Review: Torn by Stephanie Guerra

Torn by Stephanie Guerra

Published: May 15, 2012

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish

Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

Stella Chavez is your classic good girl: straight As, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer trophies. You’d never guess that Stella’s dad was a drug addict who walked out when she was a kid. Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more.

New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella’s polar opposite: cursing, smoking, and teetering in sky-high heels. But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another world—a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn’t be tried once.

It’s not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she’s ever had and the friends she’s known forever, between her family and her own independence, between who she was and who she wants to be.

But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn’t show anyone—not even Stella. As Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the ultimate betrayal. 

Review:

Torn really brought back some memories of my junior high days. I had a few Rubys come through my life and I could really empathize with Stella's struggle to know where to draw the line in their friendship. This was what really kept me reading. I wanted to know just how far Stella would let Ruby push the boundaries and how she would finally say enough. I found that she had a much farther boundary than I would have.

Both of the girls' characters are well developed and it is easy to see why they are drawn to each other, especially as we learn more about Stella's father. Ruby is looking for someone willing to accept her, while Stella wants to leave behind the responsibilities of helping her single mom raise two younger siblings. A few of the situations they find themselves in may seem a bit extreme, but sadly are entirely possible. At times I wished I could have seen into Ruby's head, just to know what exactly was driving her down such a destructive path. What she does reveal to Stella seems more like the nice version of her life, and that she was still hiding parts of what happened to her.

The only thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars is that the ending just seemed too predictable. I thought there could have been a more real ending.

Torn is definitely not a book for younger teens as it deals with drugs, alcohol, and illegal underage relationships even though nothing is explicit.

Did I mention that I love the cover? The earth tone colors are really appealing and I love that the girl pictured could pass for someone of mixed heritage.

Book Trailer ~ The Awakening by Apryl Baker

The Awakening by Apryl Baker

Snap...crackle...pop. The sounds of bones breaking and shifting and of muscles tearing haunt Alexandria Reed.

For the last five years, Alex has been locked up at Compton Academy, a "school" for the emotionally challenged. She calls it the politically correct way of saying they’re all nuts and Alex has no doubts she’s insane. She comes home to Jacob's Fork to face the demons she left behind her after deceiving the doctors into believing she’s well. Soon after her arrival home though, news of her estranged mother's death brings her uncle back into her life and she and her brother, Jason, learn a terrifying secret about their family.

After questioning her sanity for the last ten years, she discovers the night terrors she's suffered for so long has become a reality. She and her brother are now being hunted because of the secret her family has killed to protect. Her world has been turned upside down, every belief she held true destroyed. Aided by her new friends, who have some dark secrets themselves, can she and Jason survive long enough to figure out the secret behind the secret?

I am currently giving away a copy of The Promise by Apryl Baker during the Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop!

Review: Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

Published: January 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

Me? A leader?

Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion—between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again—while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside.

And something from Outside wants In.

Review:

When I finished reading this I was so torn. I loved Inside out, and had really high hopes for Outside In. But I was left feeling very blah about it. There was just a feeling of the author not really caring about developing anything in depth or about where the story was going. 

Trella is still a strong character and I'm glad that at least didn't change, but her relationship with Riley just confused me. There's no showing of how they are falling in love. We are just told they are, and then given a couple of make out sessions, which while being steamy, felt more like filler. I wanted to be part of their falling in love, and we don't get that. Maybe Snyder added in the romance angle because it's expected in YA, but this is not a romance. It is a science fiction novel, and I think it would have worked better if the romance weren't in there.

I also had a hard time with the plot. Too many people were double crossing everyone else, and there's no real explanation as to who the Outsiders really are and what their reasoning was. It's possible that Snyder is planning on a third book in the series to answer these questions, but I don't think I really care, and it makes me really sad to say that because I enjoyed Inside Out so much. 

The book wasn't horrible, and it's possible that my ambivalence towards science fiction writing is coming through. The writing is decent, and there were some good scenes between Trella and Riley, and Trella and Lamont, just not enough to get me through he confusion of Trella being captured, tricked and tortured by a different group every couple of chapters. 

Splash into Summer Give@way Hop!

Summer is here!! Today is a wonderful day to start another giveaway (It's my last day of work before summer vacation!). So I've joined I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Pager Turner as they host the Splash into Summer giveaway hop. There will be 2 winners as I am giving away 2 awesome YA books. These are new paperback copies so the giveaway is only open to the US.

The Promise by Apryl Baker

Cassie Jayne Bishop grew up in the sleepy town of New Salem, NC, the only non-believer in the tradition and power of the town Coven. When a stranger comes to New Salem, everything she thought was normal about her life unravels around her. Ethan makes her question everything, even her sister's death in a car crash years ago. As Cassie discovers the full truth about her heritage, and the clues start to pile up, she becomes determined to find out if the Coven was actually involved in her sister's death. What she uncovers terrifies her.
Her fate lies at the very heart of the secret the Coven protects. It's the reason she was born. Now, betrayed on every side, can she find a way to survive or will she be the catalyst that triggers a centuries old act of vengeance.

You can check out my review of The Promise here and my interview with Apryl Baker here.

Twin Souls by Delsheree Gladden

He avoids her because of the strange physical pain he feels when they touch. She avoids him because the way everyone seems to do what he says scares her. But when Claire needs to escape a bad situation Uriah is the first person she thinks of, and he is eager to rescue her. Faced with each other for the first time, both Uriah and Claire find it impossible to listen to their fears and stay away from one another. They soon find out, though, that there is more than they ever thought possible trying to keep them apart.


Following tradition the pair approaches the Elders of their Tewa tribe to ask permission to marry. Everyone is shocked when the shaman refuses them, claiming they are not Twin Souls. Confused and angry Uriah refuses to listen, and promises them that he will never abandon Claire. When Claire is poisoned by her vindictive father his resolve is tested. Ancient Native American myths and legends spring into reality, doing everything they can to keep Uriah from saving Claire’s life, while beginning to reveal the truth behind the lies he has been told all his life.

My review of Twin Souls is coming soon!

This giveaway is open to the US only.

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Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Published: January 2012

Publisher: Razorbill

Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain: They have to get off the ship.

Review:

Wow! I thought Across the Universe was great, but this sequel, A Million Suns, was even better! A Million Suns picks up just weeks after Across the Universe ends, and we are immediately thrown back into life upon Godspeed. Things are different now that Eldest is gone, and Elder is struggling to know what exactly is the right thing to do. Revis does an amazing job of showing Elder's indecision and how he constantly goes back and forth over how much he should tell the feeders.

Amy seemed at times a bit whiny, but really who can blame her? She's stuck on a ship in the middle of nowhere, and not expecting to reach land in her lifetime. Her relationship with Elder is developing, although she struggles to completely trust him after his revelation at the end of the first book. Her hesitations are completely believable and I liked that she didn't just fall for him and brush aside the choices he made. There is still chemistry between them, but neither is consumed by their love. Instead they try to be rational and that makes the relationship feel more realistic.

There was a bit more of a mystery to this book, and I enjoyed the search Amy and Elder embark on. I have to say that a couple chapters before the big reveal I figured it out. But what was great was that in addition to the lies Eldest had been hiding behind, the rebellion built the story up even more. There was the question of who was behind the attacks, if Orion was still frozen, and what was their reasoning behind it.

The ending was absolutely awesome! The only problem is that now I have to wait a year to read what happens next.