Tighter by Adele Griffin

Tighter by Adele Griffin

Publication: May 10, 2011 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

(208 pages, hardcover)

Summary: When 17-year-old Jamie arrives on the idyllic New England island of Little Bly to work as a summer au pair, she is stunned to learn of the horror that precedes her. Seeking the truth surrounding a young couple's tragic deaths, Jamie discovers that she herself looks shockingly like the dead girl—and that she has a disturbing ability to sense the two ghosts. Why is Jamie's connection to the couple so intense? What really happened last summer at Little Bly? As the secrets of the house wrap tighter and tighter around her, Jamie must navigate the increasingly blurred divide between the worlds of the living and the dead.
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Brilliantly plotted, with startling twists, here is a thrilling page-turner from the award-winning Adele Griffin.

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My thoughts: If there was one thing Tighter was, it was suspenseful. And not just oh-my-god-what-is-going-to-happen suspenseful, but staying up late at night, afraid of the dark suspenseful. It was definitely a book that stays with you for a while after you read it. The twists were uncalled-for and I was biting my nails right up to the very end. I'm not always the biggest fan of books with major twists and creepy settings that are freak-out worthy, but I thought the plot was well-written and I really enjoyed scaring myself while reading it.

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So, let's start out with the not-so-good, since I don't like to dwell on the parts of good books that aren't good. Jamie, who I liked fine (most of the time) was a nice girl, who is more than a little freaked out about the fact that she looks like the girl who had her job last year--and happens to now be dead. She's a bit irrational, caring, and average. But just a bit too average for my taste. I didn't ever feel a real connection with her, which probably wasn't Griffin's goal, but it kind of turned me off from the novel at times. At times when I knew I was supposed to be afraid for her, I wasn't really; she was just another character in the story, which isn't great when you're the protagonist.

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As for the rest of the characters, I kind of felt the same way. I liked them (or disliked them if they were obviously bad guys) and I felt like they were real enough. But they never really struck me as more than characters, like a background to what was happening and where they were. Which isn't normally how characters are supposed to work, nor was it something I liked about Tighter.

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Onto the good: the setting was completely creepy and intriguing, as was the story. Ghost stories seem to all be repeats of one another, with one or two little differences that don't really disguise how alike they all are. But Tighter was completely unique, and uneasy to predict. I was sucked into it after the firt few pages, and I couldn't put it down. It'd be hard to say more without ruining it or just repeating myself.

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The plot was extremely well-written, the setting was appropriately interesting and scary, the premise was original, and I just really enjoyed it. I even liked the writing style, which, while simple, was well-executed and kept me hooked. The only downfall, the characters, wasn't one big enough to cause any major complaints. If you're into intense, keep-you-up-at-night thrillers, then this one is definitely for you.

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Covering the Cover: I really love this cover; it was what first drew me in, since it looks creepy and fits so well with the title.

Characters: 2.5/5

Plot: 5/5

Writing: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4 stars

In My Mailbox (21)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

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Bought:

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Shift by Rachel Vincent

Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Die for Me by Amy Plum

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

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From Library:

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

Grace by Elizabeth Scott

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For Review:

 Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

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Still using up the last of birthday money this week. Lost of books that I'm excited about reading. What did you guys get in your mailboxes? Happy reading!

Guest Post: Adele Griffin (And a Giveaway!)

Today I have the privelage of welcoming Adele Griffin, author of Tighter. She'll be stopping by for the Teen Book Scene's tour. Also, there's a giveaway in it for y'all. I'll let Adele take it from here with her This or That list:

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Books or eBooks? eBooks, but nothing is prettier than a bookshelf.

Cats or Dogs? Dogs, specifically rescue dogs with worried eyes and

wonky ears.

Day or Night? Night! Night! I vote for two nights, no days.

Romance or Action? Is Romaction a word yet? Because I like my

romances with some running.

Movies or TV? Movies. Any excuse for Twizzlers & a vat of coke.

Black or White? Black. Black contains multitudes.

Winter or Summer? I’ve set over half my books in sultry summers,

but winter has more terrifying secrets, because they arrive frostbitten

and buried under the snow.

Inside or Outside? Inside, in the attic, in a trunk, holding my breath.

Calling or Texting? Neither. I quietly follow the illustrator Lisa Brown

on tumblr and it’s the most joyful visual communication of my day.

Beach or Mountain? Mountain, but only if it’s got a cave, so, cave.

Baseball or Football? Ulp. I have to plead Sportsfail.

Mp3 or CD? Mp3, n’est-çe pas.

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Although I'd have to disagree on the eBooks, I'd say we have a lot in common. Thanks for visiting, Adele! If you'd like to check out the rest of the tour, check out this page. Make sure to check out my review of Tighter up on May 25.

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Now, onto the giveaway. There's one copy of Tighter in it for you guys. You don't need to be a follower, just fill out the form below and you're entered. The giveaway ends on May 19, 2011, so enter soon. Happy reading, y'all.

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Tantalize by Cynthia Letich Smith

Tantalize by Cynthia Letich Smith

Series: Tantalize, #1

Publication: February 17, 2008 by Candlewick Press

(336 pages, hardcover)

Summary: CLASSIFIED ADS: RESTAURANTS SANGUINI'S: A VERY RARE RESTAURANT IS HIRING A CHEF DE CUISINE. DINNERS ONLY.

APPLY IN PERSON BETWEEN 2:00 AND 4:00 PM.

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Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.

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My thoughts: I'm still kind of torn on this one. While it was refreshingly new for a vampire/werewolf book, it was also kind of strange. I think what really bugged me was how unexplained everything was. In my opinion, if you're writing a paranormal book that doesn't follow standard paranormal rules, you should explain them, and near the beginning of the book. Maybe I'm totally in the dark here and everyone else got it, but Tantalize completely confused me in that regard. It was fast-paced and didn't linger on anything, which can be nice, and can also be rushed. And in the end, I think it definitely fell in the latter category.

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To keep from sounding like Tantalize was horrible, I'll list a few thing I liked/loved about it. I loved Kieren; while he was a little predictable, he was obviously protective of Quincie and torn between his heart and his head, in the non-cheesiest way possible. He provided some nice conflict for Quincie, and for himself. I liked the ending; there's no possible non-spoiler-y way to explain, but I liked it. Lastly, I liked the characters. All of them. Well, maybe not all of them, but i thought they were all really well developed, surprisingly, and realistic (for paranormal characters).

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I also kind of enjoyed the writing. At times it was rushed (sorry, I'm getting sick of using that word too), but it was eerie in a you-don't-know-what's-going-to-happen-next sort of way. Quincie wasn't my favorite as a protagonist or POV character, though she seemed real, because of her fickleness. She kept switching her opinion lightening-quick, which a lot of teenage girls do, but it still made it hard o not only keep up with the story, but her decisions/opinions on the story. But I still liked her, just to be clear.

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Onto my mini-rant: if you're writing a paranormal book, I think it's way more difficult to write if you don't have any characters who are clueless about the paranormal world. In my reading experience, many a good series/novel has suffered from lack of clarity on the basic functions of the paranormal world/society/whatever it is. And Tantalize did exactly that; fail to answer questions that I had from the very beginning of the book. Which made me dislike it, and find it tedious reading, since I couldn't understand half of the things going on. As a result, I'd have to blame the writing and the story, both of which I really enjoyed, had it not been so confusing.

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To be fair, my standards for paranormal books have gone up, probably from reading so many lousy ones. But overall, I couldn't bring myself to really love Tantalize, so I'm going to have to give it a steady 2.5 stars. I can't help but recommend it to only hardcore fans of vampires/werewolves, who are hopefully less clueless when it comes to vampire/werewolf worlds/general rules. 

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Covering the Cover: I actually really love this cover. It's dark and intriguing and if I had loved the book as much as I'd wanted to, I probably would want it to keep on my shelf.

Characters: 4.5/5

Plot: 2/5

Writing: 2/5

Overall Rating: 2.5 stars

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Publication: March 25, 2008 by Simon Pulse

(282 pages, paperback)

Summary: Kate Brown's life has gone downhill fast. 

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Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and now she acts like Kate's invisible. And then there's Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, whom Kate acts like she can't stand even though she can't stop thinking about him. When Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him when she's sure she's just his latest conquest. Kate figures that the only way things will ever stop hurting so much is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn't realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen -- but only if she lets them....

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My thoughts: I've come to expect a lot from Elizabeth Scott books, and Perfect You did not disappoint one bit. If anything, it exceeded my expectations. Kate's just lost her best friend, her father has gone crazy, and she likes (more than she'd like to) a guy who can't possible like her back. So, basically, her life sucks. Or at least that's how things seem to Kate. One of my favorite things about Scott's books are how easily relatable and honest they are. I completely felt Kate's pain, and yet I also knew that things weren't as bad as Kate thought.

