Review: London Falling

Reviewer: Kristen  
Author: T.A. Foster
Pages: 344 (I could have sworn this was a lot shorter) 
Format: eBook 
My Rating: 5 out of 10 (I think I'm only being harsh because I read this in February and it is now June)

Summary (thanks, Goodreads): It’s London’s senior year and she only needs one class to graduate. She just didn’t expect her final assignment: fall in love.

Communication 224 has a reputation for giving out the most unique projects of the semester. When London James and Beau Anderson signed up for the class they had no idea they would be paired up together, much less spend an entire semester working on their final grade.

Professor Garcia tasks them to produce a study on the hit reality show, Love Match, a show about strangers falling in love on over the top dates. London and Beau decide to debunk the popular show’s fantasy portrayal of romance. Determined they can date the entire semester and not fall for each other, the classmates share blogs about their dates and start a website where everyone can follow their dating experiment. 

Is staying out of love as easy as it seems? Headstrong and success-driven London discovers there might be more important things in life than an A.

My Thoughts: So, when I read this, I remember really enjoying it. It was cute, it was fluffy, and it had a swoon-worthy-boy. What more can a girl ask for? There was just something missing. Far be it for me to know what that actually was, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there could have been something more that happened. Or that the characters could have been a little more realistic (I don't know that realistic is a fair way to phrase it, but I don't know any other way). A lot of their problems could have been fixed if they had just actually talked to each other. 

London, while sometimes a little clueless, was someone that I genuinely liked. She didn't want to compromise her dreams for a guy, and she didn't just abandon all her goals because a cute guy came into the picture. She was a little lost when it came to the whole romance thing, which bordered on annoying, but overall, she was a good character. Beau, I felt, was a "New Adult fiction" typical character. He was hot, smart but he wasn't about to become a doctor, and annoying in a somehow charming way. However, I think that the Professor Garcia was my favourite. She was just so damn eccentric! 

The premise of this story was actually really cool. I hadn't ever heard of a plot like this, and when I read the summary, I immediately went and got the book. A project based off of reality TV show, and the team (or London and Beau for those of you who haven't read this yet) had to deduce whether or not it was in fact "reality". London and Beau, of course, got the love match show, and they had to blog about whether or not fake dating resulted in real love. 

Final Thoughts: Super cute, super quick, but sometimes super dense when hitting certain parts. You should give it a go, I enjoyed it, just probably wouldn't read it again!

Rory (The Ghosts of Palladino #1)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Ciye Cho
Format: ebook (This novel was sent to me for an honest review)
Pages: 660 (on my eReader)
Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary (with love from Goodreads): Far beyond heaven, earth and hell is a city known as Palladino, a place ruled by ghosts and filled with demons, magic, and all sorts of darkly beautiful things. A city where no one can ever escape.

Eighteen-year-old Rory is a cake decorator who makes stunning confections. But no amount of frosting or miracles can save her when a demon kidnaps her—and carries her to Palladino. Here, Rory ends up in a deadly charm school where young women are forced to become companions for the Ghost Lords. And for her to survive, Rory must become everything that she isn’t: graceful, elegant... and perfect.

But nothing is what it seems in Palladino. Not the magic. Not the ghosts. And definitely not Martin Marius, the bizarre Ghost Lord-slash-inventor who is drawn to Rory. For amid a thousand machines and a hundred cats, Martin holds a secret that could change everything. A secret that could either free Rory... or destroy her.

Thoughts on the matter: A character that's like a real person? No way! You can't find one of those anywhere...or can you? I like Rory. She's sassy and knows what she wants (until a certain part of the story that it but shhhhhhh...no spoilers). Rory has had real hard times and real pain. In fact, thanks to the fact that it apparently doesn't matter where a group of girls is, they are all still jerks to the odd one out, she still suffers a lot when she shouldn't have to. I felt so bad for her and wanted to reach into the story so I could beat some people up for her.

Actually, all the characters really showed and stayed true. Some were sneaky and could hide coming  twists and turns while some you could figure out in a heart beat. Each character was worth their lines, easily. And Martin? What the heck was with that guy? Talk about an enigma. I liked it. Who could forget Cookie? I'd ignore any or my allergies or those of my family for a cat like Cookie.

Sadly, I felt that a lot of time was given to things that may not have been important to the story while not some very important parts seemed to be skimmed over. This bothered me because it meant spending so much time reading over what seems less important but as soon as there is a major conflict, I want more. I wasn't super clear on which part of the story was the most important. This small problem didn't cause me to lose interest or anything, it was just something that I noticed. Okay, okay, it made me kinda sad but at least the writing was clear and didn't require much thought outside of the schemes, plots, and theories that I couldn't stop throwing around in my head.

I was, however, totally distracted from most of the writing style stuff. I'd read novels by this author before (check them out, they are great!) so I knew a bit of what to expect writing wise but I had no idea where the story was going. I was surprised at where it went. The concept for this novel, I thought, was very unique and I love me my unique works. I really didn't know where we would get to by the end of this novel. I didn't see what was coming ahead until it was right there. If I did figure something out before it happened, it wasn't too far ahead of it actually happening. I'm glad it was like that. It kept me focused. 

And we've come to the cover. How gorgeous is that cover? All of the covers for this author match, which I love, and they all look incredible. They are as much of a work of art as the novel itself. I love this cover. Apparently, I'm a sucker for colour it would seem.

Basically: This is an easy and enjoyable read. I've not read another book with the same idea. The characters were perfect for their roles but I did feel that some scenes were a bit lacking. I would definitely consider rereading this novel and I recommend it to anyone who loves paranormal, science-fiction, and magic or doesn't mind not knowing whats coming next.

At least you have the benefit of reading this before decided whether or not to read this novel. I just went for it with no idea of what I was getting myself into. Now I'm just sad that I have to wait for the next one.

See more by this author. Check out Florence.

Dance the Moon Down

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: R L Bartram
Pages: 300
Format: eBook
My Rating: 8 out of 10

------------- This book was sent to me by the author for a fair and honest review. ------------

Summary (thanks Goodreads): In 1910, no one believed there would ever be a war with Germany. Safe in her affluent middle-class life, the rumours held no significance for Victoria either. It was her father's decision to enroll her at university that began to change all that. There she befriendes the rebellious and outspoken Beryl Whittaker, an emergent suffragette, but it is her love for Gerald Avery, a talented young poet from a neighbouring university that sets the seal on her future. After a clandestine romance, they marry in January 1914, but with the outbreak of the First World War, Gerald volunteeres but within months has gone missing in France. Convinced that he is still alive, Victoria's initial attempts to discover what has become of him, implicate her in a murderous assault on Lord Kitchener resulting in her being interrogated as a spy, and later tempted to adultery. Now virtually destitute, Victoria is reduced to finding work as a common labourer on a run down farm, where she discovers a world of unimaginable ignorance and poverty. It is only her conviction that Gerald will some day return that sustaines her through the dark days of hardship and privation as her life becomes a battle of faith against adversity.

My Thoughts: Wow. Can I just take a second to say how much I was truly craving a really really good historical fiction? Dance The Moon Down seriously couldn't have come at a better time. I have a strange fascination with all things World War. I love hearing stories from the soldiers point of view, and when I first looked at this, I thought that's what it would be. Rare do you find a historical fiction, about World War I, no less, written in a woman's point of view. I seriously loved reading about the woman's struggle, and the woman's heartbreak that came with the War. There was enough about the war to keep my interest peaked, but the story focused on the people that were the most affected by the war, and what happens after the war occurs. I loved the characters, and I love how we saw them grow and change and how changed they really were by everything. The characters were incredibly realistic, and incredibly charming at the same time. Even though she was good at making me crazy, and good at making me want to pull my hair out - I loved Victoria, I'm pretty sure it'd be impossible not to.  I loved Gerald. There was just something about him that made me love him. The novel was extremely well written, and it was easy to get lost in the time line and plot of the story. I definitely, beyond a shadow of any doubt, recommend this to any and all who enjoy historical fiction. Even if it isn't your cup of tea (hahaha, get it? Because it happens in England), pick it up, because it is worth every second of your time. I promise. 

Final Thoughts: This book is has re-kindled my love for historical fiction. I seriously forgot how much I truly loved it. 

Thank you, Robert Bartram, for sending me a copy of your novel!