Red Moon Rising Review

This post was scheduled in advance, but I employed some fairies to help me, and their glamour has a tendency to stop working at the most inopportune times, like when you're loading this blog post. It should run smoothly, though. I hope.

Hey Blogger Buds,

To continue the trend, I've got another gag-worthy book for review this week! It's called Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore.

Disclaimer: This is a review of an ARC. It may differ from the final book.

Blurby:

Being only half-vamp in a high school like Carpathia Night makes you awhole loser. But Danny Gray manages to escape the worst of the specists at his school. Thanks to genetic treatments he had as an infant, most people assume Danny's other half is human. Which is a good thing.

Ever since the development of synthetic blood – SynHeme – vamps have become society’s elite, while wulves like his father work menial jobs and live in bad neighborhoods. Wulves are less than second class citizens; once a month they become inmates, forced to undergo their Change in dangerous government compounds.

For Danny, living with his vamp mother and going to a school with a nearly all-vamp student body, it’s best to pretend his wulf half doesn’t even exist. But lately Danny's been having some weird symptoms — fantastic night vision; a keener-than-usual sense of smell; and headaches, right around the full moon.

Even though it's easy to be in denial, it's hard to ignore evidence. There's only a month until the next full moon, and Danny's time is running out.

Review:

tl;dr review: Easily one of the worst books I've read so far this year. Granted, I've read an embarrassingly small number of books this year, but Red Moon Rising takes the cake. (And yes, I did just say "takes the cake.")

Full review: I don't even know how to preface this one. Just...I expected better judgement on your part, Disney-Hyperion.

We'll start at the beginning.

CHARACTERS

His name is Dante, and he goes by Danny. Who names their kid Dante? At least in some way acknowledge that Dante is a strange name. Just think of Samhain* "Sam" LaCroix! (No offense to anyone named Dante. It's an awesome name, and I think Mr. Alighieri was a brilliant writer.) And Dante was an alright, though pretty boring, character.

The only good part in the book (besides for one intense scene near the end, though my mood was spoiled by the non-ending) was Dante's best friend, Claire. Claire was pretty awesome.

THE WORLD-BUILDING

The world-building would be funny if it weren't so terrible. There are mentions of McJagger, the Royalings Tones, and David-Bo E. I don't remember it exactly, but there's a Bob Dylan knock-off...with the first name Dylan.

But that's kind of avoiding the giant pink elephant in the room, isn't it? So let's introduce him. His first name is "Wulf." His second name is "Vampyre." I think he can finish the introductions by himself, but I don't think that's necessary. We all see his draw-backs. And the spelling is starting to make my eyes bleed.

From page one, you're assaulted with new terms, like "crit level" and "SynHeme" with little explanation. Some of the words aren't so difficult to understand, but it would have been nice to know about the glossary in the back before I finished the book.

OTHER STUFF

One part of this book left me shaking in anger. For this reason alone, the book should not have been published.

The "vampyres" are all blond-haired and blue-eyes. And, once upon a time, oh, 70 years ago, the German "vampyres", who are the upper-class, decided to round up all those mangy "wulves" in concentration camps. Reference, much?

That's right. We just compared 10** million human lives to mythical dogs who don't even know how to spell. And yes, I'm aware that this book is trying to show that the way the "wulves" were treated is wrong. That's not an excuse to make Holocaust references. Jews have been called "cur" (though I wouldn't be surprised if this book spelled it "cir" or something else equally idiotic) enough without your help, thankyouverymuch.

*pronounced "Sow-in."

**I'm including the 4 million homosexuals and gypsies

Rating: 0*

Currently Song: I'm not even going to waste my time

Peace,

Riv

Possession Review

This post was scheduled in advance. Unless the robotic monkeys snuck in and messed with everything, the post should run smoothly.
Hey Blogger Buds,
Today, I have a review of Possession by Elana Johnson. Warning: Rant Ahead.

Blurby:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even thinkabout kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Review:

tl;dr version: There are many better things I could have been doing. Like reading Fullmetal Alchemist. Or stabbing myself with needles.

Full version: This book was terrible. I don't even know what to say. It manages to be both formulaic and uniquely weird at the same time. You're about to find out why.

CHARACTERS

Violet. She's really bland. The most interesting part about her is that she supposedly has cool hair, which she obsesses over. And it's not even particularly intriguing. The characteristic that sticks out most is her stupidity. In the beginning of the book, Vi is locked up with a possibly-dangerous criminal with little-to-no security if he were to, say, try to rape or kill her. All "V" can think about is the way he says the word "nice" and shrugs his shoulders. Never mind that the boy she's been Matched* with--and loves--is waiting for her at home, she's got this hot criminal here who will lend her some hair gel so she can impress people! (Who exactly she hopes to impress when she's locked up with a maybe-rapist is beyond me.)

What else? Jag--the bad boy in our stereotypical love triangle--is hot. And that's pretty much it. Redeemable qualities? Well...he lies a lot. Wait. You're saying that's not a redeemable quality? But Violet does it all the time! And whenever Jag lies to her, she forgives him after approximately 5.3 seconds, so she must not care that much.

The only semi-likable character is Zenn. He's weak and vulnerable, though he's repeatedly called Violet's "sweet, wonderful Zenn." And he wasn't really. This guy has potential, but it's very very minimal.

WORLD-BUILDING

Real "tech" (source)

The world-building is bland and unoriginal, except for this weird bit about character that have mind-control capabilities. What's with that? Is this Doctor Who, where humans have evolved and and interbred with other species to give them new powers? Because the book never mentioned anything like that. It's a futuristic world so...Did radiation alter everyone and magically give them superpowers?

Which leads to my next bit on world-building. They don't have technology and gadgets. There's "tech," also called "techtricity." And Violet can sense and control this "tech" with her mind. In fact, she takes little initiation unless she's sure that her powers are there to save her. Her strength of will and determination only takes her as far as her powers do.

OTHER STUFF

There is, of course, a Resistance. Or Rebellion. Or something. And I learnt absolutely nothing about them in this book. I don't even care to remember their name**.

Violet keeps on mentioned "Vi Speak" and "Jag Speak." As though whenever they say certain things, they mean other things, and they can "understand" each other's double-meaning. Violet, honey, this is what we call subtext. Understanding subtext is part of what makes you a normal, social person.

*Yeah, I linked to that book on purpose. It's nearly identical to this one.

**I used to have a Resistance in my WIP. And then I realized that that is a completely boring name. So I thought up something better.

Rating: 0* No. Just no.

Song that Connects to the Book: I was going to say Me Against the World by Simple Plan, but none of the characters in this book have even close to as much determination and strength shown in the song.

So. That was a bit long.

If you read Possession what did you think? Do you agree with me, or like it for some reason?

Peace,
Riv

The Rules of Survival Review and a Sort Of Hiatus

Hey Blogger Buds,

Those who have been following me for a long time know that I go away every August, to the middle of nowhere without internet. I've considered putting a sibling in charge of the blog, but the Blobfish (AKA: the sister) is super-busy. I try to schedule posts for you, even though I can't put together as many as usual. (I know my blogging has already been pretty...erratic...lately, but that's besides the point.)

I have 2 reviews going up next Tuesday and the one after. I hope to put up another review, though I'm super busy today and I'm leaving tomorrow. I do plan on putting together another few posts, to go up every Sunday (I can't do Sunday and Thursday), but I can't promise. (Seriously--CRAZY busy today.)

I will be back Tuesday, August 21 and I'll put up another post then, if I'm not completely exhausted.

I'm going to have brief internet access, hopefully, on Sunday, August 5th. If you would like to contact me about the blog, I can be reached at RivReads AT gmail DOT com. If you have a more personal, less-official message to send me (I'm going to regret sharing this, aren't I?), I can also be reached at RivReWrites AT gmail DOT com. Blog-related emails WILL NOT BE RESPONDED TO if sent to the second address*.

*Unless you're J K Rowling personally emailing me to offer up a signed ARC of The Casual Vacancy. In which case, maybe.

And, since it's Tuesday, I have a sort-of-mini review for you, as well, of The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin. (Recommended by the aforementioned Blobfish.)

Blurby:

For Matt and his sisters, life with their cruel, vicious mother is a day-to-day struggle for survival. But then Matt witnesses Murdoch coming to a child's rescue in a convenience store, and for the first time, he feels a glimmer of hope.

When, amazingly, Murdoch begins dating Matt's mother, life is suddenly almost good. But the relief lasts only a short time. When Murdoch inevitably breaks up with their mother, Matt knows he needs to take action. But can he call upon his hero? Or will he have to take measures into his own hands?

A heart-wrenching portrait of a family in crisis, this is Nancy Werlin's most compulsively readable novel yet.

Review:

The Rules of Survival was pretty intense, I guess, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it. I do love the style. It was written as a letter (similar to Stolen: A Letter to My Captor) to Matt's younger sister, who was just a child when the book took place. You also, weirdly, know how the book ends before it does. Matt keeps saying how his sister is reading this "after," and she knows XYZ happened. But you still don't know exactly how it's going to go down (I'm reverting to the 80s) until it does, and I was definitely thrown for a few loops. There are multiple climaxes, and they are intense.

One small problem I had was that there was a "big reveal" about Murdoch in the end, something I was able to guess early on. But there was more to it, at least, which I didn't expect.

The Rules of Survival gives you a lot of great insights. Matt's mother wasn't exactly abusive on a regular basis. But that almost makes it worse, because she was unstable. You get inside of Matt's head, and you can understand and sympathize with him, living in a constant state of absolute terror.

I liked the characters well enough, though it's not really my type of book. It was okay, and that's pretty much it. A bit forgettable for my fantasy-centered mind. (I find it harder to care about individual characters when the fate of entire worlds hangs in the balance. And yeah, I'm completely aware that this book is realistic, and, sadly, very commmonplace.)

Rating: 3 stars. It was okay.

Adios,

Riv

Thoughts on Books I'm Reading

Hey Blogger Buds,

I went to the library twice in the passed few weeks (yay! the library!), and picked up a nice collection of books. I'm in middle of two, and I started (ie: read the beginning chapter-ish because I was curious) another two. I thought I'd share with y'all a few thoughts on them. I'll tell you how far in I am, too, before you get mad at me for judging a book without finishing it.

Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Read: 10 pages (one chapter)

Definitely unique. I love that we finally have a vampire who, so far, doesn't have much of a conscience. Yes, she steals cars. Yes, she eats from people. No, she doesn't look back, except when she finds a nice, steady source of blood. She's nonchalant and a little bit jaded. The voice isn't necessarily funny, but I am still pretty entertained.

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Read: 14 pages (one chapter)

Although I am the Messenger isn't anywhere near as good as The Book Thief in the pretty writing category, it's still great. 19-year-old Ed Kennedy is very normal, as are all of his friends, who are all entertaining and distinct characters. Ed reminds me a bit of Sam LaCroix from Hold Me Closer, Necromancer in the way that they're both completely normal, unextraordinary (that's not a word, is it?) characters. I also love the formatting of this book. It has four parts, for the card suits, and each part has thirteen chapters, Ace through King.

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Read: 18 pages (prologue + 1 chapter)

I kept on meaning to read this, and I was super happy to find it sitting on my library shelf. I haven't read much, but it's one of the two books I've started and plan to continue. Even though I haven't gotten far yet. It's so intriguing, and the plot is actually pretty complex already while still being easy to follow. There are a handful of characters mentioned that only pop up briefly, but I'm still interested. I love high fantasy like this. :)

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson

Read: 116 pages (18 chapters)

This book is amazing. I flew through it. Sage is an amazing character, very entertaining and likable. The plot is really intriguing, and even the side characters, who Sage isn't exactly friends with, are likable. Words cannot describe my enjoyment of this book. Sage is one of the most brilliant, resourceful, relaxed characters I've seen in a while. And no matter how much he pretends not to care, no matter how sharp he keeps his tongue, he feels deeply about everything, including a pretty servant girl.

Peace,
Riv

More Angelfire Linkage!

Hey Blogger Buds,
We'll be back to your regularly scheduled programming next Sunday. But today I will [once again] direct you to The Little Reapers. A post of mine went up yesterday, and another today, and there's even more of me tomorrow, if you haven't had enough by then! (And then, on Sunday, there's a super super epic giveaway, too.) I spent hours, and swooned a bit, too, to bring you these two posts. I haven't spent this long on a blog post since my tFiOS review. (I know that was pretty recent, and the last time I can think of before that was probably my Iron Queen review back in January...of 2011.)

DFTBA,
Riv

Angelfire Review (Linkage)

Hey Blogger Buds,
Sorry for the late post! I'm halfway through Doctor Who (I've officially become a Whovian) and I realize: Hey! Today's Tuesday! I stopped my episode in middle to come here. That's how devoted I am. I put y'all before David Tennant. (This is saying something.)
I don't have a review right here, BUT I've been guest blogging over at The Little Reapers! Yesterday, I reviewed Angelfire and Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton, and today was my favorites list! I use the word epic a lot. Go check it out!

Peace,
Riv