It has been awesome when it comes to what I've read two weeks ago. For week six, I picked one that I thought would be different from the rest of what I recently read. Something that stuck out for a reason.
My pick for Book of the Week 06 is:
Genre: Contemporary
An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent
Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.
Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.
I know, I know, another contemporary! In my defense, this story is not entirely based on romance. It has romance in it, it revolves around it, but it's not based on it. I don't even know if I can honestly tell you why I chose this as the book of the week. I can try, but I'm just not articulate enough to write about how beautiful and haunting this book was for me. The writing is what drew me in. The story itself was fantastic, but the writing just brought me in. Holy hell can Kat Rosenfield write! She spews frakin' poetry. The narration is very similar to Desperate Housewives or that's what I envisioned. The narration gets inside your head and renders you speechless with it's manifestation. It gets you to think truth and outside the box. It's just beautiful. That's it. That is all.
{ Characters } Becca, I'm not in love with 100%, but I love her as a person. She has a good head on her shoulders. She's prone to make mistakes just like her peers, but I love how she strives for that success she wants and does it by entirely relying on herself. Not some boy, not her parents, their money or whatever. She's responsible and she knows she's responsible for herself. I love that. For me, her biggest mistake is her boyfriend, but you know, personally, I'm not into his character and how he was portrayed. Nothing wrong with him per se. Well, read the story and you'll see.
I wasn't expecting it to be written in two different POVs. I know that both Amelia Anne and Becca's lives intersect and collide, but I didn't realize it was a before-and-after POV from both girls. It was interesting this way! Absolutely enthralling. Sometimes when books switch POVs, you get to this interesting part in one person's life and it's the end of the chapter. You then jump to another person's POV and you're completely NOT interested because the previous person's situation is a bit more interesting. That doesn't happen here. Becca & Amelia Anne both had beautiful things going on for them. And Kat Rosenfield is a mastermind. Obviously.
I didn't completely read the synopsis when I picked up this book. I had rec's from two people who thought the world of this book (both rated this 5 out of 5!) So that was my ultimate reason in picking it up.
{ Plot } The way this book was written, besides being damn good, is absolutely chilling and absolutely captivating. Like I mentioned, it's very reminiscent of Desperate Housewives (yes, the t.v. show). The narration in the t.v. show is what I envision the narration of the novel to be like. It has other similarities such as a small town full of people who are close-knit like most small towns are and how a death, especially a death of an "outsider" rocked this small town. Kat Rosenfield writes what we all think or notice without us being aware of it... whether it's socially correct or not.. .and she writes it in this tantalizing lyrical way. And that insight is just mind-blowing and that's the lovely writing that really drew me in.
You get the POV from Becca and Amelia Anne while they are living their lives. They are going somewhere, doing something, planning their future, etc. Of course, Amelia Anne's are flashbacks because Amelia Anne is... well... dead and gone. You get the "after" POV from Becca. They don't know each other. Becca has lived in this small town and she's one of those, "must get out and live in a real city" type of person. Amelia Anne's death rocks Becca to her soul making her re-evaluate what she truly wants out of life and how to get to where she wants to be (emotionally, physically, financially, etc.)
{ Overall } If this doesn't seem like your type of book because you're into paranormal, romance, or whatever else, I would still suggest trying it because it is definitely an interesting, captivating and haunting read. The story is so good and the writing, well you've heard enough about the writing. One or the other has to draw you in and if both the writing and story does, as it did for me, then it will definitely be a great read for you!
Other books I've read & rated during the week: July 29 - August 4 2012.
To Honor by D.F. Krieger - 3/5
Hourglass by Myra McEntire - 3.5/5
What a Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn - 3/5
Dragon Hunts by Lizzie Lynn Lee - 2.5/5
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - 5/5
Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard - 3.5/5
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J. Maas - 4/5
The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas - 4/5
The Assassin and the Underworld by Sarah J. Maas - 4/5
The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas - 4/5
12 Rounds by Lauren Hammond - 3/5
Avoiding Commitment by K.A. Linde - 4.5/5
Avoiding Responsibility by K.A. Linde - 3.5/5
My short, short reviews on books previously mentioned that I think are worth reading:
The prequel novellas to Throne of Glass were all amazing for being short as they are. I believe they are a great insight into Celaena's character. Pushing the Limits lived up to the hype for me. I was not disappointed with this great read at all. I wasn't in love with Hourglass as many people are, but I do believe that I will continue to like this series more and more. It has the potential. Something Strange and Deadly had some great dystopian, historical and steampunk aspects to it. I enjoyed it. The series, Avoiding, is a doozy. I, personally, loved it. I love the frustration, the angst, the drama that comes along with it. Some of my friends did not like it due to that. The characters are so immature and you don't want to deal with their stupidity, but ugh, it reels you in. It's reminiscent of Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens & Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, uh, but without the awesome men/characters. The second book in this series is just the same, but much better ending in my opinion.
So that's it :0) Until later this week!
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