The Novel Hermit

daydreaming about books

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW + GUEST POST | The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab

Comments : 2

victoria schwab - the unboundThe Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab
January 28, 2013
Hyperion
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
* e-ARC courtesy of Victoria Schwab

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she’s struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn’t easy — not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she’s really safe.

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She’s sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she’ll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?

With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin.

Read More

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW | Avalon by Mindee Arnett

Comments : 4

mindee arnett-avalonAvalon (Avalon #1) by Mindee Arnett
January 21, 2014
Balzer & Bray (Macmillan)
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository
* ARC courtesy of the lovely Kelly @ Effortlessly Reading

A ragtag group of teenage mercenaries who crew the spaceship Avalon stumble upon a conspiracy that could threaten the entire galaxy in this fascinating and fast-paced sci-fi adventure from author Mindee Arnett.

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they’re damn good at it. Jeth doesn’t care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents’ ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he’ll go to get the freedom he’s wanted for so long.

Avalon is the perfect fit for teens new to sci-fi as well as seasoned sci-fi readers looking for more books in the YA space-and a great match for fans of Joss Whedon’s cult hit show Firefly.myreview

 

Avalon was touted as a Firefly/Battlestar Galatica-esque YA about teenagers traversing the universe, stealing stuff and whatnot, so I, obviously, was excited and had a lot of expectations for it. What can go wrong? (I’m sure you know by know that I’m a huge fan of both shows.) Of course, this book didn’t actually live up to them (in terms of character development), but surprisingly, I wasn’t as disappointed as I initially thought I would be? I enjoyed it (once I got 100 pages into it) because of the space travel and the ~mystery of the Belgrave Quadrant.

Read More

Discussion

THE THREE C’S: CANDID CONVERSATIONS WITH CEE | Book Boyfriend Confessions

Comments : 13

three c's

Everybody has that one dude (or maybe more) in a book that causes them to go:

And I mean they make us swoon and legitimately flail our arms around uncontrollably to the point we’re —

  • trying to suppress our squeals/screams that threaten to emerge from our throats
  • calling them assholes for making us have tons of ~feels
  • declaring that we would do anything for them to exist in our lives right now.

They have to make us react extremely strongly to them.

I am no exception.

borderscribble

Confession #1: I thought having book boyfriends was incredibly dumb.

I thought I was soooo cool for not having one. (I was secretly a hipster. ;D)

Three years ago, I would’ve scoffed in your face and flipped my hair over my shoulder if you asked me about my book boyfriends. To pre-2012 Cee, “book boyfriend” was a silly term and a childish way to describe my crushes. Like out of all the terms you could call them, book boyfriends? Really? I would’ve gone with “love of my life” (because I am an absurd and  a dramatic person most of the time). ;D

I was wrong. It’s not silly. You know what is? Me acting like I was above it. “Book boyfriend” is just a way to describe crushes. It’s no big deal.

borderscribble

Confession #2: I don’t consider male characters I crush on in classic literature or literary fiction to be “book boyfriends.” 

I don’t have a lot of crushes on male characters in those genres. I admit that it’s extremely rare. I like them, but not enough that I’m sighing every time they enter the scene. I wouldn’t wish for Fitzwilliam Darcy to suddenly walk into my room (but if it was Colin Firth, *sigh* yes please) because I don’t feel very strongly about him.

When I do crush on one, I don’t really call him a “book boyfriend.” With certain genres, I call them different things —

  • Classic Literature/literary fiction = crushes
  • Young Adult = book boyfriend or crushes
  • Romance = ????

I find it weird to call them book boyfriends. I almost feel like I’m being rude if I call Darcy that. (I’m pretty sure he’d be unimpressed. I don’t want to offend these dudes from this genre with terms they have never heard of. They’re stuck on “courting” nonsense. I don’t want to break their brains. ;D)

But that’s just me. I’m not telling you it’s wrong to call them that. You can call them whatever you like. :)

borderscribble

Confession #3: I don’t have tons of book boyfriends. Before this year, I only had one. 

At times, I felt like a special sunflower because everybody seemed to have ten or more book boyfriends, and I was just sitting there with one. Sure, there are some male characters that make me squeal and make me wish they existed in the real world (like Archer Cross and Jonah Griggs), but I don’t have extremely strong feelings for them. Not enough that make me want to declare them my book boyfriend.

If I don’t —

  • feel absolute devotion toward the male character
  • have to take a break (like a minute or two) from reading to squeal and flail when the male character enters the scene
  • hear weird noises emerging from my mouth
  • shake my head every time they do something as simple as smiling or standing still
  • find myself frantic and desperate for more
  • find myself declaring them assholes (when they actually aren’t but I like to be dramatic)
  • tell every one that they should looooovvveeeeee this dude

Then, I can’t really call them book boyfriends. My heart won’t let it happen!

The only book boyfriend that elicits all those criteria is Adrian Ivashkov from the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead.

That dude is *sigh*. What can I say about him? Every time he appears on the page, I do everything in the criteria above. He is laid-back and smart and sneaky and charming and snarky and funny and sarcastic. Everything I love. He has such a complicated history and family, but despite that, that dude knows how to love. He does it with his entire soul and I love that.

