How Zoe Made Her Dreams (mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer

How Zoe Made Her Dreams (mostly) Come True
by Sarah Strohmeyer
Read: April 15-16, 2013
Published: April 23rd 2013 by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Source: Around The World Arc Tours
Category: Contemporary, YA 

Zoe and her cousin Jess have landed summer internships at Fairyland Kingdom theme park, where a bunch of attractive high school students dress up in fairytale character costumes for the hordes of visitors all summer long. Zoe's not sure why she was accepted into the program, because acting isn't really her thing. But she's excited to spend time with her cousin, check out the hot guys and work in a place that she loved growing up, and that reminds her of her mom. There's also a chance to win the coveted $25,000 Dream and Do grant. 

Of course the internship doesn't end up being nearly as fun as Zoe imagined, especially because she is assigned to be the Lady-in-waiting aka personal assistant/slave to the park boss "The Queen." Soon backstabbing interns, an evil lap dog, a runaway Cinderella and cutthroat competition make Zoe's job more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. Zoe has to decide what's more important: keeping her job, helping her cousin or saving the prince of her dreams? (adapted from Goodreads)

______________________________________________________________________________

How Zoe Made Her Dreams (mostly) Come True is like an ABC Family Cinderella movie in book form. You know, A Cinderella Story, Another Cinderella Story, A Singing Cinderella Story, A Dancing Cinderella story (I will shamelessly admit that I have seen all of those movies). This book is a Fairytale Theme Park Cinderella Story, complete with real princes and princesses (yes even a Cinderella!). How Zoe Made Her Dreams (mostly) Come True is similar to those over the top, addicting ridiculous movies, only the story is harder to digest in book form than movie. Probably because I didn't have all those colorful moving pictures to distract me from the fact that this book is not even remotely plausible. 

In fact, the more I thought about this book the more I realized that it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Besides the fact that the theme park violates tons of child safety and labor laws, the plot is utterly silly and filled with massive holes. It stretched my suspension-of-disbelief-for-a-contemporary-book abilities to the max. Even so, the story did amuse me, it wasn't stressful and I laughed in several places. I was also fairly surprised by the end, even if that end made the story all the more over the top.

The romance in How Zoe Made Her Dreams (mostly) Come True was cute and triangle free. I did like Zoe's love interest, and the sweet relationship he developed with Zoe. I also did not mind being in Zoe's head. She really tried to do the right things, and I appreciated the efforts she made to grow up and face some experiences from her past. But it was hard to take those parts of the story seriously amidst the rest of the zany fairyland plot. Several of the supporting characters were fun and didn't always do what was expected, which was also a plus. I enjoyed Zoe's supportive cousin Jess, and a few others who became more intriguing as the story went along.  

As a retelling of the Cinderella story, How Zoe Made Her Dreams (mostly) Come True has the appropriate elements - an evil stepmother (boss), concealed identities, sabotage, glass slippers, costumes, dances and a prince charming, of course. I liked that the fairytale elements were remixed and the story wasn't always predictable. However, the book was also more confusing at times than it needed to be, and the silliness and my extensive efforts to suspend my disbelief overrode some of the fun of reading it. If How Zoe Made Her Dreams (mostly) Come True was turned into a movie, I would definitely watch it. In book form, it is not quite as charming (pun intended).

Love Triangle Factor: Mild

Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Elegy by Tara Hudson

Elegy
by Tara Hudson
Read: April 9 - 11, 2013
Published: June 4, 2013 by HarperTeen
Source: Around the World Arc Tours
Category: Paranormal Romance, Ghosts, YA
Series: Hereafter book 3

NOTE: Elegy is the third book in a trilogy, but it is safe to read if you have yet to start this series. Find my review for book two, Arise, HERE. 

A stalker ghost, misguided Seers, and spellbinding wraiths—Amelia Ashley has faced them all. Now her greatest hope is to spend the rest of her afterlife with her living boyfriend, Joshua. But the demonic forces return to give her an ultimatum: turn herself over to the darkness or watch them murder one living person per week until she does.

Amelia fears she might really be doomed, until the forces of light give her another option. She can join them in their quest to gather souls, with a catch: Once she joins them, she can never see Joshua again.Faced with impossible choices, Amelia decides to take her afterlife into her own hands—and fight back. (From Goodreads)




_____________________________________________________________________________


The third book in a ghost trilogy is where I start to dread the fact that I'm reading a series that features a relationship between a human and someone who is dead. It's when reality sets in, and I realize that there aren't a lot of options that end positively for the couple in question. Although I love the HEA ending, it's a little unrealistic for the ghost to come back to life again, and most other endings involve a lot of sadness. Of course I won't divulge what occurs in Elegy, except to say that it is filled with love and hope, and that I was pleasantly surprised by how appropriate and true it felt to these characters and their story.  

My favorite part of the Hereafter series, and the reason I've continued to read it, is the relationship between Amelia Ashley and Joshua Mayhew, who only found each other after Amelia's life had ended. Their relationship contains the sweetness of first love, but also strength and maturity from shared trials, as well as an aching inevitability that Amelia is living on borrowed time. Their commitment to each other despite impossible circumstances, and a constant threat from the Netherworld, gives their relationship a steadfastness of a more mature couple. I love that they are always kind, respectful and supportive of each other, and that despite their major life differences (i.e. Joshua is alive and Amelia is not), I felt like they truly understand each other. They also have a normal, inspiring relationships, which is sometimes rare the young adult paranormal genre (especially the relatable/normal part).  

Not only together, I appreciated both Amelia and Joshua individually. Amelia is a likable heroine, who has come a long way from the scared and confused girl at the start of the first book. She is smart and determined to save the people that she loves, but she is no martyr. Amelia is dedicated to defeating the demons and wraiths that have been the cause of so much heartbreak and destruction in her town. In all the pressure she faces, she doesn't start pulling away or making irrational decisions, but decides to do what she believes will make the most difference. 

Joshua is in many ways a regular teen boy, which is also refreshing in this genre. He is not a mysterious bad boy, or a traumatized, tortured soul. He has friends, plays baseball and respects his parents. He is open about his feelings for Amelia and is always supportive of her. He is the kind of boy that I wish I'd known in high school. 

Of course, Amelia and Joshua are not the only two characters in this series. Several others have stood out to me. I enjoyed Amelia's friction and tentative friendship with Jillian, her contentious relationship with Ruth, her constant worry over her living mother and questions about where her father ended up after his death. In the final book we also get a glimpse of past characters again, and some are in much better places than others. 

However, throughout the entire series, especially in the second and third books, I had a lot of trouble with the world building, most specifically the ghost mythology. Eventually it got to be distracting enough to affect my reading. I felt like the limits of how much I could suspend my belief in order to enjoy Amelia and Joshua's story, were being tested beyond their bounds. Many of the ghost rules did not make any practical sense to me, especially once elements change in book 2. Some of the rules seemed to be added just to create tension to the plot, and not because of a good explanation. 

If you're looking for a sweet love story within a supernatural setting that has ghost elements, this series is a great choice. If you get hung up on world building and the practicalities of mythology, you may have some problems with this series. In the end I am glad that I met Amelia Ashely and Joshua Mayhew, but my enjoyment of their story would have been much stronger if the ghost elements had made better sense to me. 

Cliffhanger Scale: Series conclusion
Love Triangle Factor: NONE for the series 

EARTH DAY Blog Tour: 4 Children's books by Stephanie Lisa Tara

The Earth Day Celebration blog tour is hosted by CBB Book Promotions

See the full tour schedule HERE

I'm celebrating Earth Day by reviewing four books by author Stephanie Lisa Tara, who writes picture books featuring animals and environmentally friendly messages. She has a unique verse style that is sweet and engaging. The best part is that I was able to share all of these books with my young children and include them in the review process. Along the way, they learned a little bit more about the animals that live in the world and ways to help keep them safe. 

