Review: Such A Rush

Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols

Source: Advance Readers Copy

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars


I love the gritty trailer park feel of Such A Rush. Leah is a girl who has every reason to be dysfunctional and yet she is kind and has a quiet fierceness about herself. The more I read about Leah the more I wanted to protect her.  Most people have made up their mind about Leah and they judge her for her looks and for where she comes from. Instead of lashing out Leah shows how strong she really is.

Greyson, her boss's son treats her like dirt and accuses her of sleeping with his dad. Greyson is such a jerk considering that Leah has always had a crush on him. Why are guys such jerks sometimes?

There are moments where you see how sheltered Leah really is, like the fact that she doesn't know how to drive or swim. Then there are other times where she uses her looks as a shield. When her best friend Molly convinces her to go to a party Leah dresses like the girl they all expect her to be. People call her names and treat her like crap and Molly is no where around. I don't think Molly was always a great friend.

Jennifer Echols gives you the most dysfunctional mother I have seen in YA literature and while I get that its a main obstacle I really wanted someone to be there for Leah. I wish the mother-daughter role had been developed a little more.

I think contemporary fans will really enjoy Such A Rush.  Such a Rush is my first Jennifer Echols novel and look forward to reading more from her in the future. I would love to see a follow up novella to check in on Leah.

Audio Review: Also Known As

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Type: Audio (Brilliance Audio) and Ebook (Netgalley)

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Also Known As is being pitched to "Ally Carter Fans", I understand its probably the teen spy thing, but it could not be more different. Also Known As is a really good book, but it's very different from the Heist Books. In Also Known As we meet Maggie, a safe cracker. She and her parents work for an organization called The Collective. They go around the world stopping things like human trafficking. They bring in Maggie to remove sensitive documents from safes. Her parents have always run the operation and Maggie just waits to be called in. Their next job will be Maggie's first big project when The Collective finds out that someone has information about them and plans on publishing the story. They send Maggie to the same school with the magazine owner's son. Her job is to get close to him and retrieve the data. Only Maggie has never been to school or has ever had to deal with kids her own age. Her parents are worried that it's too much for her to handle. Maggie finds herself getting in too deep and blurs the line between teenager and spy.

Also Known As is a fun contemporary novel that is definitely worth the read or listen. Just a fair warning though for the younger teen readers, there is some swearing, a drunken party and minor mention of drugs.

Audio: Author Robin Benway is the narrator for Also Known As. I think Robin did a great job! Who knows a book better than the author. I will say that there were some clicking noises. I'm not entirely sure if it was my cd or something during production, but if you listen to it at a loud volume it can get annoying. I listened in my car so I could hear it.

To listen to a sample visit: http://brillianceaudio.com/product?i=8634

Audio Review: Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Type: Audio book purchase

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Shadow and Bone is very different from what I normally read. With all the movie buzz surrounding it and Shadow and Bone hitting the New York Best Sellers list the same week it came out I knew I had to read it, but I'm still trying to find the time for all the books already on my shelf! When the Fierce Reads Tour came to town I picked up Shadow and Bone and it sat on my bookshelf for a while. I finally gave in and got the audio and finished Shadow and Bone in less than 24 hours. I couldn't put it down! I loved the details of the world, powers and clothes!

Alina is an orphan who isn't good at much, except being Mal's best friend. Mal is Alina's childhood friend and they've been inseparable their entire lives. Alina puts up with Mal going on and on about girls and adventures. One day Mal is in trouble and in her panic over his distres, Alina saves him. Only what they discover is that she does have a talent and it's one that could save everyone. Alina is sent to the castle to study and learn how to use her new powers. The entire time she was at the castle, I just kept hoping that she would be reunited with Mal.

Shadow and Bone is a story of friendship, finding yourself and fighting for what you believe in. The only plus to being so behind on my reading is that I don't have to wait long for Siege and Storm, the sequel to Shadow and Bone, which will be released June 4.

Audio: Lauren Fortgang, is the narrator, and does a great job. From the moment I started listening I was completely lost in the story. I hope that she will narrate Siege and Storm as well.

Audio Review: Monstrous Beauty

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Type: Audio Book Purchase

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

As soon as I finished Monstrous Beauty my first thought was holy hell this is one dark and twisted book! I will say that, except for Gone Girl, I have not read anything that has shocked me so much. Don't get me wrong I don't hate this book and I love that Elizabeth Fama can pull such a reaction from me, but I don't like many of the characters.

The story is told in two time periods. Present day and 170 years in the past. In the present, Hester meets a mysterious guy who she feels drawn to. Just as she meets this guy strange things start happening around town, some that can only be explained as haunting. Hester starts to uncover mysteries as to who she is and how her family line might be tied into these strange occurrences.

In the past Ezra falls in love with a creature named Syrenka. A lot of the darkness I blame on Syrenka, because if she had not fallen in love with Ezra none of the crazy things in this story would have happened. Syrenka's selfish actions caused a lot of pain. I didn't relate to her at any point and when she was in the story I wanted to skip it.

I love the cover, but I felt like it was a bit misleading. The cover says pretty and even a bit girly, but that's not what the book is about. I wish they would have used something darker or that represented both Hester and Syrenka.

There are a lot of mature subjects in Monstrous Beauty including rape and multiple murders. I think Monstrous Beauty is a good read, because Elizabeth Fama is an amazing story teller. If you like darker novels with a mysterious twist then this is the book for you!

Audio: Katherine Kellgren is one of my favorite narrators. Katherine is the narrator for both Ashes and Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick. Katherine has won a number of awards. She did a great job with the present story as well as the past. I think having a talented narrator really adds to the experience of listening to a book.