NA Review: The Shape of My Heart (2B Trilogy #3) by Ann Aguirre

Title: The Shape of My Heart
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: 2B Trilogy
Book #: 3
Pages: 352
Reading Level: NA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 3.72
Published: Nov. 25th, 2014

Some people wait decades to meet their soul mate. Courtney Kaufman suspects she met hers in high school only to lose him at seventeen. Since then, Courtney's social life has been a series of meaningless encounters, though she's made a few close friends along the way. Especially her roommate Max Cooper, who oozes damaged bad-boy vibes from every pore. 

Max knows about feeling lost and trying to move beyond the pain he's been on his own since he was sixteen. Now it's time to find out if he can ever go home again, and Courtney's the only one he trusts to go with him. But the trip to Providence could change everything because the more time he spends with Courtney, the harder it is to reconcile what he wants and what he thinks he deserves.

It started out so simple. One misfit helping another. Now Max will do anything to show Courtney that for every heart that's ever been broken, there's another that can make it complete.

Taschima's POV:

The Shape of My Heart was both a combination of "I liked it" and "It was okay"; all around i'd give it 2 1/2 stars. This story centers on Courtney, the new comer to apartment 2B who is attracted to Max, the guy the story is kind of about but not told through (even though it should have been cause he is an original member of the 2B apartment cast), but who thinks that because she is a "Butter" face Max will never be attracted to her. Max, of course, is god's gift to women everywhere. He is sexy, sculpted, a bad boy with issues. Courtney is Max's best friend, and so when max gets devastating news from his family about the death of his grandfather he asks Courtney to go with him to the funeral. Courtney agrees to accompany her friend, not knowing that it takes only ONE trip to turn friends into something more...

Things that bothered me while reading The Shape of my Heart:

1. Much too cheesy dialogue.

"True north is a fixed point, the constant that never changes. And no matter how fucked up everything else is, as long as you're here, I can always deal."

It just goes on and on and on...

"I can't lose my true north, Courtney. So I will always come and find you. No matter how long it takes."

"What other people saw as Max being a player, flirting with everyone, was more like him paying compliments to offer some good to balance the bad in the world"

SERIOUSLY? Does this mean he can still flirt/give compliments to every girl in the world? Even when he is with you? That is a lame/stupid excuse for his slightly slutty behavior.

2. Predictability.

I pretty much know how these novels are set up, I know how it is going to go, so much so that it flirts with the line of becoming boring.

3. Promotion in all the wrong places.

 "He clicked a music player into the dock, starting a song I didn't recognize. The hook caught me right away. "Who's this?" "Electric President. If you like this, you'd probably enjoy Radical Face, too."

Good point Max! I am going to go google that right now instead of walking into your bedroom to have a serious conversation with you! Or in my case I am just going to put this book down (because let's be honest that sentence just broke me off the "reading flow" I had going on), go and research this random band, and then not pick up the book again for a couple of days. Hey, how about a list at the end of the title that showcases the bands that inspired the characters? That sounds good.

4. Weirdly possessive boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.

"He's weirdly possessive about you. I mean, he knows I won't try anything so..." "Her time is mine," Max said flatly.

The first sentence came from a GAY best friend. I mean seriously Max, cool it man. And then...

"I've memorized your class schedule like a good boyfriend. I'm here to pick you up."

Okay... we might need to set some ground rules...

Courtney

"It was kind of my deal to be out there, unshockable, edgy and outrageous"

Courtney is special... Perhaps too special. She is the "cool" chick who doesn't judge anybody by their physical appearance...

"People always say this, but I swear it's true--I don't really have one [a type]. Physical traits are ephemeral anyway, while the core of the person won't change over the years."

Although...

"...I'd totally flirt with her. Though she looked nothing like Amy, they shared the leggy build that rang my bell."

...she is into music (her dream is to open up an indie label and promote bands no one else listens to -unless you are like her and you actually do listen to these bands), she is bisexual, she is ubber rich, she is in a BAND! In fact, the only other character in fiction that I have seen be as "perfectly described" as her would be the Mother in How I Met Your Mother. She is the rich kid who is so rich she/he doesn't understand how the world really works when you have no money to throw around. But I loved how she cared about Max, I loved her past history and I would totally read a novella about her time with Eli (her dead boyfriend she sometimes has conversations with in her head).

Max is a cool guy too. His upbringing was the worst, and he has had to support himself throughout his life. Bu he makes it work, so much so that he got into college with only himself to thank. He is a very independent guy, who can get very attached to his significant other. I wasn't too invested in their relationship to be quite honest, their relationship seemed very normal. Friends who became something more with little to no obstacles. It was easy, maybe too easy.

The good thing about these novels is that they always have a section where the main heroine takes time for herself, learns from her mistakes, and improves upon herself somewhat. The bad news is that it has become predictable when this is to happen, how, and by the page count how long they have to do so. Sometimes I just like to be surprised. I like my twists and turns, but The Shape of My Heart was so "by the books" that I felt like I was just riding along for shits and giggles. By far my favorite one of the series is I Want it That Way because it was smart and sexy and it dealt with real relationship issues so well I couldn't put it down. Plus the sex scenes were tremendous.

That is something Ann Aguirre KNOWS how to write very well. Her sex scenes are so juicy you can't look away. They feel real. Though the sweet talk between the couple has deteriorated if you ask me. Max and Courtney were often very open to each other about everything in their hearts (and minds) that I just felt like it went overboard. They complimented each other so much and so often that it just made me want to roll my eyes. Yes, I get it, you love her for this and that reason and no you don't care how she looks it or whatever. I get it, now can we please move along?

You could read these books as stand alones if you liked, but I would definitely start off with I Want it That Way and go from there. Is The Shape of my Heart the last of the series? Perhaps, but the author introduced a lot of new characters in this novel to make the continuation of the series a possibility. Even giving us a tid bit in the epilogue about Max's brother getting it on with one of their roommates and how that was a good story for a later time. Truth be told The Shape of my Heart wasn't a favorite, but I am glad I read it if only because I am a sucker for finishing series and the writing is fresh enough so I finished the book pretty quickly.

YA Review: Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger

Title: Etiquette & Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Finishing School
Book #: 1
Pages: 307
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 3.77
Published: February 5th, 2013, 2014

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education. 

Taschima's POV:

"It came as a relief to pack her youngest daughter and associated compatriots back to what she could only surmise was a respectable finishing school that would hopefully rid Sophronia of her many manifest flaws.
Little did she know."

Etiquette and Espionage is a very cute read. It carries Gail Carriger's Victorian signature and humor, if not the sexy parts of her adult series Soulless (which really I wasn't missing because I was having too much fun). Sophronia is a must meet character, fourteen years old she is a little nosy child with a little too much intelligence for a lady of her breed which turns out great if you are aspiring to be an intelligencer (a.k.a. a victorian spy).

Sophronia is an all around very superior type of leading lady. She is pretty much a prodigy at spying- she is daring, imaginative, she likes to strategize, she asks all the right questions, she is perceptive, and she is very good at manipulating people. Pretty much she is good at everything she does without even trying, which can be a little too good to be true. I would like to see some flaws because she is human after all (or is she? This IS a victorian/steampunk/supernatural series after all). I am pretty sure she is human anyways. But while Sophnoria being the golden star spy can get on your nerves she is also a good friend. I don't know if I would call her extremely caring, but she does help what she considers her friends. You don't want to make an enemy of her however, she will slowly but surely destroy you.

"The thing about a finishing school that trains intelligencers, thought Sophronia, is that everyone knows your business, sometimes before you do. And occasionally they'll make it up simply for entertainment."

The side characters were enjoyable if not a little forgettable. There are so many of them, and only but a few really stand out. Dimity is the legacy who wishes not to be a spy but a lady of worth (she is after fashion and gossip, but not to use it for ill intent). She is a lively character and a good counter part to Sophnoria's more quiet but deadly way to be. There is also Agatha, who is a mossy little thing with little to no advantages), Sidheag (a lady who was literally raised by wolves), Vieve (mechanical genius--because every heroine needs one of these), and Soap (Sophronia's guy friend who works in the boiler room of the academy shoveling coal). Soap while trying to be one of the most distinct characters sadly also falls short of Sophronia's wit and presence. He is a nice guy, who is quite handy when trying to break into a room, who Sophronia might like a bit too much (though she is still fourteen and hasn't been given permission to be courted).

