Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Title: Golden
Author: Jessi Kirby
Published May 14th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads / Amazon
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Golden is Jessi Kirby's sophomore novel. And while I thought In Honor, her debut, was actually pretty good and loved its concept. I loved Golden much more. In my opinion, it was much well structured and written, Kirby certainly improved a lot and you can immediately tell that.

Golden is about Parker, a shy, bookworm who by chance or fate finds an old journal from a girl who went missing 10 years ago. Parker, a high school senior, is in the run for a scholarship in honor of the missing girl and her boyfriend, so she starts reading the journal in the hopes of finding some inspiration for her speech and for her own boring life.

While I enjoyed Parker's growing process and was delighted to see her finally start to take the reins of her life and owning it, the real joy to me was getting to read Juliette (the missing girl)'s story.

I was utterly captivated by Juliette's quiet exterior and passionate interior. Her story really pulled my heartstrings and it was just so perfect in so many levels. The fact that she lived a secret summer affair was amazing, and the boy she lived it with was amazing too. I loved that scene at the secret beach, I could picture it like a movie in my head, and it made my toes curl.

Essentially, the book is two stories blending together masterfully, with great characters that you can relate to, and beautiful passages about standing up for yourself and for the things that you want in life. And I would encourage fans of Jessi Kirby and fans of contemporary to give it a chance because it was the perfect summer read.

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday: Remnants: Season of Wonder by Lisa Tawn Bergren

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)

 

 

 

Season of Wonder

by Lisa Tawn Bergren

 

The year is 2095. Gifted teens known as Remnants have been chosen and trained to act as humanity’s last hope to rectify the horrors that are now part of everyday life.

The Community has trained these teens as warriors and assigned them Knights of the Last Order as protectors. Together, they are a force that will be difficult to bring down.

But the Sons of Sheol, of course, are determined to do just that. As the Remnants begin their mission to course-correct humanity by saving and protecting key individuals, their enemies move to stop them, placing the entire world in peril.

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I am probably the only YA reader that does NOT get excited about dystopian books...

 

 

However, there are three words that will sure ALWAYS get me excited:

 

Lisa Tawn Bergren

 

 

Review: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Title: The Rules for Disappearing
Author: Ashley Elston
Contemporary YA
Expected publication: May 14th 2013 by Disney-Hyperion
Goodreads | Amazon
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I really enjoyed this one. For once the mysteries were kind of hard to deconstruct and the characters weren't half as whiny as I would have imagined for anyone in their situation.

I liked the approach the author took regarding the witness protection program and how it can destroy people's lives and sometimes it doesn't seem worth to live a life like that. And especially how devastating it is for a seventeen year old girl, you can't help but root for Meg right away, hoping everything turns out fine.

Now the romance was really cute (if a little instalove for my liking). It was a bit hard to believe a guy would put himself through so much danger for a girl he just met, but Ethan has a great heart and you can tell that from the start so maybe it's not that surprising that he fell for Meg so hard.

Really action packed, it kept me on my toes most of the time, I ended up really invested in the story and thoroughly enjoyed the ride it took me on.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the ending, though. I was a bit unsatisfied but also a whole lot curious. It felt like the easy way out, not cleared and kind of unfinished, and maybe to some people that would be part of this book's charm but for someone as obsessive as me it means I will wreck my brain trying to come up with theories and I already have too much going on in school.

But then I learned there was going to be a sequel, and then all was right in my world. Because I am nowhere near done with this story and this characters and I am anxiously waiting for our next meeting.

One last thing: that hog hunting scene! Awesome.

 

Review: Riptide by Lindsey Scheibe

Title: Riptide
Author: Lindsey Scheibe
Published May 8th 2013 by Flux
Goodreads | Amazon
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I had a very eloquent, and very emotional review for this book (and two more), but genius me pressed the reset button on my phone and they’re gone. So now you have to settle for this quick, not-nearly-as-awesome-but-trying-my-best review.

Riptide surprised me. I thought it was going to be a cute, summery, surfer-book, and it was so much more. Seriously, the depth went beyond just the sad story inside the walls of Grace’s home, which I am not going to spoil you because I want you to read this.

I loved Grace, she was tenacious, and sweet and I admire her courage and discipline when she surfs. Whoever said surfers were shallow potheads has obviously not met Grace and Ford.

Ford. Also known as Ferdinand Watson, the love of my life, or Grace’s best friend. You have to love him from page one, he is just the kind of guy that everyone loves because he is super smart, super handsome and super nice. He is a surfer guy but he is also doing an internship at Grace’s dad prestigious firm; he wants to be a lawyer, you see, and not just any lawyer, one dedicated to help immigrants. Now how mind-blowing is this? Sometimes we forget there are teenagers out there with passion for great causes, and I’m not saying it is bad to concentrate on winning the heart of your next crush, but sometimes YA novels forget to include awesome young leaders like Ford.

I love that this novel is also multicultural, Ford is half Mexican and he embraces his fiesta side. Mexican culture, or at least Mexican food, is included as a bid deal in this novel, which makes it even warmer. And then we have Ford’s Asian, hilariously awesome friends. Meeting foreign people is the only way to discover that these people are not criminals and it’s really sad some consider them so. I hope this novel opens people’s eyes about how much immigration laws kind of suck in the US, and it’s sad and disappointing considering it is a country that was founded by immigrants.

But on a lighter topic, Ford’s crush on Grace, their banter and their subtle, slow falling for each other was just so incredibly sweet; I loved every minute of it. I loved learning so much about surfing that I am even considering trying it, it sounds amazing and romantic, like a relationship with the ocean. Ford’s parents were another aspect of the book that I completely fell for, they had such a big part of the story, especially his mother, that I was like “is this really a YA?”.

So really, what a lovely read. Wish it was longer and wish you’d all give it a go.