Cover Reveal: The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead!!!

Goodreads

Give us a minute to squeeel over this pretty kick ass cover if I say so myself.

I like the intense color. I've never really been a fan of the Bloodline covers (or of the first few Vampire Academy covers), but this one kind of hits a right cord with me! As soon as I get some more info (maybe if they post a chapter or two online -hopegully) I will post it here. I don't like the name of the book though... The Fiery Heart? Really?

Did you like it? What do you think? Is it too low budget? And who is that girl on the cover?! (Jill? Is that Adrian?)

Enjoy!

Novella Review: Reaper (Soul Screamer #3.5) by Rachel Vincent; Tod's Story.

Title: Reaper
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers
Book #: 3.5
Pages: 45
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 4.03
Published: Dec. 1st, 2010

Tod Hudson was a typical teenager. He liked girls, sports, food and tolerated his younger brother, Nash. In fact, he had his whole life in front of him--and due to his bean sidhe heritage, it was going to be a very long life indeed. And then the car accident occurred.

Suddenly Tod's future wasn't so sure, and he had to make a choice. Life... Death... or something Between....

An ebook exclusive Soul Screamers series novella.

Taschima's POV:

"Just FYI, in your case, I think it's okay to fear the reaper."

Reaper was exactly what I needed. In fact, it's what every Tod fan needs! I've always loved Tod in the Soul Screamers series and getting the chance to read on how he became a reaper, and why, is priceless. I would suggest, however, not reading this book until after you read a couple of the Soul Screamers series books because it will reveal a major secret of the series, plus the read will be that much more sweet if you have read the first 3 books in advance.

It is a quick read, but by no means light. It is full of crucial information and character development. In it you get to see what a spoil brat/jerk Nash was(seriously, this guy is a pain in the ass, he is competing with Shane from Morganville Vampires for the #1 spot in my list of jerkwads), and how Tod has always been, well, Tod-ish; a flirt, a charmer, a smart ass (the only ass he cares to know), and a tough loving brother. Tod's one liner's are legendary.

"You date a criminal, and you're eventually going to have to share her with the state" [when talking about Sabine]

Tod isn't exactly a bad boy, but has all the right characteristics to make you swoon...

Overall Reaper was a satisfying 45 pages. I wish it could have had more pages T_T, being inside Tod's head is pretty great. Furthermore Reaper isn't just a pretty filler like many other novellas seem to be, instead it helps to develop a number of characters (Tod, Nash, their Mother, Levi, and heck you even get a glimpse of Kaylee) further (like all novellas rightfully should). Now all I really want to do is pick up my copy of My Soul to Take, again, and read it with a whole new perspective. Sounds like fun ;)

Bookie News: Beautiful Creatures... The Manga!

I can't even mention all the YA books that have been adapted for various different media lately. Movies (Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead), T.V. Shows (Delirium by Lauren Oliver), and the oh so popular graphic novel/manga series. For the last one both Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Vampire Academy come to mind, and now so does Beautiful Creatures. Now a popular film, and a manga, triple threat! If you count the medium source of it all, the book.

Anyways, I was looking over at the art of the series, and I have to say I am sold on it. It is beautiful, and you can clearly distinguish between who is male and who is female (*cough/hint*Vampire Academy graphic novel*cough/hint*), not to mention our main guy, Ethan, doesn't look like a 30 year old pervert.

 

 

 

 

 

All these pictures come from the Beautiful Creatures Facebook page
Add it to Goodreads

 And here is the French cover, just for shit and giggled:


Same image, but really different colors, I like them both... In the end I would have to go with the French though. However I can't complain about the U.S. one, it's striking.

This book was published on February 5th, this year, so you can already buy it in stores near you, or Amazon, whatever floats your boat.

I am getting it, whenever I get the money, should be interesting. Let me know if you have read it and how they handled the writing, which is always tricky.

Review: The Goddess Inheritance (The Godess Test #3) by Aimee Carter

Title: The Godess Inheritance
Author: Aimee Carter
Series: The Goddess Test
Book #: 3
Pages: 384
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 4.27
Published: Feb. 26th, 2013

Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

Taschima's POV:

The Goddess Test series is like candy, you know it won't fill you up but you still, weirdly, want to ravish it. From page one I wanted to kill various characters (including some of the main ones... wait, specially those), and yet I continued to read.

I swear if the author had done something incredibly stupid with the plot line, like introduce faeries midway, I still would have continued on reading!

My future child.

