Tea Mouse Book Reviews

‘Waiting On Wednesday’ is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at ‘Breaking The Spine‘.
It showcases books that you can’t wait to get your eager little hands on.

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Life is But a Dream by Brian James

Alec and Sabrina are crazy in love. Problem is: Sabrina’s really crazy.

Sabrina, an artist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents check her into the Wellness Center. There she meets Alec, who is convinced it’s the world that’s crazy, not the two of them. They are meant to be together; they are special. But when Alec starts to convince Sabrina that her treatment will wipe out everything that makes her creative, she worries that she’ll lose hold of her dreams and herself. Should she listen to her doctor? Her decision may have fatal consequences. 

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: March 27th, 2012
Why I just can’t wait: Um hello… crazy people in love? Hot damn I want some of that action!
Okay, so that sounded marginally creepy, but whatever. As if you don’t want in on the crazy(literally)-awesome times too. Please. I knew it.
You know, I feel like I’ve read something similar to this before too (but I can’t pinpoint what…). Still, I’m excited and you should be too. Because, you know… ^^ crazy people!

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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Tucholke

Strange things are happening in Violet’s town….kids gathering at night in cemeteries, girls fainting in old train tunnels, men cutting themselves in the town square.  And it all started when a crooked-smiling boy named River showed up, wanting to rent the guesthouse behind the crumbing mansion on the sea, where Violet lives with her bully of a twin brother.  Is River just a coffee-loving liar with a mysterious past and a fondness for kissing girls in cemeteries?  Or is he…something else?

And that’s just how River likes it.

Publisher: Dial
Release Date: 2013
Why I just can’t wait: So this one doesn’t even have a cover yet, but frick, I’m so excited… THERE ARE DEVILS AND LOVE AND *GUSHES* DOESN’T IT SOUND SO AMAZING?! Ok, I’m slightly calmer after getting that verbal vomit out, but seriously, ahh!! It looks so brilliant, it sounds like the story I have been waiting my whole lifetime to read. And I realise I’ve set the bar so incredibly high now but who cares because this book sounds like it’s going to pick up the bar and smash the crap out of it.
…
Why 2013 be so far away for?

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So what are you waiting on this week? Do either of these books tickle your fancy? Please feel free to leave links so I can suss out what you can’t wait for (and hopefully find some new books to add to my ever growing wishlist!)

ISBN – 978-1-4063-2866-0
Publisher – Tor Teen
First Published – 2011
Pages – 316

“Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas’s life.”

Please excuse my somewhat dodgy and probably rather short review. Most of you might know I’ve been absent for a little while, so I read this ages ago and considering my terrible memory I’m sure I will forget to cover a bajillion different things that I had initially planned to.

‘Anna Dressed in Blood’ was one of the hugely hyped debuts of 2011 and I definitely felt that for the most part it lived up to that hype.
The story follows Cas, a ghost hunter, which to start with is awesome. I love ghost stories and anything creepy, and that is exactly what this book looked like -  the first thing I thought of was Supernatural (the TV show, which is amazing!). However, I fell that this book fell a little flat on the creep factor.

Now don’t get me wrong, if you are easily scared, then don’t read this at night. But if you’re like me and it takes a lot to even get you remotely freaked, then sadly Anna just isn’t going to do it for you.
I don’t want to sound like that’s Kendare Blake’s fault at all. It isn’t; her writing was wonderful and it’s definitely gruesome, which I really admired. Not a lot of YA books describe people getting disemboweled these days (we totally need more of those… man, I’m such a psycho) so it was good to see someone getting into the spirit of a true horror story. But personally, I didn’t find it scary.

Cas was a really interesting character though. I loved that we got to see the whole story through his deliciously snarky head. Blake’s writing really shined here and I think it was her ability to drag my right into what Cas was feeling that sold me on her writing. His connection with Anna was brilliantly crafted and something really original.

And now the part I’ve been really wanting to talk about… Anna. Can anyone say WOW?!
Anna was definitely the highlight of this book for me. She was such a brilliantly twisted character and the slow reveal of her story was done perfectly. I loved her growth as a character and how she was so beautifully terrible when we first met her. Now that is the type of character I want to see more of. She was original, amazing and totally what I had hoped for.
I felt that she mellowed out a little too much towards the end of the book compared to how she started out, but I suppose that was inevitable and didn’t stop me loving her as a character.

There’s a definite story arc building it’s roots in Anna and it looks to be incredibly interesting. Clues are laid down, characters and presented and all in all, I can honestly say that I’m hooked. I know I wasn’t entirely sold on the creep factor, but the characters, the lovely descriptions and Kendare Blake’s spectucular and daring writing really did haul me in. I’m telling you now, this is one 2011 release you don’t want to miss.

Rating (out of 5):

” ‘But… everythingg I want to talk about I can’t say to them. It feels so separate, like I’ve touched something that’s taken the color out of me. Or maybe I’m in color now and they’re black and white.’ She turns to me. ‘We’re in on the secret, aren’t we Cas? And it’s taking us out of the world.’”

…and because this book had so many quotable things, another passage for you all…

“I’ve seen most of what there is to be afraid of in this world, and to tell you the truth, the worst of them are the ones that make you afraid in the light.”

Buy From:
The Book Depository | The Nile | Amazon

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies of Parajunkee and Alison Can Read that aims to help bloggers and readers alike discover new friends!

What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don’t like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

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Me thinks it be list time…

1.  Cardboard cut-out villains: Really guys? I get that this is fiction and all that, but people aren’t dead straight evil. I know that half of you are eye-rolling me at the moment because if you know me, then you’ll know that starting me on this topic is a bad idea – I could go on for hours. But it drives me up the wall that so many of today’s wonderful YA novels are let down by poorly written villains.
   Think about it; are people in real life dead set evil? Or are they a little bit inbetween? I’m going to take a leap of faith and say that most of the people in our world that are considered ‘evil’ by one person are considered ‘good’ by another. And in reality, I’d say they’re probably somewhere in between.  People don’t fit into straight cut and paste labels in real life, so why would they in fiction. I want to see villains with motivations, with relationships and with feelings. I don’t have to like them as a person, but I want to be able to respect them as a character.
   Examples of some excellent villains: I loved Valentine from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series. He is totally worthy of my respect. The Iron Fey from Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series are also awesome villains – they have a purpose and when you start to see things from their perspective, it’s a little hard to call them entirely evil. Respect won!
2. The ‘I can’t love you! I’m dangerous!’ routine: No. Just no. If you’re so worried about her (or occasionally him) being hurt because of your sneaky underworld woe-is-me agenda, then leave town. If you really cared, you’d man up and leave her to a life in peace. Otherwise, grow a pair and kiss her. She doesn’t care that you’re going to get her killed. Trust me.
3. The loner girl archetype: Yeah, sure, I’m sure every high school has at least one of these kids, but why does weird shit always happen to them? Come on, can’t the crazy stuff happen to the everyday, has many friends but isn’t ridiculously ‘popular’ chick? ‘Cause that’d be me, and I kind of wish there was a book out there where the whacked out paranormal stuff would happen to someone like me too…
   Also, I wish that the MC’s friends would play more of a role. I can think of many books where this does happen and they have rocked (ahem, Carrie Jones’ Need series? Anna and the French Kiss/Lola and the Boy Next Door? Vampire Academy?) Friends are awesome, utilise them!
4. The distinct lack of big booty… ladies: I recall having this discussion with Kylie once; why are there no curvy protagonists? No, I’m over the a-typical curvy best friend. I want some meat on my protagonists! Someone get a steak into these skinny women!
5. And on that note, why are they always short?: Seriously… what is with short MCs? I’m not short… I know lots of tall people! Who wants a tall MC! And not ridiculously tall either, just, you know, average-y tall.
   I’m pretty sure Mia from the Princess Diaries series was supposed to be tall, and she was awesome!
6. Insta-love: Do I even need to say it?
7. Parents that are never home/that let their kids do anything: My parents are strict in the sense that they generally know where I am most of the time, and they don’t really let me go roaming the streets at night. And I’m 18. So why the hell are all these 16 year old protagonists running around the neighbourhood after dark when there is usually something suspicious. My parents aren’t too impressed when I miss dinner either, or (when I was in school, that is) that I was late without telling them beforehand with a legitimate reason.
   Similarly, yeah, my parents both work. They work long hours, but I still see them. So why do I never see the MCs’ parents? Hmm…
8. Where are all the furry friends?: I like animals in books (particularly when they don’t just get killed off for shock value). Most of my friends have or have had or want a pet. So why aren’t there that many characters with little critters trailing them everywhere? Look at Rhiannon Hart’s ‘Blood Song’ and how well the pair of animal companions were worked in there!
9. Book covers that bear no actual relevance to the book: Yes, everyone likes a pretty dress and pretty girls hiding their faces in said pretty dresses are all well and good too, but do the covers actually mean something for the book, or are they just there to be, well… pretty? I’m not a marketing expert and I understand that nice covers will draw in readers, but there are ways of making them relevant at the same time… A cover should accompany a story, not be separate from it.

That’s all I can think of right at the moment (and I need to get ready for work too). But there are many, many more I’m sure (just have a look at all the other FF posts and you’ll see!)

Please do leave links with your FF post in the comments so I can come and say hello and see what your bookish pet peeves are! Do they look similar to mine, or are there some that you disagree with? I’d love to know!

Hey most lovely people!

How I’ve missed you all! ♥ How is everyone? (:

So it’s been a while, huh? Between uni, exams and work my life has been chaos but I’m back in business and keen to catch up with you all.

It’s a little sad though, because something awesome totally passed me by during all this madness…

Tea Mouse’s third birthday! Hazaahh!

I know, it was back in September (the 16th to be exact) which is eons ago, but how scary is it? We’re three! We’re over three now! Like, WOAH!? When did this happen and why am I still here? Haha, ok, that was a bit dramatic, but still… I’ve been around for three years (book blogging, at least) and that is pretty long since I fail at sticking with things. And so gosh knows how people are still reading this (assuming you are) and actually care about what I am saying.

So despite missing this momentus occasion, thank you all. For those of you who are still here, still reading, thank you so much. You amaze me every day with your lovelyness and your acceptance and you’re pure desire to share your love of literature. You are beautiful and kind and amazing and the world needs more people like you.

Anyway, so uni finished as of yesterday. Isn’t that pure insanity? I’ve finished my first year of uni and I still don’t feel old enough to be out of school. I have a car, I go out and I go to uni and oh my gosh I’m big! That scares me. Mega-ly.

But anyhow, I am going to leave you with my ramblings. But I’m back, and that’s awesome, and I’m happy to be back. (:

Hey everyone! If you missed this morning’s post where I got to chat with Lara about the Australian book industry and what it means to be writing YA in it, then you can suss that out right here.

But you’re here to win Equinox aren’t you? Alright, I’ll get to the point.

Le rules:

• You may only enter once.
• The contest is open to internationally! We love you, internationall buddies! <3
• The competition closes on (Sunday) December 4th, 2011. The winner will be contacted soon after that.
• Winners will be chosen randomly using an online generator.
• Please do not enter in the comments of the post, you can enter via the form above. Any ‘comment’ entries will be ignored.
• All contact details provided via the form will not be kept after the prize has been mailed out.
• Tea Mouse is not responsible for any prizes that may become lost in the mail.

Now, all you need to do is fill out THIS FORM and you’re in the draw to win! Best of luck everyone!