[REVIEW] Seize me by Crystal Spears

Seize Me by Crystal Spears
Published: July 2013
Age Group: New Adult - 18A
Series: Breakneck #1

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A SPOILER FREE REVIEW. SPOILERS ALERT!

I tend to like books with gangs in them (does that sound weird???). Madeline Sheehan's Undeniable was June's Tea Worthy Book of the Month so it's no surprise that I quite enjoyed Seize Me. The story follows Winter Belov, an exotic dancer who ran away from her Russian mobster father and family after her father killed her love in front of her. Seems a bit extreme  but who am I to judge her. Anyway she finds herself in Nevada and you could say it's a cruel turn of fate that she ends up finding herself back in the gang life that she was running away from, but hey, love doesn't care about anything.

I enjoyed the story line and the banter between the characters. Winter is a pretty well developed character with her own quirks and mannerisms. She doesn't take any crap from others and stands her own. Not sure if it's her mafia background or she's just a strong individual but she makes for a very powerful protagonist. And then there's Braxxon who I think isn't as well developed a character mainly because there isn't enough information shared about him, not nearly as much as we know about Winter. That's already one thing I find lacking in this book, which is pretty normal for series that have different protagonists per book since there's obviously NOT enough time to explain everything in a 400 page book no matter how concise you are, it's just not possible to explore every dimension in the book.

That said that's why I personally would really like to see this story line become a series of it's own following Winter and Braxxon. There's so much more to their relationship and background that I find so intriguing and would be really interested in reading about.

The story just progressed too quickly, with large time gaps and little happening during each chosen period of time.  There are so many different story lines that it turns into a somewhat checklist of need-to-cover-before-the-story-is-over-because-I-started-it-and-should-finish-it.

Personally I thought the beginning of the story was amazing. There's a lot of chapters dedicated to Winter being uprooted from her "normal" life or hiding life and brought back into the gang environment. But then the pace started picking up and I thought a lot of information was lost. The rival gang war story line is good and I think it would carry well over an entire series.

The most disappointing part of the story I found was when Winter finally reunited with her father. After realizing that Winter is indeed running from her father and family and is terrified of them finding her I instantly started anticipating for that eventual reunion. Closer to the end I started thinking perhaps it would happen in this novel and that there was a sequel dedicated to that story line because the gang war plot was the main focus. And then sh*t started to happen. I don't hate what happened per say. In fact I find it a strong way to bring in Winter's father figure. It's the execution of it that I find extremely lacking. First, the way that her father finds her is in my opinion total BS. Think about this, if you were treated as royalty to one of the most influential and powerful figures of the Russain mob, I'm sure your father would have found you already with his bountiful (albeit probably illegal) resources and yet the story makes it seem like Winter's father and no idea where she was and it wasn't until a someone let slip did the information spread and her father found her. Seriously? I would have assumed that right when she ran away he would have started tracking her, looking at cameras for her image and tracking her cash flow online back to her location. Am I thinking too CSI? I don't know...I just thought the mafia was really sneaky and clever and could do anything they wanted...So after that initial bump in the story it only got worse. I think everything happened within the span of two or three chapters and it was over. That's really little space given to something with such importance to the story line. In fact I think it was Winter running from her father that was the main headliner in the blurb of the story. So then they meet and it ends and it's all within a couple of pages that I find completely uninspiring and boring to read. Sorry, no offense to the author but I was expecting SO MUCH and I felt like I was only given a spoonful instead of an entire meal.  Also the whole gang war plot that encompassed most of the story basically disappeared after the climax. I mean I guess the Breakneck's won but I'm not really sure and honestly by the end it was late and I just wanted to finish reading this and go to bed.

I apologize for the long review and I guess bashing of the story but I really do think that this series has potential that hasn't been utilized to it's fullest. All the ideas and story lines are there, it just needs to be executed in a more coherent fashion and the story needs filler chapters to add more dimension to the character and in my opinion, bring this story to its fullest potential so that it can be enjoyed completely and every main plot and important detail can be explored fully.

Because I really do think this story can be great but Seize Me itself wasn't that great.

 

BORROW

 

 

If you like this check these other tea loving books out:

• Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan (18A. WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS MANY DARK ELEMENTS THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND UNCOMFORTABLE TO READ ABOUT.)
• Reaper's Property by Joanna Wylde (18A)



[REVIEW] Complete Me by J. Kenner

Complete Me by J. Kenner
Published: July 2013
Age Group: Adult - 18A
Series: The Stark Trilogy [end]
 

ARC courtesy of Random House, provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 

The story takes place where the last one ended. Damien is a suspect in a murder case and Nikki has joined him in Germany where the case is taking place. Damien and Nikki have a lot of trust issues and that's still the same in this book. Damien has a lot of secrets and I think this is the first book where Nikki really comes to a realization that there's a lot she doesn't know about the man she loves.

The story moves at a really brisk pace. The scenes, in my opinion, happened much too quickly. Some events there could have been a couple of chapters dedicated to the emotional response the characters had instead of resolving the issue in the same chapter or the next one.  There wasn't a lot to engage me in this book. I'll admit there were a lot of scenes I enjoyed, particularly involving Damien and Nikki and their lovely romance, and then there were scenes that seemed predictable, and somewhat boring even.

I didn't have extremely high expectations for this book although I did expect it to be good since Release Me and Claim Me were both interesting especially dealing with the character's psychological being and them trying to overcome their fears and their past. Complete Me was just missing all that. I didn't find myself emotionally attached to anyone - I didn't feel anything and as a die hard romantic and avid reader that's what probably hurt the most. This book didn't evoke anything inside me. In fact I finished reading it and didn't really remember any distinct passages that I absolutely loved.

I wasn't that surprised with the climax of this. There was one scene inside the coffee shop where Nikki is talking to a supposed friend and immediately after I read that I knew who that friend was and that I would expect her soon in the book as the villain.

The ending was okay in my opinion. I don't really think it was a complete ending for the series, as Complete Me is apparently the final book in the Stark Trilogy. I think this is a good ending for an installment and is usually how many books like this have ended their second volume.

This book entirely was subpar. Everything was boring and rushed. I'm still not really clear as to how the anonymous stalker turned out to be the same person. It just seemed like the notes from the stalker changed in meaning from the second book to the third. Maybe a detective would tell you that the stalker is getting more violent, or more agitated, or ready to make a move (which is what happened) but I also would believe it if someone told me that these were two different stalkers. In fact the latter seems to be more plausible to me.

I saw many people rating this book quite high and I don't understand why. Perhaps I'm missing something but I just didn't feel like this was an amazing book.

(3 because although I said how much I didn't feel much from this, Nikki and Damien's relationship is still one that I'm intrigued about and do find very interesting. Also because there were a couple of scenes that I quite enjoyed.)

BORROW

(Like many other books that are in the series I would say this is BORROW as a stand alone but if we're considering if one should purchase this based on the series then it would MEH)

[TO THE BOOKSTORE FOR...] Unravel Me and Scarlet

The first week of February book releases.

1. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi.
Shatter Me was a pleasant read for me. [review here] It was one of those uber hyped up books that fell short in my opinion but don't let what I say completely influence you. I am curious to see how the story will continue, mainly this complicated love triangle, which is probably what is propelling me to read the sequel.

They also did some changes to the cover designs so now it's more like the Divergent covers and more symbolic. I don't like it. I think the covers with the girl had more impact but then again there is much to be said about simple, minimalistic covers too.

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life. (From Goodreads)

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.
First, if you haven't read Cinder yet, I suggest you do that post haste. It's an amazing book and I absolutely love it. Don't be like me and delay reading it because I did (For almost a year) and I seriously regret it completely because than I would have experienced it sooner but on the plus side the waiting time for this book (although equally unbearable) has  been shorter.

Scarlet is the sequel/companion piece to Cinder. It follows the story of Little Red Riding Hood, if the red cape wasn't an indication. I'm really excited for this and I really feel like Marissa Meyer can't do anything to bring me down from this Lunar Chronicles high...hopefully I didn't jinx it.

If you want to give this book a try before buying it, apparently the first five chapters have been posted on line.

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner. (From Goodreads)

[RANT] Crossfire #2 - Sylvia Day

As you know (or didn't know), Reflected in you, the second book in the crossfire series just realeased this week.  Obviously I finished it a couple of days after I got a opy and I can say it is absolutely amazing.

Anyway, I was surfing through youtube when I came upon this music video.  Reminds me of the relationship between Gideon and Eva

 

Remind Me feat. Carrie Underwood - Brad Paisley

[REVIEW] Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Published: November 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Shatter Me #1

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. (From Goodreads)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi was definitely a book that got better as you read it. At the beginning I really didn't like the story.  Perhaps it was the author's writing style.  Tahereh Mafi wrote this book with repeated words and crossed out lines (which looks strange at first but you get use to it.) Personally, I'm a reader who enjoys fast paced and to the point writing so repeated words and confusing slashed sentences made it very confusing for me. Now my reasoning behind the repeated words was that it did emphasize the situation without having to bold the text or make it larger for that matter. Also the crossed out words seem to be what Julliette is truly thinking because, usually, right after the crossed out words is the opposite of what she wants to say.  For instance, towards Adam, she'll be like "Touch me Don't touch me" Like that.

I also found that this book, mainly at the beginning, was written like a journal. I'm not sure if this is her writing style either but the writing changed half way through the story.  It blended perfectly together so it wasn't easy to tell but I instantly enjoyed the story much more after the change.  It got quicker and less crossed out and repeated words. 
The author also likes to use internal monologues to countdown days, seconds, breaths etc.  Basically there are a lot of numbers in this book...that I don't particularly think add anything exciting to it and honestly, if they were taken out, I feel the book would be the same (maybe even better)

I thought the descriptions were different, in a good way, and written in a way that metaphors or analogies are compared to things that I wouldn't normally compare them to, and yet it makes perfect sense when you think about it.  I've read very few books that describe actions and emotions like this book does.

The characters are also very well written. Juliette seems like the frail, innocent, peaceful  girl who has this deadly touch but she can also be stern and violent if need be.  Adam seems to be the rigid, rule-following guy but can be a total softy when need be too.

I love a good romance and Adam and Juliette's romance together is something that I absolutely adore.  If I were to critic anything, it is that their love blossamed a little too quickly for me.  There was no build up just a sudden click and they were a couple.  They make a very good couple so I'll let that go but it's a little hard to believe in their love it happens like that first.

The love triangle (or corners as I have been repeatedly told by my friends) in this story is...unusual.  Usually it's a girl that's torn between two guys, both equally amazing and she has to choose one.  In this case, it's two guys torn between one girl and yet the girl only reciprocates her love to another.  I have a theory that Juliette's touch doesn't work on people that truly love her. Because Warner and Adam are both immune and both love her.  It'll be interesting to see how this triangle/corners turns out in the future.

Shatter Me is a Dystopic novel (no surprise that I would find another one).  The story line reminds me of Legend by Marie Lu. And even a little bit of the Hunger Games.  I feel like the whole escape and finding the resistance is like it but of course that's entirely my opinion.

The ending was definitely written for a sequel in mind.  There was no definite ending so I guess I'll have to wait a year to read the sequel (Released early 2013)
Enjoy!

MEH