. While Edward is concerned about the constant danger he is to her, a greater danger lurks in the woods of Forks. A danger that Bella may not be able to escape.

Twilight The Graphic Novel Volume 2 is a beautiful addition to the Twilight family. Just like its predecessor, Volume 1, it takes the love story between vampire Edward and mortal Bella to a new level for fans of the books. I strongly believe it is truly meant to be an addition to anyone's Twilight collection, rather than a stand-alone book.

Normally, I am not a graphic novel/manga fan. I have nothing against the genre, it has just never been something that appealed to me. I bought the first novel merely because I saw it as a re-imagining of the original book and I'm a sucker for Twilight memorabilia. I wanted to put it on my shelf and look at its pretty cover. As a matter of fact, I had it for quite awhile before I even read it. But once I cracked it open and read it, I was very pleased. I felt like Young Kim stepped into my head and saw the characters and their surroundings like I saw them in my head. My favorite lines of dialogue were there as well. Volume 2 has done exactly the same thing for me. Kim's artwork is amazing and beautiful, and those one-liners I memorized in the book are still there. My only complaint with Volume 2 is how little color there is. While this is the case in the first book as well, I felt like there were several places in the book where a splash of color would have added to the beauty of the art. There is a lot of color added near the end, I just wanted to see it sooner. Other than that small detail, I wouldn't change a thing. Edward is gorgeous, Bella is stunning and the Cullens look amazing. Absolutely breathtaking!

I do NOT see these graphic novels as a replacement for my beloved book, but instead something I can turn to when I want a quick "refresher." And the covers do look pretty on my bookshelf alongside my other books. As a matter of fact, I am hopeful that Young Kim will add to the graphic novel collection by completing the other novels in the Saga.

My grade for Twilight The Graphic Novel Volume 2: