Review: Harmonic Feedback

I got a review of Harmonic Feedback by my friend and affiliate Mika. He clearly adored it so without further delay here is his work:

Release: May 25th 2010 by Henry Holt and Co.

Summary: Sixteen-year-old, music- and sound design-obsessed Drea doesn’t have friends. She has, as she’s often reminded, issues. Drea’s mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on a touch of Asperger’s.”

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea’s preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea.

It’s obvious that Drea can’t hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she’s found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?


Rate: 5/5

Review: I admit I've waited for weeks to read this book. I don't know why, maybe because of the cover, of the title, or the story itself. I've finally read it. And I have to warn you before I start this review : when you read the summary, you think you are going to deal with a story about the power of music on people. Even if the novel DOES talk about music, it's not the main topic. To me, the whole novel is about accepting yourself for who you are, no matter what. This is one of the reasons why I've enjoyed it.

In Harmonic Feedback we are dealing with Drea, a girl who recently moved in her grand mother's house with her mother. Even if she doesn't want to accept it, Drea is not a normal girl : indeed, she has a " touch of Asperger " as the psychiatrists said. Her disease is not the main topic of the book, but in a way, it explains a lot of things, like for instance, Drea's behaviour at the beginning of the book. Yeah, throughout the book, I've wanted to slap her a couple of times. But I guess it's okay, given that I appreciate to have love/hate relationships with characters, especially when they are so well written. First, there is Naomi, Drea's neighbour, who loves to kiss people under a pourring rain, has crappy tastes in music and has a kind of self-destructive behaviour sometimes. I really liked Naomi because she is so much more complex than she looks like; she has a well-hidden dark side, which gives her more and more interest in the middle of the novel. And there is Justin, the new guy in school. Woohoo. The timeless charm of the new guy in school : no news in YA books. But instead of just being cute, tattoed, and a musician (sexy and dangerous, yummy), Justin is hiding his own secrets from everyone, and I'm sure you'll be surprised about his past. I was.

Considering that Harmonic Feedback was Tara Kelly's debut novel, I was scared about her writing style. But it didn't last too long, because Kelly's style is poetic, full of good rhythm, but also slightly melodramatic, which is fair enough in view of the whole story. But one of the greatest aspects of this book is all the music references, and we are dealing here with HUGE artists, like Snow Patrol, Poe, Bjork and above all Black Lab, Kelly's favourite band. By the way, you can ( you have to) find the characters playlist on the Harmonic Feedback website. There are some pretty good songs to listen to, believe me.

So, to conclude, I'm giving this book five stars, because of the good characterization, beautiful writing, and great references. I'm looking forward to read Tara Kelly's forthcoming novel called " C-Side Tales " in 2011. Can't freaking wait

(review by Mika)

New Layout + New Affiliate + Review: Willow (Julia Hoban)

  A lot to say today but I'll try to keep it short.

  So if you're a regular visitor you would have noticed that the blog has changed, quite a bit. I know i do that a lot, sorry, but i promise i'll try to keep this new layout a longer time than with the last one.

  I don't know how is the weather where you are, but here in the South of France, we're kind of desesperatly waiting for the summer (it's been raining the whole week. i love rain, okay, but after five days it's actually getting on my nerves and i'd like the sun to come out for this last week of college...).

  Anyway, still talking too much to say nothing...So, the layout has changed; i thought that maybe it would motivate the sun to come out...just kidding. I hope you'll like it too, i find it rather cute with the bright colors and the glasses of lemonade. I can almost imagine myself at the beach with a good Elizabeth Scott or a Hailey Abbott (the perfect "summer" books to me).

  So, for the second topic of the day: I have a new affiliate!! Well, kind of.

  I've invited one of my best friends to help me with the blog and he accepted! If i'm so glad he did it's not only because it's funnier to share a blog with a friend, but because when your friend is pretty (really) good at writing reviews you can't refuse some help! I mean, i'm not good when reviews are concerned (i'm sure the rare "brave" readers who have read my reviews must be vigorously nodding while reading this message).   

  Review and me: not good.

  All that to say my friend will be reviewing some books for me and i hope you'll like them, i do.

So without further delay, welcome to

*claps* !! MIKA !! *claps*

And just for you here is his first review he made for Willow by Julia Hoban:

Release: April 2nd 2009 by Dial

Summary: Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy—one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her.

Rate: 5/5

Review: I started this book apprehensively. Indeed, the main topic of the story is cutting, and how it can destroy a life or relationships of all sorts. My reading brought back some old painful memories, but at last, I really loved Julia Hoban's novel, for three important reasons:

The first one is that I loved all the characters, even minor ones. They all have their distinctive features, and some of them really bring a lot of light in a dark novel. Even if you have not being into cutting once in your life, I really think that Willow is a reliable and very touching character. I'm sure not everyone will understand why she is acting like she does sometimes; but in the end, Willow is a girl who loves the life, she is just unsure of the way she has to live it. Okay, this sentence is kind of weird, but let's get straight to an another character: Guy. Yeah, I know. A guy who is called Guy, most ridiculous thing ever, but I guess it's okay, given that this guy is actually great. I admit it, I've had a real infatuation for him. The way he helps Willow, throughout the book, is amazing. Even if sometimes it seemed to me that he was a little to harsh with her, I really enjoyed his passion and his involvement for this broken and vulnerable girl. And it looks like he has a killer body, which is a really good point, don't you think ?

The second reason is the relationship between Willow and her brother David. The scenes where Willow is describing her brother weeping in the kitchen was heartbreaking. They both share the same pain, the same incapacity to talk about the real problems but in spite of everything, they are staying apart, too afraid to face their own grief. Later in the book, they finally open their heart to each other, which is, in my opinion, one of the best passage of the novel, because it shows that David didn't had the time to grow as a person because of their parents' brutal death. Thanks to this scene, David becomes a really understandable character.

Finally, the third reason is simply the fact that this book has it all : you cry (a lot), you smile, you laugh with the characters, live with them throghout the 329 pages of the book. So, even if the writing was sometimes disturbing because the narrator is all-knowing, this novel was great. It's a book about life, life with pain, grief, mourning but also with feelings which are able to make dissapear almost all you sorrow. In this novel, we are not facing a happy ending. As the narrator says it at the end of the book, we are just facing a happy beginning, and it's probably the best lesson we can get from this novel.

MIKA.

Review: The Unwritten Rule (Elizabeth Scott)

Release: March 16th 2010 by Simon Pulse

Summary: Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like your best friend's boyfriend.
Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...

Rate: 5/5

Review: The Unwritten Rule was the fourth book I read by Elizabeth Scott. I really enjoyed her former storie so had high expectations for this one. Would I enjoyed it like I did with the others? I did! Actually i didn't expect tolike it that much but i enjoyed it from the beginning to the end.

  Thanks to the heroine Sarah. It was impossible not to like her especially once you got to know her 'best friend' Brianna. Sarah and Brianna have been friend since kindergarden and Sarah is used to see boys being attracted to Brianna like bees attracted to a pot of honey.She annoyed me to no end at some points. She was really mean to Sarah without even doing iton purpose, it's just how she is. I felt bad for Sarah when Brianna treated her like she was nothing and wished she would dare to stand up agains her friend sometimes. At least in the last part of the book she finally begins to realize she needs to react to the way Brianna treats her.

  Sarah is such a generous, sweet girl and a good friend she won't say about her attraction for Ryan when Brianna begins to go out with him. Even if she's been in love with him for years and things begin to change when Ryan shows some interest in her.
  I liked Ryan very much. He was really a cute guy, maybe not the kind of boy I would have got obsessed with  but still he was really sweet and thoughtful with Sarah. I think they were just so cute together.

  The end was predictable but well-rounded and sweet. Once again Scott managed to create realistic and relatable characters and situations and teen readers will easily identify with them. The Unwritten Rule was a quick but easy going and fun read that I would recommand to fans of romance and other Scot books.
  A must read.

Review: Seven Tears Into The Sea (Terri Farley)

Release: April 5th 2005 by Simon Pulse

Summary: At the age of ten, Gwen Cooke had a strange encounter with a boy with dark, slightly tilted eyes. He came to her on the beach, whispered strange words in her ear, and then disappeared. Shortly thereafter, her family moved away from their seaside home and Gwen never saw the boy again.

Now seventeen, Gwen is returning to her childhood home. Her nana asked her to come. But Gwen knows it's time to go back for another reason: She yearns for the sea. Perhaps the sea itself is calling to her. Perhaps the memory of the boy and his haunting words are drawing her back to the place they met. Perhaps it's time for her to face her destiny.

Rate: 2/5

Review: Seven tears into the sea was okay, but not much. It's not that it was a bad book but for several reasons I didn't enjoy it.
Well, first the story was not really what I expected. I mean that it would have been appreciated if the author had exploited the mystic, paranormal, supernatural aspect (whatever name you give it) a little more.

Concerning the mysterious boy who came to Gwen years ago while she was still a little girl, and has been haunting her memory since this night on the beach...we don't get to know very much about him and I think that's too bad because I'm sure there would be a lot to say. All we learn is that Jesse (yeah we know that name, I didn't say we don't know anything) is dark and secretive, not fond of clothes (he only wears a pair of shorts most of the time) and **spoiler**, yes, he's a selkie. But we don't have details about his life as a sea creature or his past.

The book was not impossible to finish but hard to begin since the plot doesn't really takes place before page 70. Before that the story seems to fall into a certain routine where we see day after day Gwen working at the inn or catching up with her Nana she haven't seen for years.

Still, Seven tears into the sea wasn't such a bad read and if I didn't love it you know that it doesn't mean it will be the same for you. So give it a chance you might not regret it afterwards.

Review: The Pace (Shelena Shorts)

Release: August 19th 2009 by Lands Atlantic Publishing, LLC

Summary: Weston Wilson is not immortal and he is of this world. But, aging is not part of his existence, and eighteen-year-old Sophie Slone is determined to find out why. In doing so, she could also uncover something about her own life expectancy that she may not want to know. Suddenly, immortality will mean everything and nothing all at the same time.
Intensely fascinating and rich with determination, The Pace brings together romance, mystery, and suspense in a compelling bond that is sure to have readers asking for more

Rate: 5/5

Review: If you're decided to read The Pace just make sure to turn off your phone and to close yourself in your room before you do, because you won't want anyone disturbing you after you've begun it. You won't be able to put it down.

I really liked Sohie's character, I felt close to her by certain aspects of her personnality, the distance she keeps with others (she attended an online high school rather than going in class among her peers). She was a really likeable girl and I particularly enjoy her relation with her mom (besides the mystery part and the love story anyway).
What about Weston? Ah...Weston. Secretive and sexy he was the perfect (or close to) prince charming.
Both Sophie and Weston were enjoyable and well developped, and their relationship nicely realistic.

I apreciated that, even if their relationship was a major part of the plot (yes, it's a love story but not only), the mystery surrounding Weston and Sophie's discovery about her own life were also developped and gradually revealed. The "how" and the "why" were not ignored since we got looks into Weston's past.

To conclude, The Pace holds everything that - to my eyes - make a good story: mystery and romance with a unique and paranormal twist. Shelena made a wonderful job in intertwining paranormal and scientific elements together.
Her debut novel went beyond my expectations and I'll surely read it again while waiting for the sequel, The Broken Lake. It will be released on August 19th