By Golly, Ollie!

  • The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    2 comments on The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson is easily one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read.  Ever.  It’s decades in the future in America; doctors have fallen into the habit of playing God, but their medicine has been rendered useless ever since they began pumping people full of antibiotics endorsed by major pharmaceutical corporations.  Jenna Fox, who has just woken up from a coma with “amnesia”, has been affected by this, but to what extent I can’t say because it will spoil the story for you.  Throughout the book, Jenna must rediscover her past to learn who or what she truly is.  At the same time, she must keep it a secret because she is afraid people will think she is a monster, and she doesn’t want to jeopardize her and her family’s freedom.  The Adoration of Jenna Fox seemed so eerie to me; as medicine and technology keep advancing I do think what happened in the book could be possible in reality.

    Awesome storyline aside, I appreciate how many of the characters in this book grew and changed throughout.  In most books, it seems only the main character grows, and the rest of the characters only encourage the growth.  But, in The Adoration of Jenna Fox, opinions of supporting characters change over time regardless of the magnitude, and these impact their perceptions of themselves, the world, and their relationship with Jenna Fox.

    While I very much enjoyed the story, I did have trouble appreciating the way it was written.  Everything was stated so matter-of-fact from Jenna’s point of view– cold and calculated.  However, I think if it were written any other way, the story wouldn’t have the same impact on the reader.  I’m also left feeling a little confused about one of the characters.  Everyone made such a big deal about him, warning Jenna to stay away from him, but he rarely made an appearance in the story.  You see, I can’t even remember his name, and I’m not entirely sure why he’s such a bad person.  At one point, he and Jenna have a confrontation of sorts, but I don’t understand his motivation.

    Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I liked the development of the storyline and the development of the characters.  But, above all, I loved how the story questions both bio-medical ethics and humanity.  It does so in a way that is not overly philosophical or pretentious, and it will appeal to both teens and adults.

    The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

    Released: April 2008
    Genre: Science Fiction
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [goodreads | indiebound]

    Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn’t remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

  • Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage

    Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage

    2 comments on Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage

    If I cannot live in J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world pre- or post- Vol-Vol…he-who-must-not-be-named, can I live in the world Annastaysia Savage created in Any Witch Way?  I thought Annastaysia’s world-building was superb.  The story starts in our reality, but as Sadie learns of her true identity, our reality blends and eventually fades into the realm of magik and fantasy.  Annastaysia incorporates all of the magical creatures and myths we grew up reading about in fairy tale books from imps and nymphs and centaurs to creatures that may be a little obscure.  She also creates her own vivid and terrifying, evil creatures for Sadie to battle.  She introduces these creatures without bombarding the reader with too much backstory.

    The world Annastaysia created was so vividly described too.  Beautiful images of the magikal realm were painted in my mind as I read.  But, I was confused when the different realms and planes were brought up.  While I have a vague concept of what the planes are, I’m not entirely sure how they work.  This doesn’t conflict with the reader’s ability to understand the storyline or appreciate the world, but it might make a reader curious.

    Any Witch Way was an action-packed novel from start to finish.  Around every corner, enemies, strange creatures, and paralyzing potions confront Sadie as she tries to put the Syndicate at bay.  Even though there is a lot of history to introduce to Sadie and the reader, it doesn’t slow down the plot any.  Oh, and I should mention this story is filled with plot twists.  I did not predict what the ending had in store!

    I loved the characters in this story.  Sadie grew from a girl who is unsure of herself into a brave and confident witchling.  She achieves it all without a romantic interest helping her along the way which is even more awesome!  All of the races of creatures in the story, and there are a lot, have defining personality traits so they don’t just blend into each other, and it was fun getting to know each one.

    Overall, I loved this story!  It was funny and scary and heartwarming and full of adventure– all under one book cover.  Typically I have a difficult time getting into fantasy novels since the world-building often outshines the characters, but Any Witch Way had a nice balance of both.  Oh, and I still can’t get over how much I loved the magikal world.

    I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage

    Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage

    Released: April 2011
    Genre: Fantasy
    Age Group: Middle Grade

    [goodreads | indiebound]

    Enduring the teasing and ridicule of her schoolmates, Sadie struggles through life as a pre-teen on the eve of her 13th birthday. Three years ago, a car crash took her mother, but Sadie never saw her body. She refuses to believe her mother is gone. Holding fast to that feeling earns her the nickname “Crazy Sadie.”
    Despite her one wish to be normal, Sadie only finds solace with a small group of unusual characters. These unlikely friends give her a semi-normal life outside of school in a bookstore where strange and mystical things seem to happen. If Sadie entertains her deepest suspicions, her friends are a little mystical.

    When her birthday arrives, however, Sadie finds herself whisked into a magical world that swirls just under the surface of normal life. Not only does she learn she’ll soon become a witch, but she also discovers she must battle The Syndicate to save her new world.

  • The Candidates (Delcroix Academy) by Inara Scott

    The Candidates (Delcroix Academy) by Inara Scott

    1 comment on The Candidates (Delcroix Academy) by Inara Scott

    My experience with books that delve into the realm of the paranormal has rarely been a positive one.  I always seem to get my hands on the books that have super lame, female main characters.  But, The Candidates showed me strong female lead characters can exist in these types of books.

    Dancia Lewis was awesooooome!  In the beginning, she struggled with low confidence, but throughout the book, she begins to grow into a strong-minded and independent young woman.  Her confidence is on occasion punctuated with moments of self-doubt, but she always manages to pull through.  I think this is the kind of growth I’ve been missing in so many of the books I’ve read in the past few years with female main characters.  And, the fact that her new confidence waivers on occasion make Dancia seem real to me; what young adult hasn’t grown up experiencing this?

    My only frustration with Dancia is she seems too mature for her age.  If she hadn’t said she was 14 years old and just entering high school, I would have assumed she was about to graduate high school.  On one hand, this was a breath of fresh air.  On the other hand, it wasn’t entirely believable.  I was 14 once and I know 14-year-olds– we were never that mature and self-aware.

    The romance in this book doesn’t make me cringe.  For once!  There are two possible love interests for Dancia.  There is Jack, a freshman like Dancia, who comes across as a bad boy and unapproachable to those who don’t know him.  Then there is Cam, the eleventh-grade heart-throb– the “All-American” type if you will.  Like most teenagers, she is at times preoccupied with the thoughts of these two boys, but it’s not constant; Dancia isn’t another Bella Swan.  The romantic relationship she develops isn’t even rushed.  I just find it frustrating that characters always go for the love interest opposite of who I would choose.  Seriously Dancia, why couldn’t you choose……just kidding!

    The pacing in the novel was a little slow, but this didn’t make me read it with any less vim.  Much of the action takes place in the last quarter of the book, and once I got there, I couldn’t read or turn the pages fast enough.  Otherwise, there was a lot of background information offered in this book; I have to assume this means the next book is going to be action-packed and full of win!  Regardless of the pacing of the Candidates, this was a book I simply could not put down.

    I thought the only noteworthy downfall of this book was the lack of descriptions of the setting.  I understand Delcroix Academy is a big, brick, square doughnut-shaped building sitting on the top of a hill, but I’m perplexed about what the inside of the building looks like.  In my head, I imagined the inside of the Academy to look the same as my old high schools, which I’m sure is hardly the case.  I would hope the inside of Delcroix is significantly more pristine and grand.  But, since there weren’t too many descriptions, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

    Overall, the book was awesome!  I loved the characters, and I’m intrigued by the storyline.  I can’t wait to find out what happens next, so I’m especially eager for the second book to hit shelves!

    The Candidates (Delcroix Academy #1) by Inara Scott

    Released: August 2010
    Genre: Fantasy, Romance
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [goodreads | indiebound]

    Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just…happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually, someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

    But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia’s days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses–not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

  • Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    4 comments on Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    Let me just gush about the pages of Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick for a minute.  Each one is formatted and designed to perfection.  Each page has a cute background, not unlike Twitter.  The blog entries are headed by spiffy blog headers.  And before each tweet is a small little picture of the…er, tweeter?  Tweet Heart was such a visually appealing book!

