Review- Angelfall

I know I've done a mini review for this book, but it deserved more. Here it is.

 Angelfall. Where have you been all my life? This book has left me speechless. It ties for the best book of 2012. I don’t care that it came out in 2011, it is clearly transcendent.

 

Despite its focus on angels, the premise is highly original. Recently, angels have inundated the reading waves, but these books have been nothing like Angelfall. This book breaks the mold.

 

When the story begins it has been 6 weeks since Angels have disseminated the world—only pockets of humanity remain. 16 year old Penryn is responsible for her disabled sister and her schizophrenic mother. During her attempt to move her family to a secure location, they end up in the middle of a fight amongst angels, resulting in her sister being kidnapped. To save her sister’s life Penryn has to make a deal with an Angel, Rafael.

An angel who has recently lost his wings, Raffe is only concerned about himself. He has never cared too much for humans, but Penryn has offered to help him find someone who can sew his wings back on. In exchange, he will take her to where her sister is being kept.

Together they forge an unlikely bond as they travel across the deserted Silicon Valley streets heading to the Angel headquarters in San Francisco. Along the way they are attacked by a gang, captured and held hostage, but together they escape and head to the final showdown between Rafael and the Angels.

In the end, nothing is the way you would have hoped, but the characters have grown so much and there are interesting twists and subplots that come to a successful conclusion.     

 

This book has everything.

 
1) A really original plot, that had me perched on the edge of my seat for the 6 hours it took me to read it. There was even a creepy subplot about children who have been reconstructed into evil killing machines, that made the hairs on my neck stand up.

 
2) An amazing heroine who doesn’t whine or complain, but does what she has to do, to save her family.  Too often in YA books, the heroine dissolves into a ball of tears the instant her nails break.

 

3) An amazing Angel, Raffe, who is the ultimate definition of swoon worthy.  No insta-love, but a romance that hummed along right beneath the surface, which left me wondering if the characters felt it too.

 

4) And a creepy setting that heightened the book’s overall tension.  Having grown up around the area that the book takes place it was surreal to hear about it being so desolate. The author uses amazing descriptions and Imagery to make the setting seem so vivid.  The writing truly conveyed the wasteland that the Bay Area had become, which made the story more real, and less a work of fiction.    

 

This book was an amazing start to what will hopefully be a successful series.

Review of The Exemeus by "I'm an eclectic reader"

Hello all,

I'm back after a little break. Today I'm reposting someone else's post about our book. It's included below:

I have to start this review with a confession. I don’t like the name Hyalee, which happens to be the name of the main character in The Exemeus. I can’t help it. The name just doesn’t work for me. So I had trouble liking a character named like that. It’s a weird pet peeve of mine, and here more importantly, I have the feeling the name didn’t match the character, which is another pet peeve of mine. At around page twenty, I was convinced this book wasn’t going to be for me. But I kept on reading, hoping to find something I liked.

And I did. Because by the time I very well realized it, I was halfway through this book and eager to read more. Even despite my initial reservations, I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it. By the time I was at midway point, I couldn’t stop reading anymore.

The story is amazing. Dephon is trying to find a way to survive ninth grade in the post-apocalyptic world she lives in, which is pretty dystopian. By the way, Dephon is a pretty cool name, which made up for Hyalee’s name being not as cool, in my opinion. But Dephon has powers, powers the government want to eliminate, because, like most dystopian governments they’re highly allergic to anythigng that can cause a threat to them. So they want Dephon out of the picture, and they literally sent an army of assassins to do so. Dephon has no choice but to fight back, and help the greatest warrior in history. Problem? Hyalee, said great warrior, well, she’s dead.

And that’s where the rollercoaster ride that this book is truly picks up, and everything beyond that point is amazing. I didn’t just enjoy this book, I LOVED it. Dephon isn’t your typical YA fantasy character, and neither is Hyalee, but they both pretty much rock. The society of Trepton, where they live, isn’t entirely dystopian but it comes pretty close. Most of all I loved the background story, the setting and the lore.

If you choose one YA novel to read in January and you like fantasy, choose this one.

Review-Pure by Jennifer L Armentrout

At the end of last year, I got the ridiculous notion to review all the books I read for the year and put it on one blog. I quickly realized no one would want to read that hodgepodge and so I'm going to individually review all of my favorites from last year, until have enough favorites from this year to think about.


My first pick for the year is Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout.  Prior to this book, I had read others in this series, as well as her other series, Obsidian. The books were all good enough to make me finish, but not quite strong enough to make me crave more...until this one.