I still have some questions, like for example who is sponsoring this finishing school? The vampires, the werewolves, the government, or another party? Why are they training these ladies? What is their purpose? Who are they supposed to be spying on? Who is Monique's accomplice? I guess I just want more history regarding the foundation of the school, how it came to be, etc. These are questions that I hope to find an answer to by reading the next books in the series (so far there are 4). The main drive behind the story is figuring out the puzzle, and watching Sophronia kick ass, but I am ready to see how this finishing school relates to the "real world".

A fun, quick, and engaging read. I recommend it to fans of The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett, and of course fans of Gail Carriger's adult series Soulless.

YA Review: Golden Son (Red Rising #2) by Pierce brown

Title: Golden Son
Author: Pierce Brown
Series: Red Rising
Book #: 2
Pages: 464
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 4.65
Published: January 6th, 2014

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. 

Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

Taschima's POV:

I am not going to lie, I am kind of devastated.

Reading the Golden Son was the wildest ride of my young life. It has constant action, intrigue, drama, strategies, romance, friendship, WAR, BLOOD, SWEAT, and definitely tears. I tried to read it in bits because I wanted it to last, but that didn't happen. It was perhaps the most epic read of the year (I know it is only January, but come on unless JK Rowling decides to write the next Harry Potter within the next 365 -and publish it- I am pretty sure no book shall surpass the awesomeness that is Golden Son).

Everything lived up to my expectations and more. The Golden Son is definitely as good as the first installment in all areas, writing, character development, plot, etc etc. It is full of twists, betrayals, reveals, intrigue... Can I just have the third installment ALREADY!?

Though after that ending...

I don't even know if I want it. The ending was just so devastating, it makes me both dread the sequel and want it like no other book.

 I was at the edge of my seat throughout the entire read. I am writing this review and I am still pumped!  I keep thinking of Darrow and his quest, Mustang and the decisions she will have to make, and Sevro (Oh Sevro, always my favorite). The theme of friendship is still going strong, trusting people over slaving them, pretty much The Golden Son is Red Rising only on a very LARGE scale. Pierce Brown is done easing us into this world.

You get to meet new characters (new awesome characters) and re visit old pals. Friends become enemies, as enemies become friends. There is a lot of death throughout the novel, some of them really hurting but all necessary. Darrow is still struggling with his choices and how many people have to die in order for his people to be freed. And then the other question is posed, what happens when they free the Reds? When they bring down the system? Chaos? Someone has to figure it out, and it isn't going to be Darrow. Darrow kicks ass throughout the novel and he also gets his ass kicked several times. I love how he can think on his feet, and how he is still that Red inside that has doubts. He is constantly struggling with his fate, hating what he has to do while understanding it is a necessary evil.

Behind every great man there has got to be a great woman, and Mustang is that woman. Mustang, she is the smartest girl in the galaxy. She will sacrifice herself if needed to avoid war, but she always has plans b, c, and d, to make sure that does not have to happen. She is no damsel in distress, in fact none of the women in this series are which is so kick ass! At one point the men in the story (the old farts) where coming down on Mustang, calling her a whore and what not, and she just shuts their mouth from a position of power. She reminds them that the women are not inferior to the men in any capacity. I love this woman, she is a fantastic role model for women anywhere. Darrow feels guilty, hiding his real self from Mustang, which is why he keeps her at arms length but Mustang isn't petty about it. I love how Darrow also starts to let go of in this novel and move on from his previous love, Eo, while always keeping her in his heart and mind.

[spoiler] The Golden Son actually reminded me of Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince in how the author just killed every grown up that could lend Darrow a hand. He is to lead this rebellion now whether he likes it or not. Poor Ares, poor Sevro!! I really, really hope he doesn't kill Sevro (NOT HIM). Hey if Mustang must die then I can live with that, just not Darrow's conscious.[/spoiler]

I cannot wait for the sequel, though at the same time I am dreading it. The final chapter of The Golden Son was intense, and absolutely nothing is certain for the next title. I am nervous and yet excited. Overall a great start to the new year. But next year...

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