    The characterization was pretty good, especially considering Rudnick had to do it in 140 characters or less.  Although, readers get to learn more about Claire and Bennett through their blogs and Will and Lottie through e-mails, too.  I thought the characters were pretty realistic, but I hate to say it, all the characters annoyed me at one point in the story.  They either seemed too shallow or too obsessed with their image, but for the most part, they all experienced some kind of transformation at the end that allowed me to appreciate the characters.  Or at least made the characters more palatable.  Lottie and Benn were the best considering they acted as a voice of reason throughout the novel but with just the right amount of snark.

    The plot was equal parts fun and frustrating (OMG!  @WiseOneWP, how could you do that?) but also a tad bit predictable.  I think readers will want to snag this novel for its unique format instead of its mind-blowing plotline.

    Overall, the book was a fun and fast read.  I just wish there were more #hashtags.  I think this is considered one of those summer day beach reads, so even though beach season is several months away, make sure you pack this book in your beach bag!

    Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

    Released: June 2010
    Genre: Romance
    Age Group: Young Adult

    [add to goodreads ]

    Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone. But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected.

  • Textual Healing by Eric Smith

    Textual Healing by Eric Smith

    3 comments on Textual Healing by Eric Smith

    First, there is Andrew Conner, or as he prefers, Ace. He was once a best-selling author, but now he suffers from a drought of inspiration. He’s neither the hyper-masculine brute nor the silent, brooding type that seems to plague too many novels (of the romantic sort). He’s dorky and quirky and witty and well-read, and even at his lowest, Ace still elicits some smiles—even a few chuckles. Then there is Hannah, a spunky gal from Montana, who makes me wonder why can’t more heroines be like her. She has an insatiable case of wanderlust, and she speaks her mind. She just might be the cure for Ace’s writer’s block. We have a setup for a story that I’m guaranteed to love.

    Even though I was a total sucker for Ace and Hannah, my actual favorite characters are the wonderfully written secondary characters. On one hand, I connected with Valerie, a young woman working in Ace’s bookshop. She’s shy, teetering on socially awkward, and she always has her nose buried in a book or her homework. But! She has a secret, which is revealed in time. On the other hand, I loved the Orchid, the ninja who owns the flower shop across from Ace’s bookstore. She only speaks in haikus and she (almost literally) kicks ass. I say almost literally because I don’t think she actually kicked anyone in the rump; she does tie up “evil-doers” though, and she chucks shuriken at people

    This only scratches the surface of all the incredible characters readers meet in Smith’s Textual Healing. I was in book heaven since I’m one of those people who crave well-written characters over intriguing plot and world-building and…other stuff.

    There were several pop culture references, which might be distracting to some readers. I thought they were tastefully done though and often hilarious. I especially loved the nod to the epic pirate vs. ninja debate. And, although often laugh-out-loud hilarious (seriously, it was), some of the humor was a little…overkill? For the most part though, Smith knew where to draw the line.

    I typically avoid romantic comedies/romance novels, but Textual Healing offered a fresh approach to a plotline that can easily become clichéd and full of one-dimensional characters. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

    Textual Healing by Eric Smith

    Textual Healing by Eric Smith

    Released: November 2010
    Genre: Romance
    Age Group: Adult

    [goodreads]

    Few people have to deal with a haiku-speaking flower-shop-owning ninja every day on their way to work. Unfortunately for Andrew Connor, he is one of those people. And poor Andrew, his week has been a rough one. His former bestseller, Chasing Fireflies, is on clearance at Barnes & Noble for $1.37, his girlfriend left him for a corporate America action figure, and he’s been tricked into joining Textual Healing, a support group for writers who can’t seem to write anymore. Dealing with his employees at his failing used bookshop, a strange new love interest from the Midwest, and a pet sugar-glider that has somehow managed to destroy his entire apartment… when will he ever find the time to put pen to paper again?

About the Blogger

My name is Jackie, and I am a millennial / mother / Michigander / blogger / wannabe runner / accountant / local library enthusiast / gamer, kinda. This is a personal blog, which means I’m not entirely certain what you’ll find here, but it will definitely not show up on the first page of Google search results.