I'll Follow The Moon
Written by Stephanie Lisa Tara
Illustrated by Lee Edward Fodi 

I'll Follow the Moon is the perfect way to introduce children to the hatching of sea turtles, who "follow the moon" back to the ocean. I like that the book is colorful and written in an easy flowing verse, while also being educational. This was my 3.5 year old daughter's favorite of the four books we read, and the story she requested the most. When I asked her what she liked about it she said "I like the baby turtle and the mommy turtle." My son (who's nearly 2) enjoyed pointing out the moon in every picture, and my daughter could recite the repeating lines by the end. The poetic words and large pictures are descriptive and very clearly illustrate the action of the story. They also prompted many questions about what was happening to the turtles as they fought their way out of the sand to the ocean. The picture my daughter liked the most was the illustration of the eye poking through the egg. It made her laugh. When we visited the beach later in the week, we even talked about how turtles lay their eggs in the sand - though, they don't do that near where we live. 

Snowy White World to Save
Story by Stephanie Lisa Tara
Illustrations by Alex Walton 

Snowy White World to Save introduces children to the concept of global warming and the affect it has on polar bears. Those are difficult ideas to explain to my 3.5 and almost 2 year old, but this book is a great start to the process. My kids especially loved to seeing the animals throughout this book and finding and naming them on every page. We also talked about how the bears were having trouble finding food because it wasn't cold enough outside. What I like about this story is that it is one that will grow with my children. As they age I will be able to use it to talk about larger environmental issues, but for now, I'm glad they know that there are animals living and searching for food in the far north. Tara's verse style coupled with the clear illustrations of animals in their natural habitats, made the book fun and easy to understand.  

Gwynne Fair & Shining
Story by Stephanie Lisa Tara
Illustrations by Lee Edward Fodi

Gwynne Fair & Shining is the story of a young maid who dreams big. It features magic, music, a fairie-queen and an angry knight. This is the first book that my daughter requested of the four, mostly because it has a picture of a girl on the cover, whom she decided was a princess. In fact, her favorite part was when the girl puts on the pretty dress and the necklace at the end (she's not into deeper meanings at this age). However, this ended up being her least requested book, partially because was difficult for her to understand what exactly was going on in the story. One of the reasons was the free-verse text was a little harder to understand when used to tell a fairytale. It also read the least smoothly of the four books. I tripped over my words a lot while reading it aloud, and even had difficulty myself understanding the tale. Gwynne Fair & Shining is a sweet story, but I would have preferred this one in prose, or a clearer verse. However, I hope that my daughter will enjoy this one more as she gets older.

Little Library Mouse
Written by Stephanie Lisa Tara
Illustrated by Alex Walton

Little Library Mouse is about the magic of books to feed your imagination. Each page featured a new adventure for the little mouse, who explores the library after it has closed for the day. I loved the way that Stephanie Lisa Tara's verse style flowed in this book, as well as how well the illustrations describe the mouse's adventures. Each new page was colorful and filled with lots of details that were a delight to explore. My daughter also had a lot of fun reading this book. When I asked her what was her favorite part, she said "the chef mouse and the cupcake." However when we flipped through the book again to find the picture, she basically pointed to every other image and said she liked that one too. Little Library Mouse is a story that we will enjoy over and over again.


_______________________________________________________________________

About Stephanie Lisa Tara:

I've always believed that magic hides in special places. As a child, people would often stare at my bright red hair, which was very, very bright indeed.
Unfortunately, I developed a bad habit of making up rhymes about all of them, and they soon became funny characters. I didn't have much time to think about being different; fanciful lyricisms danced in my head, and no one was safe!
Since then, I've come to believe that storytelling has the power to inspire a deep love of language and learning. Words tripping off the tongue in somersaults that stick to your thoughts like

taffy-- those are the things that stay forever in the mind.
I've lived in many special places: on a farm, in a city skyscraper, on a tropical beach, and in the beautiful country of France. Now I live in northern California, between the redwood forests and the sea. Even though I'm an adult, I'm still as silly as ever.
Many nice words have been used to describe my books, such as fun, engaging, delightful, and whimsical. Some folks say that I deliver timeless messages of love for kids and parents to share again and again; this makes me very happy. I hope that you'll enjoy my stories, too. Captivating children with language is something that I believe in, and I strive to live my life with this always.
--Stephanie Lisa Tara
www.StephanieLisaTara.com

Cause pages (each supports a book's vision):

