Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Title: Wildthorn
Author: Jane Eagland
ISBN: 97780547370170
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Page #: 350
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"Louisa Cosgrove is Louisa Cosgrove - not Lucy Childs. Or, is she?

A horse-drawn carriage takes her to the wrong place: Wildthorn Hall, an asylum for the insane.

This must be a great misunderstanding. They strip her naked, of everything - undo her whalebone corset hook by hook. They take her identity. But she is still seventeen - still Louisa Cosgrove - isn't she?

To untangle the mysterious, wretched present, she remembers the past.
I wished I were a boy.

Locked away in the dingy bowels of the hall, she feels a fire burn inside her. She remembers her cousin. She remembers Pap.
I want to be a doctor.

She is determined to escape - and only love will set her free."
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First Lines:

"The carriage jolts and splashes along the rutted lanes flooded by the heavy November rains. Through its grimy window, all I can see of the unfamiliar Essex countryside are bare hedgerows, the skeletons of trees, looming out of the morning mist."
Page 3
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Review:

I love me a good historical mystery. I honestly couldn't pass this one up when I found out it was about a girl who was tossed in an insane asylum and she's told she is someone else. What an amazingly creepy idea. Especially in a time when women aren't trusted with much to begin with. What would you do if no one believes you and you have no place to change anything?! I'd be freaked out.

One thing I really liked about the beginning of this book was the back and forth in time. You have her being checked into the asylum and her getting settled, then flashbacks to her childhood and what makes her who she is. It really helps to get that background to know the type of character you're dealing with. And it helped me decide that I love our main character, Louisa. She's a girl with ambition and goals beyond getting married and having children. Which is something unheard of during that time.

When you get deeper into the stories at the asylum, the book gets a lot more depressing and real. I almost forgot what time period we were talking about - the emotions and people were the main focus instead of life outside. That was an interesting switch for a historical fic, in my mind.

There was an interesting aspect to the book that I wasn't ready for. I'm not sure how much I want to say about it, but the ending is very focused on it. Perhaps I can just say it's about Louisa's relationships. It made sense within the story, but the ending was a bit more than I was expecting. I had a, "Wow. Okay then." moment while reading it.

This book is also a lot about family dynamic and their relationships. Because of her time in the asylum, you hear her thoughts about each of her family members - including her aunt, uncle, and cousin she is close with. I'd dare to say this book is more about family than anything else.

I absolutely recommend this one to people who are fans of historical fiction. The mystery part isn't hugely present, but you definitely spend a lot of time trying to figure out how she was put there and why. I think it will mostly be loved by girls - some guys, of course, but it's mainly about the plight of women during that time period. A great story that I will continue recommending.

Check out the author's website. I can't wait to see more from her! It looks like she's on a roll :).
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Other Blog Reviews:

The Infinite Shelf
Teen Book Review Blog
Steph Su Reads
Pure Imagination
Candace's Book Blog
A Books Blog
One Librarian's Book Reviews

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

Title: The Haunted (The Hollow #2)

Author: Jessica Verday

ISBN: 9781416978954

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Page #: 467

Source: From my public library

Summary:

"After months spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with - the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead - Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into her schoolwork, her perfume making, and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be her ticket to getting over Caspian once and for all.

But Abbey can never get over Caspian, and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side, for Caspian is a Shade, and Abbey is his destiny. They are tied not only to each other, but also to the town of Sleepy Hollow and the famous legend that binds their fates - a legend whose dark truths they are only beginning to guess..."

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First Lines:

"I was so lost when Kristen left. When she died. Then Caspian found me. I got to know him. Fell in love with him. He helped me deal with the fact that my best friend was never coming back. And when I found out that she'd been keeping so much hidden from me, he helped me try to understand.

But he had a secret too."

Page 1 (Preface)

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Review:

I reviewed the first book of this trilogy here: The Hollow

One would think I picked up this story because Halloween is coming up - a romantic ghost story and all that. But it's honestly not the case. Luckily this second book in the series added just enough intrigue to the original story that I was really caught up in the book - excited to see what was going to happen next.

The story grows a lot in this book. There are new characters, new locations, new problems... just a lot more stuff going on. But I'm going to reiterate something I said in my review of the first book: I absolutely love Abbey's hobby of creating perfumes. There's just something so... tangible. Or maybe it's another sense that the readers ends up unconsciously using. Not to mention that you can buy them on the author's website! And... now I want one. Ahem.

After reading my review of the first book, I definitely enjoyed this second one a lot more. I remember spending a lot of time during the first book wondering where the story was going to go. Whether we would figure out any of the mysteries... and you didn't until the very end. The Haunted was much more complete feeling. Granted, there are some things unfinished in the end (but that's to be expected with a third book coming!), but you feel more satisfied at the end of the story.

The new characters in this book are deliciously evil and wonderful. Well, at least it seems that way - you're still not sure in the ending. But it's nice to throw some characters that you're not sure about in there. It gives the story a whole new level of creepy and excitement.

