REVIEW: Labyrinth Lost (spoilers)

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Completed 10/26/16
Rating: 2.75 out of 5

**SPOILERS BELOW**

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I truly wish I could give it a better one, but I just had too many issues with it to rate it higher.

Overall, the whole thing has the impression of being a "rough draft." For instance, in the beginning, the main character Alex is in gym class, and just a page or two after talking about gym uniforms, she says something about "brushing off her jeans." Umm...she's supposed to be wearing gym shorts?! This is just one example of the inconsistency that is spread throughout the book, which is very annoying and/or confusing to read. At the end, Madra scratches out the Devourer's eyes, and then in a page or two, the Devourer looks at Alex with all her family standing next to her. Looks with what?! The reader doesn't just forget someone's eyes being scratched out!

There are nuggets of potential here and there, and the premise is super-interesting. I've never read anything dealing with Latin American folklore, and I would love to learn more true-to-life details since it seemed that most of the elements of the book were completely fictional.

What I liked:
* The quest plot through a unique magical land.
* The creative variety of magical beings with ambiguous intentions. The Meadowkins and avianas are developed pretty well.
* The idea of having a love triangle involving two girls and a guy. 
* Rishi has some good one-liners.
* Character growth in Alex relative to embracing her power.

What I didn't like:
* The characters simply aren't fleshed out enough.  Alex simply isn't fleshed out enough as a character and is a bit too bland to want to root strongly for her. Because of this, the love triangle aspect can't be developed enough either. Alex can clearly see that Rishi obviously has a crush on her, yet there is no processing of this by Alex AT ALL until the very end when she decides she might have feelings too. (I mean, Rishi jumps into a freaking PORTAL TO ANOTHER WORLD for her and Alex hardly pauses to consider that!)  Even so, their chemistry still feels really platonic, at least on Alex's side, like she's confusing the love of a true friendship with something else. I think her potential relationship with Nova is more interesting and complex.  Nova has the most complexity of the three, but even he could be stronger.  Beyond her sarcasm and her crush on Alex, there is no character development at all for Rishi.  
* Random nicknames. Why does Nova start calling Alex Ladybird? Why does Alex refer to Rishi as her magpie? No clue.
* Super bland and/or cheesy dialogue. When faced with the supreme villain who has Rishi ensnared, Alex comes up with the menacing "Let her go!" No wonder the Devourer doesn't taker her seriously.  Later, Nova, who is supposed to be the street-smart tough boy, responds to Alex with "As you wish." When is the last time you heard a teenage boy say "as you wish"?

I'm glad I'm done reading this book. It frustrated the heck out of me because it was just such wasted potential. 

I actually think this would have made a great middle grade book with better editing, more fleshing out of the characters, and elimination of the love triangle element. 

Finally, I understand I had an e-ARC, but there were more typographical errors in this text than I've ever seen in any book including but not limited to improper use of apostrophes, sentence fragments, and missing words. Seriously, was there no editor at all? I did not deduct any stars specifically for this issue since it was not the final published copy, but it really drove me nuts. There is no way this edition should have made it into any reader's hands without some major proofreading. 

REVIEW: The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
Completed 9/22/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #27: A murder mystery
Counts toward the R.I.P. XI Challenge
Rating: 4 out of 5

I needed this book. It really helped me with the slump that I had fallen into this month.

I had saved this mystery to read on vacation, since I went on a cruise, and the book deals with mysterious actions aboard a small luxury cruise ship.

The narrator is an unreliable British female narrator who drinks too much. Sound familiar? I'm sure it does if you've read The Girl on the Train. Unlike Rachel, however, I actually did like Ware's narrator, Lo, and was able to sympathize more with her, perhaps because she has struggles with some of the same issues that I have had in the past on a more minor scale (mental health-wise, not alcohol-related). 

The main reason I was drawn to this book, aside from the cruise aspect, was that I had heard comparisons to Agatha Christie, who I read a lot of as a teenager after I had moved on from Nancy Drew. I think the comparison is fair for about the first two thirds of the book.

Then it takes a strange turn for the last third and goes more from mystery to thriller. Even though I finished the book quite quickly and am happy with the final resolution, I can't say that I really liked that one section of the book all that much. It just felt odd and is one of the reasons I can't give the book more than 4 stars. I wish there was another way she could have gotten to a similar conclusion.

The other reasons I can't give more than 4 stars are that (1) I feel that certain characters among the ship's passengers were not developed well enough, (2) I feel like if I really analyze it there are some plot holes (but I read this on vacation and wasn't particularly interested in analysis), and (3) I wish she would have included a some diagrams of the ship layout because it didn't really make that much sense to me.

All that being said, I still really liked this book. I thought the snippets of emails, texts, news clippings, etc. at the end of each section were really effective in building suspense. I can't wait to pick up this author's other major book, In a Dark, Dark Wood. 

REVIEW: The Progeny

The Progeny by Tosca Lee (Descendants of the Blood Countess #1)
Completed 5/29/16
Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Holy. Crap. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this before.

I don't want to go into plot too much, since I think this is a book you are better off reading without many preconceived ideas. Basically, it follows a young woman with no memory who is a descendant of the Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who was convicted as the most prolific female serial killer of all time. (And yes, she was a real person. I Googled her.)

From the description, I was slightly nervous that this would be a horror book, but it isn't horror at all. It's a thriller with some mildly paranormal elements. There's the historical fiction aspect because of Bathory. Mystery because the protagonist has had her mind erased. And of course, there's got to be some romance too. It's appropriate for a YA or adult audience - nothing graphic and no bad language.

The writing is really good and fun to read, and the premise is fascinating. I would give this about 4.25 stars. I couldn't give it a full 5 stars because I feel like the last 25% got a bit too convoluted. It ends with a major cliffhanger, and there are a lot of loose ends. I hope the second book does not let me down.  It is planned as a duology. 

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Martian (spoiler)

The Martian by Andy Weir
Completed 4/27/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #10: A New York Times bestseller

Rating: 4 out of 5

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Another book it took me forever to get through. I didn't love it as much as I expected to, but I did like it.

I saw the movie first, and frankly, it's a toss-up which I like better. Each has its own strengths.

What I wasn't crazy about in the book was all the technical science stuff...it just isn't my cup of tea. While I appreciate the author's ability to write it, I found it really tedious to read. The only thing that got me through it was Mark's bits of humor. I wish the book had a bit more reflection and personal information about Mark's life instead of quite so much technical description. It was somewhat odd that by the end of the book, I felt I knew Mark's personality very well but very little about his background as a person pre-Mars.

I also thought the book was a little anti-climactic with all the build up about the dust storm being such a major obstacle...and then he just goes around it and hardly loses any time. The rescue mission itself is a little more exciting to read but didn't quite live up to my expectations...or maybe I was just getting sick of the book by then.

What I liked better about the movie was that the super-technical science stuff "moved along" quicker in visual format than having to trudge through reading it. I think Matt Damon was a good choice as Mark Watney; he nailed the sarcastic nerd humor. 

What I didn't like about the movie was that it seemed really obvious all the way along that Hermes should rescue Mark; the book didn't annoy me with foreshadowing in that way.

All this being said, I really appreciate the skill it took to create this book, and I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. 

REVIEW: Truthwitch

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (The Witchlands #1)
Completed 3/12/16
Fulfilled 2016 Popsugar Challenge #30: A book with a blue cover
Rating: 2.75 out of 5

You've probably heard of Truthwitch by now since it's been all over the internet in the past couple months.  If, however, you're living under a rock, I'll break it down for you:  Two girls, each with magical powers.  It's a chase plot.  That's really all you need to know.

This book nearly pushed me into a reading slump. It took me ages to finish. I spent the entire first half contemplating whether I should label it a DNF and move on. The second half was better, or perhaps I just accepted its flaws and went with it.

What I didn't like...

The author has created a complex world and magical system. However, she clearly has absolutely no clue how to share it with the reader in a clear but interesting way. So she leaves you to attempt to figure it out on your own with just a minimum of context...with varying degrees of success. Without any proper world building to explain why things are the way they are, the story requires too much suspension of disbelief. When I tried to analyze certain things, I just ended up frustrated because I had more questions than answers. 

I feel like the writing is just off somehow. The pages didn't turn quickly. Character motivation becomes hazy when the author decides it's time for an action scene. And certain parts are SO cheesy and/or ridiculous! Yet they are presented in all earnestness! 

For example, some of the fight scenes (including the one at the very beginning) are just absurd. They are written as though these girls are characters from The Matrix, twisting and flipping through the air. What works on a movie screen, however, just falls flat on the written page. 

And don't even get me started on the romance that occurs later in the book...which could have been a really cool flirtation to watch develop since I think the characters are well suited to each other. Instead it was silly, cliched, and rushed. Falling on top of each other? Grow up. 

What I did like...

Believe it or not, there are actually some things I liked about this book. I liked the characters and found them to be significantly better developed than the world is, particularly Iseult and particularly in the second half of the book. 

I liked that the book features a strong female friendship. I think it's cool how the author handles the concept of family. None of the four main characters has anything close to a "normal" family. Safi and Iseult have kind of made their own.

I did not find the book predictable aside from the budding romance. 

Overall, I can't say that this book lived up to the hype. I am curious to know what will happen to these characters, but ultimately I just can't stomach any more of the writing and unanswered questions, so I will not continue to read further books in this series.

REVIEW: The Passenger

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
Completed 2/28/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #23: A book that's published in 2016
Rating: 4 out of 5

I'm a fan of the Spellman Files series by Lisa Lutz, which is a humorous mystery series about an eccentric family of private investigators.  When I heard she had a new standalone release, I knew I wanted to check out this book, which is a psychological thriller about a woman on the run after her husband dies.

Even though it is much darker in tone (bleak even, in places), I still really enjoy Lisa Lutz's writing in The Passenger. The first person narration really flows, and I like the way the emails are interspersed in the story. 

I don't want to mention too much relative to plot, since I feel like this is a book that is better enjoyed without knowing a lot going into it. Basically, the book deals with identity, what you would do to survive, and whether criminals are born or made. You will probably feel better about your own life after reading this book.

I did see some of the twists coming, although not very far in advance. I feel like the author did a good job at unraveling the secrets of the story, though the ending was perhaps slightly rushed. 

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: #GIRLBOSS

#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
Completed 2/19/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challege #24: A book with a protagonist that has your occupation (I'm a manager, so I'm interpreting this loosely!)
Rating: 4 out of 5

So, from a critical standpoint, there are a few issues that I could (and will) pick apart about this book, but from an enjoyability standpoint, this book rocks.

Sophia is the founder and CEO of the Nasty Gal retailer, which she built from scratch on her own with no experience. This book is a mix of her personal experiences and advice. The greatest asset to the book is her "voice," which is quirky, street-smart, hilarious, and yet relatable.

What kept me from giving this book 5 stars? First, I don't think she defined the book's audience well enough. Obviously with a hashtag in the title, I knew the book would be aimed young, but I did expect it to be a book for adults/new adults. Some chapters I felt I was reading a book targeted to high school girls, some college, some young professionals. I think she could have picked an audience and stuck with it or made more of an effort to make it for a general audience overall. 

The other negative point would be that she offers up a bit too many platitudes and pushes her #GIRLBOSS title too much (does it have to appear on every page?) - such as: be true to yourself, work hard, find what you're good at, etc. There is nothing revolutionary here. What does work is her concrete story of how she did it and how she runs her business. While the platitudes are motivating to a certain extent and her writing style is genuinely engaging, I was getting a bit sick of it by the end of the book.

One last (slight) rant:
The section about investors/venture capitalists (fortunately brief) needed more explanation about who these people are, the differences if any between them, and why they are important...I'm a grown woman and I don't have any reason to understand those concepts in my daily life. My limited knowledge comes from "Shark Tank." If I were a high school or college student, I would probably have been even more lost. Luckily this was only one part of a chapter. 

Despite the criticism, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to young women. I think if I read it at a younger age, I would have enjoyed it more and perhaps given more thought to the direction I wanted my life to go.

REVIEW: The Witches of Cambridge

The Witches of Cambridge by Menna van Praag
Completed 2/15/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #8: A book set in Europe
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.   It was just released on 2/9/16. 

The book follows a group of witches and their relationship struggles. Despite the magical element, the issues they face are quite "ordinary" issues in women's fiction: Heloise is a grieving widow trying to face life again, Amandine suspects her husband of cheating, Noa is very isolated from other people, Kat has unrequited love for her best friend, and Cosima desperately wants a baby despite the health risks for her.

The first half or so was VERY slow, though it did redeem itself in the second half. Some of the twists in the book I saw coming, others came as a surprise though everything made sense in the context of the book.

I think this book would have been far more enjoyable as a short story collection - the constant jumping around of storylines drove me crazy and prevented me from connecting with the characters because I felt the surface was only being scratched most of the time. The only one that I felt much emotional investment in was Heloise. Her sections were quite melancholy but beautifully written.

I would cautiously recommend this book if you like multiple narratives and relationship-driven fiction with a touch of magic.

REVIEW: Scarlet

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
Completed 2/9/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #1: A book based on a fairy tale

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

I was fully prepared to give this book a 3-3.25 rating until the last 40-50 or so pages when the action really picks up.

