A Dark and Creepy Comparison - Here There Are Monsters vs. Never-Contented Things

How frustrating is it when you go into a book with high expectations and then find yourself utterly disappointed? How amazing is it when you start a book not really hoping to enjoy it and then find yourself immediately sucked in?

I had both of those experiences in the last few months and with two books that were seemingly similar and so I thought it would be fun to compare them.

Never-Contented Things
by Sarah Porter

The first book was Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter. (Borrowed from my Local Library)

Prince and his fairy courtiers are staggeringly beautiful, unrelentingly cruel, and exhausted by the tedium of the centuries ― until they meet foster-siblings Josh and Ksenia. Drawn in by their vivid emotions, undying love for each other, and passion for life, Prince will stop at nothing to possess them.

First seduced and then entrapped by the fairies, Josh and Ksenia learn that the fairies' otherworldly gifts come at a terrible price ― and they must risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom.

I read this one back in April and marked it as a 2 star read.  I have to admit that I got sucked in by the premise and the stunningly creepy cover. I love dark fae stories so I thought this was going to be right up my alley... and it should have been.  All the elements were there.  Creepy, mean fae.  Humans making sacrifices to save themselves and each other. Walking between the realms.  BUT... although I loved the premise, something about the execution just didn't work for me.  Neither main character was totally likeable (in fact Josh was downright aggravating) but that can work if done well (think The Cruel Prince by Holly Black) and the Fae weren't very well fleshed out.  I was way more interested in the introspective journey Ksenia has to take that is largely self-directed, than the "punishments" or cruelties of the fae. I found myself anxious for the book to just BE OVER about two-thirds of the way through, and I powered through to the end since it was a shorter novel, but I didn't even find the end totally satisfying.  I'd had high hopes for this one and sadly the reality fell very short. 

Here There are Monsters
by Amelinda Berube

Book two was Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Berube. (ARC received from Sourcebooks after the Book Expo - publishes on August 1, 2019)

I devoured this one last night.  I sat down to read at about 7:30 p.m. and finished it just before 10:30 p.m. A one-sitting read! I gave this book a 4.5 star rating.

Sixteen-year-old Skye is done playing the knight in shining armor for her insufferable younger sister, Deirdre. Moving across the country seems like the perfect chance to start over.

In their isolated new neighborhood, Skye manages to fit in, but Deirdre withdraws from everyone, becoming fixated on the swampy woods behind their house and building monstrous sculptures out of sticks and bones.

Then Deirdre disappears. And when something awful comes scratching at Skye's window in the middle of the night, claiming she's the only one who can save Deirdre, Skye knows she will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.

Now, this, THIS is what I'd been hoping for with the first book! This book held my attention from start to finish. It doled out backstory in dribs and drabs... just enough to keep whetting my appetite to read.  I felt sympathy for both Skye and Deirdre...until I didn't... and even then, I could feel how trapped they both felt.  This book explored their relationship to each other and everyone else in a brilliant way.  And this dark fantasy had the perfect blend of goose-bump inducing setting and creepy creatures that made me shiver.  

There was a gritty realism that I felt was missing in the first book, possibly because this one takes place in our world, while the other skips into a blend of ours and the fae, without truly committing to either.  The resolution of Here There Are Monsters left me slightly heartbroken and perfectly satisfied which was exactly what I'd hoped for as the book went on.  I hadn't been sure what to expect after reading the other book, and this type of slightly "horror" novel isn't my usual fare, but I really, truly enjoyed this book and I know I'll be recommending it to others in the future!! 

2019 5 Star Read #4 - Greta and the Lost Army by Chloe Jacobs

Greta and the Lost Army by Chloe Jacobs
Mylena Chronicles, book three
Published Feb 2016 by Entangled: Teen

Format Read: ebook from Personal Kindle Library

*Spoiler Alert as this is the final book in the trilogy!!*

Description from Goodreads:
A fate as unavoidable as love itself...

After spending the last four years trapped in a place of monsters, demons, and magick, the last thing the fierce teenage bounty hunter Greta expected was to ever be back on Earth. But a rare opportunity gives her and the Goblin King Isaac the opportunity to do just that. Now she’s home. With a boy in tow. And her parents have lots of questions.

Although Greta finally has her heart’s deepest wish—to see her family again—every step she takes to reconnect with them drives her further away from Isaac. Greta and Isaac planned for her to return to Mylena and become his queen, but she’s not sure if she can go back to that harsh world, though staying on Earth means giving up the boy she loves.

But a powerful enemy refuses to let Greta escape. A demon who will stop at nothing to destroy her and everything she loves. Even if it means following her to Earth and forcing her to face a fate as unavoidable as love itself.

My Review: 

I'm going to try and be somewhat spoiler-free here, but again this is the last book in the trilogy, so some hints may be unavoidable as to what happened in the first two... 

Anyway, this is not the first series, nor I'm sure will it be the last, where the main character finds themselves transported to a hostile world.  What I really enjoyed about this particular book in the series was that the author takes the main character, Greta, back to her home world and then lets both Greta and the reader come to the realization that Earth may no longer be the best place for her.  It explores both the joy and guilt associated with her homecoming.  The excitement and the bewilderment.  The horrible confliction that she now feels as she realizes there are things she truly loved about Mylena, even as she was working so hard to escape it. 

I hadn't quite expected when I started this series to get so emotionally invested in it.  It seemed like it would just be a breezy, fun paranormal YA romance and I found it to be so much more by the time I finished it. The characters had depth and there was both action and romance that built in a believable way.  There was good world building and consequences to characters' actions and betrayals that moved the plot along well. As I said, I ended up really loving this series.  I was so happily surprised.  

I think this is a trilogy that never got the buzz it deserved and is well worth a shot if you are looking for something new to read!  

How an Author's Writing Style Can Affect a Reader's Experience

I know that at least for myself as a reader, the author's writing style can be just as important to my reading experience as the story itself.  I'm sure it has to be the same for other readers out there. 

Sometimes an author's writing is lush and technically beautiful, but the story just can't pull you in. For me, an example of this was Kendare Blake's Antigoddess. While I've loved her Anna duology and the first book in the Three Dark Crowns series, I just could not get into Antigoddess and ended up DNFing (Did Not Finish) it, which is rare for me. 

Another book that I DNFed was Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, the first book in the Witchlands series. While the concept of this book sounded amazing and I wanted desperately to love it, and the story itself was pulling me in, I struggled so hard with her actual writing that I couldn't finish it.  Now as I see other readers online raving over the newest book in the series coming out, I find myself tempted to go back and try Truthwitch again, but I don't really have the time right now.

Don't hate me, but another author I struggle to actually read is Jane Austen. I *LOVE* adaptations of her work... in film, on television, and retellings by all types of authors because the story is there, but I cannot read her actual words easily.  Some of her novels, like Emma, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey are somewhat easier, but I tried both Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility and just struggled the entire way through.

I'm actually hoping at some point to try out the books in The Austen Project series, starting with Sense and Sensibility re-envisioned by Joanna Trollope.  Here's how the project is described (from Goodreads): The Austen Project pairs six bestselling contemporary authors with Jane Austen’s six complete works: Sense & Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion and Mansfield Park. Taking these well-loved stories as their base, each author will write their own unique take on Jane Austen’s novels. With some stellar contemporary authors on board, I'm sure I'd enjoy these when I have time to pick them up. 

So what prompted me thinking so hard about writing styles?  Well, last week I read books two and three in the Dustlands trilogy by Moira Young. I had read the first book, Blood Red Road, back in February 2012 not long after it first came out.  As you may or may not know, I love dystopian fiction and this book hit me just right. I absolutely loved it and raved about it, in fact here's an excerpt from my blog review: I loved the written style of this book. It reads like a movie. The prose is sparse and thus, even more compelling. The author purposely refrains from using quotation marks around the speech, indicating yet a further breakdown of society, but also forcing the reader to truly read every word on the page. The world is well-built, with realistic issues, and a cool futuristic cowboy vibe. I loved it so much that I bought books two and three in hardcover as they each come out. 

Now, six years later (and six years older) I dove back into the Dustlands world, expecting to love it as much as I did originally.  When I cracked open
Rebel Heart I was astounded how much I did not have a problem jumping back into the story, but how jarring I found the writing style to be...it took me at least a third of the book to decide that, yes, I was going to finish it.  What I'd once found stand-out and compelling, was not off-putting and hard to read.  I found myself longing for the quotation marks to signal me into dialogue.  I had to slow my reading down an incredible amount through this second book until I sort of got the hang of recognizing what pieces were action and what was dialogue. 

By the time I read book three (and I'm happy I did so immediately after the second), Raging Star, I had hit a somewhat uneasy stride again, and found myself so compelled to finish Saba's story that I was happy to chug my way through it.  I do not think, though that I would be looking for any books written this way purposely, though.  I remember when the first book came out it was read by the Nutmeg Award nomination committee of which I was a member, and many other readers HATED it because the lack of punctuation was so frustrating.  NOW I absolutely get what they were distressed by and have to at least partially agree. While I'd love to say that this series could have found a wider readership with a different writing style, I also have to go back to the critique I gave the first book and recognize that the style was chosen with a purpose.  It makes the trilogy unique in a sea of YA dystopian fiction and emphasizes both the lack of education of the main character's society and the desperation that they all feel in a broken down society. 

All in all, I'm very glad I read the trilogy and enjoyed the story, but struggled with the way it was written and will most likely be donating these books to my Library, rather than keeping them for myself. I don't think I'll ever reread them. 

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
Harlequin Teen, 2017
*second cheat book for February 2018, received in Once Upon a Book Club YA August 2017 box*

First off a confession - this is technically the SECOND cheat book for me for February. I'm so ashamed. *hangs head* I had an ARC from the 2017 Book Expo, but I got rid of it and never read it while I technically owned it.  So....when I decided I really wanted to try out the Once Upon a Book Club book boxes, one of the ways I justified it was that I had technically already had this book once upon a time, but realistically this is a second cheat book for me....

Now that I've made my confession, let me tell you my thoughts on the book itself! Aside from a super pretty cover - it's purple and rich and dark and twisty (which always appeals to me), it has a wicked premise. I kind of want to jump into Foody's head to see the world from which she plucked this story and its characters.

In this book, when the fabled ancient city of Gomorrah burned, it did not disappear.  Rather through a series of powerful enchantments it turned into a forever burning, moving city, now the most decadent, wicked city festival in the world. The daughter of the city's proprietor, Sorina, is an illusionist who runs the festival's freak show... populated, aside from herself, entirely with entertainers who also happen to be illusions that she has created.  A half-man, half tree, a girl with no bones, a man who is covered with fingernails rather than hair, a hark-girl who soars above the audience, a man who breathes through gills and wears a water helmet when not in his tank, a baby who spits fire, a two-headed boy, and a manager who (sometimes) has the strength of ten men.

When they travel to the contentious Northern mountains region they face hostility from the local government run on religious principles. Shortly after arrival in their first Northern city region, one of Sorina's illusions is murdered; a feat that should have been impossible.  As she and her family grieve, she also begins to investigate and her discoveries illuminate not only a traitor in their midst, but facets of herself that she never knew existed. 

The festival atmosphere coupled with the danger to Sorina and her illusions drew me in from the very start.  It was easy to visualize Gomorrah and its inhabitants, to see the festival workers and what they offered to the public.  Then the idea that Sorina could bring her imaginings to life is so amazing.  I wish I could show others the things I see in my head sometimes!  So often I mourn my lack of true artistic talent because what I see in my mind's eye and what appears on paper are two disappointingly different things.  *sigh*

The story unfolds well and I was on the hook right until the revelation at the very end. I liked how even the illusion characters had their own fully-faceted personalities, just as if they were real family members to Sorina.  I mourned along with her when each murder occurred.  The topics of grief and family dynamics are both well explored here. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from Amanda Foody!

Author Interview - Heather Hildenbrand!

Do you remember when I posted my review of Imitation at the beginning of September?  The really cool book about clones being used for replacement parts, or as body doubles, or in Ven's case, as...bait.... well today I have the author, Heather Hildenbrand as my special guest on the blog!

Mini Biography:

Heather Hildenbrand is the bestselling author of the Dirty Blood series and the epic sci-fi adventure Imitation. She was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was home-schooled through high school. She’s only slightly socially awkward as a result. Since 2011, she’s published more than eight YA & NA novels.

Heather splits her time between coastal Virginia and the island of Guam and loves having a mobile career and outrageous lifestyle of living in two places. Her most frequent hobbies are riding motorcycles and avoiding killer slugs. [Taken from Alloy Entertainment]

Heather graciously agreed to answer a few questions about her writing and Imitation for me today.  So, here we go:

1. How long did it take you, from first spark of idea to final proofs to write your newest book, Imitation?

Well, originally, it took about 3 months and then in March 2013, I self-published it. The version you’re reading now is a slightly tweaked/changed story from the original. The changes I made this time around (when I signed it with my publisher) took about 3 months again.

2. I know that Imitation deals with clones and organ donation. What type of research did you do for this book?

I googled cloning and checked out books from the library. I didn’t go too far in detail with the science of it because, frankly, it boggles my mind and I don’t understand things like split chromosomes and such. But I think it’s VERY interesting that the technology for something like this already exists. But our laws prevent it currently. Hmm. What if …

3. If you could write a book under a pseudonym that no one would ever connect to you, are there any genres you would love to secretly explore?

Oh I don’t know about that. I wrote a New Adult last year with some sexy scenes that go all the way and it was so hard for me! All I could think about was Your mother will read this! So I think I’m good for now. 

4. If you could cross one thing off your bucket list tomorrow, what would it be?

Riding an elephant!!! It’s definitely on the list for 2015!

5. Quick Picks List:
Favorite vacation destination- out of places I’ve been, Dominican Republic. Out of places I want to go, Thailand.
Favorite childhood book- A Hole is to Dig. Or Harold and the Purple Crayon.
Favorite writing snack food- Peanut M&Ms.
Favorite clothing item- Boots! (and jeans)

As I mentioned before, I love thinking about all the nuances and ramifications that arise from cloning.  The ethical issues, the potential good... and bad that can be done.  I find it fascinating! Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to answer my questions, Heather. I really appreciate it.  

For all of you, if you'd like more info on Heather you can check out her blog, Facebook, or Twitter.  For more info on Imitation, you can check out Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

Waiting on Wednesday: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created and hosted by Breaking the Spine and highlights books that bloggers are all itching to get in their greedy little hands. LOL.

My choice for this week is:

To All the Boys I've Loved Before 

by Jenny Han 

Publication date: April 22, 2014

Description (from Goodreads):

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Waiting on Wednesday: Rebel Belle

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created and hosted by Breaking the Spine and highlights books that bloggers are all itching to get in their greedy little hands. LOL. 

My choice for this week is:

Rebel Belle 
by Rachel Hawkins

Publication date: April 8, 2014 

Description (from Goodreads):
Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him--and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.

WIP:The Next Big Thing - Blog Hop!

So, my friend and fellow writer's group member, Becca, tagged me in this thing called WIP: The Next Big Thing. It's a series of questions designed to give readers a chance to know a little bit about our current WIP (Work in Progress)... So, here we go:

What’s the working title of your WIP?

Well, the working title for my current novel was originally "Revelation" when it began as a short story. Now, I sometimes refer to it simply as "The Fae Story" or "Lis' Story," so it really is only a working title. I'm going to have to brainstorm once I'm closer to publication...

Where did your idea come from for your book?