Facebook page for Save the Polar Bears | Facebook Page for Save the Green Turtles | Facebook Page for Save the Redwood Forests

Stephanie Lisa Tara's Personal Sites:

Facebook | Amazon | Website

Giveaways

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Apollyon by Jennifer Armentrout

Apollyon 
by Jennifer Armentrout
Read: April 8 - 12, 2013
Published: April 4, 2013 by Spencer Hill Press
Source: Kindle Purchase
Category: Urban Fantasy, YA
Series: Covenant book 4

NOTE: Apollyon is the fourth book in a series. If you have yet to start this series, skip the summary paragraph. The first part of my review is safe for all readers. I've noted where you should stop reading if you are new to these books. Find my review of book 3 Deity, HERE.

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself. (From Goodreads)

______________________________________________________________________________________

Before you start Apollyon, make sure to read Elixir, a free novella from Aiden's POV that takes place after the events in Deity. Find it HERE. 

I am completely hooked on Jennifer Armentrout's Covenant series, even though I still have reservations about the world building. I'm not going to rehash my issues in this review, though you can find them at the bottom of my Deity thoughts. To its credit, this series has become more and more unique in each installment. However, I’ve been asking myself why I stuck with it at the beginning, and why my reservations have not stopped me from vigorously eating up each book. I think it's because Jennifer Armentrout writes great characters, couples with amazing chemistry, and she allows her readers to indulge in both within her complex and engaging stories. Moreover, in each book of her multiple series, the scope of the world she's created continues to widen in proportion to the mounting tension. Everything gets bigger, more important and scarier, and it all increases realistically within the story. 

Armentrout writes fantastic characters that are likable, flawed and strong, and that have believable thoughts and emotions. These characters also have fantastic chemistry with other characters with those qualities. Then she moves her story in realistic directions, without sacrificing characterization or adding annoying elements just to keep the tension high. She also allows her readers to actually watch her couples fall in love and see their relationship grow. In so many series authors try to keep their story interesting by adding obstacles, triangles, or pulling apart their couples, but I love that Armentrout allows her readers to see the strength of them together. The way they compliment and support each other, makes her stories stand out to me.

Possible spoilers beyond this point if you haven't started the series: 
Alex grows up a lot in Apollyon, individually, and also in her relationship with Aiden. She has to come to terms with what it means that she is the second Apollyon, including making tough decisions and sacrifices that have big affects on the world around her. Known for rushing headlong into danger, Alex is learning that isn’t always the best course of action. Her character growth is one of my favorite parts of this book. I also love how much Aiden compliments and supports Alex, and in many ways tempers her impulsive nature. In Apollyon I really enjoyed seeing the sweet and playful side of their relationship, amidst the very real danger they are in. Although Alex is the all powerful Apollyon, it is clear that they are an equal match of strength and will, and that they truly compliment the other.

Of course Seth is still very much part of this story. What I really appreciate about this series is that it does not descend into the predicted triangle route. Seth is tied to Alex, but it is always clear where her heart lies, and it does not waver. In many ways I think this series is stronger because of the complicated relationship between Alex, Aiden and Seth, without it involving her being torn between two guys. I think that has allowed me to sympathize more with Seth and his situation, because I’m not stressing about the triangle.

If you're wondering specific details about what happens in this book. Alex is connected to Seth when the book begins, and she calls him my Seth. How long that frightful situation lasts (or if it ever ends), you'll have to find out for yourself. More gods pop up. Alex spends some swoony time with Aiden. She learns a lot about her role as the Apollyon and what it will take to stop the people coming after her. She takes two trips, meets new people and does a lot of fighting along the way, including against spiders (*shudders*). Alex also interacts with two specific characters from her past in very moving scenes, which were also great lulls in the overall stress of the book. Basically the tension is raised a lot in this installment, and the scope of the danger gets increasingly wider and more dire. 

Although I wouldn’t call the ending of this book a cliffhanger - because it is a natural break in the action and there is low immediate danger, the big moment I though this story was working towards did not come in Apollyon. That doesn't mean that what happens is any less scary. Also, I have a lot of questions after the end of this book. Although the story ends on a quiet moment, I’m still confused about several things that happened near the end, and I'm very eager for answers. Thankfully, Sentinel releases in December. 

