Review: Delusion

Delusion by Laura Sullivan

When two beautiful teenage stage magicians in World War II England meet a pair of handsome men who can do real magic, sparks fly. But is it illusion, or delusion? Opening-night jitters are nothing new for Phil and Fee Albion, who come from a long line of stage illusionists. The girls love to dazzle London audiences, but in the aftermath of the Blitz they're bundled off to the countryside, where they're safe from bombs and Nazis--and bored to pieces. 

Phil, always the passionate one, discovers a hidden college of real magicians led by the devastatingly handsome Arden. If only Phil can persuade these unworldly magicians to help England win the war! Daredevil that she is, she'll risk anything to give her country a fighting chance, even if it means losing her heart . . . or her life.

So, I thought this book sounded pretty awesome, with it's pretty cover and cool synopsis. Unfortunately, I ended up not enjoying the book. The dull characters and slow pace made Delusion a disappointment.

Part of the reason I did not like the book is that most of the time the writing was in 3rd person, but could switch to first. And since I have an uncorrected ARC, when the view points switched,  thewordsshoweduplikethiswhichisreallyannoying. No spaces. I got kinda annoyed at that, which is no fault of the actual story but still made Delusion harder to read.

Okay, the characters. They were either dull, or mean. I did not find it in me to root for any of them, especially Fee. And when you don't care what happens to the characters, there is normally not a point to the book unless there is a specific moral. Also, the pacing was terrible, and I found my self only scanning some pages. Plus, some forced dialogue ruined any realistic characters Sullivan could have created.

I just felt really disconnected to the story. That is not a good feeling.

Overall, I am sorry for the short review, but I could not find many redeeming qualities and I don't want to bash the book. I am sure other people could enjoy this book, but I was definitely not one of them. Thank you ARCycling for giving me the chance to read Delusion.

1.8/5 bookcases

Waiting on Wednesday #14

This week was an easy pick, a beautiful cover, synopsis, and top notch authors! Hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This Week I am Waiting On...




  Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.

The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.

Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.

Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...

Top Ten Tuesday #11

Today's List: Top Ten Favorite Beach Reads 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Hmm, let me think... So many good beach reads, in quite the variety also! My rule is light & fun!

So what are your top ten beach reads?

Review: Prophecy

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy

Hmm, this is a hard book to review. Overall, I enjoyed Prophecy but some things just didn't seem right to me. Prophecy was pretty cool in some parts, dull in others, and sometimes the parts just moved to fast to catch anything. (There were so many "bad guys" I started getting confused about who did what!)

A lot of times I look at a dragged-out series and think that it could have easily been one book. I have a whole opposite complaint for Prophecy. A whole boatload of things happened to fast to grasp. The author could have expanded a lot of things, and either made a bigger book, or cut Prophecy into two books. I never thought I would say a book was too action- packed. Wow.

Because of the whole rushing-the-story thing, I never felt I got a connection with any of the characters. Which is a shame because Ellen Oh did create some great characters, and I definitely hope in the second book, Warrior, the audience gets to dwell on each more.

Kira, the demon hunter, was overall a cool main character. She was different from any of the other main characters I have read about. I also enjoyed reading about her brother and her dad. To be honest, I never felt connected to the young prince. I had an extremely hard time visualizing him, and he acted like a variety of ages. Kira's love interest (I think, so far all the readers can do it predict) who will go unnamed because I forgot it, was very sweet and I was disappointed we didn't see more of him. Maybe in Warrior? Please?

The plot was, as I have ranted about, rushed and all we can do is hope Ellen Oh slows down in future sequels. The Asian mythology was interesting, though had many complicated names I was prone to forgetting. Demons and other creatures bounded from the pages pretty vividly when they turned up. These were some of the better scenes. I especially enjoyed the beginning demon scene.

Overall, Prophecy didn't meet my expectations, but I will definitely check out the next book!

3/5 bookcases

Stacking the Shelves #13

Hosted by Tynga's Reviews

I didn't get a a huge haul, but what I did get made me happy! Especially the little pen shaped like a match in the swag pack for The Summer My Life Went Up in Flames... Isn't it cute?

So, how was your week? I am happy over my swag and good books, I guess I am a swag hoarder.

                                             Won:

A finished copy of The Summer My Life Went Up in Flames 

by Jennifer Salvato Dorktoski, plus swag

For Review:

.

An e-copy of Forgotten by Sarah J Pepper

An e-arc of Losing Francesca by J.A. Huss

And don't forget to check out my first author interview + giveaway!

Review: School Spirits

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? 

Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as theNew York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

 I will just say right out that I am a huge Hex Hall fan, and while this spin-off wasn’t quite as good, the novel definitely did not disappoint. Rachel Hawkins has her humor and sarcasm at the ready and her awesome characters to save the day.

While Izzy was no Sophie and Dex was no Archer, I loved both if them lots. Izzy was fun and Dex made me laugh frequently. I also enjoyed learning more about Torin, a centuries old guy in a mirror, who also had me laughing despite the fact I had huge trust issues with him. 

One part I liked was that Dex's story was unpredictable, some of his secrets came out (some even he didn't know about) and I was just, like, "woah, did not see that coming"! Also, some of the other friend's Izzy made were fun, although they didn't have any of the cool magicky stuff Dexter did.

The story was quite short, and moved very quickly. I am pretty sure I finished School Spirits in only a couple hours. Also, this book seemed a lot lighter than Hex Hall. I think the circumstances were more dire in the Hex Hall trilogy and Sophie seemed much older than Izzy. Plus, I think I got Sophie's humor so well, and with Izzy, well we just have different personalities! Still, the book is laugh-out-loud funny. I do love the Hawkin Sarcasm, as I have said before. 

I enjoyed how the family aspects were handled. Izzy is part of the Brannick family where she is taught to fight and fend for herself. Her father, however, is absent and her mother is more like a trainer most of the time. Also, Izzy’s sister is missing. The point is Izzy’s family is a little strained and hanging out with her first friends at school is good for her. I also loved the character growth between Izzy and her mother. 

Hauntings were very intriguing in this book, ghosts and spirits are another specialty of Hawkins. There is a lot of foreshadowing before the actual spirit events, though. This was kind of cool, as we got to spend more time with the characters and got all these clues to the mystery, but then again Rachel Hawkins always makes a good ghost and I would like to see more of each! 

I am looking forward to anther book to the series, but I have heard that if there is another one coming, it won’t be very soon. Rachel Hawkins is working on a different book that I am excited for though. So, at least I can read more by her in the future even if it is not in the Hex Hall/Prodigum world! Is anyone else who read this sad there won't be a sequel next year though?

Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone, but only second to Hex Hall. I miss Archer and Sophie! School Spirits in light and fun though. And definitely still highly recommended!

4/5 bookcases

 Please check out the giveaway of 5 copies of Perception, and my 150 follower giveaway, ending soon!

Waiting on Wednesday #12

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Wow, it feels good to be getting back in the swing of things here at Counting in Bookcases, since my vacation! Anyways,

My WOW pick this week is...

Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Sixteen-year-old Samantha D’Angelo has death on the brain. Her summer internship at the local newspaper has her writing obituaries instead of soaking up the sun at the beach. 

Between Shelby, Sam’s boy-crazy best friend; her boss Harry, a true-blue newspaper man; and AJ, her fellow “intern scum” (aka the cute drummer for a band called Love Gas), Sam has her hands full. But once she figures out what—or who—is the best part of her summer, will she mess it all up?

As Sam learns her way around both the news room and the real world, she starts to make some momentous realizations about politics, ethics, her family, romance, and most important—herself.

I just read and 100% loved the debut How My Summer Went Up in Flames by the same author! I hope this novel is as good as the author's first! The synopsis does sound epic though, doesn't it? What are you waiting on this week?

 And please check out my 150 followers giveaway, ending soon! Also, I just had my first author interview and giveaway, so, if you want to, have a look!