Until I Die by Amy Plum

Title: Until I Die	Loved it	Graded
Author: Amy Plum
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: HarperTEEN
Elements: Immortality, reincarnation
Series: Book 2 of the Revenants series

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

First things first: the dialogue in this series is in French, a fact I either forgot or was not mentioned, but was nonetheless pleasantly surprised with.

The thing about this series it that it's primarily romance, with a side of paranormal action. While that's usually the case with a lot of paranormal YA, this is one I have found to have unabashed romance oozing out of its bookish pores. That's the sort of romance I love: one that doesn't try to hide, glorious flowing hair and pretty dresses alike. For contemporary romances, I love Stephanie Perkins' books. That's the best brand of contemporary YA romance, and I wish Singaporean bookstores would have her books on sale. For paranormal romance, I've found Amy Plum.

The romance is drawn out through the first half of the book, with some plot points and hints to move the plot forward sprinkled within. It worked for me, and I loved Kate and Vincent's dynamic and lovey dovey way. It might not work for readers who prefer a fast-moving, plot-driven story. This is character-driven, and Kate and Vincent are definitely moving in a centuries old society, where time is not a concern. They act like an old married couple sometimes, with lots of understanding, without the long standing arguments or having to resort to witty banter as a mating call.

The mystery here is one that's not particularly challenging to figure out. The villain is one that I saw from the book's onset, but it didn't particularly bother me. It is suspenseful, because you can sort of figure out what's going to happen. There's a lot of build up of tension that I'm sure will come into fruition in Book 3. I won't call this a filler book, because all it does is make me appreciate more of everyone's relationships. There's a lot of development on that part, and it'll help in making reading Book 3 feel extremely bittersweet.

Starters by Lissa Price

Title: Starters	Loved it	Graded
Author: Lissa Price
Genre: Science fiction
Publisher: Delacrote
Elements: Body-swapping
Series: Book 1 of the Starters series/duology

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined...

This is a negative review, and I'm starting off by saying that there's so many things I didn't like, or see fulfilled. Reviewing this book was actually a heartache. :/

STARTERS has a very promising premise. You take the one thing humans fear other than death: growing old and using science to figure out a way to not only lengthen their lives, but getting to enjoy their youth without going through the pains of being one. Ingenious.

Outside of the premise, everything starts to unravel. It's odd because the book feels cleanly cut, each with its own prologues and acts that didn't quite mesh together, and each with its pros and cons, unfortunately with more cons.

It starts off with a slightly disjointed tone, one that I was able and willing to ignore, 1) because it is plot driven, and 2) the narrator Callie doesn't stop to take a breath amidst whatever is happening. That in large part is the problem: that Callie just does things without thinking. It's not the intangible way that you notice a character is thoughtless and rushes into things, it's more than Callie has been programmed to act and react a certain way. There's no deliberation: it's just one action, do this, do that, consequences, move on.

It's not just Callie, but all of the characters in the book, which makes for emotionless reading.

Performing tasks. They keep losing their focus: heading somewhere with a specific mission, only to not execute it when they get there in the interest of moving the plot forward. So many threads left hanging, and starting in the middle of nowhere.

What I wrote about emotionless reading: It took me until nearly the end of the book before I found what bothered me so much. Basically, Callie does not sound like a teenager. I assume that even in a war torn country years later, teenagers will in part sounds like teenagers. Generally speaking, everything is life and death for teenagers. There's an exaggeration, an enhancement of feelings, to everything that happens, be it positive or negative. It's like increasing the contrast of a picture, slightly too stark.

You find a guy you like?
Exclamation marks.

You're going off into unknown territory not knowing if you'll come back alive, or come back at all?
Hug your only brother like you'll never see him again.

Callie does not sound like a teenager. Worse of all, Callie does not sound like an actual, living human being.There's no intonation in whatever any of the characters are saying, except for one notable character, which I might dismiss because her character is made to be lively and mysterious and thus has some nuances, but I'm not going to. I was so happy to read someone acting like an actual human being that I didn't mind that it's the token fairy godmother character.

There's not a lot of substance to be done with outside of the central idea, and I am disappointed at the lack of world-building, or agency of the characters.

Now, things that I would love to see in the sequel: More nuances in the characters please, and definitely some intonations when they are conversing, thinking.. living and being! I would love for each different act or event to have its emotional beat, where readers are able to process what has happened (or not, depending on the author's intent*) Some scenes to support and flesh out the basic premise. There's a lot of cool science that doesn't have any meaning and thus seems flashy.

What did you guys think?

*Some parts I can think of where readers are not given a chance to do so is Finnick's death in Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Extremely well done to show the effects of war.

Hunger Games: Singapore Short Story and Drawing Contests

Hey you Hunger Games fans! WANT SOME HUNGER GAMES GOODIES?

Flex your fanfic skills in the HG Short Story Contest. Are you an artist? You might want to join the drawing contest. *points* Head on down to Central Library on the 17th to join other Hunger Games fans for the one and only Hunger Games event.

We'll be having loads of fun and games, and of course, prizes! Will you be coming down in your District costume?

Clicketh (and right click) to embiggen for more details.

Elemental by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Elemental	Loved it	Graded
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: K Teen
Elements: Elements, Superpowers
Series: Book 0.5 of the Elementals series

Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they are more than you dream.

As an air Elemental, 17-year-old Emily Morgan doesn’t have much power. That’s okay—she knows what happens to kids who do.

Like Michael Merrick. He’s an earth Elemental, one with enough power to level cities. Which makes him sexy. Dangerous. And completely off limits. At least according to Emily’s family.

But her summer job puts her in close contact with Michael, and neither of them can help the attraction they feel. When forces of nature like theirs collide, one misstep could get someone killed. Because Emily’s family doesn’t just want her to stay away from him. They want him dead.

So when I first heard about the Elemental series, my first thought was 'meh.' Of course, I loved it later, but let me tell the 'before' part first! K, so, 'meh.' Storm is promoted as a paranormal book about four brothers, and one special~ girl--that's really nothing I haven't seen before. I've been burnt far too much, far too often. Of course, there's the part about the four brothers, which is two too many for a love triangle.

"What is the author going for?" I wondered. "A love hexagon pentagon? [ETA: Shapes fail!] Four brothers fighting over one girl, that is extremely disturbing."

I might have shuddered and made a face, but I read the prequel for the series. You know, as a sampler. To see if I liked it. And I loved Emily, and I loved Michael because Emily grew to like and trust him, but mostly because I've researched enough about the series to know that Michael would be the sole breadwinner for his unruly brothers. He gave up everything to support his family.

This review may not delve fully into the story, which is simple and straightforward. It's an explanation of why I read something that I thought I wouldn't like. What won me over was the small town setting, and the dynamics between the families with their burgeoning feud. What was it that made the feud grow to dangerous levels, such that normal, everyday people would want to kill them? Kemmerer gave us hints of the flimsy truce between the families, which showed off the hive-mind of the family opposing the Merricks.

I liked how Emily, who grew up with an anti-Merrick mindset, learnt to overcome that prejudice in the face of what Michael does for her. There's not a clearer case of actions speaking louder than words, or prejudice in this case. I loved Emily for wanting to make her own mind up despite potentially alienating her family members and the other families, who do not make an appearance here, but whose presence is palpable.

And Michael, who doesn't actively fight what people's perceptions of his family are, but doesn't discourage them from that either. All he cares about is laying low long enough to graduate, leaving the town and creating a new start elsewhere, which makes it ultimately heartbreaking that he's still in town for the rest of the series.

The other three brothers are still kids, so there goes the four boys going for one girl theory. They are adorable troublemakers, and little Chris is my favourite, if only because he's clearly Michael's favourite, Michael doting on him when the twins are busy doing their twinsy trouble things.

There are parents here, if you're worried. You should be worried, because they seem to be the creators of the truce that is unlikely to hold, and they don't seem to have a good grasp on keeping that truce. Brr.

I wasn't convinced on the elements as superpowers aspect; it feels like it's been done in stories about witchcraft, or maybe I've read too many books in the House of Night series.

But Kemmerer convinced me, not just on that, but on reading the other books in the series too. I think it's pretty good, a solid set up for the rest of the series. If you like getting all personal with the characters, try it. You might like it too.

Doctor Who Awesomeness: 6 years in 1620 frames

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