Cliffhanger Scale: Low - Medium (Medium, because a lot of questions have been left open, the action isn't completed, and there are big things looming. Low, because the book ends on a quiet, safe moment.)

Love Triangle Factor: Mild

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure
by Julie Kagawa
Read: April 7 - 11, 2013
Published: April 30, 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Source: AWAT (Around the World Arc Tours)
Category: Dystopian/Vampires YA
Series: Blood of Eden, book 2

Note: The Eternity Cure is the second book in a series. My thoughts contain some spoilers for book one. Find my review of The Immortal Rules, HERE. 

My summary: After leaving Zeke and the other humans safely in Eden at the end of The Immortal Rules, Allison is searching for her sire Kanin. Captured by "Psycho Vampire" Sarren, Kanin is being repeatedly tortured, and Allison knows that she's running out of time to save him. Her blood tie to Kanin allows her to sense where he is and also experience his increasingly bleak emotions. Allison's search for Kanin leads her all over the United States, including back to New Covington. As she travels, she runs into many characters - some old, some new and very few helpful. Allison also discovers more about the origin of rabidism, and realizes that circumstances in her world are even more dire than she’d originally thought.


_____________________________________________________________________________

If I could use a phrase to describe The Eternity Cure, it would be “blood bath.” With lots of violent, gory battle scenes, more vampires and rabids on screen, as well as a new and frightening population of deranged characters, this book is firmly planted in the horror genre. While Allison spent most of her time in The Immortal Rules as the lone vampire living with humans, in The Eternity Cure, she mostly travels within the vampire population, discovering just how scary they can be. This is probably why I spent most of the story on edge, with my stomach churning.

I really enjoyed The Immortal Rules. I thought Julie Kagawa's take on vampire culture in a dystopian world was fresh and engaging. I liked that Allison was fierce, and relatable but not whinny or annoying. I even enjoyed the tentative love story, especially because it was Ezekiel Cross (Zeke) who taught Allison to care for the welfare of others. In many ways Allison became more human and compassionate after she turned into a vampire, because of Zeke's influences. But despite the fact that I was excited for the continuation of Allison's story, I found that I was not able to muster the same enthusiasm for the sequel. It took me a lot of time to engage with the story and characters in The Eternity Cure, although I will admit that I was fully invested by the end. 

One of the biggest issues I’m having with this series is the romance. Although I like both Zeke and Allison, I am finding myself emotionally unwilling to invest in a relationship between a mortal and an immortal, when the obstacles in the way of their happiness seem to make the effort not worth it. Unfortunately, this is how I felt for over half of the story. I will admit that this is a recent personal preference - and that I have no idea where this story will take these characters. To their credit, I thought Allison and Zeke's relationship got much stronger and more compelling as this book continued (Zeke also morphs into more of a badass). I am not opposed to them, I just wish that they made me more excited. 

The Eternity Cure ends in a scene that is exceedingly stress inducing. Also for all the blood, gore and traveling that Allison did in this book, I’m not sure that this installment moved the overall story forward very much. Although there were a few revelations – at least one good, I was more interested in the psychological and moral aspects that were present in the first book. The second book mostly featured a continuation of the same internal questions that Allison had already wrestled with. However, I was very intrigued by Allison's character growth/change at the end of this installment. The last few chapters definitely made a difference. Because of that, I am interested in what Kagawa does to Allie in the third book. 

The Eternity Cure was much more of an intense, fighting to survive story. Horror is not my favorite genre, and at times it was tough for me to get through this one. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised several times by characters who popped up unexpectedly in the story (I secretly kept hoping that Grimalkin would show up to save the day. Spoiler: He didn't.), and I especially love Allison's relationship with her mentor Kanin. Although I had a huge breakdown after the final sentence - where I declared "I hate it" and "I won't be reading the last one," on further reflection - after I got over my tantrum, I am invested enough to want to see where this story goes. 

Cliffhanger Scale: This one is very debatable, some would say mild. I'm going to say HIGH for stress level, enough that I wish I hadn't read this over a year from the release of book 3.
Love Triangle Factor: None