Overall, I did not enjoy the Scarlet/Wolf storyline nearly as much as Cinder, but I suppose it's a means to an end (i.e. advancing the overall plot of the series). I feel like Scarlet is a really flat character with virtually no personality other than her love for her grandmother and her insta-love for Wolf. That's pretty much it. I hope the last two books in the series keep her much more in the background.

Cinder's continuing story is interspersed with Scarlet's, and I did enjoy her chapters...her unexpected sarcastic bits of humor are great, and her interaction with new character Thorne is fantastic. Thank goodness for these scenes.

When the double narratives finally unite towards the end of the book, I started enjoying it much more, and it definitely motivated me to keep reading the series. 

REVIEW: It's Only Rock 'n Roll

It's Only Rock 'n Roll: 30 Years Married to a Rolling Stone by Jo Wood
Completed 1/28/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #35: An autobiography
Rating: 3 out of 5

I didn't have particularly high expectations for this book, but I did enjoy it to a certain extent. On a personal level, I had some issues with the author's behavior, but I'm trying not to judge that here in this review. I do admire that she didn't hold back on details that didn't necessarily paint her in the best light, and some of her anecdotes were pretty hilarious. On a writing level, the book would have benefited from better editing/proofreading. 

I'm only a casual fan of the Rolling Stones, but I liked reading about them and their entourage and chaotic lifestyle. I didn't know anything about the author's husband, Ronnie Wood (guitarist), prior to reading the book. I like Keith Richards better now. Mick Jagger didn't really figure in the book much. I also think a UK audience might like the book better than I did since they might have more knowledge of the author firsthand (she was a contestant on the UK equivalent of Dancing with the Stars). 

What mainly irritated me, besides grammatical issues and personal things, was that she had a habit of ending chapters with very heavy-handed foreshadowing. I suppose this was to make the reader excited to keep reading to find out the juicy details to come, but it had the opposite effect on me. I could have simply chalked it up to novice writing and forgiven it if it only happened once or twice, but it happened SEVERAL times. A good editor should have done something about this. 

REVIEW: Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha Trilogy #1)
Completed 1/21/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #26: A book and its prequel (along with The Demon in the Wood)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Shadow and Bone may be my favorite book of January. I love the "world" of this novel! It manages to be both unique and familiar (based on Russia), and the magic system is really fun and intriguing.

I'm not quite as drawn to Alina as, say, Katniss or Tris, but I do like her as heroine/narrator. She's kind of a girl-next-door with magical powers. I'm hoping to see some more character development for her in the rest of the series.

The mesmerizing quality of the Darkling is what really made the book interesting for me. He seems quite complex even though we only see him through Alina's eyes. (The Demon in the Wood provides a short, interesting back-story to this character.) 

I liked that Shadow and Bone does not end on a huge cliff-hanger. Even in a series, I think there should be a conclusion to a novel, and the author has just enough wrap-up to be satisfying while leaving me eager to read the next book and find out how the conflicts play out. 

REVIEW: Postcards from the Edge (spoiler)

Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher
Completed 1/15/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Challenge #15: A book written by a celebrity
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

**MILD SPOILERS BELOW**

I picked up this book in honor of the new Star Wars release since it's written by none other than Princess Leia herself.

I've heard of the movie of the same title but haven't seen it. I was under the impression that the book would be mostly about the drug use of the main character (Suzanne) and her conflicted relationship with her mother. The book actually takes place after Suzanne has stopped doing drugs and, to my pleasant surprise, she does not relapse. Her mother is barely in the book at all. Indeed she is pretty much on her own in the world. 

The first third of the book is actually set primarily in the drug rehab and alternates points-of-view between Suzanne and another patient, Alex, who does relapse. If you ever watched Celebrity Rehab on VH1, you will probably enjoy this part of the book. I've never used drugs and after this book I certainly don't want to, but I feel the descriptions were excellent and really put the reader in the mindset of an addict.

The remaining two-thirds of the book follow Suzanne as she attempts to function sober and navigate the world of dating and finding work as a an actress. It really surprised me how much I identified with Suzanne even though her situation is totally different than anything I've experienced. I feel that I would have similar reactions if I were put in her situation, and I struggle with similar feelings. I loved the sarcastic humor too. 

The only reason I'm deducting a half-star for the book is for the ending. Even though I was rooting for Suzanne to get her life together all the way along, I felt everything was tied up a little too neatly. For instance, of the five or so characters who were introduced at the rehab, all but one were given glowing happy endings, which I didn't feel was necessarily realistic.