It's just so easy and quick and readable. Not my favorite series by far but yet one that I couldn't have avoided, ignored, or put down. I think Aimee Carter might have made a deal with the devil to make her series this enticing, or she is just a good story teller. The Goddess Inheritance, overall, was a fitting ending to an addicting, yet average, series of books. Which left the possibility of more books being written in the same world, but focusing on different characters, wide open. Everybody seems to be doing this these days.

SPOILER. Kate is pregnant. GASP, this happened in the last book so it isn't a surprise for those of us that have read The Goddess Interrupted (though it certainly was the cliffhanger of a lifetime). Kate has been kidnapped by Ava, and brought to Cronus, the king of the Titans (this guy always gets the worst rep in all the mythology books). Cronus weirdly, for some reason, likes Kate, and the other evil woman, Calliope, wants to keep Kate's baby in order to somehow control Henry and make him hers forever (weird ass family), so this plan seems to work for both of them. Meanwhile no one knows Kate has been kidnapped, no one even knows she is pregnant really, and thus starts The Goddess Inheritance, because that is just what you need on top of an upcoming epic battle, to change diapers.

Let's start with some of the bad. One of the things that I just couldn't stomach about The Goddess Inheritance was Kate and Henry's martyr complex.

Harry is not amused.

Oh gosh, I wanted to slap those two silly, again! Last book their romance was driving me over the killing edge, and in this book is their devotion to each other... I might just not like these two together? I don't know, they seem to like each other now so I don't have a much of a problem with their romance. I still think it's weird, but we can't all be winners. By the end they manage to resolve this issue, Henry surprisingly coming up as having the more sense of the two. Bravo, go and have a cookie now.

Other than their martyr complex, and the beyond strange family relationships in this series, I found myself compelled to turn page after page, wanting, no, needing to know how things would end, who would die, and who would survive. Yes, this series is extremely readable, kind of like Twilight was, I didn't care about the author's writing issues because the story just kept me going.

At the end it was brilliant for Aimee to bring baby Milo into the picture. Even though we don't get to hear him speak or anything, I liked the effect he had on Kate and Henry, bringing them closer together, showing sides to their characters that we just needed to see (Henry is such a cute father ♥), and giving us, the readers, something to root for. I wanted baby Milo away from the evil grandmother (?) and the evil Titan. I wanted him to survive, even if everyone else died (everyone except James, James could have raised him... James and me, together).

The ending was good. and fitting. Certainly left me satisfied. Not wholly unexpected, but at the same time the way we got there was. I always thought something was going to happen for sure, and then something else would happen. Nothing, ever, seemed to work out. I found myself wondering how the hell Aimee was going to wrap it up after I passed the 75% mark. She wrapped it up though, and in a way that leaves the possibility for more books being written in the Goddess Test series.

And you know what, if more books are written... I have to admit I am going to read them. Scratch that, I am going to be eagerly waiting for them. Because this series is compelling, and has endless possibilities for the future. Dare I say, Aimee Carter's stories get better with every single book.

Final Verdict: The Goddess Inheritance, as the final book in the series, is a must read for those who have stuck around for this long. And for those new people, The Goddess Test series may not be the absolute best in the world, it may not have vampires or be set in a dystopian setting, but trust me if you start reading it it will sink it's claws in you and it won't ever let you go. You have been warned.

So I started reading The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa...

Goodreads



Fear  shot through me. I gave a frantic leap for the edge of the tunnel, just as the catwalk snapped and plummeted into the hored below. I hit the all a few inches from the edge and clawed desperately for a handhold, my fingers scrabbling agaisnt the smooth wall as I slid toward the wailing sea of death below.

Something clamped around my wrist, jerking me to a stop. Wide-eyed, I l;ooked up to see Jackal on his stomach, one hand around my arm, his jaw clenched. His face was tight with concentration as he started to pull me up.

A reeking, skeletal body landed on my back, sinking claws into my shoulders, screaming in my ear. I snarled in pain, ducking my head as the rabid tore at my collar, trying to bite my neck. I couldn't do anything, but Jackal reached down with his other hand, drew the katana from its sheath on my back, and plunged it into the rabid. The weight clinging to me dropped away as the rabid screeched and fell back into the mob below, and jackal yanked me into the tunnel.

I collapsed agaisnt the wall, staring at him as he glared down at the rabids. He...had just saved my life. Stunned, I watched him approach and hold the katana hilt out to me.

"So," His gold eyes shone as he gazes into mine. "I think I'm entitled to a smart comment or two now, don't you think?"

 I'd say! So this book took an unexpected turn! It's good so far, a lot of things are happening, and a couple of unlikely alliances are blooming (anybody remember what an evil jackass -HA! Get it? Jack-ass? LOL- Jackal was in the last book? I do!). This is going to be an awesome book, I can feel it!! I am still not a fan of the cover, but I am a fan of the words.

I hope you enjoyed the teaser =D Let me know if you want more... ;)

Covers Revealed: 5 new YA Covers that will surely make you swoon! Infinityglass (Hourglass #3, Myra McEntire), The Chaos of Stars (Kiersten White), Deception (Defiance #2, C. J. Redwine), Across a Star-Swept Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars #2, Diana Peterfreund), and The Dream Thieves (Raven Cycle #2, Maggie Stiefvater)

So here are the top 5 covers (at least if you ask me) that have been released lately. Plus, they are covers from series and authors I am a fan of!

Goodreads

The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass series.

The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers -­have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways. Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time trav­elers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order.

With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does.

But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn't an object. It's a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?

 I love the color contrast. I love the mint green on the wall, but it's just not my favorite. My favorite would have to be Timepiece, and then Hourglass.

Though every time I look at it I like it even more. It's like, you look at it and it's like "wow" then you keep looking at it and it goes to "I like it".

 

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Goodreads

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

Oh gosh, you are pretty!!! The detail, I love it. Kiersten White is coming out with a lot of different cool projects lately, and all of them are getting sick covers.

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Goodreads

Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.



But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.

In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.

I didn't read the summary for this one cause I still haven't read Defiance (soon!!) but that cover is equally as beautiful as the Defiance cover was. Love the look on the model's face and her long fiery hair.

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Goodreads

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

I was so excited to learn about this book! Even though this isn't a real sequel, I think it's just in the same world. I really enjoyed For Darkness Shows the Stars so I can't wait for this one. I am going to have to review FDStS soon now. Beautiful cover.

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Goodreads

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Pretty cool cover... yes, I still have to read the first book, The Raven Boys. I will soon!

Which is your favorite?

Want a little taste of Requiem, the 3rd and final novel in the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver? Click for 50+ pages of Requiem plus an exclusive short story on Alex, the love of Lena's life (or so we think?)

Goodreads

"I've started dreaming of Portland again.
Since Alex reappeared, resurrected but also changed, twisted, like a monster from one of the ghost stories we used to tell as kids, the past has been finding its way in. It bubbles up through the cracks when I'm not paying attention, and pulls at me with greedy fingers.
This is what they warned me about for all those years: the heavy weight in my chest, the nightmare-fragments that follow me even in waking life.
I warned you, Aunt Carol says in my head.
We told you, Rachel says.
You should have stayed. That's Hana, reaching out across an expanse of time, through the murky-thick layers of memory, stretching a weightless hand to me as I am sinking."

Ah yeah, you read that right. 86 juicy pages of Requiem, all yours for the taking. Though, I am upset when it comes to romance in these few pages... Oh gosh, read them and you will understand.

PLUS Alex gets his own short story!!! WOOOHOOO!

CLICK HERE to read Requiem and Alex's short story!

Update 3/3/13:

So, about the Alex short story. They must have uploaded it by mistake with the Requiem preview, or thought better of it since they took it down and are promoting Requiem with this as well:

"Bonus: Read an exclusive short story about Alex, Lena's first love—only in the first hardcover printing."

So I guess you will have to pre-order a copy of the first edition to read the story. *le sigh*

YA Review: Nobody by Jennifer L. Barnes, and also giving away a copy of Every Other Day!

Title: Nobody
Author: Jennifer L Barnes
Series: n/a?
Book #: 1
Pages: 384
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating:
Goodreads Rating: 3.46
Published: Jan. 22nd, 2013

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them

Taschima's POV:

What can I say about this title? The ideas in it were interesting (Nobodies and Nulls), some of it lagged on the beginning (plus it was a tad depressing) but it quickly picked up it's pace once our two main characters meet. The cover may be as easily dismissible as a Nobody, but the content grabs as much attention as a full on Null. Overall Nobody is a good title but for me it didn't make me think "fireworks!" more like a good title to pass the time, and well worth the read because it's such a quick one.

Nobodies are people who are forgettable, barely there, less than air. Claire has felt all this and much more her entire life. She is nothing but a reminder sticky note on the back of her parent's front door, not worth more than a "Have a nice summer!" cliche phrase on her yearbook. Always alone, she has never had the chance to share an actual connection with somebody, that is until Nix points a gun at her head. Nix is the boy who is less than shadow. Ever since he was a little boy he has been taught what his value is- zero. He is the Society's weapon and nothing more. And he damn well knows it. He isn't worth other's attention, or even love, so imagine his surprise when his next target looks him right at the eye and screams. The society is supposed to protect humanity from all the evil Nulls in the Earth, and that is why they trained Nix since he was a little boy to hate them and kill them. Only, nothing is ever as easy or black and white as that, is it?

On the other side of the spectrum are Nulls and Sensors. Nulls are the exact opposite of Nobodies. They are attention whores, everybody loves them and do whatever they want. Only they are empty inside, they only care about their needs and wants, screw everybody else. Sensors are people who have the ability to find Nulls and Nobodies. Woopdedo, I guess someone had to.

So you can imagine how depressing this novel is at the beginning. Specially when it comes to Nix. Claire is depressing as well, but damn the girl tries. She tries her little heart out to be something more, to leave a mark on somebody, to matter at least a little bit. Always making promises to herself that next year will be different, only to disappoint herself again. I felt for Claire. Haven't all of us at some point felt like that? Like if you were to disappear the world could go on just fine without you? Like you are not leaving your print? Well, that is on one level what Nobody deals with. It also deals with you being okay with the fact that everyone is alone, once in a while, and that you have to learn how to happy in your own skin. I appreciated this as the introvert I am- extroverts (nulls? ;) )might disagree a tad.

Nix, is well, the tortured hero. Like, seriously tortured. He has a lot of things to deal with in this book alone, and I think he handled it as best as he could. I am not in love with him or anything, but I can see myself respecting the guy. I didn't connect with him like I did with Claire.

The romance in the novel is what people are calling "insta-love". They meet, they have an instant attraction to each other (hello? They are both nobodies! Nobody has ever paid attention to them their entire lives! How do you think you would react?) and then soon they are ready to die for one another. In the context of the novel I think it works. It has valid reasons why it should, not everybody is going to be a fan (specially the people who automatically hiss at the mention of the word) but then again life isn't perfect. I say given the circumstances I am letting the insta love slide (they love each other in less than a week... I am not helping my case am I?).

Nobody is action packed. It only lags a bit at the beginning and after that is a quick read. The ending was entertaining, with a few twists you wouldn't have expected. As to Nobody not having a sequel, has this been confirmed? I mean, it doesn't necessarily need one, but at the same time it totally does. The way things ended left a lot to the imagination when it comes to the future of humanity.

Final Verdict: Quick read with interesting material. You must give it a try, maybe download a sample first and see if it rocks your boat!

Review: A Taste of True Blood: The Fangbanger's Guide by Leah Wilson, and many many other authors.

Title: A Taste of Blood
Author: Leah Wilson, and many other authors.
Series: n/a
Book #: 1
Pages: 224
Reading Level: YA/Adult
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 3.63
Published: June 29th, 2010

True Blood, Alan Ball’s critically acclaimed television adaptation of Charlaine Harris’ bestselling Southern Vampire mysteries, is HBO’s most-watched show since The Sopranos, averaging over 12 million viewers an episode in its second season. Thanks to its large, dedicated fanbase, it won the People’s Choice Favorite TV Obsession” award in early 2010.

A Taste of True Blood: The Fangbanger’s Guide gives those fans something to savor between episodes—and whets their appetite for more. Covering the show’s first two seasons and released just in time for the third (with real-time online updates from the book’s contributors throughout season three), the book includes pieces on:

• Vampire Bill’s season 2 slide from hot to not
• Sookie’s mind-reading talents as a critique of our oversharing Facebook culture
• What a Louisiana setting adds to the traditional vampire myth
• Why the television series had to differ from the books (co-written by the Southern Vampire mysteries’ editor Ginjer Buchanan)
• And much more, from shapeshifters to maenads to Merlotte’s

A Taste of True Blood also includes a quick reference guide to the show’s first two seasons.

Taschima's POV:

I love Smart Pop books with all my heart. They always publish books like these about my favorite shows, and I always devour them. If you are not a fan of True Blood, then this book is not for you. If you are a fan of True Blood then you need to read this book. A Taste of True Blood for me was like having all those much needed conversations that I dream I have with my friends about the show (only not cause my friends don't watch it).

This is the kind of book you really have to be in the mood to read because it has tons and tons of essays, so taking a break in the middle of it might be a good idea. Maybe watch an episode of True Blood in between, believe me that after reading even one of these essays you will have the need to put some True Blood on your T.V.

Not all the essays are golden, there are some that were downright boring to me, but most of them were good reads. I of course had favorites, and those were:

1. Vampire Porn Essay by Daniel M. Kimmel- An essay that dissects True Blood's opening sequence that will make you think twice about the importance of a show's beginning credits. Thumbs up!
2. ...The Downfall of William T. Compton- as the title suggests this essay is about Bill's fall from grace. How he went Holy-Hell-what-a-hottie to overly lame. I partially agree with the writer, but that doesn't mean the essay is not 100% hilarious.
3. I love you, I just don't want to know you (so much) by Bev Katz Rosenbaum- An essay about on how True Blood can be "regarded as a big critique on out oversharing culture."
   
