Novella Review: Double Crossed by Ally Carter

A Spies and Thieves Story

Published by: Disney Hyperion
Rating: 4/5

Copy provided by NetGalley

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.

Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.

When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

This was fun. This novella is pure fangasm for readers of Carter's Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series. It combines the essence of both series flawlessly and by the end of it there is no doubt that these two series make up parts of one world.

I loved the interaction between Macey and Hale especially as they were trying to work each other out while trying to stop the bad guys. There was also that moment at the start when Macy tried to flirt with Hale, definitely a squee moment for Kat/Hale shippers.

I also liked how we got to see some of the other characters from each series, especially Kat. Her role in the novella really showcased her character without taking it away from the main characters. I also thought how her night ended was a really nice touch. And I definitely have to agree with Macey, Kat and Cammie need to meet at some point, I think it would be epic.

This novella really worked and was a clever move of Carter's part as those who may have read one series but not the other are given enough juicy content to entice them to go straight to the book store and buy the other books.

Book Review: Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

Carnival of Souls #1

Published by: HarperCollins
Rating: 3/5

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

This book was like walking into the supermarket and buying your favourite flavour of Pringles - for me, Sour Cream and Onion - only to get home and open it to find that it's half full; it's disappointing but at the same time you still get to experience half the deliciousness. And that's exactly how I felt reading this book, the blurb promised so much awesomeness but once I opened it and start reading I found it just didn't quite hit all the marks.

The world-building: I love it when an author gets world-building right because it makes a book all kinds of awesome. Unfortunately, Marr didn't quite always get it right. The concept was really interesting and well thought out but there were a lot of things I felt I just didn't get. I think the main issue was there was a lot of telling and what was being told was pitted with holes. How does the world of The City connect with our world? What exactly are the daimons? Werewolves? Shifters? Something completely different? What are the Watchers? And what on earth do the blue masks do? Seriously, did I miss that because I understand red and black? Just to name a few. That being said the parts that made sense were amazing, the world of the The City is so rich and colourful and I was left wanting to know more and understand how it works better. There was only one other gripe I had and that was the use of the word breeder. I got that it was part of the world building as daimons are canines, and as such the language that builds their hierarchy and their lives reflects this but I couldn't help but feel offended about how it was used at times. It connotes a patriarchal society where women are viewed as lesser beings then men and are there to look after the house and have babies. Now don't get me wrong I'm not die-hard feminist but breeders is just an awful term especially when there weren't any female characters who were rising above the system (I'm not counting Aya because nowhere does it state that that is one of the issues she wants to change).

The characters: I can't say I became too attached to the main characters. Mallory was almost non-existent, and when she did feature I was unsure who she was. On the one hand I was being told she was a good fighter and on the other I was being shown that she had no clue what was going on or what to do. In one fight scene she bumbled around and had no clue what she was meant to be doing, which is not the mark of someone taught to fight. I also didn't really connect with Kaleb and Aya. The thing is they were well written and fleshed out. Kaleb was far more than a fighter and an assassin, and Aya was, well, she was pretty much just a women seeking power in the naive hope she could change the world by herself. The one character that I loved and I hope will be featured more in the next book is Zevi. He was one of those lovable characters who have so much strength and courage.

So this is my half full pack of Pringles, left with the feeling of being cheated something truly special. I do look forward to reading the next in this series and hope that it leaves me feeling more satisfied than this did.

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Published By: Little, Brown a& Co.
Rating: 3.5

A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Social commentary; the act of using  rhetorical means to provide commentary on issues in a society.

I'm going to put it out there that like most others, if not everyone, I read this because it was written by Rowling. For me if I like a book or series an auhtor has written, chances are I am going to pick up their other published work, so despite not being a fan of delving into the genre of social commentary I gave it a go. Therefore, I went in having no disallusions; this was not going to be Harry Potter, I was going to take a while to read it, and I probably wasn't going to like it all that much. Much to my surprise I only got one out of three right - this was no Harry Potter.

This book takes a snapshot of the lives of various people living in a small English town called Pagford. Not everyone is easily placed as good or bad, and life isn't all rainbows and butterflies. This is where I most enjoyed the story and where a lot of people will hate it. It is about "real" people, in a "real" situation, teenagers swear and have sex, people take drugs, relationships falter, people are abused and raped, bullying occurs, there are clear societal divides, death, and politics get nasty. Welcome to the real world people minus witches, wizards, and the good guys coming out on top.

The writing is in the same simplistic style of Harry Potter. It is a style that works for this book making it fairly easy to read, and I feel it would translate well into other genres of adult novel. The only issue I had was at times it felt a bit choppy and didn't flow as well as what it could have.  I also found that it took me the first 100 or so pages to be able to place who was who and where they fit into the story. This made it difficult to really enjoy the story to begin with but is a hazard when alternating chapter perspectives from a wide variety of charcaters. In the end it was worth it as viewing characetrs through different eyes really added depth, and seeing how everything fitted in and came together was a pleasure to read. The characters were well-written ensuring that I loved them, hated them and everything in between.I was to be made to laugh, cry and feel for them, and that is one of Rowling's strong points. She has the ability to write people with depth, no one is perfect, and that is what really comes out in this book.

Not everyone will like this book as it caters to a select readership and can be quite full-on at points. I do not recommend it for younger readers, however, some mature young adult readers may be able to handle it. If you're going in expecting Harry Potter don't even bother because you will be sorely disapponted. But, if this is you're genre or are intrigued to see what else one of the best known authors of our time has to offer, there is a good chance you will enjoy or appreciate this novel.