HOW DID I MISS THIS?

Hi all! Have you ever discovered a book that's been out for a while, and you're like, "Where did that come from?" This just happened to me!! Since it's already been released, I guess I can't do a WOW post, so...

 

"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under. (summary from Goodreads)

Seriously? How did I miss this one???  I'm all about quirky romance and characters who just in one short exchange have already captured my attention.  Well, I will definitely be adding it to my collection shortly ;-)

Hope everyone's having a great week!

 

Ninja Girl

MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

Mila 2.0 is one of those books that can hook you just based on premise: Teenage girl finds out she is actually an experiment in artificial intelligence.  Now, there's a concept with tons of possibility!  I mean, teenager-dom is hard enough without introducing AI into it.  But Mila turns out to be one tough cookie J.

Then you look at the beautiful cover…

And it's like, "Wow, I must have this book!"  Or at least, that's how it went down for me.  There was a lot of hype surrounding this one, and I'm happy to say Mila does not disappoint.  In her debut, Debra Driza knocks it out of the park.  Mila was a great main character who I felt for throughout all of her discoveries (about herself and the people who created her), and I could never really figure out what would happen next.

This is what made the book so fantastic imo.  The unexpectedness.

Here's the rundown: Mila's scientist mother steals her away from the lab after discovering Mila has developed human feelings.  The two attempt to hide out in a small town, and Mila's mom keeps her daughter's secret from her--until a freak accident involving Mila being thrown from a speeding truck bed makes that impossible.  Then baddies come to the town in search of Mila, hoping to steal her tech and sell it to the highest bidder.  But as Mila soon finds out, there is a bigger threat to her survival--and he will do anything to get his creation back.

There were several times when I thought I knew where things were going.  But Driza never took the cliché route.  She kept the story fresh by not leading Mila down the road so many Sci-fi/paranormal stories travel.  The story and Mila's journey was unpredictable, and I loved that.

Another thing I loved was Mila.  This heroine read surprisingly human for being created in a lab.  A lot of times when authors write AI/aliens/cyborgs they lose what makes the character essentially human, and in the case of YA, what makes them teenagers. 

But Mila and her voice couldn't have been more perfect.  Loved the humor.  I really loved how she struggled to accept herself.  The way Mila thought that accepting her tech would make her somehow less human was believable and endearing.

And the tech!!  This story was action-packed, you guys.  The story had several changes in setting; we never stayed in one place too long.  It gives the readers exactly what they want: kick-butt fight scenes, high-speed car chases, a girl who slowly discovers that she is a force to be reckoned with J.

I tried not to give any spoilers, but I'll just say this: Lucas Webb FTW! 

Loved this book, totally recommend it!  I'll definitely continue the series (and probably watch the ABC television show as well :-)).

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

NEW HUNGER GAMES TRAILER!!!

I'm probably the only person who hasn't seen it yet, always late.  But who cares?!?  This is the first official trailer for Catching Fire.  Awesomeness abounds!!!

Ahhhhhhh, excuse me while I go fangirl :-)  Watch it at least two times, and enjoy!

Ninja Girl

NINJA TAPPERS

Hi all!  I know I don't talk about it much, but I teach tap, jazz, contemporary and hip hop. And my competitive tappers killed it this weekend.  Seriously, you guys.  My students (from both studios) did awesome!!!  Besides just doing great for themselves and showing what brilliant dancers they are, they even managed to bring home a few choreography awards for me *sniffles*.  Since this is basically my only social media outlet, I just want to say to all my ninja tappers--who probably won't even read this, but whatever :)--

 

Well done, dancers.  Well done!!

 

Ninja Girl



Tunes & Teaser Tuesday: MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open it to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO REVEAL SPOILERS! (Be sure not to spoil the book for others!
• Make sure your sentences don't reveal something important!)
• Include the title and author to, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

 

Just started this debut, and I'm already hooked!

 

Teaser:

 

"So I was correct--the Dairy Queen boy didn't go to Annandale.  And, in a spectacular display of idiocy equaled only by my booth dive yesterday, I'd just assaulted him with a writing utensil.  Well played."--pg. 25 Mila 2.0

 

Lol!!  The sci-fi/teen Bourne Identity plot initially sold me, but Mila's hilarious voice is totally compelling.  And since it's also, TUNE IN TUESDAY, hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands, here's my choice for this week :-).  Bloodstream (Henrik Schwarz Remix) by Stateless.  Love the drums, love the haunting lyrics, love.it.all.

 

 

Hope everyone has a great week!

 

Ninja Girl

THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by Megan Sheperd

This book had a lot of things going for it.  First, the eye candy! The blood red font, the girl's ghostly pallor and the swampy/muted background hint at Juliet's dark world.  Titles like this intrigue me.  I immediately wanted to know more about the madman and his daughter.  And, of course, I was sold by the mention of Montgomery.  A boy from Juliet's past who is now--and always was--her crazy father's servant?  Montgomery who now--and always has--had a place in Juliet's heart?  Yes, please.  Sign me up!

So, parts I loved: 

1)  The Gothic tone.  There was a constant chill/mystery/threat in this story, and I appreciate Sheperd's ability to create suspense.  Not everyone pulls this off as effortlessly or as completely as she did.

2)  Juliet.  Her voice was perfect.  She was flawed, curious, reckless and brave.  Juliet's struggle (internal and external) is what made this book so interesting.

3)  Edward aka the mysterious castaway.  Honestly, after reading the summary, I had it in my head that I was a Montgomery girl.  Period.  But the book didn't truly pick up for me until Edward was found (fyi page 77)--half-dead, adrift at sea, clinging to life, hand clutched around a faded picture of...?

4)  The romance.  Wow.  I liked how Juliet wasn't afraid to want--and I also liked that Sheperd made it difficult to choose between the two guys.  Again, in most books, I know who I'm for instantly.  But this one…I liked both love interests, and Sheperd didn't try to sway me.

5)  Jaguar, Jaguar, Jaguar!  In it all of two seconds, BUT he reminded me of Jaqen H'ghar from Game of Thrones.  Don't know why, but a GoT reference is never a bad thing J.

Parts I didn't love:

1)  The cruelty to animals.  I should've expected this.  It says so right in the description for goodness sakes: Dr. Moreau experiments on animals, and he's freaking crazy.  But yeah, I'm a big animal lover (P.S. Never go see animal movies.  They always end badly!).  So those parts really upset me--which I think they were supposed to.

2)  Juliet's prejudice against the islanders/her father's creations.

3)  The ending and the fact that it's not standalone.  This is a personal preference.  I think the book would've been great as a standalone.  Although I'm all about the HEA, I liked (and loathed) how this one ended.

This one was tough at times for me b/c of the animal experiments, but it was a well-told story.  The mystery was excellent.  The twisty turns in the book were unexpected and kept me guessing.  I liked this story, and I think it was an exceptional debut.  Very evocative, very intense.

Anyone else read The Madman's Daughter?  As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

TUNE IN TUESDAY: KATE NASH

 

Hi there, Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently being hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  Kate Nash is a definite favorite for me, has been for a while.  She's got a quirky, odd sense of lyrics, and I just luv her British accent :-).  Annnnd I think her music would make any road trip more fun!! Hope you enjoy!

 

I love Kate's new album, but her old stuff still gets me every time *_*

 

Have a great one!

 

Ninja Girl

DANCING IN THE DARK

Hi all!  To be perfectly honest, I kinda wanted to keep this to myself.  I think everyone's experienced the feeling: It's like right after you read an awesome book and can't, just CANNOT, write a review b/c it was that soul-shattering.  And you feel like it's yours.  I've obsessed over many things (the BBC's North and South, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, BDB etc.), and I'll add Matt Luck and Emma Portner's "Dancing in the Dark" to that list.  Ever since I found this vid I've watched it (at least once) every day since.  I thank these dancers so much for this piece.  It's just...breathtaking.



Hope you enjoy!

Ninja Girl

P.S. I know this post has absolutely nothing to do with books, but I just had to share :-).