Follow Friday: May 6, 2011

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. To join in and make some friends, simply follow the directions listed by Parajunkee on her blog.

This week's question is:

Circle time! Time to share. What character in a book would you most like to be, what character in a book would you most like to date?

There have been some tough questions, lately. This one bore some thought, as well. I think I would most like to be Shannon Parker from P.C. Cast's Divine by Mistake. I would be able to keep my red hair (the feature I am most proud of), plus she is in possession of a sharply honed wit (honestly, I laugh my way through the book every single time I read it) and a great memory (I only wish I could recall passages from poetry and prose like she does). Not to mention, she gets to act as goddess incarnate and is treated like a queen. After the semester I've had, that sounds fantastic.

The character I would most like to date would be Shannon's mate, Clan Fintan, from the same series. Tall, dark, handsome (in both centaur and human form), and smart? Yes, please! Plus, the two work so well together that I wouldn't dream of having it any other way.

Review: Paranormalcy

by Kiersten White
publisher: HarperTeen
date published: August 31, 2010
format: hardcover
pages: 335
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

What I Thought

First and foremost, let me just say that the blurb for this book didn't do it justice. It was so much more than that brief summary led me to believe. For instance, I wouldn't quite say that Evie sees herself as a normal teenager. Sure, there are things that she has in common with typical teens, such as favorite TV shows, shopping, and other activities. However, there are several things that Evie yearns for, things that typical teenagers take for granted, such as school, lockers, and friends. Aside from the assignments she is sent on by IPCA, Evie is confined to the Center. She has no family and her only true friend is a mermaid, Alisha, whom she can't even touch. All of that begins to change when she meets Lend, the shapeshifter so glibly referred to in the synopsis above. He is more than your typical shapeshifter, which the description leaves out. As for the "faerie ex-boyfriend," I'm not so sure that description is fitting, either. What do you call someone who insidiously tries to do things to you against your will?

The premise for this story is an interesting one. It may not be wholly unique, but it is entertaining. Ms. White does a great job at describing the inner-workings of the IPCA (at least, as far as Evie's knowledge goes). She also has an interesting take on the paranormals included in her book. Rather than simply relegating them to being monsters, she has Evie really stopping to think the implications of what it must be like for them: often turned against their will, alone, and left with little say in their own lives. As for the tone of the book, I found myself laughing by the second page. There is a wit involved in the story that is hard to deny. The humor injected into the overall tense feelings found elsewhere kept plot moving along at a nice pace.

The only thing that kept me from being completely over the moon about this novel is Evie's attitude toward her prospects at a normal life. Once she meets Lend and begins thinking about college in earnest, she immediately says that she wants to be sure that her scores are good enough to get her into school wherever Lend is going to go. How very Felicity of her! That part really threw me off and made me give her the side-eye for a while there. I had thought her to be a bit more self-assured than that. Thank goodness she proved me wrong and commenced taking care of herself again later!

Overall, this was a very fun read. I will definitely be reading the second instalment in the series and will be looking forward to July. I just hope that Evie doesn't have any more Felicity moments. That could get a bit old. I give Paranormalcy 4 hoots.

Theme Thursday: May 5, 2011

Theme Thursday comes to us from Kavyen at Reading Between Pages. The name of the game is to select a snippet from whatever book you are reading that corresponds with the week's theme. Be sure to name the author and title of your book. Then, leave a link to your post at the official Theme Thursday post. Easy peasy.

This week's theme is: FEMALE PERSON (description of a woman/girl)

Lend's face shimmered and he shrank a few inches. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She had short, light blond hair, a pretty face, and a similar build to me, maybe a few years older. She also had eyes such a pale gray that Lend couldn't get them right.

from Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (p. 179)

Freedom!

I took my last final exam for the semester this morning. I very nearly did a jig on my way out of the building. To say that I am relieved is a vast understatement. The combination of the terrible twos and this past semester has been agonizingly frustrating for me. It would have been much worse had I not been able to indulge in a little escapism with books. I highly doubt that I will make the dean's list again this semester In fact, I know I won't since I had to drop my history of the English language class (aka "HEL(L)") like a hot potato. My GPA would have plummeted had I not done so. My advisor assures me that I have other options aside from that class, which is good since I refuse to take another class with that professor.

So, what is the point in all of this? First off, I suppose I needed to vent a little. Hope you all don't mind. Really, though, the end of the semester means good things for Starting the Next Chapter. I will be able to dedicate a little more time to reading, meaning there will be more reviews. I have some really good ones in the works, one of which will be revealed in what I hope will be my first vlog for In My Mailbox this Sunday! I'm so thrilled by what I got in the mail yesterday that I don't think a text and picture-only blog post will do it justice. I hope you will all stay tuned to see what I have in store this summer. It's going to be a good one!

Waiting On Wednesday: May 4, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To participate, simply share that book(s) you are eagerly awaiting the release of and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. Clicking the image above will take you straight to her post and link widget. (Special note: The nifty button above comes from Lindsay at The Violet Hour. Isn't it pretty?)

Last week, the cover for Julie Kagawa's next offering, an Iron Fey novella by the title of Summer's Crossing, was revealed. I'm really looking forward to its release, as it is a bridge between The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight, the latter of which will be released this November. This novella will be from Puck's point of view and will be offered as a free e-book for a short time starting June 1! It's hard to beat a free book, let alone a book by Julie Kagawa!