THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR by Mindee Arnett

Sixteen-year-old girl/Nightmare must feed on people's dreams to survive.

I believe that's what they call an elevator pitch.  Short, sweet, and more intriguing than all get out.  Paranormal is a very popular genre.  But YA paranormal?  You can go to the bookstore, pop into the teen section, and see how overwhelming it really is.  There are tons of kids with powers, Chosen Ones (Nerd Alert: for me, there's still only Harry J), vamps, witches, mermaids.  You name it; you can find it in YA.

But a Nightmare?  A teen who literally feeds on "fictus" aka the stuff dreams are made of?  Well, not only that, but how they have to feed, like the actual process of perching over someone chest while they sleep?  The plot stood out first and foremost, and when I got to know our heroine and hero I was hooked.

Dusty Everhart (love the nickname btw) is just a teen trying to get through her days at Arkwell Academy--a boarding school for all things magical--until one night when she dream feeds and sees a murder.

The boy whose dreams she's feeding on is none other than Eli Booker.  He's hot.  He's only wearing boxers.  His scorpion tattoo is visible in all its glory.  But what strikes Dusty is the vividness of his dream.  The colors are vibrant.  The smells are spot on.  The scene is chillingly real: A girl has been murdered on school grounds.  And Eli is an ordinary, so how could he have seen Coleville Cemetery to recall it in such detail?

When Eli throws Dusty out of his dream, she is immediately taken in by the magical police force.  They bring her to Coleville Cemetery where she finds out that not only has Eli's dream/nightmare come true.  But she and he are linked in a way neither one could have imagined.

I liked a lot of things about The Nightmare Affair.  Like I said, the sheer originality of a book about a Nightmare was fantastic.  Eli and Dusty find out that they are part of a dream-seer pair (a rare bond between two people where one can see the future by viewing the other's dreams).  Very cool.  Dusty's magic doesn't work on Eli b/c of this bond, and they have to do dream sessions during the week to try and discover the killer.  Awkwardness abounds :-).

"The Will" was interesting b/c it forced magickind not to hurt anyone, magic or otherwise.  Good b/c it keeps everyone in check.  Bad b/c like I said, it's a spell that steals magical folks free will.

I really liked the romance.  Eli and Dusty were a great couple.  Couldn't get enough of them.  Actually, to be honest, I wanted more.  What can I say?  I love me some romance J.  I mean, dream sessions?  Bring on the swoon!  I will say though this was not a case of insta-love, and I did enjoy that.

I thought the tie-in with the King Arthur legend was nicely done, but the ending could've been better.  That was my only real qualm with the book.  I already knew who the bad guy was.  The legend had already been explained, so I just wanted more.  Ninjas are greedy that way. 

Anyway, I really liked Eli's scorpion tattoo, and I enjoyed this book.  Thank you NetGalley!  Great debut, great premise, so many possibilities.  I'll be looking forward to book 2!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

SAM CRUZ'S INFALLIBLE GUIDE TO GETTING GIRLS by Tellulah Darling

I have a thing about great titles J.  I'm not sure if anyone's noticed, but 75% of the time I'll mention whether or not I felt the book title was freakin' fantastic, semi-awesome, just blah...  You get the picture.

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls was one of the greats.  I mean, come on, it's undeniable!  How could I say no?  Answer: I couldn't--and I'm glad I didn’t.  Tellulah Darling (love that name btw) delivered a fun book with interesting, off-beat characters and a cool twist on the girl-and-boy-who-are-best-friends dynamic.  (A big thank you to NetGalley!) 

When Ally gets jilted on her B-day, she's more upset than heartbroken.  Why is it that guys can "love 'em and leave 'em," but girls have to get so attached?  Guys like her best friend, Sam, must have some kind of secret formula--one that avoids feelings and the dreaded "L" word.  Determined to break the cycle, Ally enlists Sam to turn her into the ultimate heartbreaker.  Sam accepts the challenge--but when Ally starts acting more like him, it throws him off his game.  Sam Cruz, player for life, isn't used to feeling off kilter.  He's not used to seeing his best friend as a hottie.  He's not used to watching her go on dates with other guys.  And he's definitely not used to being jealous.

The characters were so quirky.  It was like Ally and Sam knew each other so well that they had something completely unique.  Their background, their conversation, their familiarity was really surprising.  You don't usually read about girl-boy relationships that are so tight they can talk about anything.

And I do mean anything!

From the title, you can tell it's not exactly going to be a wholesome read, but there was this phrase on the Goodreads summary: This book contains strong language, drinking, euphemisms, and lots of “bow chicka wow wow.”  This is a book that doesn't pull any punches.  Ally and Sam are so comfortable with each other that sometimes (lots of times) their language isn't…well, PG13.  The warning is right there, so I don't understand how you'd go into this not knowing what to expect.  *shrugs*  But I will say don't take the warning lightly.  There really is a lot of cursing, drinking, hooking up etc.

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls was fun and funny.  There were a few moments when I laughed out loud and a few where I sighed in girlish delight.  One sentence of dialogue comes to mind ****SPOILER****  Ally to Sam: "I'm the perfect girl for you.  And you can't handle that."

The book was on the short-side and a very quick read.  I also love the cover, very eye-catching.  Nothing comes easy for these two best friends.  The story has plenty of angst to go along with the quirk, but if you can handle it, I'd say you're in for a heck of a good time J.

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

STACKING THE SHELVES (4)

 

Hi everyone, Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  This'll be my virtual edition since I didn't manage to get out to the bookstore :p

List of eBooks:  Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling
                           Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kate
                          Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn

All great books, all finished in about 2 days!!  That means they had to be pretty freakin' awesome because I am not a speed reader.  Out of the three, Sam Cruz's had the most quirky/unique characters; Hearts was the hottest (I mean, seriously scorching); and Measuring Up was the most heartwarming <3

Happy reading everyone!

Ninja Girl

TEASER TUESDAY: THE GIRL IN THE CLOCKWORK COLLAR by Kady Cross

Teaser Tuesday's is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading (click the image above to be directed to her page). Anyone can participate! 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!

Got a galley of The Girl In The Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross. (Thanks again, NetGalley) LOVIN' it so far!!

Teaser:

"'I care about you, Fin.  More than I should probably admit, but I'm not going to share you or fight for your affection.'  Then--because he couldn't help himself--he kissed her fingers."

--page 32 of galley

I like Griffin--a LOT--especially when he says/does things like this.  But what can I say?  I'm a Jack Dandy girl at heart :D

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

THE PECULIARS by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Don't let the blurriness of the cover fool you.  I was lucky enough to get a galley of The Peculiars from NetGalley, and I have to say…this book really surprised me.  In a fantastic way.

First, I don't know if "Maureen Doyle McQuerry" is a penname or what, but I LOVE that it fits the actual book.  Quirky, a little fantastical, part romance novelist/part adventurer, and definitely out of the norm.  I've noticed that sometimes a great penname can set you up for what's to come, and this one definitely did that.

I'm not a big fan of reading books off of a screen (no e-readers here--I'm old school, love holding real books in my hands).  So, it takes a really great story to keep me coming back to my computer and straining my eyes to read off of either Kindle for PC or Adobe Digital Editions (I prefer the formatting of Adobe so much more, it's not even funny).

The Peculiars kept me coming back.

Eighteen-year-old Lena Mattacascar isn't your typical heroine.  No matter how hard she tries to hide them, Lena has the elongated hands and feet of a goblin.  The marks of a Peculiar.  Gloves and specially-made boots can only conceal so much.  In Lena's world, Peculiars--a lawless bunch with strange abnormalities and no souls--are sent to the wilds of Scree to work in the mines.  Intent on finding her father, who she believes will have all the answers as to whether or not she is indeed Peculiar, Lena sets out on an adventure.  On her journey to Scree, she encounters several odd characters: Jimson Quiggley, a young librarian who instead of shying away from Lena's hands calls her extraordinary; Thomas Saltre, a Marshal who will stop at nothing to find Lena's father; Mr. Beasley, an eccentric inventor with absolutely no eyebrows; and an extraordinary cat named Mrs. Mumbles, who may or may not save the day.

The book was unlike anything I've read.  The fact that Lena had such obvious physical deformities set her apart.  She had to deal with that, hide that part of herself, every day in a society deadest against Peculiars.  Her adventurous spirit, the steampunk/historical atmosphere drew me in.

Despite Lena's age, I'd categorize it as more of a children's adventure than a YA.  The reason being there was very little romance--although the little that was included was wonderful.  Instead of hot and heavy, it was subtle and heart-warming.  I was a big fan of Jimson Quiggley and his infectious enthusiasm J  Mumbles and Mr. Beasley were definite favorites, and though Lena made some mistakes, I cared about her.  I wanted her to accept herself, to find her courage, which I think she did in the end.

The Peculiars was an enjoyable read.  If you're looking for that rare mix of adventure, true historical facts mixed with steampunk fantasy, and a sprinkling of romance on the side, give McQuerry's book a go.

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

GEEK GIRL by Cindy C. Bennett

Confession time: I don't know if you've noticed, but as much as I like reading about kick-a** heroines and rough, take-no-prisoners type heroes, I'm kinda…well…a geek.  Yeah, I said it.  Ninjas are people, too, and if it wasn't obvious by the manga-style avatar, well I'm saying it straight up.

I AM A GEEK.

Phew, glad I got that out of the way.  I've only read one other book provided by NetGalley, but that one was fantastic, so I decided to request my second book.  Part of the reason I was drawn to Geek Girl by Cindy Bennett was the title.  The other part was the plot, which I simply couldn't resist.

A Goth, a geek, and a bet to turn a good boy "bad."  What could possibly go wrong?

Jen's clothes are too tight, her skirts too short, her heavy make-up just this side of slutty.  Life's gotten stale for the tough-talking Goth, and she's in desperate need of a challenge.  Trevor may not be hot, but he's okay…for a geek.   When she makes a bet with her friends to turn the good boy "bad," Jen has no doubts about her ability to bring him over to the dark side.  But the more she hangs out with the geek, the more she likes him.  And falling for Trevor and his spazzy ways was definitely not part of the plan.

I couldn't help but like Jen.  In the beginning, she's a total manipulator, intent on seducing Trevor for fun, laughing about it with her friends, throwing herself at him at every opportunity.  But instead of coming off as cruel or hard-hearted, she simply seemed flawed.  After being tossed from family to family, Jen made a choice: Leave them before they can leave her.  Her snarky attitude and bad behavior were her way of taking control of her life.  Despite her appearance, Jen wears her Goth clothes like armor.  If she doesn't let herself get attached, then she can't get hurt.

But despite her best efforts, Trevor makes his way past her defenses and into her heart.  There was no way Jen couldn't fall for Trevor.  His honesty and fearlessness to be his SciFi-loving self were refreshing.  There's no way any fan of YA romance will be able to resist Trevor and Jen's unconventional yet beautiful relationship.  The pairing of the Geek and the Goth was fun and heartbreaking at times, but it was completely unique.

I loved how the two characters rubbed off on each other.  I loved how both Jen and Trevor were brave in different ways.  They gave each other permission to be themselves.  The focus not just on romance but on family and character development reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Scott's writing, and that is one of the highest compliments I can give.

I'm so glad to see Geek Girl is being re-released in paperback (with this freaking amazing cover) b/c although I got the galley, I'd really like to own the book.  If you like Elizabeth Scott, you are sure to love this book.  Geek Girl went beyond my expectations, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for Bennett's next one J

Happy reading all,

Ninja Girl