Review: The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm kicking myself for not writing this review immediately after finishing The Darkest Minds because while I remember thinking this book was a whole lotta awesome, I don't remember all of the specifics that sparked that feeling! Of course, the fact that it's a dystopian is what drew me to the book, because so far I haven't met a dystopian novel or series I haven't liked! And this time, Bracken has put a fresh spin on dystopia that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is also a hint of Sci-Fi thrown in.

I grew way too attached to the characters in this book. And because of that, I was VERY frustrated with Ruby for her actions at the end (not to spoil things too much). That said, boy does it make for a great cliffhanger leading into the second book. Too bad I will have to wait awhile on that one -- Never Fade isn't due out until the Fall, sigh...

There's a lot going on in this story and Bracken shows it all in vivid detail -- it is definitely action-packed and the pace moves along quickly. Despite its chunkier size, I still moved through TheDarkest Minds pretty quickly because I simply couldn't put it down.

Bottom line, read this book if you liked any of the following:

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
Inside Out/Outside in by Maria V. Snyder

Read in January 2013. Review originally posted at Goodreads. View all my reviews

Whoops! Missed My Own Blogoversary...

Hmm, a sign perhaps like no other that I still haven't fully re-integrated book-blogging back into my life... I forgot my own Blogoversary yesterday! Four years ago I made my way into the blogging scene, and through many ups and downs I've managed to hang around after all this time, albeit VERY sporadically.

Nothing flashy to celebrate (well, minus that glittery image), but a simple "Thank you!" to those of you who have kept up with Melissa's Bookshelf over the years and to those of you who are more recent friends. :-) Though I may not be as active as I once was, I still love to share my love of reading and hope you will continue to do the same.

In the coming weeks I'll be doing some Spring Cleaning on the site -- likely moving blog buttons and/or blog links to their own page, adding some buttons to help navigate my reviews, and other general sprucing up. And of course, when the mood strikes (my new "no pressure" blogging style, which  has actually caused me to increase the amount of reading I do), I'll share book reviews and more with you!

Happy Reading!

P.S. If anyone has suggestions on the best way to handle Blog Rolls / Blog Buttons, I'm all ears. I hate to move them from the prominence of my sidebars to a page with access from the top menu bar (particularly the link list, since I fear moving that will be very tedious), but quite frankly, these two features in particular are what is causing the cluttered look that I can no longer stand on my site!

EDITED TO ADD: So, it turns out moving everything to a page in the navigation menu was actually quite easy, and for now that's how it will be... Feel free to check out the blog buttons and my blogroll in their new home! (Yes, I'll do some editing to clean up the buttons in the future when I have the time and patience - ha!)

REVIEW: Rugged and Relentless

Rugged and Relentless by Kelly Eileen Hake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I'm always on the hunt for new Christian Historical Fiction authors I enjoy, but because I do not care to be preached to, it is often hard to find books in this genre that I truly love. Rugged and Relentless is the first book I have read by Kelly Eileen Hake and it most definitely will not be my last! It's been a LONG time since I've discovered a "new-to-me" Christian Fiction author who made me want to immediately go and buy more of their books. Guess it's a good thing I primarily read eBooks these days, so it will be easy to do just that!

This book just worked for me on so many levels. I greatly enjoyed Hake's writing -- full of wit and amusing turns of phrase with fun, memorable characters to set the tone. One aspect that may seem minor but really hit home was the game the four ladies had of coming up with the "worst pun" at various times throughout the story. As someone who has a similar habit of making jokes with puns, that little trick really resonated with me. Additionally, Hake did a fantastic job of creating characters who were varied and full of life -- when I read this book I felt like I could see it all playing out right in front of me, which for me is always a sign of a great read.

Truth be told, my enjoyment of this story may also have been due to the fact that I found the main character, Evie, to be very relatable on a more personal level. Happily, there was no pretense of simpering perfection with her or any of the other women in the story; these were people you could probably picture in your own life. Thankfully, Hake also did not choose to employ any of the cliched themes that are SO overused in Christian romances--couples that completely (and to me, incomprehensibly) misinterpret one another's feelings and actions, which generally causes them to behave stupidly, or one half of the couple feels the need to convert the other in order to be together, etc.

While I've come across some relatively enjoyable Christian romances in the last year, I haven't found one this captivating since I read Julie Lessman's first books. I was awake until the wee hours of the morning because I just had to know how the story was going to end.

Originally posted at Goodreads. View all my reviews

REVIEW: Stained

Stained by Ella James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I've been interested in discovering more independent authors lately and was hoping to find a new favorite. Unfortunately, that is not the case with Ella James and her Stained series.

THE GOOD: With more than its fair share of originality in its presentation of Nephilim, the story has a lot of potential. I was a little worried that the book would come across as dull and too cliched because -- let's face it -- a lot all of these supernatural beings are just overdone in today's YA world. (Not that this stops me from reading about them, mind you.) Without a doubt, it takes some talent to make paranormal YA feel fresh and make you feel like you are actually reading a new story.

THE BAD: The writing. Okay, I know I am not a writer and though I would dearly love to write a book or several, that's just not who I am and I am coming to accept that. However, I have read enough over the years to be able to come to a reasonable conclusion about the quality of writing in a story. Many times I found myself cringing at the author's choice of phrasing and the voice of Julia's character and consequently, the entire story. I understand wanting to paint a picture with vivid words and analogies, but it was as if James chose to use overly dramatic descriptors for practically everything in the story. It became ridiculous pretty early on. Not to mention some additional editing would have helped to uncover and correct some easy-to-spot grammatical/spelling errors, which seem to be all too common in independent publications.

THE UGLY (UGH-LY?): A toss-up between the supposed budding romance between Julia and Cayne/Cayuzul and the ridiculously juvenile voice in which the story is told. Take your pick. Somehow, the vernacular/slang of the modern teen just sounds utterly ridiculous when immortalized in the pages of a book. Cringe-worthy, indeed.

For me, the writing was enough of a turn-off that I simply can't see myself continuing the series, unless someone out there can convince me that it will get better. It's a shame, because at those rare times when I could look beyond James's annoying choices of phraseology, I really felt like I was getting a glimpse of the makings of an original paranormal series. But in reading other reviews of this book here and on Amazon.com, I would say I am in the minority, so you can just take my review for what it is -- my opinion and just one of many.

Originally posted at Goodreads. View all my reviews

REVIEW: Scent of Triumph

Scent of Triumph by Jan Moran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Wow! I came across Scent of Triumph through the Goodreads grapevine. I enjoy historical fiction and have recently been branching out into more types, but I will admit that I wasn't too keen about a book set during WWII. However, the premise of the book was intriguing, given the way scents and smells play a large role in the story and how they affect our memories. And I will admit, the 99-cent sale caught my eye so I thought I would give it a go. I was not prepared to be as blown away by the story as I was. Jan Moran's ability to weave scents and smells into the fabric of the story is masterful! I was afraid that it would seem stilted or forced, but there is nothing more natural -- I even began to feel like I could smell some of the scents myself. I don't know about the rest of you, but there are definitely smells that instantly take me back to memories from my childhood or even just a few years ago. I have often thought that much we observe with our senses really can shape and tie into our memories.

But back to the story... All of this praise is not to say there weren't a couple of things that bothered me. One, there were a few spelling/grammatical errors that I hope will be caught and corrected in a later edition. When I find those kinds of errors, I normally want to deduct a star from my rating on that principle alone. However, Moran's overall brilliant writing style won me over and given that I didn't want to put the book down, I decided that I probably ought to be a bit more forgiving. Related to the story, I did find myself frustrated with Danielle's actions and reactions, at times, but ultimately I reminded myself that I have never been in any situation remotely like hers, so I shouldn't be so judgmental of how she opted to deal with certain events in her life or not see things that I felt should be obvious. How often are we all oblivious to what is going on in our own lives?!

Truly, I was captivated from the first page. I wanted to stay up late reading it two nights in a row, but had to restrain myself and ultimately decided to finish it before getting to work this morning. (I guess it's a good thing I work from home and to some extent can set my own hours!) I was surprised to find that I enjoy reading a story set in the WWII era, and though there is more to the story than the war and it is not the focus, it certainly plays an important part in the tale.

WHO SHOULD READ SCENT OF TRIUMPH: General historical fiction lovers, anyone for whom scents and smells play a strong role in their life and memories, and anyone who simply enjoys a powerful story of a woman struggling to overcome adversity and regain her life.

Additional note: There is some sex in the story, but it is by no means graphic. However, in fairness to those who may not want to read about it, I felt that a mention should be made.

*Originally posted at Goodreads. View all my reviews