Review: THE ACCIDENT SEASON by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Title: The Accident Season
Author: Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Published: August 18th, 2015
Series: N/A
Genre: YA Paranormal
POV: 1st person
Pages: 304
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Format: electronic ARC
Source: First to Read
Rating: Great

Every October Cara and her family become inexplicably accident-prone. Some years it’s bad, like the season when her father died, and some years it’s just a lot of cuts and scrapes. They know what they need to do—stock up on bandages and painkillers, cover sharp table edges with padding, banish knives to locked drawers, switch off electrical items. They buckle up, they batten down.

But this accident season—when Cara; her ex-stepbrother, Sam; and her best friend, Bea, are seventeen—none of that will make a difference.

Because Cara is starting to ask questions. And the answers were never meant to be found.

A haunting, untethered, addictive read that perfectly captures that time in our lives when our hearts crack open and the raw secrets of our true selves burst forth—whether we are ready or not.

Scrapes, cuts, bruises, bumps, broken bones, and even death - with October comes the accident season, and this year, it's a bad one. Cara, the narrator, has a penchant for seeing more than others do, her best friend Bea is skilled in (and mocked for) reading tarot cards, Sam is in love with a girl he can't have, and Alice is hiding secrets from everyone around her. But in October, their world turns upside down as they fall prey to accident after accident, and as they try to find a missing girl who might have something to do with it all. 

Decidedly different, and with a touch of magical realism cutting through the pages, The Accident Season is an eerie tale of friendship, family, love, and, of course, secrets. Moira Fowley-Doyle writes this story in a darkly enchanting voice that draws you in and leaves you wishing for more. The point-of-view mostly sticks with Cara, but every now and then, it shifts and gives readers a glimpse into the past of this curious family. And while some parts of the story are easy to see coming, this novel is undeniably intriguing and captivating. 

Highlights: The settings, especially the old house Cara and her friends find, are so atmospheric and haunting. Fowley-Doyle's vivid writing style made everything easy to envision. The characters are quirky and unique, and their normal everyday lives have just enough magical realism to make every page intriguing. The Accident Season is like a daydream - vivid, magical, short enough to leave you wanting more. 

Lowlights: Some aspects are predictable, and I feel like there could have been a bit more development with the characters. While I was fascinated by this story and the writing style, I didn't care for the characters as much as I wanted to.

Final thoughts: While the characters and story didn't  end up being as developed as I hoped, the daydream & nightmarish quality it brings was enough to keep me curious and entertained. This is a quick, fascinating story to curl up with for a few hours. 

I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher for review consideration. 

This is no way affected my opinion of the novel. 

Highlights / Lowlights: RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard (@VictoriaAveyard)
Published: February 10th, 2015
Series: Red Queen #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
POV: 1st person
Pages: 400
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: electronic ARC
Source: Edelweiss
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own—an ability she didn't know she had. Except . . . her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince—and Mare against her own heart.

From debut author Victoria Aveyard comes a lush, vivid fantasy series where loyalty and desire can tear you apart and the only certainty is betrayal.

Highlights:¹ It's refreshing to read a book where romance is barely on the protagonist's mind. Instead, in Red Queen, Mare simply wants to live and survive. As a character, Mare is imperfectly intriguing. Nothing about a royal's world comes easily to Mare, and every single day is a struggle filled with mistakes, missteps, and if she's lucky, the correct move. Mare's life becomes a game of chess, where if she loses, she dies. Aveyard develops this dangerous world through Mare's eyes, displaying the slums at their worst and the royals at their most excessive. Throw in some epic, X-Men-like supernatural abilities and Red Queen easily manages to become a highly entertaining story. Simply put, this story is exciting, thrilling, and difficult to set aside. 

Lowlights: Aveyard, you killed my favorite side characters and significantly injured another favorite side character in the beginning of the novel². On another note, a few aspects were incredibly predictable and familiar regarding a few characters and "surprise" moments in the story, but I tend to guess plot twists early on. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf: Highly Enjoyed, 4+ out of 5. Deadly, surprising, and completely captivating, Red Queen is a thrilling read that will keep you turning the pages. I recommend checking it out, because this is one outstanding story. 

