My Thoughts: Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

“There is no God, no benevolent ruler of the earth, no omnipotent grand poobah of countless universes. Because if there was...my little brother would still be fishing or playing basketball instead of fertilizing cemetery vegetation.”

Matthew Turner doesn’t have faith in anything.

Not in family—his is a shambles after his younger brother was bullied into suicide. Not in so-called friends who turn their backs when things get tough. Not in some all-powerful creator who lets too much bad stuff happen. And certainly not in some “It Gets Better” psychobabble.

No matter what his girlfriend Hayden says about faith and forgiveness, there’s no way Matt’s letting go of blame. He’s decided to “live large and go out with a huge bang,” and whatever happens happens. But when a horrific event plunges Matt into a dark, silent place, he hears a rumble…a rumble that wakes him up, calling everything he’s ever disbelieved into question

**Review copy received by the publisher**

I always get a little but nervous when I have an Ellen Hopkins novel on my TBR. I get this way because, her novels, generally, deal with some pretty heavy themes and they don't always end well. That's not to say that they're complete downers. No, that it not at all true. But Hopkins tends to present her readers with disturbingly realistic scenarios. And these scenarios can often make readers take stock of what's going on outside of their little bubble. Take her Crank Trilogy for instance (a series that I can/will never read), a series of books that follows one girl's decline into drug addiction and all the consequences that follow. That is some pretty intense stuff right there.

Rumble is the fifth book (and fourth YA) that I have read by Hopkins and I would say it's the lightest- thematically- of her novels. Maybe? Although it does deal with teen suicide, bullying, sexuality, religion, and PTSD... so maybe not. I just had an easier time reading this one, then I had with the others.

The story follows Matt, as he addresses his inner turmoil, which is beginning to spill into his every day life. His brother- Luke- committed suicide after her was unceremoniously outed as being gay. Luke's death tore the already fragile family a part. Naturally, Matt is feeling a lot of guilt about his brother's death and is not able to handle it in a healthy way- he's alienating his friends and lashing out at school. To top things all off, Matt in finding himself at odds with his girlfriend Hayden. Hayden, a good Christian girl who has devoted her life to Christ. Dating Matt, who cannot believe that there is a God, how could there be, when his brother suffered so badly and ended his life so tragically.

Where the synopsis might have you believing that this story focuses heavily on faith and the existence of God, that it actually not the truth. This is completely Matt's story and how he relates to the people around him after his brother's death. Which included Hayden and her circle of Christian friends (whom bullied Luke, and expressed their discuss at his homosexuality). Hopkins, again, does an incredible job of getting us into the mind of her protagonist. Matt is angry and confused, he's feeling neglected and hurt. There is a lot going on with Matt, and as readers we get to experience everything with him. I don't know how many good things I can say about Hopkins and the way she writes her main characters- they are such authentic representations of youth and the struggles they face.

I want to quickly talk about Hopkins' use of verse when she writes. Some people really struggle with this, and I thought I would as well, but really, it reads exactly like a book not written in verse. I first experienced Ellen Hopkins through and audio book (years ago) and it flowed so easily that I thought I'd give actually reading one of her novels a go, and I was surprised at how easy it was. I guess what I am trying to say is, if her prose freaks you out, don't let it, it's not that scary.

Overall, I really enjoyed Rumble and I love seeing what Hopkins brings to the table again and again. If you have never read any of her books, give Rumble a try, it's way less daunting that anything else I've read by her. A++ Ellen Hopkins.

~Happy Reading Everyone!

 

Where Have I Been and Where Am I Going

Be prepared. 

This is going to be a chatty little post.

So, the last couple of months my posting schedule has been a little wonky. I have posted four times since July, and I didn't blog at all in October! That is just craziness. It was during the month of October that I really took the time to reflect about the blog and blogging. During the past six or so months, I have been thinking more and more about how much I want to invest in Just Another Story. How much time can I put into this? can I commit to posting twice a week? Can I commit to one review a week? I didn't know... and I still done. What I do know is that I want to produce solid quality content, can I do that and still post regularly?

The answer in a nutshell: NO!!

BUT!! I know for sure that I am not reading to throw in the towel and quit blogging. I love blogging! I love the people I have met, I love getting excited about books and talking to people are who understand my excitement. I love sharing my thoughts on the books that I have read- both books I loved and not loved. I love everything about Blogging. Everything except the pressure I feel to post consistently.

So, I'm giving that up. 

I'm going back to the old days.  Back to 2010 when I would review a book the day I read it- or months later. I am going back to reviewing any book that I want to- Whether that be and young adult title or an adult romance. I will review any and all.  I will talk about a book that I am excited about reading. 

I am going to let go the blogging pressure and guilt and just doing what I love. 

I would still like to try for at least one blog post a week- but if that doesn't happen okay. I love the Top Ten Tuesday Meme and I will continue to participate in that when the topic of the week interests me, I would also like to write more discussion posts. I have opinions on bookish things and I want to share thoughts, I will also keep reviewing. 

So here we go. The future of Just Another Story. I am excited and I am looking forward to posting more now. 

~Happy Reading Everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Reread

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and Bookish

It seems fitting that my blogging come back would feature a list- and not just any list- a list featuring books I would like to reread.

So here I am and here you go.

TOP TEN BOOKS I WANT TO REREAD

1) The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling- I know this may seem like a bit of a cope out. But really? What do you expect? I would absolutely love to reread this series. It's a no brainer really.

2) If I Stay by Gayle Forman- I loved this book and as heartbreaking as it was. I would very much like to experience it all over again. Gayle Forman has a really amazing way of telling a story. This one stayed with me for a long time after I read it.

3) Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan- More than rereading this one, I would really love to re-listen to this one. MacLeod Anderson and Nick Podehl do an amazing job narrating this one. Such a fun story.






4) The Silver Lining's Playbook by Matthew Quick- I love love loved this book. I thought it was brilliant! So good. I loved the way Quick portrayed mental illness. funnily enough, I get to reread this one this month- it's our book club pick.


5) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness- I just read this a few weeks ago and almost as soon as I was done reading it, I wanted to start all over again. What a beautiful story! If you haven't read this book. What are you waiting for? You need this in your life.

6) The BFG by Roald Dahl- Can you believe that I have only read this book once, but it remains my favourite Roald Dahl book ever. And this book would not take very long to get through. One afternoon is all I'd need.





7) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald- I think I really want to reread this one, because I hated it the first time I read it. I mean I really disliked it. I thought Daisy was one of the worst characters I'd ever had the misfortune of reading about. I wonder if I'd experience the book differently knowing that I am not going to like her.

8) This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales- There was something really special about this story. One of the most authentic coming of age stories I have ever read. I even gifted this book to my non reader friend, because the story spoke to me so.

9) Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta- Every time I mention this book, I feel like a broken record. But Jellicoe Road has to be one of my most favourite books and I have only read it once. This seems completely wrong to me somehow.





10) Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi- This one I would like to someday reread. I really didn't like it when I read it. But so many people love it! I think I must be missing something. So I haven't written this one off yet completely. I am willing to give it another go.


That's my list. I hope you enjoy. Make sure to leave links to your lists below.

~Happy Reading Everyone!

 

My Thoughts: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

So, a few weeks ago I was challenged by Aylee over at Recovering Potter Addict to read a few books (ten to be exact, and you can see the list here). I had originally thought that I would read the books of that list in order, and Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races was number five on the list, so I thought it would be a while before I got around to it. But it showed it's face at the library and I jumped on the chance to read it.

SO- here I am, I have finished The Scorpio Races and I have some thoughts.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is the fifth book I have read by her. I was first introduced to her writing a few years ago when I read The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy- and to be honest, I was not a big fan of those books. I then read The Raven Boys and liked it better, but there was still something about the story that kept me from reading more of the series. Before Aylee encouraged me to read this book, I was pretty certain that I wasn't going to read anything else by Stiefvater, I had basically decided that her novels weren't for me. Now, having given her writing a go one more time I am pretty certain that her books aren't something that I will be quick to pick up. However, I have a new appreciation for her writing.

The thing that kind of sort of bugs me about Maggie Stiefvater's books are that I feel like the plot never really makes sense, I have consistently found myself a little while reading, trying to figure out what the heck is going on.Which is a bit frustrating. But she also writes these amazing characters, and she has such a unique and beautiful way of writing. But I seem to struggle with the plots she presents. I noticed this some when I read The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, and I for sure experienced it when reading The Raven Boys, and again more recently with The Scorpio Races. To many metaphors? To much imagery? To much symbolism? I don't know. Something doesn't work for me.

I will tell you this. The Scorpio Races was my favourite of the fives books I have read that Maggie Stiefvater has written. Is this because it's a stand alone? Maybe. But I do know that my enjoyment of this novel is largely due to Puck and Sean.

I have never been so smitten by a couple of characters as I was by these two. And it wasn't just them together. It was how they were separately. Sean was this broody intense type- that is the best way I can describe him. But he wasn't shy, and he wasn't passive either. Puck on the other hand, wasn't all that likeable at the beginning, but once you became familiar with her situation and what she had to deal with, it was easy to love her. I also loved Sean and Puck together. I loved all the scenes that they were in together. I loved their dialogue and I loved how they slowly grew to care for each other. It was so endearing. I loved it. I know I am not telling what it was specifically that made these two so great, it really is hard to explain, and you need to read the book to get what I mean.

As I mentioned before, I wasn't super sure what was going on through the majority of the story. I mean I did, but I wasn't all that invested in it. What were these water horses? What were these races that people were talking about. I thought the races took place in the water and the horses swam. This could be mostly my mess up. The story was a bit slow in the beginning and I may have become distracted while reading.

Overall, I enjoyed The Scorpio Races. It was the best Maggie Stiefvater book I have read. I think she did a brilliant job with the characterization, but I wasn't sure about the overall plot. Thank you Aylee for you recommendation. I am excited to see where the other books in the list will take me.

Happy Reading Everyone!

My Thoughts: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love

**Review copy received by publisher**

In another attempt to jump out of my contemporary comfort zone I decided to give The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson a try. I had heard a number of good things about this one, and I was curious. I will admit that it took me a little while to finally pick the book up, buy when I did, I was completely engrossed in the story. I was so incredibly pleased by The Kiss of Deception I am a little sad that I finished it.

The story begins with Lia- the first daughter of Morrighan and her best friend/lady's maid fleeing the morning she was to marry a stranger.  The two wind up in a sea side village, working as bar maids. It is in this town that the two girls hope to settle and create a new life. However, the arrival of two mysterious boys-one the Prince Lia was supposed to marry, the other, an assassin sent to kill her, shake things up a bit for them, and thus, we have The Kiss of Deception.

I love love loved this book. SO much. The characters were absolutely fantastic. First off- Lia was fierce. She was a fighter. She was mouthy and she knew what she wanted. She was also super brave, loyal and she was a romantic. What a fabulous heroine. It's been a while since I have had the pleasure of reading such a well rounded protagonist. I also really like Rafe and Kaden ( the assassin and the prince, or is it the other way around? I'll never tell). I liked both guys for different reasons. I really like Rafe's broody nature, and how he seemed pissed off at the world. This made his tender moments all the better. I enjoyed Kaden's playfulness, and how he didn't really take things all that seriously. This would generally irritate me, but for him it worked.

I have to say one thing, Pearson is either a super genius or purely evil, but you actually don't know who Rafe and Kaden represent until about half way (maybe more) through the book, which is the prince and which is assassin remains a mystery for a good long while. I was sure I had it right, and I knew who was who, but than something would happen and I would wonder if I was wrong. By the time of the reveal I was pretty sure I was fooling myself... You'll need to read this one to see. I loved it though. Trying to figure out who was who. It's really not that big of a deal. But I thought it was an entertaining aspect of the novel.

Some have said that the middle of The Kiss of Deception is a little slow, I don't really agree. I loved the pace, I loved getting to know the characters and I really enjoyed the writing. It was so easy to get lost in. The latter half of the book does pick up in pace, and it's great. I think if you love character based novels, you will really enjoy this one. If you are more plot/action centred, you may struggle a bit in the middle, but maybe not.

Overall, The Kiss of Deception was a wonderful novel and I loved every page. I am excited to see what's in store for these beloved characters and I can't wait for the sequels.

~Happy Reading Everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fantasy Books Aylee Has Been Telling me to Read

TTT is hosted over at The Broke and Bookish

Top Ten Books People Have Been Telling You That You MUST Read (whether because they think it's a "you" book or it's just been generally recommended so often)

I am SO excited about this week's topic! I can barely contain how excited I am.

This week, Aylee from Recovering Potter Addict and I have decided to collaborate. The two of us have pretty different reading tastes- she's pretty high fantasy and I tend to lean more contemporary. There are a number of books we have been trying to get the other to read. I don't know how many times I begged her to read John Green before her Great John Green Read of 2014 and she has mentioned Patrick Ness to me more times then I can count. There are a few more that I have insisted she read, and you can head over to her blog post to see that list.

This week's list, is her list for me. I hope you enjoy. It was SO MUCH FUN doing this.-Stay tuned to the end for a special announcement.

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness – I think Sara will appreciate the beauty of this one. It’s essentially a contemporary with fantasy undertones so I think this would be a good start to ease Sara into the genre.

2. Coraline by Neil Gaiman – Quick and easy read with all of the whimsy and creepiness of a Neil Gaiman read. This book kind of terrified me (as did the movie) even though it’s technically a children’s book, so it might be a good Hallowe’en read.

3. Night of Cake & Puppets by Laini Taylor – I know Sara has enjoyed the first two books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy so I’m keen on her reading one of my all-time favourite novellas, featuring some of my all-time favourite secondary characters, Zuzanna and Mik. This one is SO wonderful that I can’t imagine anyone not loving it!

4. The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas – I know that Sara recently read and loved Throne of Glass and I am positively ADAMANT that everyone who reads that must also read this collection of prequel novellas, as they are utterly fantastic.

5. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater – This one was such a powerful and meaningful book for me so it holds a special place in my heart. I hope Sara enjoys it too!

6. The Archived by Victoria Schwab – This one had an entirely unique concept, which is so rare in books these days. Furthermore, it was an especially well executed concept in a well-written plot. Can be read as a standalone.

7. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers – This one might be more of a challenge because it can be quite heavy on historical politics, but it’s absolutely worth reading. The ever-present theme of mortality is quite powerful and Ismae is an amazing protagonist. Can be read as a standalone.

8. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey – Another challenging read, but also entirely rewarding in my opinion. This one is unlike anything else you will read in any genre. And Rick Yancey is a supremely talented writer. Can be read as a standalone.

9. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen – This one is kind of like Game of Thrones-lite, so it has plenty of court politics and violence, but is less dense to get through than Game of Thrones. I am really unsure what Sara will think of this one… but it will be a challenge and that’s kind of the point!

10. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness – This is my all-time favourite book after Harry Potter, which if you know me is saying something. The stream of consciousness writing is so effective here that it really brings the protagonist to life. It’s part fantasy, part sci fi, and part dystopian so it’s bound to be a challenge, but the product is pure brilliance. 

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! 

So, Aylee and I have decided that we are not stopping with these lists. We have decided to jump in and challenge one another to read these books. Yup, you read right. I am going to dig in and get all ten books read, and she is going to do the same.

Amber from Books of Amber and Judith from Paper Riot started this trend a little while ago, and we both thought it was such a brilliant idea, and we wanted to take part. We have no idea how we're going to document success, what kind of time frame we are looking at, or how we're going to keep each other accountable. But in all honesty there are no hard and fast rules. We're just going to have fun.

Tour Stop & Giveaway: The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

**review copy received from Netgalley**

Let me start off by saying that I am a chicken! I do not do horror. I can't stand being scared. It stresses me out, and I find that I stay scared for a long time afterwards. When I was ten, The Shining miniseries aired on TV, I only watched the first two parts and was so terrified, I had to sleep with my little sister (who joyfully watched the whole thing) for a year. I couldn't sleep in my own bed. Then, when I was 15 I decided to get over my fear and go see The Ring... in theatres. I think I only saw about 40% of the movie, and to this day I have never seen the end. I just don't do scary. So, boy was I shocked when The Girl from the Well turned out to be a full on horror novel.

Let me preface by saying, a couple years ago I read Anna Dressed in Blood and loved it. It was a ghost story, but I didn't find Anna all that scary. In some ways, I was expecting Rin Chupeco's novel to be similar. Uhhhh... no.

The Girl from the Well, is full blown Japanese ghost story, completely scary. The story begins with Okiku (the ghost), stalking her prey. The Stained-Man who bares the soul of the girl he murdered on his back, unknowing that his life is about to end. This is what Okiku does, she avenges the children who have been so brutally torn from the world. She releases their souls, as they are tethered to their murderers. And she has been doing this for hundreds of years. And she can't stop, she has this internal hunger that she cannot ignore.
Because Okiku can travel away from the place where she was so brutally murdered (which defies everything I know about ghosts), she finds herself in a small American town, specifically, an American boy- Tark- who is haunted by his very own ghost.

The story is narrated/told completely from Okiku's perspective, she was the one telling the story. Which was
odd, but it worked. It certainly added to the creep factor. The instances where she was out avenging the murdered children were intense. The reasons why she was killing were there, but so was her indifference to the mutilation she was responsible for. One thing you must understand about Okiku, she is not an evil entity intent on revenge, however, at the same time, she does take some pleasure in her kills. Just as you are starting to become sympathetic towards her, she'll do something crazy.

What I absolutely love about The Girl from the Well, was that Okiku's voice was completely authentic. This is a true testimony to how great of a story teller Rin Chupeco is. The pace of the story was fantastic, the way Chupeco would describe things-specifically Okiku and all other creepastic occurrences- was phenomenal. I was scared. Seriously.

There are so many things I want to address. there were other players in The Girl From the Well, Tarquin and Callie, and they were fantastic characters, and essential to the story. However, for me, Okiku was the star. I was so absorbed in her story and her motives and how incredibly complex she was. Every character is well rounded. There was so much Japanese folklore in this story and I LOVED that. Japanese ghost stories are (according to me), the freakiest things around. It was chilling.

Overall, The Girl from the Well, is definitely one of my favourite reads of this year. It was chilling and all encompassing, I couldn't put it down. Rin Chupeco did an amazing job of telling a ghost story that was horrifying, and had me scared, but it was not overwhelmingly bloody. She absolutely knew who she was writing this story for, and respected that. I am in awe, and I am SO excited to see what else she brings to the table.

The Giveaway:

***Open to CANADA/US address only***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Happy Reading Everyone!