Sugar Walls, by Naughtia Marcano

Sugar Walls
Written by Naughtia Marcano

Initial disclaimer! This book is highly provocative and definitely rated R. It contains some pretty racy stuff. Please don't read my review if you think you may be offended.


I have to admit that when I put my name in for this Goodreads First Reads Giveaway, I did not realize what a racy novel this was supposed to be. The cover showed a little cleavage, and the description mentioned sex, but I assumed it was more of a chic lit thing than a wild and kinky sex thing. That being said, I was excited to win the book and I looked forward to reading it, even after I realized it wasn't my usual cup of tea.


Naughtia Marcano (perhaps the author's name should have been a clue, but sometimes these things are lost on me) is a new writer, and Sugar Walls (also a slang term I was unfamiliar with-I'll let you look that one up on your own if you are so inclined) was her first published book. While I thought the premise for the plot was a good one, if not totally original, in Sugar Walls it took a turn for the unrealistic and was very rushed. The characters just didn't seem believable to me because of the bizarre way they behaved and the nonsensical decisions they made. I can't give you an example without giving away the story, but I just found most of the storyline to be way over the top. I think if the book had been another 100 pages longer and/or taken place over a few months rather than a few weeks, it would have given me a chance to get to know the characters better and allowed me to see their stories progress at in a more reasonable and convincing way. Unfortunately, I did find the writing a bit amateurish. It wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't as polished as it could have been.


All that being said, I enjoyed this book tremendously. There were a few unexpected plot twists and moments of wit that were quite entertaining. I think that Marcano definitely has the potential to be a great writer. In fact, her ability to write about sex in such a straightforward and unruffled way is amazing. Most people are afraid to approach sex scenes the way she does. She described these scenes with an honesty and fearlessness that usually takes writers a long time to accomplish.


The things that were less than ideal about her book are all things that can easily be remedied with time, more practice writing, and a great editor. But the thing she has, that can't be taught, is the ability to write a sex scene as steamy and unabashed as the ones she wrote for this book. I give her major props on that. I don't consider myself to be sexually repressed, but I don't know that I could write scenes like the ones she wrote for Sugar Walls.


If you aren't afraid of an honest and sometimes freaky sex scene, or ten, check out this book. I look forward to seeing Marcano progress as a writer. I truly think we will see more from her in the future and that she will continue to improve with each book she writes.

Delirium (Book One of Delirium series), by Lauren Oliver

Delirium
Book One of Delirium Series
Written by Lauren Oliver

"It will kill me, it will kill me, it will kill me. And I don't care." -- Lena, Delirium, by Lauren Oliver

I was really excited when my husband came home on Mother's Day with two books that I'd wanted to read. Ever since I read the Hunger Games trilogy I've been devouring dystopia novels. They are my new favorite genre. I have always loved apocalyptic movies (ironic, as I'm a true atheist), so dystopia novels were the next step to further my addiction.

Unlike Hunger Games, Delirium is more psychological, in my opinion. The plague that "destroyed" society was love, rather than rebellion. Lauren Oliver tells the story of a girl whose mother was a sympathizer (reminding me of how whites who helped blacks before and during the civil rights movement) who had the audacity to fall in love with her husband. The story, as with most dystopias, has two clear sides: the cured (those who have had a surgery to erase any strong emotion and passion, including the ability to love), and their enemies, the Invalids (those who live outside the safety of the communities and have not had the surgery) aided by Sympathizers (those who had the surgery but are against it, or simply think it should be optional rather than mandatory).

This book stirs up all sorts of feelings and ideas as you wonder what it would be like to live in a world where love was a disease, not to mention illegal. How sick and twisted the world must be for someone to willingly give up their ability to love and long for the day when they can be cured and never have to worry about catching the awful disease? Love as a disease is such an interesting paradox to those of us living today. Anyone who has experienced love has also experienced the pain of losing it, but would any one of us give up the ability to love in order to escape the pain of it? I would not do so myself, but yet a tiny part of me can still see the attraction of it.

I especially liked the way Oliver portrayed her characters. She took the moment of the introduction of each character seriously. I felt as if I could picture each of them in my mind and I knew how they'd react to any given situation. I loved the last few chapters of the book, as the characters scrambled through the chaos with a mad urgency. I adored the fact that she surprised me at the end when I'd thought all along I knew what to expect and that I'd already figured it all out...I was wrong. I LOVE being wrong. Anytime I get a shock or surprise I am completely enamored of the author who managed it.

Delirium is a great book, and I can't wait to read Pandemonium! I have a feeling that waiting for the third book, Requiem is going to severely test my patience.

Pretties (Book Two of Uglies) by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties
Book Two of Uglies
Written by Scott Westerfeld

“My name is Tally Youngblood and my mind is very ugly.”  -- Tally, Pretties, Written by Scott Westerfeld
If you haven't read the first book in this series, Uglies, I strongly suggest you wait to read this review, until after you've read Uglies.  It is almost impossible to write a good review of Pretties without giving away the ending of Uglies, because it begins right where Uglies left off.


Uglies ended with Tally making the decision to be the guinea pig for a new medicine. Maddy, David's mother and a doctor, believed that she had found a way to reverse the effects of these lesions on the Pretties, but she needed someone who was not only willing to take the medicine, but someone who she felt was capable of consenting. If something went wrong or they found the medicine caused unwanted side effects, Maddy would not be able to forgive herself for forcing it on someone who didn't understand the risks. Because Tally felt so extremely guilty for her perceived betrayal of the Smokies and David, she offered to turn herself in to the Specials, and get the surgery. After she was turned Pretty, the Smokies would rescue her and she'd take the cure.

