Throwback Thursday Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Some of you may know that I originally had my own blog, Beauty but a Funny Girl, prior to joining Bookish (now Bookish Lifestyle). I was thinking the other day about all those reviews I left behind when I transferred and thought they should get some love too - no matter how badly written and newbie they come off! So I present to you: Throwback Thursday Reviews! Every once in a while I'll post an old review from Beauty but a Funny Girl, unedited in terms of content, with the exception of any spelling or grammatical mistakes. It's definitely going to be fun and interesting to see how my tastes and writing style have changed over the years!

Series:	Penryn & the End of Days #1
Genre:	Young Adult, Adults, Paranormal, Apocalyptic
Publication.Date:	May 23, 2013
Pages:	325 (paperback)
Published By:	Hodder and Stoughton
Website:	Susan Ee
	Angelfall on Goodreads
My review copy:	Borrowed from the library

Where to get:

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

(Goodreads)

Originally posted November 13, 2013 on Beauty but a Funny Girl

Angelfall is an interesting and unique twist on some of the other angel  books I've come across. Six weeks ago Gabriel and Company came down to Earth and subsequently took over. Gangs rule the daytime and the angels at night. It's not safe to go out at any time, and if you do you're risking more than your life.

Penryn, her seven-year-old sister Paige, and bat-shit-crazy mother decide to leave their apartment as it is only a matter of time before the gangs realize they are still hanging around. On their way into the woods, they are stopped by angels falling from the sky. Luckily, it's not because they were spotted, but one of the angels is being attacked by his brethren. After the battle, where the singled out angel kicks some major butt, one of the angels does fly off with Paige. In an effort to save her sister, Penryn saves the angel, Raffe, who had been left for dead - not to mention wingless.

I found Penryn to be a strong and likeable character. I thought she was very relatable as she wold constantly wish she had a sarcastic retort for Raffe's comments, but wasn't nearly clever enough. While I do love a snarky heroine, I'm not quick enough myself so it was refreshing to see a heroine who wasn't always quick on her feet. However, when it came to fighting she was definitely bad ass. When she was younger, her mother signed her up for numerous self defense classes years in advance and Penryn faithfully went to each of them - this girl could hold her own. I do love the reason her mother signed her up for these classes in the first place: so she could protect herself when the demons came. (Perhaps she wasn't too far off?)

I'm not sure how I felt about Raffe. He was very secretive and I felt like he was trying to ditch Penryn at every turn, only for her to refuse and follow him anyway. He wasn't trying to ditch her in the "you're annoying, go away" sense, but trying to protect her... I guess? I need something in his POV to really see where he is coming from. This is one of the few books I've read where I'm annoyed with the first person POV.

There wasn't really a romance either. Yes, the two appear to have feelings for one another (at least over time anyway), but it's so far on the back burner that it doesn't really manifest until near the end of the novel. I'm in no way angry about this because it just wasn't in their characters to be deterred by romantic feelings. Raffe's goal is to get his wings back, Penryn's goal is to get her sister back and find her mother. Neither of them seem interested in anything beyond helping one another accomplish these tasks.

While I enjoyed the book, I wasn't truly engrossed in the story - weird because I rated the book a 3/5, right? It's one of those things that I can't really explain. I know the other members of the Young Adult Book Blogger Club LOVED it, but I merely liked it. I like Penryn, I like Raffe, I like the plot. The only thing I can tell you is this: it's not the book, it's me. I know, so cliche! But that's the truth. Just something about me and this book did not mesh well.

At the end of the day, I'm still going to recommend you read this book. It was unique, fresh, and an interesting read. I liked it more than I didn't, but just because Angelfall and I aren't going to live happily ever, doesn't mean that you two won't end up with a picket fence and a dog.

Rainbow Rowell Meet & Greet + Book Reviews: Eleanor & Park, Attachments, Landline

A few months ago a coworker informed us that Rainbow Rowell was going to be at our local library and zero part of me hesitated when it came to signing up - there was even less hesitation when it came signing up for the Meet & Greet that took place prior to her talk.

Having only experienced the magic of Fangirl, I immediately read my copy of Eleanor & Park and asked for copies of Attachments and Landline for Christmas. So good.

Anyway, on to the event. The Meet & Greet started around 5:30 for those of us who felt no qualms about spending $25 for the privilege to spend an hour and a half in close proximity to Rainbow and special upfront seating to her 7:00 talk. My coworkers and I did not hate either of those perks - third row was pretty bad ass.

I don't remember how many tickets were available for the Meet & Greet but Rainbow handled it like a champ. She went around and signed everybody's books (regardless of how many they brought - and there was one gentleman who I'm pretty sure had every edition of each of her books), swag, chatted a bit, and took pictures. 

And she is seriously the sweetest! Her smile never fell, her laughter was contagious, and bathe in her warmth. (Does that sound weird? That sounds weird.)

After the Meet & Greet, we headed to the auditorium for her Q&A session. We got to learn about Rainbow's feelings on her name (while growing up and now), which book was her favorite to write (Fangirl), how she became a novelist, finding time to write and have a life, having crushes on her own characters (she's in a bit of a love triangle with Levi and Baz), as well as many secrets! Okay, maybe not secrets, but an audience of 100-some people, Rainbow made it feel like an intimate conversation.

Overall, the whole night was amazing. I am so thrilled I got to meet one of my favorite authors and got her books signed - along with this amazing print from The Art of Young Adult.

Series:	Standalone
Genre:	Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
Publication.Date:	February 26, 2013
Pages:	328 (hardcover)
Published By:	St. Martin's Press
Website:	Rainbow Rowell
	Eleanor & Park on Goodreads
My review copy:	Bought

Where to get:

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.


Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

(Goodreads)

Eleanor & Park is a cute story. It's not always a happy story, but it's a cute story. Or at least a cute romance. There are a lot of heavy themes throughout the book (bullying, abuse, drinking, drugs), but it's a sweet and interesting read.

I was drawn to Eleanor as this misfit character. She's an outsider character and is picked on for being "fat," a redhead, bad dresser and anything else the popular kids can think of to pick on her. Park, on the other hand, is accept by his peers despite his differences. Biggest difference? Eleanor doesn't care. She's who she is and they can accept her of bugger off.

One of the cutest scenes takes place early in the book where Park notices that Eleanor is reading his comic book over his shoulder, which is where their barriers begin to slowly break down. As the novel goes on it's obvious that despite their physical differences, Eleanor and Park have enough similarities that it's easy to see how they were drawn to one another and believe the ease in which they slowly fell into their relationship.

Series:	Standalone
Genre:	Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
Publication.Date:	April 14, 2011
Pages:	323 (paperback)
Published By:	Dutton
Website:	Rainbow Rowell
	Attachments on Goodreads
My review copy:	Bought

Where to get:

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

(Goodreads)

My first foray into Rainbow Rowell's adult novels wasn't too bad. I wasn't crazy about Attachments, but I did really enjoy it. I'll admit that at first I didn't realize the story took place in 1999 so I didn't understand why these women were writing such personal things in email when they could have been texting, but then duh. Look at the dates on the email, Andrea. Once I caught on to that detail I was a lot more accepting of the plot.

I'll admit that Lincoln's job is a bit creepy - even he admits it - but there's something about him that doesn't make it creepy. He wants to stop reading Beth and Jennifer's email but finds himself drawn to them - and slowly falling in love with Beth.

Not only that, but we are hoping - and impatiently waiting - for the moment Beth and Lincoln will physically meet. Their relationship (of sorts) is completely one sided, but I was longing for them to run into one another. I mean, they work at the same company, how hard could it be?!

Attachments is told entirely from Lincoln's perspective. We're reading Beth and Jennifer's emails and he does and get to know these two women along with him. Rainbow writes her characters in such an amazing way that I actually care about Beth and Jennifer. We're not introduced to them and we care. We care so much about them!

While there were certain parts I felt the plot dragged a bit, Attachments is a rather cute and different love story that fans of Rainbow are sure to enjoy.

Series:	Standalone
Genre:	Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publication.Date:	July 8, 2014
Pages:	356 (paperback)
Published By:	St. Martin's Press
Website:	Rainbow Rowell
	Landline on Goodreads
My review copy:	Bought

Where to get:

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts...

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

(Goodreads)

Fangirl : Lanline :: Eleanor & Park : Attachemnts. (At least for me.)

I absolutely LOVE Landline. I read this book in a day because I could not put it down. I was a little worried about the paranormal aspect of talking to her past-husband, but it worked beautifully and no part of me ever went "No way would this ever happen." Granted, it's there's a high possibility it never will, but this felt real. I fully believe that Georgie was talking to her husband (then boyfriend) who was 18 years in the past.

Seeped in reality, Georgie and Neal's marriage is falling apart. She's always choosing work over family and her current choice of choosing work over a family trip to Omaha, it might be the last straw.

Taking place over the course of a few days, Georgie attempts to keep herself together while denying her life is falling apart. Refusing to stay in her empty house, Georgie bunks with her mother, stepfather, and sister. It's here that she finds some time portal to the past through her mother's landline, connecting her to Neal 18 years ago. Throughout the course of a few days and a series of phone calls, she reconnects with younger Neal and begins to examine her life.

Additionally, Rainbow gives us a peek into the early days of Georgie and Neal, allowing us a full fledged understanding of their relationship. I love the back and forth of the narration (past and present) because we don't just get to see Georgie and Neal as they are now, but as they were then. Young, carefree, and in love. Plus, we get to see their pre-relationship days of easy flirting, which were easily some of the cutest scenes in the book. These flashbacks allow us to become more invested in their relationship and develop a deeper hope that they will pull through.

With amazing supporing characters and a romance you can't help but swoon over, Landline will easily be one of my top 2016 reads.

Book Review: Remembrance by Meg Cabot

Series:	The Mediator #7
Genre:	Adult, Paranormal, Mystery, Romance
Publication.Date:	February 2, 2016
Pages:	388 (paperback)
Published By:	William Morrow
Website:	Meg Cabot
	Proposal on Goodreads
My review copy:	Bought

Where to get:

The highly anticipated return of Meg Cabot’s bestselling Mediator series featuring fan-favorite ghost whisperer Susannah Simon

You can take the boy out of the darkness.
But you can’t take the darkness out of the boy.

All Susannah Simon wants is to make a good impression at her first job since graduating from college (and since becoming engaged to Dr. Jesse de Silva). But when she’s hired as a guidance counselor at her alma mater, she stumbles across a decade-old murder, and soon ancient history isn’t all that’s coming back to haunt her. Old ghosts as well as new ones are coming out of the woodwork, some to test her, some to vex her, and it isn’t only because she’s a mediator, gifted with second sight.

What happens when old ghosts come back to haunt you?
If you’re a mediator, you might have to kick a little ass.

From a sophomore haunted by the murderous specter of a child to ghosts of a very different kind—including Paul Slater, Suze’s ex, who shows up to make a bargain Suze is certain must have come from the Devil himself—Suze isn’t sure she’ll make it through the semester, let alone to her wedding night. Suze is used to striking first and asking questions later. But what happens when ghosts from her past—including one she found nearly impossible to resist—strike first?

(Goodreads)

"Are we ever going to talk about what happened here tonight, Susannah?"

"Well," I said. "When a man and a woman like each other very much, they start kissing, and then they get a funny feeling in their tummies. And in a normal relationship the man goes with he woman to her apartment, and they get naked and relieve each other of the funny feeling. Unless the man insists on waiting until we're married, and then the woman has a nervous breakdown -"

"Not that," he interrupted. "Thought that was a very comical, and I quite enjoyed it. I meant the devil child."

"We?" Jesse threw me a suspicious glance as we headed through the gate that said THANK YOU FOR VISITING 17-MILE DRIVE. PLEASE COME AGAIN. "Not we."

"Yes, we," I said. "I'm your fiancée. I understand you're not entirely up on twenty-first-century mores, Jesse, but it's considered rude these days not to invite your fiancée to your vigilante party."

I, along with many readers out there, was thrilled when I found out Meg was writing another Mediator book. I don't remember my exact reaction, but I do know 16-year-old inside of me couldn't contain her excitement - 27-year-old me couldn't either.

The Mediator Series was my favorite series when I was growing up and Jesse my first book boyfriend. Proposal allowed me to peek into Suze and Jesse's lives, but Remembrance is the full fledged update I've been longing for, especially after re-reading the series a few weeks ago.

Meg brings a lot of favorite (and no so favorite) characters back for Remembrance, which added to my excitement. Every characters growth and changes are perfectly inline with the characters we know and love from books 1-5, which allows Remembrance to perfectly fit in with the previous novels. One of my favorite aspects is that Suze no longer calls her brother Sleepy, Dopey, and Doc, but by their real names and while she hasn't quite dropped the "step" from their titles, she has grown to love them.

Suze, while perhaps more so stubborn and witty than when she was younger, had a few moments where she needed to be smacked upside the head. When Paul shows back up her in life with the bargain (referenced in the synopsis), she decides not to mention any of it to Jesse. This drove me insane for obvious reasons, but at the same time I understood her reasoning and probably would have done the same - as much as I may have tried to deny it to myself.

Jesse is just as swoon worthy as ever. He is protective and caring (though Suze refers to this as overprotective nineteenth-century macho man bullshit). There were times I think it went above and beyond, overall, I don't mind his overprotective nineteenth-century macho man bullshit. Meg writes this aspect of her personality in such a way that it's cute rather than domineering.

After reading Remembrance I'm glad Meg decided to continue the series because this is the perfect ending. The closure I didn't realize I was missing when Twilight ended. Remembrance allowed me to fall in love all over again with this series and these characters and I cannot wait for my next binge read.

Book Review: Proposal by Meg Cabot

Series:	The Mediator #6.5
Genre:	Adult, Paranormal, Mystery, Romance
Publication.Date:	January 19, 2016
Pages:	128 (eBook)
Published By:	Avon Impluse
Website:	Meg Cabot
	Proposal on Goodreads
My review copy:	Borrowed from the local library

Where to get:

The last place Suze Simon expects to find herself during Valentine’s Day is a cemetery. But that’s what happens when you’re a mediator – cursed with the “gift” of communicating with the dead.

That’s how Suze has ended up at the graves of a pair of NCDPs - Non-Compliant Deceased Persons – whose drama didn’t end with death. It’s Suze’s job to make sure they move on—for good.

But the NCDPs aren’t the only ones with problems. The reason Suze is spending her Valentine’s Day with the undead instead of her boyfriend, Jesse, is because he’s having so much trouble adjusting to life after death . . . not surprising, considering the fact that he used to be an NCDP himself, and now his girlfriend busts his former kind for a living, while he tries to cure his kind of what used to ail him.

Can Suze use her mediating skills to propose a mutual resolution, and bring all these young lovers together - including Jesse and herself - especially on the night Saint Valentine declared sacred to romance?

Or will she end up alone—and possibly undead—herself?

(Goodreads)

Oh how I have missed this series! I know I reread it a few weeks ago, and I'm really glad that I did, but this new addition just made me all the more happy.

Being only 128 pages, Proposal is short but a lot of fun. I love getting a preview of Suze's life since we last left her in Twilight. We get updates on what her family, friends, Father Dom, and she and Jesse have been up to. Some facts I found surprising and some facts I nodded along with thinking, "Well that makes sense."

Suze is still mediating and as sarcastic and snarky as ever. She and Jesse have an adorable relationship and I found it endearing the Jesse is still hanging on to some of his older ways and traditions - much to Suze's dismay.

Proposal is the perfect introduction to Remembrance and (reintroduction?) to Suze and Jesse. Even if you're not a fan of short stories, you're definitely going to want to read this novel. Plus, the proposal itself is beyond grin worthy.