Just thinking about him makes me want to flail my arms and release a small squeal (which really sounds like a bird mating call).

borderscribble

Confession #4: As of January 16, I have my second ever book boyfriend!

I officially inducted Wesley Ayers (from The Archived and The Unbound books) into my “book boyfriend” club!

CONGRATS, DUDE. WELCOME TO THE EXCLUSIVE CLUB!

He earned in! He is an awesome guy! Great friend and partner. Funny and adorable. Supportive. And after this asshole (note: no, he isn’t actually one and yes, it’s for dramatic emphasis) appeared in The Unbound the way he did, I remember dropping my e-reader onto my bed with my arms raised above my head and yelled, “I’m out” because it was official. I love him. Wesley in The Archived was reaching “I really love this dude” status, but he reached “oh fuck I love you so fucking much.Can you be in my life please and smile at me because I need you in my life” status in The Unbound. He is worthy to be my book boyfriend.

Now here we are!

Who would’ve thought this Goth kid would earn a special place in my heart? Not I!

borderscribble

Confession #5: I feel bad that I haven’t inducted a few male characters into my book boyfriend club (even though I absolutely adore them).

Male characters that should’ve been inducted into my book boyfriend club:

  • Archer Cross (Hex Hall)
  • Jonah Griggs (Jellicoe Road)
  • Cricket Bell (Lola and the Boy Next Door)

They totally deserve to be in the club. They elicit most of the reactions in my criteria, but there’s something keeping me from inducting them. I don’t know what’s wrong!

At this point, I think I’m being stubborn. :\

borderscribble

There’s nothing wrong if you have one or a hundred book boyfriends. Yay to those of you who can open your heart to all of them! I adore lots of male characters, but my heart and head refuses to induct them into the exclusive book boyfriend club. I am fully devoted to only two and I’m okay with that. (Maybe. ;D)

Do you have any confessions you want to tell me about your book boyfriends? How many book boyfriends do you have? Who are they? What type of guys do you usually go for? (I wonder what my book boyfriends and other male characters I adore say about me.) Do you have any criteria that your book boyfriends have to fulfill?

Waiting on Wednesday

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY | Split Second by Kasie West

Comments : 5

wowfestivo

Waiting On is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Kasie West - Split SecondSplit Second by Kasie West
February 11, 2014
HarperTeen
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

Why I’m waiting?

I adore Kasie West.

Yeeesss, more paranormal powers! I was so fascinated by the concept of this world, so any focus on the paranormal powers in this series is a win! I’m excited to see how the characters’ powers evolve. And also, I am so happy this book will focus on Laila too! I am all for more Addie-Laila scenes! Female friendships ftw!

What books are you waiting for?

Typography

YOU’RE JUST MY TYPE | {2}

Comments : 16

I love fonts. You can say I’m obsessed with collecting them all. It’s no secret to those who know me. You’re Just My Type is a new feature where I showcase the fonts I absolutely adore and use. And hopefully, you will love the fonts I pick. 

Designed by One by Four Studio.

Need a match? Forget those handy lighters. It’s all about striking a match against a coarse surface to get that fire going! I give you a Matchbook!

What it makes me think of: matches (obviously) and futuristic-ness (whatever that means). I can make a long list of what I associate with it, but I think that’s mainly because of the name. I like the narrowness of the letters. It’s very modern. Everything about it remind me of matches. Ha!

Designed by Lee Batchelor.

Two things Mathilde remind me of: A Very Long Engagement film and how much I wish I remembered the French I learned in high school. Ooh la la!

There is something awfully familiar about this particular font. I swear I’ve seen it actually written out on paper. It sort of looks like my handwriting when I was in fifth/sixth grade or maybe even middle school, but then again, it doesn’t? Maybe?

Designed by David Rakowski.

Chalk is an excellent writing medium. Eraser makes me incredibly nostalgic about chalkboards.

When I was little, I begged my mom for one because I loved writing on it. I loved hearing the clacking of the chalk against the board, feeling the chalk cover your fingers and trying not to get it all over my overalls, and feeling like you’re the teacher in a bedroom full of stuffed animals.

Designed by Dan Gneiding.

Ribbon makes me want to find some and wrap everything in sight. That desk light, ribboned. That book, ribboned. Need a hair-tied? Ribboned.

Much like the Metropolis font I showcased last week, this is perfect for titles (not sentences). I love the details— from the forked-tongue ends to the white line in the letters. For some reason, I’m expecting a surprise when I look at it. If I stare at it, a present wrapped up in ribbons will appear, right? ;D

Which font do you like? What about the commentary? Is four a good number of fonts to showcase? Or should I go back to five?

Blog News

WEEKLY RECAP | January 6-17

Comments : 4

theweeklyrecap

I have decided to do a weekly recap! I will probably be changing its name, but in the mean time, let’s get started!

Books Read (or Currently Reading)

January 6-10

January 13-17

In the blogosphere

I know that’s two weeks, but I had to include the previous week since I had intended to start the weekly recap then (but I didn’t). I will try to keep this up. I prefer doing this than doing a monthly recap. We shall see how it goes.