This is one of those rare books that appears so simple on the surface but becomes more and more complex the more you think about it. As you go deeper and deeper into each layer of the story you begin to see just how phenomenal Westerfeld really is. In fact, it's so subtle that I almost missed it altogether in the Uglies. It wasn't until I was reflecting on the story and began writing my review that I finally realized exactly what he was doing. I was delighted when he continued to reveal new levels of depth in some of the characters, as they found their way to greater understanding, in the second book.

One last thing I feel I must mention, because it is usually something that drives me insane, is the use of a particular "lingo" amongst the Pretties. Usually when I'm reading a book and the author uses unfamiliar made-up words I get frustrated really quickly. It tends to make the book unnecessarily complicated and therefore not nearly as much fun to read. I hate feeling like I need a glossary for the made up language just so I can understand what's going on. Once again though, Westerfeld shows his incredible talent as a writer. The Pretties have a whole slew of slang words in their regular vocabulary, but his consistent use of these words, along with his well-constructed sentences make it incredibly easy to understand.

Pretties was every bit as good as Uglies. There were many twists and turns in the plot to keep it interesting. New characters were introduced, and new relationships formed. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next in, Specials.

City of Ashes (Book Two of the Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes
Book Two of the Mortal Instruments
Written by Cassandra Clare

"It doesn't matter how many time you say it. It'll still be true." (Clary)
"And it doesn't matter what you won't let me say, that'll still be true too." (Jace)

-- City of Ashes, Book Two of The Mortal Instruments, by Cassandra Clare

I want to start out by saying that if you haven't read Book One of The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones, and stop right now, go read that review, and that book, and then come back. There is no way to properly review this book without mentioning things that are a given at the end of City of Bones, and if you haven't read it, this is going to ruin it for you.

 

It's true, Elizabeth Cook is right; sometimes it takes balls to be a woman. Wow, it was a totally brass move on Cassandra Clare's part to write the ending she wrote on the last book. I thought of this song immediately when I read the ending. I wanted to comment so badly on it in my review of City of Bones, but I refuse to write a spoiler review that can only be safely read after you have already read the book. It defeats the purpose of a review, in my opinion.

City of Ashes starts off, with everyone still pretty shaken up over the startling revelation that Jace and Clary are actually related, closely related, like brother and sister related. The tension between these two is insane throughout the entire book, as they struggle to come to terms with their shared parentage and what it means to their burgeoning relationship. I'm still not quite sure how Clare manages this, but your heart is in your throat and tears come to your eyes as you read, because no matter how "wrong" you think their love is, a part of you desperately wants it to work out for them. You were just as touched by their passionate and intense feelings as they were and, like Jace and Clary; you're not quite ready to let them go.

I liked the complexity of a few of the newly introduced characters like the Inquisitor, Max, and the Lightwoods. Clare reveals more of the intriguing back story on Valentine's Circle, so we're starting to understand him little better. Although there weren't as many surprises in City of Ashes, she did manage to sneak in a few curve balls when I wasn't looking, and still left enough in question ,as the book came to a close, that I'm dying to go grab the next installment. I think that I may have even enjoyed City of Ashes more than City of Bones, which I would not have thought was possible.

Stay Close, by Harlan Coben

Stay Close
Written by Harlan Coben

"Maybe he thought...maybe it was time for all of them to move on."--Broome, Stay Close, by Harlan Coben


The first audio book I ever listened to was during a road trip with my best friend and her mother. There is something utterly delicious about riding along in the car, seeing the road pass you by, when you abruptly find yourself transported to a completely different world.

Suddenly the road ceases to exist as the largest part of your conscious becomes so deeply entrenched in the story you're listening to. To this day, I have to admit that thrillers are my favorite genre to experience in audio format. And the car is my favorite place to listen to them.

Before I go into what I enjoyed about this book, I have to take a moment to rave about the actor/writer whose amazing voice was chosen to tell this story, Scott Brick. He was fantastic. He just has that perfect resonance that was ideal for a thriller. Kudos to Scott Brick, the superb voice who made this audio book by Coben that much more intriguing.

This was also my very first experience with a Harlan Coben novel. I only found out about the book because it showed up on the monthly email I get from goodreads.com that details new releases. I read the little blurb and thought it sounded like it might be a fun read. When I saw my local library had it in audio format, I was sold. I requested the next available copy and anxiously awaited it's arrival.

I was not disappointed. Coben does an awesome job of describing his characters. Combining his descriptions with Brick's voice is an award winning combination. This is something that I always look for in a book, but especially when it's a thriller. It's those small hints of personality, those insights into the character's psyche that make them interesting and foreshadow what is to come. Also, it's what makes them seem real. It allows you to love each character for their own uniqueness, and also to question whether or not they could be responsible for some of the horrible acts you're reading about.

Sometimes I find that suspense writers, in an effort to keep the reader in the dark about who the villain is, will weave a story so complicated that it's hard to follow and no fun to read. I don't want to feel the need to buy the cliff notes just to keep track of all the plot points. I loved that this plot was simple to follow through each of the twists and turns, but still compelling enough to keep me interested. I was impressed with Coben's ability to lead me through the story with enough info to make me think I might have figured it out, but leaving enough to be revealed later to keep me just a little unsure. It wasn't until almost the very end, when a few of the final pieces of evidence came to light, that I realized who, if anyone was truly innocent.

I read some of the other reviews who weren't as impressed with Coben as I was. I saw over and over that his previous books were better. I enjoyed Stay Close, and I think I'll have to check out some of his other books as well now. If they are even better, in the opinion of these more harsh critics, they must be absolutely awe-inspiring.