 

I loved this book. The main character Alex poses a threat to the covenant and the entire governmental system, because, once she turns 18, she will raise the god killer. Her "mate" will be able to suck power form her and become this destructive force that is powerful enough to wipe out the gods. The covenant and a secret society, desperate to ensure this doesn't happen, attempt to nullify her as a threat by condemning her to servitude... or worse.

 

This book is incredibly well written. The action starts from the beginning and continues non-stop until the end.  It is believable and well written in a way that makes you feel like you're there. But the best aspects are the characters Alex and Aiden. Their relationship is intense, their attraction to one another smolders, seeping through the pages. Like most YA love stories, is a forbidden love, but it doesn't feel rehashed. Jennifer L Armentrout makes this plot device feel new and original, breathing a life into all of its own.

 

She manages to make Alex seem headstrong and powerful, while still giving her an heir of uncertainty and most importantly, femininity. Her ability to fight with the big boys, but to still be gentle enough to love and be loved by Aiden, made her a character easily worth remembering.

 

Aiden is an amazing character. Armentrout does a great job of making him stoic, dependable, and noble. Aiden’s adherence to rules could be a bit grating at times, but when he ultimately breaks the rules it means even more to the story. Armenttrout puts these two drastically different characters together in a way that forces them to grow.  Armentrout made the dreaded second book be better than the first, a rare feat from any author. I truly look  forward to reading more from her in the future.     

The fun in fiction

Today, on the day of our successful book launch, I thought I should write about why I love ya fiction.

Fiction in general is amazing to me. You can create an alternate world where there are flying pink monkeys, where Sarah Palin became president, where the flu is an alcoholic beverage and no one should tell you anything about it. I love fiction because it is so totally freeing. As a writer of YA fantasy, you're unencumbered by the rules of society, free to alter the world in whatever way you see fit. But fiction to me is more than just freedom. Fiction is a platform for your beliefs-- a place where you can (subtly) talk about and comment on whatever you want, the things that resonate with you the most.

 Today I read a post criticizing my characters' names, of all things. It was like a flash back to third grade. Ever since I was a child people have made fun of my first name because it was different. Despite everything that America stands for: the freedom to be different, to be original, to forge your own path, people have always asked me why my parents didn't conform. Why I wasn't named Sally or Susan or Alicia.

Overtime I have grown to love the oddity that is my name, but I realized that their are other people who haven't had that luxury. People who are ashamed that their name is different than the traditional. So I wanted some of my characters to have those same issues. People will always ask me why I picked "weird" names, such as Hyalee and Dephon for my lead characters. I picked it for the people who will never see their name in a book or on those key chains at souvenir shops. So for just a brief glimmer in time, people can be absorbed into a character who isn't normal, right down to the spelling of their name, and hopefully everyone can identify with that on some level-- even the Sallys, Susans, and Alicias of the world.

This is why I love fiction. For just those moments of freedom.  

Book Launch Tomorrow

      With the new focus of my site pertaining to books and book reviews, I'm going to start taking note of books that are coming out this year. I'm going to talk about the launching of my favorite books like the sequel to Demons at deadnight, Angelfall, Legend, anything by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and of course the launching of The Exemeus series, which by the way launches tomorrow.

        I am beyond excited that the world will get to finally read our work. I hope you all love it as much as we do. To kick off the launch we're having a huge release day party on all of your favorite blogs, as well as two months of back to back blog tours and book giveaways. Below is our tour schedule. Hope to see you there.

January 1st: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading
January 3rd: Release Day Party The Exemeus
January 4th: Book Excerpt and Giveaway @ The Book Daily
January 5th: Book Excerpt @ Classy Me Books
January 6th: Author Interview @ Forever Book Lover
January 7th: Book Excerpt @ Hollow Readers
January 8th: Book Review @ I’m an Eclectic Reader
January 9th: Author Interview @ Cassidy Crimson’s Blog
January 10th: Book Excerpt @ 365 Days of Reading
January 11th: Author Interview @ Majanka’s Blog
January 12th: Book Excerpt and Giveaways @ Andi’s Young Adult
January 13th: Author Interview and Book Excerpt @ The Victorian Vanity
January 15th: Book Review and Author Interview @ One Emily’s Bookshelf
January 17th: Author Interview and Book Excerpt @ Books and Tales
January 19th: Book Review and Giveaway @ I Heart Reading
January 21st: Book Review and Excerpt @ Kari’s Bookshelf
January 22nd: Author Interview @ Suzanne van Rooyen’s Blog
January 23rd: Book Review @ The Single Librarian
January 25th: Book Review @ Sara In Bookland
January 27th: Book Review @ Forever Book Lover
January 29th: Book Excerpt and Giveaway @ Cassidy Crimson’s Blog
January 30th: Author Interview @ Blooding Book Reviews
January 31st: Book Review @ 365 Days of Reading
February 1st: Book Review @ Bianca2B

The best YA books 2012 (part 2)

The second part of my list  of young adult books for 2012 is coming soon. Currently, I'm gearing up for the launch of The Exemeus, but I'll update the list soon and finish my reviews.