This will sound slightly silly, but my idea came from a conglomeration of little things. I have loved Faerie stories (not to be confused with their more innocent and happy cousins, the Fairy stories) for years and years and have tried crafting my own more than once. I am also obsessed with trying to find the perfect example of a great guy best friend that becomes the hunky boyfriend story, so again, I've been wanting to craft my own. And... it all sort of came together when I saw two things that directly inspired my main character, Lis (short for Chrysallis)...

One was Ashley Tisdale's video for the song, "Crank It Up"


I just adore the imagery of a club girl with tiny wings...hence a faery who adores the vitality of the L.A. club scene...












...and then Lis really came to life in my head when I started watching the TV show, Lost Girl. The main character's best friend, Kenzi, is actually exactly how I imagined Lis, except human...

What genre does your book fall under?

My book would be considered a young adult fantasy.
What actors would you pick to play your characters in a movie rendition?

As you could see above, I would love to have the actress, Ksenia Solo, from Lost Girl play Lis. As for the guys... Cam Gigandet (Burlesque) would make a fabulously rakish, Gryff, and I can't help but picture True Blood's Ryan Kwanten as the lovable Ewan. 


What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

Faerie accidentally exposes all of her kind and must deal with the fallout in both the human realm and her own.

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?

Though I would love to find a traditional publisher, at this point I think that I will be self-publishing. The publishing world is in an interesting place right now...

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 


First, I have to remind you all that I'm not technically done with the first draft yet, LOL. I'm aiming (pushing myself really) to get a full first draft done and out to my readers by the end of this calendar year. From start (in the short story version) to now, I think I've been working on this novel for about a year... I think.

What other books would you compare this story within your genre?


Oh, I hate doing this! The whole point is to try and not be totally reminiscent of other people's works, but... fans of Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series will probably feel right at home. I know there are also similar elements in Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series...

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
 As I've already said, I've always wanted to write a Fae story. When inspiration struck, it happened to coincide with the announcement of the annual Writer's Digest short story contests. I decided to craft my idea into a short story to enter (it didn't win, lol) and that's how it all began. Then with some major prodding from Becca (who is amazing, btw) it's been coming together into a much more involved story.

What else about your book might pique the readers interest?

Let's see...there's betrayal, romance, intrigue, creepy Fae, protesting humans, yoga, and more! :)

So, that's it for me, for now... If you stayed tuned here you'll be sure to see a lot more information as I get done with my first draft and start the process of editing and then publication... until then, these are all the teasers you get. LOL.

I'm supposed to tag other authors now to see if they'll participate, but I don't really know any that I think will have the time right now, so I'm breaking the chain! *cringes* Please don't throw anything at me. I'm sorry!   

2010 CLA YA Section Annual Meeting - Taking Your Tech Up a Notch

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I am Co-Chair of the Young Adult section of my state's library association. So, part of my responsibilities is to set up the annual meeting for all Young Adult Librarians in Connecticut. We had our 2010 meeting this past Wednesday.

We did a full day of programming last year, so this year we decided to concentrate on how better to use technology to reach our teen patrons. "Taking Your Tech Up a Notch" was a full day meeting and I'm proud to say was wildly successful!

The day started off with a Skype session with YA author, Paul Volponi. We were able to talk about his books (including Rikers High,Response, and Hurricane Song), his experiences skyping with classes, and his own reading/writing habits. It was a lot of fun and we were able to show how simple it is to set up a skype visit with an author through the Skype An Author Network.

After our skype session, we had lots of "flash" tech presentations. Each 15 min. presentation was by a different Librarian on a different tech topic. We learned about creating a Facebook page for your Teen Department, using Twitter to alert teens, and also using an SMS email service to text teens alerts.

We also discussed switching to an online Summer Reading Program, creating award winning videos with teens, creating awesome book trailers, utilizing Overdrive to download audio books and e-books, great online (and FREE!) softwares like Wordle.

All in all, it was a great day. I got some new ideas for the future and I think everyone else did, too! I cannot wait to see what gets planned for next year...and I think I'll be happy to just be attending. I am still tired! :)