YA Review- The Pirate Captain's Daughter

(Cover found at GoodReads)

"I always knew my father was a pirate, and I always knew I wanted to be one, too."
-Opening Line

Book: The Pirate Captain's Daughter (Pirate Captain's Daughter #1)

Author: Eve Bunting

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Published: Sleeping Bear Press 2011

Medium Read In: Hardback

Pages: 201

Rating (Scaled 1-10): 5

Why I'm Reading It: I've spent forever looking for good books about pirates. Every time I see one, it's very likely to be a bodice ripper, when I'm more interested in finding fun, light reads along the lines of Treasure Island, or whatnot. I was ecstatic when I found The Pirate Captain's Daughter at my library. I liked the blurb for the book, and promptly brought it home with me for a read.

Summary: After the death of her mother, Catherine is determined to go to sea with her pirate captain father. Despite his reserve, he allows her to come aboard his ship, the Reprisal, disguised as his son 'Charlie.' Catherine has always believed in the romanticized version of pirates, and is disturbed by how dirty and vile their lifestyle is. As she struggles to find her place on the Reprisal, Catherine grows close with the cabin boy and makes enemies aboard the ship.

Review: This book had a lot of potential. I was super excited to read it, and despite the simplicity and slowness of the beginning, I continued to hope in vain for the book to gain more momentum. I liked William, the cabin boy, and I found the pirates we were introduced to to be fairly interesting. Ms. Bunting's writing was crisp and filled in just enough detail to not leave the reader wanting. She kept me engaged in the story, especially with her portrayal of Catherine's emotions. 

The emotional aspect was probably the best part of the novel. Catherine's sorrow at her mother's death, her relationship with her father, her original eagerness for sea, and then her disgust for the situation were all covered with fantastic language and accuracy. However, the relationship with William was under developed, in my opinion. The book was obviously geared toward the younger set of the YA readership, but that doesn't mean that the author needs to make it a magical-love-at-nearly-first-sight kind of romance.

There came a point about halfway through my read where I was about ready to put the novel down. Catherine makes quick enemies with two of the pirates, brothers Herc and Hopper. However, they sort of seem to ignore her. Sure, they bully her around a little, but her response to the two much senior pirates is a terribly stupid one. It almost seemed as if Catherine were the one going after the pirates, instead of them disliking her. Despite my reaction to this, I chose to continue on because of the short size of the novel and how quickly it took me to read the beginning.

Some reviews I have read have mentioned her father's willingness to take her aboard the ship as a dilemma. I feel the need to address this. I can see how that would be a problem in the actual setting of the novel,  but I also realize that without that small action on the father's part there would be no story. I personally allow my suspension of disbelief to accept that little falter for the author, especially with how realistically everything else is portrayed. These are not your gung-ho Disney-esque pirates: there are rats and rum and little-to-no water. The Pirate Captain's Daughter captures the essence of piracy, and so I will give it that.

Overall, The Pirate Captain's Daughter wasn't a horrible book, but it wasn't really a good one, either. I've heard there is a sequel(Voyage of the Sea Wolf), which I plan to read and review shortly because of the potential there was to the book. It captured my attention enough that I am willing to give the next one a chance, in hopes that the author decides to expand her characters a little bit and hopefully engage the bit of plot she had going. I will recommend this book for the younger set of YA, mostly because it is a well written story. Here's to hoping the next one is slightly better!

Happy Reading!

-Moni

YA Review- Aurelia

(Cover from author's website)

Book: Aurelia (Aurelia Book One)

Author: Anne Osterlund

Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Mystery

Published: Penguin 2008

Medium Read In: Paperback

Pages: 246

Rating (Scaled 1-10): 7.5

Why I'm Reading It: I fell in love with this book the moment I saw it. The cover is absolutely stunning, and slightly reminiscent of Girl with the Pearl Earring, or at least I think so. The mask, the curly font of the title, the title itself ("Aurelia" is a gorgeous name!)- I absolutely fell in love with the book from the outside, and knew I had to read what was inside.

Summary: Someone is attempting to assassinate Princess Aurelia, the heir to throne of Tyralt, and so her father brings in the son of his former spy, Robert Vantauge. Robert is supposed to keep Aurelia from finding out about the murder attempts, but she finds out, and they both set out to find the would-be murderer before it's too late, and the villain succeeds.

Review: Luckily, this was not a case of "Book is horrible, but I loved the cover." Neither was it a "I fell in love with this book" kind of case. This book is a decent read, but I was very sad to realize that it was more the kind of book twelve or thirteen-year-old me would have been obsessed with, instead of a book directed at the older set of the YA audience.

Besides that small smidgen, I still highly enjoyed reading Aurelia. Since it was geared towards a younger audience, I did breeze through it rather quickly. I will say, however, that the "mystery" side of the the novel did catch me for a loop. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending, especially the growth in Aurelia as a character.

One of the best parts about this book is probably how low-key the romance aspect of it was. The romance slowly blossomed between Aurelia and Robert, however it wasn't the main focus of the novel as it is so often with YA books today. It promised a mystery/fantasy, and that was what it gave. It didn't have a romance with a pathetic mystery wrapped around it- instead, Aurelia gave us a novel in stride, and I highly appreciate and respect Ms. Osterlund for it.

The novel left me happy after I was reading it, and it was definitely a book I would recommend for most young readers. I had a hard time finding decent fantasy when I was younger- that's why I often reread my Tamora Pierce collection and the few fantasy novels that I had for my age group, and why I started to read Tolkien young. For any youngster who is looking for areas in the fantasy department, they should definitely check out Aurelia.

-Moni

YA Review- The Elite

(Picture found on author's website)

Book: The Elite (Selection Book Two)

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: Dystopian Romance
Published: 2013

Medium Read In: Hardback

Pages: 336

Rating (Scaled 1-10): 7

Why I'm Reading It: I'm not sure why, honestly. The first book  and the mid-quel weren't too awesome or anything, but for whatever reason I feel compelled to continue reading about these characters and what is going to end up happening to America and Maxon (and kind of Aspen). Plus, we get a ridiculously gorgeous cover  (look left). I'm obsessed with this mirrors/dresses theme going on!

Summary: (Mild spoilers for the end of Book One) After the dangerous rebel attacks that occurred in The Selection, Prince Maxon sent all but six of the contestants home. These six are a group of girls called "the Elite." The Elite begin their princess-training while still competing for Prince Maxon's heart- and his crown.

America remains conflicted between her emotional feelings for Maxon as well as Aspen, especially as the Selection becomes more competitive. She is determined to figure out who her heart belongs to, while discovering more about who she is.

Review: The Elite has many improvements over its predecessor, The Selection. First and foremost, we actually met the antagonists during one of the rebel raids. The scene was brief, and I was left a bit confused as to what in the world was going on, but it still shows an attempt to bring the "dystopia" side of the novel to the front. This, of course, is where the novel needs more trying. I can't really tell you why it is a dystopia. However, the romance remains strong, and the main reason I stuck my nose into this book.

The romance elements are strong and very, very there. However, as the main focus of the novel, I was sort of disappointed by America's flip-flops. I just wanted to scream at her, "Fickle Mer! Don't you see how awesome Maxon is?" every time she went back to Aspen. She remained pretty focused on Maxon in the novel, but she got pretty angry at both him and Aspen at various points. I'm just waiting for the day Maxon realizes that his favorite girl used to date her main guard… DRAMA.

I'll also say I like how Maxon is finally taking control of his own life. As per The Prince, he normally lets his father do things for him and is walked over plenty. In The Selection, he sort of let America make the decisions in his relationship with her. But within the novel, Maxon begins to connect with the other girls and go on dates with them as well as America. She gets slightly upset over this, but I honestly think it is really good to see Maxon striking out on his own against his father and America and not being held down while he waits for others to make up their minds.

There is some slight character development in other characters as well, including America. To emphasize it the author has America's father send her letters with her attributes spelled out for us. Shoving it down our throats is not the right way to go with that kind of thing. Yet we still get to finally understand some of the background characters, the queen being the first one who we haven't ever really seen. She is very calm and doesn't seem to exert much authority, but the little time we spend with her makes me enjoy her prescence in the novel.

Another character who we saw some more of was May, America's little sister. I really liked her from the first novel, so seeing her and her sister together again was a lot of fun.  There was plenty of tension with Celeste, one of the main rival's for Maxon's heart. The interesting Frienemy-ship that developed between  Kriss and America also is something to look forward to, should you decide to read it.

The most surprising moment came after their Halloween party when Marlee ran into some trouble. I won't reveal what happens, but it shows lots of improvement in the plot as far as actually affecting characters lives goes.

Overall this novel should be taken for what it is: a nice, fluffy romance novel. It isn't the next Twilight or Harry Potter, but the plot is fun to read and the romance works for a YA. There are some mild improvements over the previous novel, and so it is worth reading to some extent. To read, you can get it here. Happy reading, and see you later!

-Moni

YA Review- The Prince

(Cover from author's website)

Book: The Prince (Selection #1.5)
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: Dystopian Romance
Published: HarperCollins Teen 2013
Medium Read In: Kindle
Pages: 128

Rating (Scaled 1-10): 4.5

Why I'm Reading It: I decently liked the novella's predecessor, The Selection, and Maxon was one of my favorite characters. This novella explores Maxon's point of view a little bit, and so it seemed like a decent thing to read. You can read my review of the first book in there series here.

Summary: Pretty much the events pre- The Selection and the first few chapters, told in Prince Maxon's POV. It involves Maxon and a previous love interest, and expands on his relationship with his father.

Review: I was hoping for something a bit more… full, I guess. This novella suggested, as per its description, that it would involve a love interest for Maxon, and it was sort of suggested (through the point of having a novella for Maxon) that it would be different and deepen Maxon's character. Iy definitely showed a new side of Maxon, however the intrigue of a former love fell flat as it was not the main focus of the novella.

With the YA genre, I've noticed that everything is advertised as a romance of some kind. This is truly a shame. This was a great chance for the author to expand on Maxon's character and humanity, however she wrote, instead, with the same Maxon we knew from The Selection. The novella presented a lot of insight into his dad and his relationship. However, by advertising The Prince as a romance, the novella lost a lot. Its main theme was not romance, and so it really, really lost me.

If my hopes had not been raised to hear more about Maxon's former girl, I probably would have given The Prince a shaky 6. I read it after The Elite, so a lot of what it hinted at didn't surprise me. However like the other two, The Prince is a nice, fluffy read when you need to do something for an hour. The new character, Princess Daphne, was a very flat character, and didn't come across very well. In the time we see her, she comes off as a love sick floozy without any backbone. Maxon and her had zero chemistry, and the entire romance angle was a flop.

The best part of the novella was seeing Maxon and his father interact. The tensions were a bit thick between the two, and the dynamic did come across well on paper, unlike the rest of the book.

If you like The Selection, this is a nice complimentary read for the series. However if you're only moderately interested in the series- such as is the case for many people- then the novella is easy to pass up. For those with interest, you can purchase the e-book version on Amazon.

I feel like now is a decent time for me to address my feelings towards this series. I don't find America to be a particularly good character. She doesn't come across well on the page, she's mopey, and overall I just don't like her. I don't find myself rooting for her and her plight. I dislike her more than I dislike Bella Swan. The series is, of course, a straight up romance with mild dystopian elements. But the author doesn't even try to elaborate too well on them, and it bothers me so much.

Yet, somehow I cannot stop myself from wanting to read them. I've even re-read The Selection! I don't understand why, but something about this series is addictive. I'm not quite sure why, but I want to read these books, which highly distresses me. Complex emotions aside, enjoy the words!

-Moni

Gathering Storm Final Review and Fallen

Gathering Storm Final Review

Since I'm new to this whole blogging thing, it was very easy to forget I even had one! Well, a few days after I posted about Gathering Storm, I finally was able to finish the book. So, here's my critique.

Book: The Gathering Storm (Katerina Trilogy One)

Author: Robin Bridges

Genre: Paranormal Historical Fiction

Published: 2012

Pages: 400

Genre: Paranormal Historical Fiction

Why I'm Reading It: Suggested to me by the Buzzers on RandomBuzzers.com. It looked good, and had a suggestion by one of my favorite booksellers at the local store. 

Summary: A Russian noble girl attends a finishing school, where she hides a deadly secret: She can raise the dead. As she attempts to hide it from the rest of the court and tries not to be manipulated by the princesses of another land, she also encounters others with magical powers and explores the world of the Russian court.

Rating (Scaled 1-10): 8

Review: Well, the lots-of-people-have-magic thing kind of threw me off. I didn't like that as much. Even though magic should fight magic, it didn't really suit my tastes to have the Russian Court I loved learning about thrown totally and utterly away. Once I got past that, this was a wonderful tale. 

Let me start with the writing. The style is very intricate, without describing every single nook and cranny of the setting. I really liked that. I got a feel of what the life was like in the Russian court during the Industrial Revolution period. The story is filled with sweeping balls, wonder and enchantment. Definitely a good piece to any novel. 

Katerina really has a close relationship with her family, which drives her actions in the story. From her cousin and roommate at the institute, to her mother, father and sibling, she is a very caring person who will do anything to protect them from knowing about her 'curse.'

All in all this was an amazing book, but I really would have liked to know a little bit more about the backstory. Where the magic comes from, how the rulers of the two fae courts came to be rulers, how the fae courts came to be, etc. 

I definitely like the Russian prince George the best. He is by far the coolest of the love interests. I don't want to spoil too much, so I'll make this short and sweet and finish here! 

Read Other Book Reviews: http://www.randombuzzers.com/books/view/the-katerina-trilogy-vol-i-the-gathering-storm/

Buy The Book:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385740220/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0765302306&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1KYD8E17PJPJESS0M98C

Fallen

So the next book I will be reading is Fallen, by Lauren Kate. Its in the paranormal type genre again- I promise the next book won't be! After I got my first round of buzz bucks from the RandomBuzzers site, this book really caught by attention, and so I ordered it. It has a gorgeous cover- almost pitch black except for the light illuminating a girl with her hands in her face. Its stunning. 

I'm really hoping it turns out to be as good of a read as The Gathering Storm. Both seem to look gorgeous on the front, and have the paranormal thing going on. I'm not normally a paranormal fan, but these are really growing on me! :) 

In other news, I've been requested to share this with all of you:

http://www.randombuzzers.com/books/exposed-2/

I have a huge stack of books that I'd like to read and write about right now, so I'm going to wait before I go and get exposed. If anyone checks it out, comment about it so I can get the scoop.

Well, I have some homework to go do if I'm going to start Fallen tonight. 

See Ya Next Time! 

Moni.