-Folami Morris

The best YA books of 2012-mini review

Seeing as it is the end of the year, I feel like its only appropriate to write book reviews about my favorite reads of the year. This year I have read a lot more ya books than normal. Reading has become my official source of procrastination, I have effectively avoided graduate school tests, paying bills, packing clothes, laundry, and moving by becoming- what I call- a world class reading procrastinator. It's been hard work. So in honor of me and my fellow procrastinators, I'm going to catalog all of the books, I remember reading this year and pick out my favorites and review them.

For the upcoming year, I will write book reviews as I read the books, like a sane person.  But as for now, I needed a new source of procrastination. Looks like I found it.

Feel free to agree or disagree with my book reviews, I will not post bad reviews because I know the amount of energy that goes into writing these books, so if I don't like a book I have read I will remain mute. But you are free to do and post whatever you like.

I'm also going to dedicate one post to the two best books of the year. But for now this page will be my ongoing project.

1.  A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

2.  A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony

3.  Angelfall by Susan EE - although this book was released in 2011, I didn't read it until 2012, so it counts for this year.

Book Description
"It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again"

Mini Review

 I loved this book, it was wonderfully written, the language flowed and each character was well defined. The heroine was strong and there was no insta-love. I also loved the character's devotion to her family and the way that her relationship built between her and the angel, Raffe.

This is one of the rare heroine's who wasn't dysfunctional. She had one goal and no one could deter her. The goal centered focus of the book made everything very coherent, which is frequently missing in YA fiction. I am dying to read the sequel. A really good start to a series.

An amazing book, 5 stars.

4.  Ascend by Amanda Hocking

5.  Auracle by Gina Rosati this book was so very different. It was about a girl who had been displaced from her body and another girl, Taylor, had taken it over. It was more character driven than plot driven, but I loved it. I think I loved how real the character's were and how much Rei loved his friends and was willing to do anything to protect them.

 An amazing book, 4.25 stars

6.  Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent I love all of Rachel Vincent's books. I can't say that I remember this one individually, since I sat down and read the whole series all in row. It took a grand total of two days to read 5 and a half of them. They were all really good stories about a banshee and her relationship with two sidhe (male banshee) brothers. The author didn't pull any punches and never let you feel as though she wouldn't kill off a character or destroy a relationship that you loved. It made the entire experience distressing and amusing. She did a good job of making me addicted to the story line. Overall, a great read for those who have the stomach for it.

An amazing series 4.25 (This was the synopsis for all the books in this series)

7.  Black Heart by Holly Black was really original. It was about an alternate world where people can have special powers. The powers are all very basic though, so its not like a super hero, but more like one ability (transformation, controlling of dreams, erasing memories). The powers are less than fascinating, but its the writing that makes this story impressive.
                         Black has created an amazing world where the mob has powers and canvases for other people with power. The biggest crime bosses daughter is missing and the protagonist (whose name escapes me) believes he killed her. The story unrolls in little twists and turns, some that are predictable and some that are not, until we arrive at an interesting conclusion that leaves the reader wanting to delve into the complex world once more.

An interesting and original series 4.0   

8.  Boyfriend From Hell by E. Van Lowe

9.  Breathe By Sarah Crossan
10.Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout
11.Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout
12.Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout
13.Delirium by Lauren Oliver
14.Demons at Deadnight by A & E Kirk
15.Earth Angel by E. Van Lowe
16.Elemental by Brigid Kemmerer
17.Elixir by Jennifer L ArmenTrout
18. Endlessly by Kiersten White
19. Existence by Abbi Glines
20. False Memory by Dan Krokos
21. Flutter by Melissa Andrea
22.Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis
23. Gravity by Melissa West
24. Half Blood by Jennifer L Armentrout
25. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
26. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
27. If I Die by Rachel Vincent
28. Insurgent By Veronica Roth
29. Intertwined by Gena Showalter
30. My Soul to keep by Rachel Vincent
31. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
32. My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
33. My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
34. Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout
35. Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Midway through this exercise, I realized how daunting this is. I procrastinated way more than I initially thought. So, I will divide this extremely long list, which rivals Santa's list of naughty children, into two parts. I am also only going to review my absolute favorites and anyone who LOVED one I didn't review can write their own review in the comment log.