I would absolutely recommend this series to anyone looking for a great paranormal romance. It's got all of the elements you wish for in a romance as well as giving you some mystery and wonder about what's going to happen next. Kudos to the author - I'm impressed with this one. I will definitely be getting the third book as soon as it's available (not that we have a date yet or anything).

Check out Jessica Verday's website. I think it is really cool and has lots of stuff on there about the characters and the story.

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Other Blog Reviews:

My Overstuffed Bookshelf
A Books Blog
Icey Books
Teens Read and Write
Harmony Book Reviews
Book Crazy
The Here. The Now. And the Books.

Waiting on Wednesday (31)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Here's what I'm waiting on this week:

The Lying Game

by Sara Shepard

To be released: December 7, 2010

Summary from Baker and Taylor:

"Foster child Emma Paxton, who has only just discovered she has a wealthy twin sister Sutton Mercer, finds herself in the position of having to step into Sutton's glamorous life after Sutton disappears just days after asking Emma to cover for her in her life of high fashion, high drama and deep lies."

I have never read any of Sara Shepard's books (namely, Pretty Little Liars). I started watching the tv show and realized I couldn't just go back and pick up the first one. So, I decided that I'm gonna start reading her next series - The Lying Game. The first book comes out in December, so I'm all amped up and ready to go.

Kisses from Hell by Kristin Cast, et al

Title: Kisses from Hell
Author(s): Kristin Cast, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Richelle Mead, and Francesca Lia Block
ISBN: 9780061956966
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page #: 262
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"This irresistible collection features stories of love amid vampires by five of today's hottest authors - Kristin Cast (Tempted), Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy), Alyson Noel (Evermore), Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning), and Francesca Lia Block (Pretty Dead).

From a fugitive vampire forced to trust a boy who might work for the group bent on destroying her to the legendary romance of two immortals whose love compels them to risk everything, this heart-pounding collection brings new meaning to the words 'love you forever.' Whether you're into romances that are dark and moody or light and fun, these stories will quench that insatiable thirst for enchanting tales of the beautiful undead."
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First Lines:

"Emma wasn't Eric Dragomir's first girlfriend. Nor was she likely to be his last.
Of course, the latter statement was assuming Eric's father didn't interfere. As far as old Frederick Dragomir was concerned, Eric and Emma should have already been married."
Page 3 from Richelle Mead's Sunshine
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Review:

Short story books are always so hard for me to review because I want to talk about each of the stories. I will try to do that without going too far overboard. Wish me luck!

The very first story in the book was my stand-out, absolute favorite. This could have something to do with my love of the Vampire Academy series. Richelle Mead set this story years before the first of the VA books. It's the story of how two people come together and the lengths they go to get there. It's a great story - enough that I wish for more pre-VA stories to come around. I know there's more to be had :). It's a wonderful romance and I really wished to have more of it. But that was the only problem - too darn short. Ah well.

The second story in the book is from Alyson Noel - Bring Me to Life. Don't ask me why, but there's something about this story that reminds me of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde. It's about a girl who is accepted to an art school in England. It becomes quite the mystery because none of the other students show up and she's left in a gothic mansion with nothing but strange servants around. I'm not gonna give it away, but there was a bit of a twist at the end that I really didn't expect. It was a really good one-off story.

Okay. So, the next story was super confusing for me. It was the story by Kristin Cast called Above. It was.... strange. I mean, honestly I had no idea what was really going on. I mean, I got it and all... sorta... but it sure didn't make me wish for more. In fact, it made me wonder if I should just stop after the first chapter. I feel kinda bad about not liking this story because I'm such a fan of the House of Night series. But man, not good. At least, that's my take on it.

Another story based on a series she's already written is the one called Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong. She includes the same experimenting company and situations, but with new characters. It's an action-packed story with lots to offer. I could totally see a whole new branch of books off of this one story. I really liked it and I always look forward to more from her.

And last, but not least... the story from Francesca Lia Block called Lilith. I was surprised that this story was only about 20 pages long. I was expecting more, I suppose. The way that it was written was a bit different - not a whole lot of dialogue. There's lots of character development in very little space. But with the length, I didn't get involved enough to care in the end. But I think it's a good start. It's been a while since I've read any of her stuff.

As a whole, this book was really almost half and half. I loved half of it, the other half was kinda "meh." I suppose you could pick and choose which stories you want to read, but I've always just read the whole book. I'm sure we'll see more of these "From Hell" short stories books. There are a few of them already. I'd recommend it, I think. Just saying that they weren't all for me.
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Other Blog Reviews:

The Norwegian Book Girl
Mina Burrows
Cem's Book Hideout

Waiting on Wednesday (30)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Here's what I'm waiting on this week:

XVI
by Julia Karr
To be released: January 06, 2011

Summary from Barnes & Noble:
"Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world, even the most predatory of men, that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past, one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer."

Doesn't this book sound amazing?! I mean, you start with this whole sixteen issue - how it's branded into you... which is just a crazy concept. Then there's a whole murder mystery thrown in. I just can't wait to see how this story pans out. Not to mention that this is a debut YA author for 2011! YAY! *drums fingers*