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To begin with, Kate was your average girl; prettier than she believes herself to be, desperate for the guy she likes to notice her, and completely blind to the fact that he has. And her life just happens to be falling apart. I think every teenager (at least, teenage girl) has felt like everything is changing and for the worse. I found Kate really nice, sarcastic (which, hey, happens to be my favorite quality in book characters), and realistic. Her thoughts were honest, and, okay, I'm sounding like a broken record, but she was really relatable.

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The writing, while not amazingly fantastic, was good, and fitting. It sounded like a teenage girl, which is all you can ask for in a YA contemporary novel. I really liked the story too. Kate's life is pretty bad, and I felt all of her emotions. The characters were realistic and well-written too, fleshed-out without revealing their entire stories. One of the onl ythings I didn't like (and I won't hold it against the book, since the point was for the reader to not like it) was Kate's grandma. She was obnoxious, superficial, and I couldn't bring myself to agree with her even when she was right. Other than her, I really liked the entire premise and writing style.

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Not to sound like a totally unprofessional girly-girl here, but my favorite part of the book was Will. He was cute, hilarious, three-dimensional, and perfect for Kate. Well, not perfect, but just what she needed. He was probably the reason I liked Perfect You best of all Scott's books. My favorite thing about him was how insecure he was. It's not realistic to find a boy who is into you, great-looking, and totally unafraid of going out on a limb. Will was sensitive and vulnerable in a way most YA boys usually aren't, which made me love him even more.

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Overall, Perfect You was kind of perfect. It had honest characters, a good story, nice writing, and a POV character I really connected with. It's my favorite Scott book, which is saying a lot. Sorry for the slightly rushed review, but, to summarize, go out and read Perfect You right now.

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Covering the Cover: It's cute and the colors fit really well.

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4.5/5

Writing: 5/5

Overall Rating: 5 stars 

In My Mailbox (20)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

 

Bought:

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Defiance by Lili St. Crow

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

XVI by Julia Karr

Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Divergent by Veronica Roth 

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

So Much Closer by Susanne Colassanti

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For Review:

Tighter by Adele Griffin

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Thanks to my awesome friends and family for giving me a couple of Barnes & Noble and Borders cards for my birthday, I've got a great haul this week. Happy reading, y'all!  

Stay by Deb Caletti

Stay by Deb Caletti

Publication: April 5, 2011

(320 pages, hardcover)

Summary: Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

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Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

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My thoughts: Stay wasn't a typical young adult contemporary read. For starters, Caletti's writing was deep and emotional from the first page. Second of all, the timeline of the novel was unusual and intriguing. Lastly, the premise of the story was mysterious and creepy. All of those elements combined made for a very unique, mostly satisfying read.

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Even though it quickly becomes apparent where the story is going to go, the twists and turns in the novel are still surprising and suspenseful. I really liked the way the book jumped from present tense and Clara's life now, to the past tense, when Clara was with Christian. It revealed the story in an interesting and thoughtful way. Seeing how Clara's perspective changed, and how her faults affected her life made for an emotional novel, and one that I definitely enjoyed.

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One of the downfalls, for me, was one of the things I was actually looking forward to. The suspense; it was definitely suspenseful sometimes, but during some of the moments where the real action was, it kind of fell flat. I might be being picky, it just didn't get me on the edge of my seat like I could have been if the writing was slightly less, well, flat. I really loved the plot, the writing style just took away from the excitement. Other than that, the plot was original (at least to me; I haven't read many books on this topic) and well-paced.

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Clara as a character was great;  maybe it's totally weird, but my favorite character was Christian. Okay, stop it with the horrified expression, let me explain; I was scared of him, creeped out by him, and found him majorly screwed-up. But he was a believable villain, which is a difficult character to find in young adult literature; also, he was a really fleshed-out character, probably the most fleshed-out after Clara. He was my favorite in how complex he was. Which leads me to another one of the things I loved about Stay: how realistic Clara's response was. I don't want to ruin stuff, so I'll keep it simple and say it just was realistic. 

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Not to end on a bad note, but my last thought is that the ending left me a bit unsatisfied, which is th main reason I really liked but didn't love. Caletti even acknowledges the slight lack of closure, which, while it provided some sense of relief, knowing that it was meant to be that way, still made me wish there was a little bit more. But overall, Stay was an honest, good read.

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Covering the Cover: At first I wasn't a big fan, but in the end, I really like the simplicity and light colors of it.

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Writing: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4 stars