1 Also a highlight, the Obi-Wan Kenobi line. I hope it stays in the finished book.
2 WHY ARE YOU SO CRUEL, AVEYARD?! It's like the YA version of Game of Thrones, where everyone I love dies or becomes seriously injured....I'm kind of afraid to care about these characters.

I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher for review consideration. 

This is no way affected my opinion of the novel. 

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Imaginary Girls 

by Nova Ren Suma

Release: June 14th, 2011

Pages: 352 (hardcover)

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Source: Netgalley

Summary:

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Review: Imaginary Girls is a haunting tale of two sisters and the power sisterhood can have.

Chloe has always been "Ruby's sister" to everyone in her town. Ruby is magnetic and powerful there. So much so, Chloe thinks that there isn't anything her sister can't do. When Chloe comes back to town to live with her sister, she finds that things have changed. Someone who she thought was dead is alive, and no one but her seems to think it's odd. People listen to Ruby more than Chloe realized...and Ruby may have more power and deadly secrets than Chloe could ever imagine.

The pacing is slow going at first, but once the mysteries surrounding Ruby and London start being revealed, the pace picks up. Plot-wise, it's difficult to say anything more than I've already said for fear of spoilers. There's this constant eerie undertone to Nova Ren Suma's words, and I was always left with questions and enough intrigue to keep going by the end of every chapter. When it began, I thought it was entirely contemporary. Yet, it transcended it's contemporary roots and delved into something supernatural and utterly unusual. I can honestly say I've never read anything like Imaginary Girls, and I want more of it. 

Highlights: This book isn't about boys or romance, but instead the author focuses on sisters and family. Yes, there are a few "romance" moments, but the sisterly bond is the more important aspect of the story. Ruby herself is so magnetic, hypnotic, and very much like a firework - she sparkles, shines, she might be dangerous, but you just want to get closer. Her character was really well done. The underwater city of Olive was especially interesting to me, and I wish we could know more about it. The magical realism, the secrets, the twists, the reveals, and the surprising conclusion were all welcome highlights to Imaginary Girls.

Lowlights: The first couple chapters after the intro almost put me off the story completely. It took some time to get into the author's writing, the slow pacing and constant thought of "What is going on?", but I found it worthwhile once I made it further into the book. The focus on Ruby through Chloe's perspective could also be overwhelming at times, but I did get used to it.

Rating: 4

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter (A Shadow Falls Novel #1)

Release: March 29th, 2011

Pages: 416 (paperback)

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Source: Publicist

Summary: 

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever.  Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.”  Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either.  Or does she?  They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason.  As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas.  Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past.  Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. 

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Review: Born at Midnight is fresh, addictive, and completely spectacular. If you're a fan of YA paranormal fiction, you'll thoroughly enjoy this novel. 

When it comes to a third person narrative, it can be a hit or a miss for me, and C.C. Hunter nailed it perfectly. I cared about Kylie, found myself agreeing with her most of the time, and relating with her utter "newness" to the supernatural aspects of her life. The supernatural characters truly surprised me, and I loved learning about all the different sorts of gifts they have - I especially adored Kylie's roomies as the story went on. 

The romance aspect was intriguing. For a few chapters, I was genuinely curious who Kylie was going to set her sights on. There's even a bit of a mystery mixed into the plot, along with the tribunals of friendship, family, and the complications that go on with being a teen trying to find yourself. For being such a supernatural story, it was shockingly easy to relate with. From vampire roommates and pesky shape-shifting boys, all of the characters were unique and fun to read about.  

Supernaturalness + Boys + Kittens + Odd Friends + Dysfunctional Families + Humor + Mystery + Camp = Born at Midnight. Seriously, give this book a chance because it just may surprise you. It's 100% fun to read. 

Highlights: There's a few surprising moments and revelations at the end, and I loved one of the two romances Kylie starts building. I know which guy I'm rooting for in the end, so I'll be happily awaiting book two. And if I'm being completely honest, Born at Midnight rekindled my love for supernatural/paranormal stories (a genre I was contemplating setting aside for a few months in favor of something else - I'm so glad I didn't set this book aside). 

Lowlights: A bit predictable here and there, which is to be expected. The plot and amount of characters seemed a bit chaotic and too much to handle at first, but once I got into the story, I couldn't get enough of everything. 

Rating:   

The Candidates by Inara Scott

Book: The Candidates (Delcroix Academy #1)

Author: Inara Scott

Release: August 24th, 2010

ISBN: 1423116364

Pages: 304

Source: Publicist

My Summary:

Dancia Lewis is nobody special. Average, mediocre, or whichever word you find fitting, she's it. Except Dancia has a strange ability...an ability that usually hurts someone.

Except representatives from the exclusive Delcroix Academy see something more about her than just "average". They offer her a full scholarship to Delcroix, and Dancia's grandmother couldn't be more thrilled. Deciding to give it until the holiday's, Dancia reluctantly agrees to attend.

But what she's really worried about is that she may do at Delcroix. At her old school, she could blend right into the crowd. At Delcroix, they make it impossible. The closer she gets to other students, the more she worries her unusual ability may harm someone she cares about. There's something more to Delcroix than they let on, something unique...and Dancia won't stop searching until she gets some answers.

Review: An intriguing start to what will surely be an amazing series.

Boarding school + Supernaturalness = Awesome. I knew I'd enjoy The Candidates just based on those facts, and I was not disappointed. Dancia is easy to relate with, and she's very true to her age. It's really easy to caught up in her story, especially all the mystery surrounding Delcroix. 

But let's not forget the two main guys, Cam and Jack. Jack has a bad reputation, but he and Dancia really get along. Cam is friends with everyone, excellent personality and completely gorgeous. Both guys have their high and low points, making this love triangle a bit more complicated. I never quite knew which guy Dancia would end up with, and which one I wanted her to like. 

Mystery, intrigue, romance....The Candidates has got everything I love in a novel, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel. 

Highlights: Scott kept me curious, and kept me wondering. Even the two romantic interests weren't just black and white, good and bad. I never quite knew who was good and who was bad. The description is wonderful, not too much, not too little. I could envision everything, and that's definitely a bonus. 

Lowlights: A few points of confusion here and there. This book is also what I'd call a "set-up" novel, where the author spends more focus on the characters, relationships, et cetera, instead of the main mysterious parts in preparation for future novels. Nothing wrong with it, but I would have loved a quicker reveal when it came to a few things. 

Rating:  

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus Review

Book: Shadow Hills

Author: Anastasia Hopcus

Release date: July 13th, 2010

Source: Publisher/Author

Summary (from AH's website): 

After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA -- a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach -- the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after -- seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills. 

Review: Shadow Hills is mysterious, addictive, and sure to surprise readers. 

Shadow Hills takes a gutsy main character and places her in a new setting that has some very mysterious happenings. Phe is a wonderful protagonist, I could easily relate to her, and I liked how she had her own stand-out personality (like her taste in music, which was very different). The supporting characters were dynamic as well, each with their own personalities. Adriana (a fellow newbie to the school) was completely hilarious with her rich girl persona. 

Zach was the most intriguing of them all, and I loved how Hopcus never really gave everything away at once. The mystery surrounding him and the other people of Shadow Hills was definitely nothing I've ever read before in a novel. 

The story moves slowly, but gives you enough incentive to keep going whether it's out of curiosity or surprise. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes a bit of supernatural in their story's, because this one is definitely unique and intriguing. The end will leave you very curious for the next installment. 

Highlights: The ideas behind the story (which I'll let you read to find out) were very interesting, original, and creative. The description flowed nicely (if only a bit too descriptive at a couple points), and it really made it easier to visualize the story and the setting. I'm definitely anxious for Hopcus' next story!

Lowlights: There were a few points where the obvious was spelled out in more words than necessary, and it did get a bit frustrating. 

Rating: