Night School (Night School #1) Review

Night School (Night School #1)
by C.J. Daughtery
Genre: YA
Format: ARC received through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.  I do not get to keep a copy of the books.
Midnight Minute: Allie's parents send her to the mysterious Cimmeria Academy after Allie gets arrested... again.  But it's not the curriculum that's proving hard for Allie, it's staying alive.
Expected Publication: 05.21.13
From Goodreads:

Allie's world is falling apart...

She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn't know a soul.

But instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she's happy there. She's making friends. And then there's Sylvain, a suave French student who openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have her back.

Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are hiding dangerous secrets.

Midnight Thoughts:

~ This book was not what I thought it was going to be about, and I'm so thankful for that!  I was honestly a little worried it would be another House of Night or Vampire Academy type series, however Daugherty keeps things nice and mysterious. 
~ Since her brother disappeared,  Allie has been acting out, and after another arrest her parents ship her off to Cimmeria Academy. 
~ I really wish that I wasn't about to turn 36, or that there was a boarding school for adults, because ya'll, I would totally sign up to go! Cimmeria Academy is no Hogwarts, but it's somewhere, hidden, in England!
~ Bad sign: when the boarding school you're attending is in a secret location and there's no cell phones, iPods or laptops allowed.  That's right, Cimmeria Academy students should learn to be grateful just for electricity.  Actually, I kind of like this idea, because with today's instant media culture, no doubt there'd be tweets and youtube videos of all that mysterious "Night School" society.
~ The vast majority of the kids at the boarding school are legacy students, so Allie garners a lot of attention, speculation and her fair share of distrust for not being legacy.  
~ The Night School is, as explained to Allie, a secret group of "advanced" students.  Hmmkay...
~ Allie has to do detention in the cemetery that's on the school grounds.  That does not sound as horrifying to me as it might to some of my more "normal" readers. ;) 
~ There's two boys, the broody Carter and the charming Sylvain.  Guess which one is the main boy!
~ Carter is a scholarship student, as his now deceased parents worked for the school before they died.  Which adds to Carter's dark broodiness.  
~ Mysterious growling?  Human-sounding footsteps? How are we not thinking werewolf, Allie?!  Seriously, were-wolf.  The description you just gave of what chased you and Jo?  Text book definition of an effing werewolf!!
~ As the mystery deepens, I become aware of the fact that this book is not going to go down the normal YA Paranormal path.  Oh, no, readers, Daugtherty is going all Dan Brown on your butts!
~ Jo teaches Allie how to play chess in the common room, which makes Jo Allie's Ron.  So does that make Gabe her Hermione?  lol
~ Allie visits the school chapel, which has poetry in many languages decorating the walls.  Love that!! Sounds amazing. 
~ Uh, oh, Jo is acting weird.  Or not.  Really, Allie, we barely know this girl.
~ Yeah, that's the second time I spoke to the character like she could hear me.  This book made me do that several times, and I see no reason not to share that tidbit with you.  At times it was like, "No, Allie!  Don't go by yourself in the dark, deadly woods/attic/basement/etc!"  Sadly, she did not always listen to me. 
~ Even though I got the feeling immediately that Carter was endgame, there were several cute moments with Sylvain and Allie.  Until...
~  SPOILER (highlight to read): The author has Sylvain do something so completely awful that despite her best efforts is IRREDEEMABLE.  This really made me upset, because I liked his character, and while I expected him to be revealed to be a jerk, what he actually did should have had him down at the police station recovering from the beat down the cops gave him with their little sticks.   You can't come back from that.  Well, I guess you can, because I used to watch soap operas and two of my favorite male leads (Jack on Days, Todd on OLTL and GH) were magically cured rapists, but I don't think YA is the place for this. No, there's no rape, but Sylvain still does something very unforgivable.
~ There's so much tension between Sylvain and Carter throughout the book, which normally has my eyes rolling, but not so much in this book.  I got why she was attractive to both boys, and not everyone in school was trying to get in her pleated skirt (actually, I can't remember if she wore a pleated skirt as part of her school uniform, but you get my drift, right?).
~ There should be more kissing whilst pressed against walls in this world.  I promise there would be less wars and violence.  Possibly more babies and chapped lips, though...
~ I flip-flopped teams several times until the spoiler thing happened, and I still wish that hadn't happened.  Sigh. 
~ Skinny dipping is "wholesome" fun!  lol And I envision the CW is already in line to make this into a tv show. 
~ Oh, Allie.  I have panic attacks when I'm naked all the time. ;)
~ The dance does NOT GO AS PLANNED.  
~ So, the Night School was slowly revealed, and trust me peeps, it was not what I thought it was.  I felt a bit like Vizzini in The Princess Bride shouting, "Inconceivable!" and Daugherty was all like, "Midnight Book Girl, I do not think the Night School is what you think it is!" Well played, author, well played. 
~  I have lots more notes, but I can't share anymore with you without majorly spoiling the book.  Trust me though, this is like the Da Vinci Code for the YA set to a certain degree, maybe a bit more gothic, a bit less complicated.

Timeless Characters:

Allie- our heroine, reeling from her brother's disappearance and acting out, finds herself at a mysterious boarding school stuck between two hotties. 
Carter- Bachelor #1, step right up!  Broody, hot mess boy.  Only he's not that broody or hot mess-ish.  Secretive. 
Sylvain- French hottie, charming.  Carter is not his biggest fan, and the two boys are pages away of having a dance off for Allie's hand.  
Isabelle- the headmistress of Cimmeria Academy.
Christopher- Allie's missing brother.
Jo- Allie's first real friend at boarding school.
Gabe- Jo's boyfriend, possible a Night School member.
Katie- red-headed wenchy girl, hates Allie, wants Sylvain. 
Jules- prefect, friend to Katie.
Mr. Zelazny- history teacher (but he's pretty much the Mr. Filch of the story).
Lucas- Jo's ex, part of Allie's new friends.
Rachel- gossipy new friend
Lisa, Ruth, Phil- more friends.  Don't get attached. o.0
Eloise- the school librarian.
Mr. Ellison- I think he's the groundskeeper.  He oversees the cemetery detention. 
Clare- Carter's ex. 
Lucinda- mystery woman.
Nathaniel- mysterious mothereffer. 
Mark and Harry- Allie's London friends.  I've recorded their names, but you don't need to.  They are but a blip on the radar, my dears.  OR are they?  (see, Daugherty, I can mess with readers too! ;)
 

Midnight Moment:

I realized that some shiz would go down at the dance.  One expects that.  I did not expect the shiz storm that was unleashed.  Some of it bothered me (Sylvain) and some of it shocked me a bit because I didn't realize this book was going to be that... intense? 

Stop The Clock:

Is this a perfect book?  Nope.  There's a few bumps in the road to a full on Midnight Read, including some truly difficult suspensions of belief, characters acting outside of their established personalities, convenient information supplied by characters who previously had been barely mentioned the first 200 pages or so, BUT, there's promise here.  I really liked that the book surprised me.  I really liked that Allie didn't hold onto her whole "teenage rebel" thing that I figured would only continue at boarding school.  I'm very intrigued with where this book is going, and even though some mystery has been answered, there's lots more to be revealed!  I am in this one for the long haul.  


Goodreads also shows this as a possible cover:

But the ARC I was sent had the cover I include with the synopsis.  I probably prefer the top one, just because I think it invokes the mystery of the novel a bit more.  What do ya'll think?  

C.J. Daugherty — Website |C.J Daugherty 
So, book 2 is already out in the U.K.?  Um, need it!  Plus that cover is Ah-mazing. 

Night School (Night School #1) gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

The Book of Broken Hearts Review

The Book of Broken Hearts
by Sarah Ockler
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: ARC received from Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest review, I do get to keep a copy of the book.
Midnight Minute: The summer before college Jude isn't acting in a play or hanging out with her friends, instead she's taking care of her beloved Papi and being tempted by the one boy she's sworn to hate. 
Expected Publication: 05.21.13 (the day before my birthday. Coincidence? I think not!)
From Goodreads:

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Midnight Thoughts:

~ Jude is the youngest of four girls, and the only left at home. I loved the relationship she had with her sisters and her parents, how close they all are despite the differences in ages.
~ Papi has early on-set Alzheimers, which is heart-breaking, and especially meaningful to me because I work with so many clients with cognitive impairment.  I'm so glad to see it featured in books, because I really feel that it's easy to dismiss people who suffer from this disease.  Ockler does an amazing job of making Papi a real person, and not just a caricature. 
~ Jude's parents are originally from Argentina, and it's very much a part of this novel.  It made me realize how rarely I read books that deal with different ethnic backgrounds.  I kind of fell in love with the Hernandez family.
~ Oh, the Book of Broken Hearts, it's the real deal!  The whole scene with the sisters, and the pledge they make against the Vargas boys felt very Practical Magic-ish and I loved every minute of it.  I would die for a peek of this book!
~ Jude and Papi call his disease El Demonio, which is the perfect way to describe it. 
~ Although this book does deal with Jude's evolving feelings for Emilio, it's so much more than a romance.  It's really more about Jude coming to terms with her father's illness and her identity separate from her sisters. 
~ Emilio won my heart when he helps Jude calm Papi down during an episode.  He's not afraid or embarrassed by Papi's melt down, and it was wonderful. 
~ LOL moment: when Jude says that the Vargas boys were like Hernandez Lady Kyrptonite.
~ Sad moment: How in denial Jude is in the beginning about her father's illness.  Although it's completely understandable, wanting your loved one to beat an incurable disease.
~ A girl teaching a guy to drive stick shift is dead sexy!
~ My favorite line in the book is about family tragedies, how they smash everything up, but glue it back together at the same time.  It was so true that it made me tear up. 
~ I only have brothers, but everything I know from friends and books only confirms that sisters are extremely complicated.  I both envy and am scared of Jude's relationship with her sisters.  Mostly afraid. 
~ Early on-set Alzheimers is genetic, and there are tests that can determine if you carry the genes.  Jude and her sisters have a 50/50 chance of getting the same disease.  I wish this storyline had featured a bit more, but I get that it would have definitely changed the tone of the book. 
~ I also wanted more of the Vargas boys.  I wanted to know what Emilio's older brothers were up to, but we don't really get to see them.  I wanted to know the reasons behind their decisions to break the Hernandez sister's hearts.  
~ The cover of the book is cute, but a bit generic.  I think showing an actual beat up book with the title of Broken Hearts would have been better.  However, this current cover should appeal to all us book lovers, right?
~ The ending was so good, bittersweet, but so good.  I would love to see a sequel a few years down the road to see how the Hernandez family is, but if I don't get it I won't be upset.

Timeless Characters:

Jude- youngest sister, best daughter imaginable.
Emilio- hot Vargas brother, knows his way around a motorcycle and melts hearts on a daily basis.
Papi- an amazing man losing his memories.
Rita- Jude's wonderful mother.
The Hernandez Sisters: Lourdes, Araceli and Mariposa.
Pancake- Jude's golden retriever, her interpretations of what he's thinking are a much needed comic relief. 
Zoe and Christina- Jude's friends, living the summer Jude thought she'd be having too.
Duke- Emilio's boss at Duchess Custom Cycles.
Valentina- Papi's bike.
Samuel- Emilio's friend, he calls Jude a drama llama, which cracked me up.
 

Midnight Moment:

4th of July, Jude and Emilio's walk in the woods and the butterscotch scented trees.

Stop The Clock:

I own Twenty Boy Summer but haven't read beyond the first chapter, but I already knew I loved her writing, and this book only confirmed that love.  I can't imagine anyone not liking this book!


Sarah Ockler— Website | Sarah Ockler

The Book of Broken Hearts gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

Dare You To Review

Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
by Katie McGarry
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: ARC received through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest review.  I do not get to keep a copy of the book.
Midnight Minute: Beth is torn from her friends and her mother, and now she has to deal with good guy Ryan, who dares her to risk opening up. 
Expected Publication: 05.28.13
From Goodreads:
Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

Midnight Thoughts:

~I got Pushing the Limits at BEA last year, and I enjoyed it.  My friend Kim said I would love this one even more.   And she was right. 
~ Part of the reason I loved this book so much was Ryan.  He's a good, decent boy who is dealing with many of his own issues.  His relationship with his parents and his brother are very realistic.  Usually the love interests in YA books are bad boys with a heart of gold that's polished to a shine by the girl next door they break all the rules to love.  But Ryan is already shiny, and he actually needs Beth to help scruff him up a bit. 
~ The book flips from Ryan to Beth's pov throughout the novel.  I love this because you get to really see both sides of the things that go down between Beth and Ryan, and get to know both of them. 
~ I thought I'd have a hard time accepting that Beth and Isiah weren't the end game they appeared to be in Pushing the Limits, but Ryan is just too hard to resist. 
~ Beth's relationship with her mom is heartbreaking.  She's in such denial, and she's put so much pressure on herself.  I want to go all The Crow on Beth's mom when he's all like "Mother is the name of God in the lips and hearts of little children" as he's forcing the junkie mom to clean up her act for the sake of her little girl.  
~ It appears that Beth's mom is also a fan of Carrie Underwood, since she goes all medieval on her douchebag boyfriend's El Camino.  And of course, Beth ends up taking the blame.  Which is some major bs, but if it takes her to Ryan I'll keep my mouth shut. 
~ Uncle Scott comes to Beth's rescue, although she doesn't quite see it that way, and proceeds to blackmail her into moving in with him and his new wife (a very pearl-clutching type of woman, who unclenches slightly as time goes by).  I strongly believe in blackmailing to get what you want.  ;)
~ Beth returns with Uncle Scott to the town she was born in, and her old friend Lacy is there, still holding onto the torch of friendship.  Beth is all pricklyish and angry to full appreciate Lacy, especially since Lacy dates one of Ryan's friends.
~ So even though his interest in Beth begins with a dare, I actually really enjoyed the dares the boys challenge each other to.  Especially the car moving one.  I almost always take Truth, since the one time I took a dare as a kid I had to french kiss a tree... before I even knew what french kissing was, so basically I licked bark. 
~ Inside Beth's mom's apartment is a room that no one opens.  For some reason it completely reminded me of briefcase in Pulp Fiction. 
~ I liked Ryan's story line with his brother.  I haven't seen the issue pop up in this way befor but I thought it was handled realistically and that both brothers were to blame for the rift. 
~ I'm sorry, but I am just not buying that Beth's blonde roots really look great as they grow out (Beth dyes her hair black because she's a ball on angst inside).  But since that's my biggest issue witht he book, I'll go ahead and let it go. 
~ Ryan takes a dare to take Beth on a date- and we've now entered the murky waters of teen rom-coms, but I trusted to McGarry not to go all cliche on us, and she didn't. 
~ It's kind of sad that the only thing Beth knows of what a good, loving relationship looks like is what she's witnessed between Echo and Noah.  We do get see the two of them in this book too. 
~ Ya'll are going to melt when you get to the rainwater part of the book.  Seriously, puddles of swooning girls and women on the floor over it. 
~ The lead up to the end was tense and bittersweet and I loved every second of it. 

Timeless Characters:

Beth- are f-bombing heroine with a dark, twisty past.
Ryan- actually made baseball sexy to me, nice, hot guy.
Isiah- Beth's best friend, with the occasional benefits. 
Lacy- Beth's best friend from childhood.
Chris- Ryan's dare buddy, Lacy's boydfriend.
Logan- another of Ryan's friends. 
Noah and Echo- still in love and happy.
Mark- Ryan's older brother.
Gwen- Ryan's ex, bullied Beth and Lacy when they were kids.  Not much has appeared to change with her. 
Scott- Beth's uncle, retired baseball player.
Allison- Scott's uptight wife.
Trent- Beth's mom's evil bastard boyfriend.
Officer Monroe- think Johnny Depp in 21 Jump Street.
Mrs. Rowe- Ryan's nice, if pushy, English teacher.
 

Midnight Moment:

So many!  The barn, the bird that's trapped there which was so parallel to Beth, the pond, the rainwater... I could go on.  But I won't. I need a nap.

Stop The Clock:

I can definitely recommend this, whether you've read Pushing the Limits or Not.  It's mostly sweet, but it's got some heat thrown in!


Katie McGarry — Website |Katie McGarry

Dare You To gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

Rush (The Game #1) Review

Rush (The Game #1)
by Eve Silver
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Format: ARC from Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest review.  I do not get to keep the books.
Midnight Minute: Miki is enlisted to play a game, with very real life and death consequences.
Expected Publication: 06.11.13
From Goodreads:

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Midnight Thoughts:

~ I absolutely love the concept of this book.  It's like Tron meets Starship Troopers meets YA.  
~ But I had a hard time with some of the characters.  It took me almost half the book to really connect with Miki and Jackson.  
~ Miki starts off the book hearing voices, which we know from Harry Potter, is not normal for muggles or witches.
~ The voice she hears actually gets her to save someone, instead of killing someone, so that's new.  
~ So, Miki saves a kid and takes a truck to the body, wakes up in a weird, forest-y setting and is told that she's been recruited for a game.  
~ Miki already knows one of the game players, her old friend and classmate Luka.  There's also a mysteriously hot guy who wears sunglasses.
~ Seriously, Jackson wears sunglasses all the time.  I am not going to make a Corey Hart reference, because I think I've referenced him more times on this blog than is healthy.  But I know immediately that he wears glasses to hide his special eyes.
~ Miki also has special eyes.  Sorry, normal eye colored people, you're lives are destined to be mediocre.  On the bright side, you don't have to battle aliens!
~ Everyone is all cryptic about the game and it's stakes.  Which I find mildly annoying.  Most video games come with some kind of manual!
~ Miki finds out that she's on borrowed time.  As long as she plays the game and doesn't die in it, she gets to stay alive in the real world too.  So the book deals with time travel as well as Scientologist like aliens. 
~ Miki somehow survives the first part of the game despite the fact that she's given very limited information on how to battle the aliens.  This is partly because even though Jackson is a lone wolf bad boy, he can't help but break all his cool boy rules for Miki. 
~ Back in the real world, Miki is struggling with a suddenly bitchy best friend, her widowed father and confusion and mind effery that is the Game.  She keeps getting pulled from her real life to play a game that quite frankly isn't any fun. 
~ Part of the reason that I had some issues connecting with the characters is that we're told things but not shown them.  We're told what a great friend Carly has been to Miki, but she's incredibly wenchy 97% of the time. We're told that Jackson is this loner danger boy, but he immediately treats Miki differently.  
~ The aliens are all scary and less Alf and Mork from Ork-ish. The other-world building history that Silver creates is interesting.  
~ Jackson eventually tells Miki that their missions in the games not only effect whether they live or die, but all of humanity.  And you thought studying the SAT's were tough on teenagers!
~ One of the best aspects of the book for me was Miki's complicated relationship with her father.  Her mother died of cancer, and her dad quit smoking but took up drinking.  He's not quite at alcoholic levels, but it's a problem.  Still, there's a lot of love there, and he felt like a real person and not the usual absent parent that is the bane of most YA. 
~ Miki does a lot of victory dances, for doing things like resetting the computer modem or using a search engine.  I think it's important to celebrate our selfness. 
~ I thought the book was going to be more of a love triangle, because I really liked Luka from the start, but it didn't really happen like that.  Which is kind of refreshing.  But I still want to know more about Luka. 
~ It turns out the Drau (the bad aliens) steal girls, eat their brains and turn them into mindless clones. In otherwords, MTV uses the Drau army clones to cast their reality TV shows. 
~  After awhile, Jackson grew on me.  Plus he reads.  And he and Miki are kind of steamy together. 
~ Miki also grew on me, because I realized how tightly wound she is, and it's hard not to feel for her in this impossible situation dealing with these things she can't control.  
~ Jackson pulls the "I'm no good for you, baby" card, and Miki actually calls him on all the mixed signals he gives her.  I loved that!
~ The ending surprised me, and I think it sets up the next book nicely.  I'm not sure it's a series I'll continue with... but Eve Silver will be at BEA and I'm sure if I meet her I'll like her, and then I'll want to read the rest of the series. ;)

Timeless Characters:

Miki- health nut, our heroine is all kick ass and in control.
Jackson- he wears his sunglasses at night, and day, and bedtime, and Sundays.
Luka- cutie patootie
Richelle- fellow gamer chick, very cool 
Tyrone- gamer dude, brings the humor
Carly- Miki's bestie
Deepti, Sarah and Kelley- Miki's other friends
The Drau- bad ass aliens, best not look them in the eye!
Maylene- girl that Miki tutors
Lizzie- the girl Miki dreams about
Kendra and Lien- gamers

Midnight Moment:

Definitely when Jackson takes off his sunglasses, and also when his past his revealed.

Stop The Clock:

While this wasn't my favorite book, I think there's an audience for it.  I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, and I probably would have found the gaming aspect better without aliens.  But, aliens are the new zombies, right?


Eve Silver — Website |Eve Silver

Rush (The Game #1) gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

You Look Different in Real Life Review

You Look Different in Real Life
by Jennifer Castle
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: ARC received from Around the World ARC Tours, in exchange for my honest review.  I do not get to keep the books.
Midnight Minute: Justine deals with life, fame and friendship, and finds her place in front and behind the camera.
Expected Publication: 06.04.13 from HarperTeen
From Goodreads:

For the rest of the world, the movies are entertainment. For Justine, they're real life.

The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There'd be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the cameras would capture. And no one could have predicted that Justine would be the star.

Now sixteen, Justine doesn't feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film Five at Sixteen, all she feels is dread. The kids who shared the same table in kindergarten have become teenagers who hardly know one another. And Justine, who was so funny and edgy in the first two movies, feels like a disappointment.

But these teens have a bond that goes deeper than what's on film. They've all shared the painful details of their lives with countless viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when this latest movie gives them the chance to reunite, Justine and her costars are going to take it. Because sometimes, the only way to see yourself is through someone else's eyes.

Smart, fresh, and frequently funny, You Look Different in Real Life is a piercing novel about life in an age where the lines between what's personal and what's public aren't always clear.

Midnight Thoughts:

~ This book surprised the heck out of me- I loved it!  I want to say that up front, because reviews of books I really like are so much harder than any other reviews I write.  So, you can skip everything else and just go ahead and put this book on your To Be Read pile. 
~ Justine, the main character and narrator, has taken part in two documentary films- Five at Six and Five at Eleven that have followed her and four other kids in her school at those ages.  Now they want to make a Five at Sixteen, but Justine is unsure she wants to go through with it. 
~ One of the things that I love is that Justine is not thin.  She's not the type of character who can eat anything she wants and never exercise and still not gain weight.  She's not even a character who just never eats.  Granted, she's only 20 pounds overweight, but I loved how she was disappointed because she thought by age 16 she would have lost the weight, because that's something I can easily identify with. 
~ Justine has a great family, in particular her older sister, Olivia.  Families don't have to be super effed up or absent to make a character compelling. Yes, her parents are divorced, and her dad still comes over once a week for dinner and the occasional sleepover (ew!), but it feels real and honest.
~ Justine has flaws, and she's mostly aware of them.  She's funny and snarky, and she makes mistakes.  I seriously adore her.  
~ There is so much tension between the five main characters, but particularly between Felix and Nate, and while I guessed some of the stuff about Felix, I was surprised by the layers of complications to all of their relationships.  
~ A big issue in this book is how much of Justine, who she really is, is captured, and how much of who Justine and the others are is because they're on camera.  Trust me, I could not just be myself.  I'd either disappear or I'd be ON like a drunken comedian on acid.  Plus, my voice would probably be pitched so high that only dogs could hear it. 
~ We get to "see" scenes from Five at Six and Five at Eleven, which just made me love all of the kids so much!  I don't know if ya'll have seen the HBO show Kindergarten, but that's totally what it reminded me of!  I'd love to see those little ragamuffins as they are now. 
~ Ian has a friend named Dashiell, which I loved.  Can we all just agree to give our future kids cool, literary names? Even if it means we'll have a lot of Darcys, Fours, and Anna-Dressed-In-Bloods running around?
~ It took me awhile to warm up to Felix, but making friends with apple-cider donuts?  I can be friends with someone like that!
~ Justine's past friendship with Rory is complicated, but again, it felt true.  Sometimes we outgrow friends, or we want to hang with new friends, and sometimes we are even the friend who got left behind. 
~ Kiera's dad is a complete snobdouche.  You'll understand why when you get to the part of the book where he purposely lets a scene play out for the cameras.  
~ Seriously, I felt the pressure that Justine feels to be interesting for the camera, especially since it was so easy for her when she was a kid. 
~ These kids!  Just, wow.  They are so separate from one another now, yet so tangled together.  This book highlights the power friends have to wound us.  
~ I mentioned the HBO show, but now I'm digging deep for Bravo's show called The It Factor that followed struggling actors.  It featured Jeremy Renner before he hit it big, and because of that I've always felt like I had some kind of "I saw him first" claim on him.  And it reminded me of the book, because Justine and Nate are kind of the stand out stars of the movies.
~ In order to keep the film going and to get the kids together, they have to go to one of those trust building camps with work shop leader, Pam, who Justine says is paid to make people uncomfortable.  I did not know I could get paid for something I do so naturally!
~ I think all the flashbacks made me love these kids.  I wonder if we could all see how we once were as kids, we'd like each other more?
~ 'Bouldering' sounds hellish.
~ The character of Rory, and how the others interact with her, was pretty wonderful to read about.  
~ Felix and his future struggle with his family is heartbreaking, but again, some families are exactly like his.  Poor Felix.
~ I want to hug this book.  I also want a rabbit.  Aaron, in case you are reading this, you might want to just build the rabbit hutch now, because when I say I want a rabbit, what I really mean is I'm going to get a rabbit. 
~ So much love for this book!!!

Timeless Characters:

Justine- our pink-streaked, snarky heroine!
Rory- wonderfully unique!
Felix- has personality and talent out the wazoo!
Kiera- the smart, pretty girl with real issues!
Nate- golden boy with real issues and a thing for bunnies!
Ian- loser who dumps Justine, but starts sniffing around once the new film begins production, he's a tool.
Leslie and Lance- filmmakers, I actually began to like them too!
Olivia- Justine's cool older sister (who won't be in the new film because in the Five at Eleven she was a bitchy, whiny teenager).
Dashiell- Ian's friend.  Only on this list because I like his name.
Kenny- the sound guy. 
Pam- work shop leader, I want her job!
Doug- friend of Nates's, now in college.
Ratso, a New York bunny rabbit.
Brennon/Brendon/Brandon- or whatever his name was. 

Midnight Moment:

There's several: Justine and Leslie switching roles, because I think that was a big moment in Justine's life.
How the gang deals with Rory and her needs.
Justine and Felix on the bench in New York City.

Stop The Clock:

This is another book I just want everyone to read.  You, read this now!  Or, wait until June 4th, when it comes out for sale because I get that it might be hard to get your hands on a copy before then.  But after June 4th, no excuses!  I want to see the blogging world lit up with reviews and hearts and flowers for this book. ;) 

Jennifer Castle — Website |Jennifer Castle

You Look Different in Real Life gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

Fragments (Partials #2) Review

Fragments (Partials #2)
by Dan Wells
Genre: YA Dystopian
Format: ARC received from Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest review.  I do not get to keep the ARC.
Midnight Minute: Even with the cure for RM at hand, Kira is in an even more perilous situation, as both the humans and the Partials fight to survive.
From Goodreads:

Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

The second installment in the pulse-pounding Partials saga is the story of the eleventh hour of humanity's time on Earth, a journey deep into places unknown to discover the means--and even more important, a reason--for our survival.

Midnight Thoughts:

~ I forgot a lot, so it took me several chapters to remember who everyone was and what had happened.  I would have re-read Partials, but seeing as Fragments is close to 600 pages, I just didn't have the time.
~ That said, it didn't really matter that I couldn't recall everything that had happened in the first book.  You know how, especially in dystopian tales, book 2 can get all wonky and kind of suck?  No suckage here!  Fragments was an awesome book, and I'm telling you, those 550+ pages flew by. 
~ I can't remember if Partials featured Samm's pov, but he opens the book in Fragments and I quite liked his voice, although I probably enjoy Kira's voice a bit more.  If I had a choose.  Like, if you held a gun to the book and were threatening to shoot the book if I didn't pick my favorite character.  Actually, I might pick Marcus.  
~ Speaking of Marcus, I had no real love for him in book 1.  He and Kira had a good, mutually respecting kind of relationship, but he was just kind of blah to me.  I loved his story in this book, loved that he respected and believed in Kira, and was able to deal with the shiz going down back home.  Despite the fact that he's technically Kira's boyfriend, there's not really a love triangle, and any real romance between any of the characters takes a back seat to survival. 
~ Basically the Partials are freaking out because most of their Partial leaders are expiring as they reach the old age of 20.  The humans in Long Island are freaking out because they've only managed to save one baby and can't replicate the cure without getting their hands on some Partials.  Neither side is interested in teaming up and helping each other. 
~ I know that genetically enhanced humans are a bad idea (seriously, has science fiction taught us nothing?), but MyDragons?  Those sound awesome!
~ Again, I don't remember thinking that much of Heron in the last book, but she's a real stand out in the second installment.  Like Kira, she's tough, unlike Kira though, she's realistic.  
~ I love the term 'Plague Babies'.  How is that not a band yet?
~ I love that the subways of New York have become underwater lakes and that Central Park is now a jungle (complete with wild animals).  I love that imagery. 
~ While Kira, Samm, Heron and messed up Afa try to head West and find information on the mysterious Trust, Marcus and the rest of Long Island are dealing with a Partial invasion.  Both stories were compelling and the book has a lot of action.
~ Humorous moment: Kira says that saving the world would be a lot easier if the people they were trying to save would stop killing each other.  Sadly, it kind of applies to our world today.
~ Genetically altered animals, smart enough to speak, plot and kill scares the crap out of me.  Maybe I shouldn't be a cat owner after all...
~ There's not a lot of funny, light hearted moments in dystopian novels usually, but I cracked up when Samm said, " Did that dog just call me a bastard?"  
~ I remember in the first book being put off by how smart all the Plague Babies were, but it makes sense in light of who Kira is, and the fact that most of the human kids had gene modification. 
~ I really think Arial and Heron could be bffs. 
~ I love how little race factors in to current world, but now Partials vs. Humans has taken it's place.  There is something in us that feels the need to judge others and feel superior. 
~ As Kira travels, she comes across a library.  Kira reads a thriller that sounds an awful lot like it could Dan Well's John Cleaver series. ;)
~ So much tension throughout the whole book!  You wouldn't think you'd be able to keep the plot exciting over hundreds and hundreds of pages, but Wells does it.  I may need a nitro-glycerin patch when the last book comes out!
~ At some point in the book, Samm says the world hasn't ended, it's reset.  Usually when we talk about destroying the planet, what we really mean is destroying the life on it, including our own.  But the earth will survive us, it's us that we might not survive. 
~ Kira's life is rapidly becoming a walking nightmare: attacks by superior Partials, talking dogs and acid rain.  I just wanted to give her a chocolate bar and a quiet place in which to cry.
~ The last part of the book made my head spin.  My head was spun, people!  I can't tell you why, because it's all spoilers, but I did not see a lot of that coming. 
~ Oh, Mr. Wells, you and your moral dilemmas!  What would you choose, dear readers?  The comfort of being morally right while people all around you die, or would you sacrifice the few to save the many?  Like most people, I'd choose the sacrifice... as long as I wasn't one of the people chosen to be thrown in the volcano to appease the gods.
~ The ending is kind of holycrap,holycrap!  As much as I want another John Cleaver novel, Mr. Wells had best be working on the next Partials book!

Timeless Characters:

Kira- our heroine, seeking answers about her origins, and trying to save what's left of her world. 
Samm- renegade Partial with feelings for Kira.
Marcus- the boy Kira left behind, doing his part to help the world.
Heron- kick ass Partial.
Afa- extremely paranoid and messed up human.
Dr. Morgan- mad Partial doctor, kidnapped Kira in the first book.
Nandita- the woman who raised Kira after the Partials war, and now everyone is looking for her. 
Isolde, Haru, Madison, Xochi- friends of Marcus and Kira's back in Long Island.  Madison's baby Arwen is still alive and thriving, and Isolde is pregnant. 
Ariel- one of Nandita's foster daughters, teams up with Marcus. 
Calix- human girl that crushes on Samm.
Dr. Vale- possible member of the mysterious Trust, he also leaves Kira with a difficult dilemma. 
And a billion other characters, both Partials and human, but I don't want to break my computer.  Fortunately I do have the notes on them to read over for Book 3!

Midnight Moment:

Honestly after the first 50 or 60 pages, everything is kind of a Midnight Moment.  What happens on the way to Colorado (a certain death) was completely unexpected, so I have to give that points.

Stop The Clock:

Fragments is a roller coaster of action and thrills, but Wells still manages to grow the reader's interest and connection with the main characters.  If Partials was the appetizer, than Fragments is the deliciously spicy main course.  I originally only going to do 4 and 1/2 stars, but it's been almost a week since I read it and it's still with me.


Dan Wells — Website |The Dan Wells

  Fragments (Partials #2) gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

Towering Review

Towering
by Alex Flinn
Genre: YA Fairytale Retelling
Format: ARC received from Around the World ARC Tours, in exchange for my honest review.  I do not get to keep the book.
Midnight Minute: Rachel is placed in a tower, told she is in danger from people who would harm her.  Will true love and super long hair save her?
Expected Publication: 05.14.13
From Goodreads:

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.
Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Alex Flinn knows her fairy tales, and Towering is her most mind-bending interpretation yet. Dark and mysterious, this reimagining of Rapunzel will have readers on the edge of their seats wondering where Alex will take them next!

Midnight Thoughts:

~ I love fairytale re-tellings, and I've enjoyed Beastly and Bewitching, but this book was seriously all over the place. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because I found most of the story quite compelling, but there was one element I could have done without.
~ Flinn plays fast and loose with the timing and setting of the book, but I'm okay with that.  Even though I figured out some of the twists and connections, this was still a fast read.  I wasn't bored, even when my belief was stretched beyond it's comfort zone. 
~ The chapters alternate from Rachel, to Wyatt, to Dani's diary.  Wyatt narrates most of it though, because really, Rachel's in the tower growing hair.  I think the decision to not focus on just the Rapunzel character was a good one.  I would have liked more of Dani's diary though, as she wasn't as fleshed out as Wyatt and Rachel. 
~ The woman raising Rachel, known to her only as Mama, rescued her and keeps her safe from the people who murdered Rachel's real mother.  Somehow Rachel accepts this and doesn't waterboard Mama for information like I might have been tempted to do.  Maybe my sense of curiosity is overdeveloped or Rachel was brought up to be far more trusting and faithful than I was.  Oh, who am I kidding?  Rachel is a better person than I will ever be.  
~ After Rachel encounters a young woman who attempts to yank some of her hair out, Mama moves her to the tower, and cuts her hair off.  
~ I have to give Flinn credit for imagination in her re-telling- the magic that is Rachel's hair is unique and definitely left me questioning what was going to happen. 
~ We are introduced to Wyatt, who is on his way to rural New York to live with a family friend.  He's going to be attending online school, and his past is a bit murky, but there are hints of tragedy. 
~ Wyatt stays with Celeste, who was mother to Dani, friend to Wyatt's mom.  At first Celeste seems like she's going to be some crazy Miss Havisham, still not over her daughter's disappearance, but she's actually really sweet. 
~ Wyatt finds Dani's diary from before she disappeared, and his narrative is interrupted by her entries.
~ There seems to be quite a bit missing persons in Slakkill, NY, which reminded me of the town the boys move to in The Lost Boys, only without the cool boardwalk and hot vampires.  There's a lot going on here, but there are no vampires.
~ According to Goodreads, this book is part of the Kendra series, but I assure you it isn't.  Nothing is mentioned on the author's site, and Kendra does not make an appearance. 
~ Wyatt is reading Wuthering Heights, and at least during that first night at Celeste's house, his story mirrors Lockwood's experience. 
~ Secrets can kill, which is something that both I and Wyatt can agree on.  Keeping secrets when maybe we shouldn't can also lead to a life of regret and sadness. 
~ Flinn has Wyatt visit a local store, because his grandfather taught him to patronize local stores.  This is so true, ya'll.  I love Amazon and everything, but I still try to buy books at local bookstores when I can.  And yes, I know it's possible to buy things other than books.  Sometimes I buy magnets that have book quotes on them.
~ At some point the book mentions something that sounds like psychotic lettuce, which is currently legal in Colorado and Washington.  Just kidding. 
~ Back to Rachel and her tower.  I love that she gets most of her knowledge of the outside world from books.  That's how I learned about pretty much everything when I was a kid.  Of course, my isolation was self-imposed, but still, it counts.
~ I would have really loved more of Dani and Zach's romance in the diary- I really felt that it could have been more fleshed out. 
~ Wyatt keeps hearing a woman singing in the woods, which is creepy.  
~ Rachel's hair is growing again, this time super fast! Also she discovers that she has power beyond the ability to star in a Garnier commercial. 
~ I did enjoy how connected everyone was, although again, I saw it coming.  
~ I did not see the connection to the reason behind Rachel's imprisonment, mostly because I felt that it was too weird.  Yes, even for me. 
~ Rachel is a lot stronger than most fairytale heroines, and does quite a bit of life-saving herself. 
~ Things I loved: Mrs. Greenwood being a big Trekkie, the legend of the singing ghost: a woman murdered my her faithless lover who can only be heard by those who have experienced heartbreak, and Wyatt. 
~ Thing I didn't love: Rhapsody.   
~ The ending was a bit cheesy, but I opened up a bottle of wine and quite enjoyed the two of them paired together, so I'm not complaining. 

Timeless Characters:

Rachel- our modern day Rapunzel.
Wyatt- our tormented hero. 
Dani- a disappeared daughter.
Celeste- Dani's mom and Wyatt's landlord.
Mama- Rachel's guardian, kind of locks her in a tower.
Josh- local friend that Wyatt makes.
Zach- Dani's mysterious secret lover.
Tyler- Wyatt's best friend from Long Island.
Nikki- Tyler's sister, Wyatt's former crush. 
Jerry- local who's daughter disappeared, is a little mental because of it. 
Henry- owner of the Red Fox. 
Carl- Henry's brother, friend of Zach. 
Suzie- Jerry's missing daughter.
 

Midnight Moment:

When we find out what happened to Wyatt's friend Tyler and his sister Nikki.  Gut-wrenching and unfortunately all too realistic.

Stop The Clock:

This wasn't my favorite Flinn book, but it was still a fast, fun read.  I would probably recommend Beastly or Bewitching before this one, but if you can handle your fairy tales re-imagined, then you could do worse than to spend an afternoon with this book. I just wish it hadn't had the one story line and had focused more on Wyatt's past trauma and Rachel's strength. 

Alex Flinn — Website |Alex Flinn

Towering gets a Midnight Book Rating of: