Catching Books: December 2013

Monday, December 30, 2013

The Name of The Star (The Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson Review

Name: The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: September 29th 2011
Format: E-Book
Buy the book on Amazon
372 pages

Jack the Ripper is back,
and he's coming for Rory next....

Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school just as a series of brutal murders mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper killing spree of more than a century ago has broken out across the city. The police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man believed to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him - the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target...unless she can tap her previously unknown abilities to turn the tables.

Goodreads

My Review:
I've been reading a lot of YA over winter break, and so far, this book has been my favorite from the enormous (virtual) pile I've been working through on my Kindle. It's hard for me to review just this book because when I finished it, I immediately bought the second book in the series (it's called The Madness Underneath and it is, if possible, even more awesome), but I will do my best. There are a lot of reasons to love The Name of the Star, so let's dive right in.

First of all, there's the main character. Rory has a great voice; she's funny and sassy and although her character is far from perfect, she remains sympathetic throughout the novel. Seeing London through a foreigner's eyes lets readers like me ease into the unfamiliar setting, and even though I've never visited, the place felt like home by the end of the book. Speaking of London, let me just spare a moment to praise the setting: Wexford feels just like a real English boarding school should, and Maureen Johnson paints a vivid picture of the city that surrounds it.

The characters aside from Rory are fun as well. Although her propensity towards giving girls weird nicknames is a little annoying - Rory's real name is Aurora, and the two other major female characters' names have been shortened to Jazza and Boo, respectively - the characters behind them are well-rounded and interesting. And the boys...oh man. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that the love interest in this series is not who you'd expect it to be, and you're going to fall in love with him right alongside Rory.

There is a distinct change in the book's tone once Rory discovers she has a special ability (can't tell you anymore, spoilers!). It gets a lot darker and a lot more plot-driven, but the pacing works, and the second book ratchets up the tension even more.

Overall, the Shades of London series is really promising. I can't wait for the third book to come out in 2014!

My Rating:

Sunday, December 29, 2013

The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game # 1) by J. Sterling Review

Name: The Perfect Game
Author: J. Sterling
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: October 11th, 2012
Format: E-book
379 pages
Buy the book on Amazon

Summary:
He's a game she never intended to play.
And she's the game changer he never knew he needed.

The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day.

They're both damaged, filled with mistrust and guarded before they find one another (and themselves) in this emotional journey about love and forgiveness. Strap yourselves for a ride that will not only break your heart, but put it back together.

Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful...

This is a MATURE YOUNG ADULT/NEW ADULT novel
Suitable for ages 17+
Contains strong language, sexual situations and references

Goodreads

My Review:
Ahhhhh..so so so sorry that we've disappeared for awhile! It's been a crazy month (and year!) but don't worry we are still here! Still reading and reviewing...it just takes us longer than normal :)

Overall, I thought The Perfect Game was your average New Adult book. There really wasn't anything special about this book that stood out to me..the writing was fine and the characters were fine...I just didn't really connect with the story or the characters that much.

This book starts with the same plotline that most NA books start with...both characters (or sometimes one) start the book with some sort of trust issues and find it hard to fall in love with each other. Once they work past their issues, however, they are able to work things out and be a couple. What I did like about this book was the baseball aspect to the book..I thought it added something fun and made this book more original than other NA novels. That being said..at times I thought the plot of this book was really slow and kind of boring, while at other times it felt really rushed. So this book really was all over the place for me.

Like I said earlier..this definitely wasn't a bad book! Just wasn't really for me. I couldn't really connect with the characters and the plot and I didn't love the whole story. But, if you are looking for some New Adult books to read then you should definitely think about giving this one a shot.