   A+! It was so interesting, stating great points about the lack of privacy in this day and age, and the writing had a nice kick to it.
4. From Castle Dracula to Merlotte's Bar & Grill by Bruce and Karen Bethke
   
   A great ending to a fantastic Smart Pop book. They were funny, they explored the appeal of vampires, specially True Blood, for both men and women nowadays and how it has changed through the ages. They had amazing banter right on the page!
5. Adapt- or die! by Ginjer Buchanan
   
   Thumbs up, up, up! This essay was all about how Allan adapted the series from book to screen, the choices made, how they changed/improved the series, and basically the road to adaptation. VERY interesting.

A Taste of True Blood brings relief, makes you feel less alone to think people (authors!) that watch your same favorite shows have opinions that are similar to yours. It's wonderful getting to know different point of views about the series, and a little outrageous when you completely disagree with an author's opinion on an aspect of the show (but still fun).

TV/Movie News: The Delirium, Lauren Oliver, TV Show has it's Lena!! Lena has been cast, guys!

 

IMDB

Lena's physical description

Lena had always described herself as in between. She said she was not ugly, but she was not pretty either. She is 5'2" in height and have a brown hair. She described her eyes as not green or brown, but a muddle.

The minute I heard that Lena had been cast and I heard that Emma Roberts was doing the part... I don't know, it felt right. I didn't feel the revulsion I did when I heard who was playing Rose, or even Lissa. I can picture her as playing Lena. Now let's hope and pray to the gods that she does Lena justice!

Source News.

So I started reading Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes...

Goodreads

"The world has an energy to it. Everyone and everything—people, objects, animals, plants... even rocks and dirt and molecules of air—they're all made upp of energy. And when they interact with each other, they leave their marks on the world, and it is through that exchange of energy that all happenings happen. That love blossoms. That connections are made."

The world of Nobody is a rather depressing world. Both Claire and Nix are Nobodies, people who lack the ability to reciprocate energy and receive energy. They are nothing, less than air, and they know it. Which is what makes the book so depressing! Here are some quotes so you get to know a little of the main characters:

No matter what you do, no matter where you go, people will always look through you. They will affect you, but you will never affect them. 

Nix's chest began to burn and with silent, ritualized savagery, he slashes at himself, uneven fingernails carving jagged red lines into his stomach and arms. Beads of sweat rose on his bare skin.

Yeah, he is a bit of an emo boy.

 If you let yourself, you could love—but no one will ever love you. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't. That thing, that intangible thing that other people have that lets them form connections, that lets them matter. 

You don't have it. 

You will never have it.

He is saying these things to himself. He was raised by a system who has taught him these lessons since he was a small child, and he believed them. Now he is an emo kid who is an assassin, and a psychotic one at that. He is scary, and exactly what you think an assassin would be like.

Claire on the other hand...

Someone tried to kill me, and I'm going swimming. I'm going swimming, because it doesn't matter. I'm going swimming, because I don't matter. I'm going swimming, because that's what Claires do. We swim and we daydream and we read and we wait for someone to care, and they never, ever, ever do.

It could be fairly easy to put Claire into the same boat Nix is, but she is different than him in that she really, really tried to make herself not wallow in self pity...

She tired so hard not to get upset. She tired so hard to find the fun, to be happy, to be sweet. To not ask for things. To not make a nuisance of herself  She tried so hard to build her own little world and love it and not mind so much that the rest of the world left hers alone. 

Does your daughter have an overactive imagination?                                                              

Claire glared at the mirror, the policeman's question echoing in her mind. "Yes. Yes, she does. She has to. Don't you understand that? She has—I have to!" 

This was why Claire didn't wallow for more than two minutes a year. It  was so much lonelier this way. So much harder to believe that it would ever change.

Then again Claire wasn't brainwashed ever since she was a little kid so you have to give that to Nix. The book as a whole seems to be focused on the battle between overly charismatic people (who are described as being both able to bend emotions at will, it seems they love it, AND at the same time hollow shells?) and overly depressing people. But I feel for Claire, because she really tries to be positive even though she is always overlooked.

So yeah, I'm going to keep reading it even though right off the bat I have some trouble with it. The depressing factor (was Raised by Wolves as depressing as this one?), the way the Nulls are described, and the inner talks of Nix telling himself he is worthless and describing what he is over and over again, are bound to be a turn off, but I am hoping things pick up with a bit of action. Also, I am sticking around for Claire, she is such a sweet girl you can't help but root for her.