March 2015 – Down the Rabbit Hole

Review: Magnolia by Kristi Cook

March 30, 2015May 26, 2015 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

4 Drink Me Potions

Magnolia was an impulse read. And I’m definitely glad that I did.

From the looks of it, it could just be some simple story of two people who grew up not wanting to be together at all. Honestly? That statement would be just touching the surface.

Jemma wasn’t a bad protagonist, but she wasn’t outstanding in any way. However, her loyalty to family and her quick wit in dealing with a storm was admirable. Ryder was also someone I couldn’t quite decide on at first. Maybe it was because Jemma held such a bias towards him and it was hard to judge his character through her lenses.

I absolutely loved the feeling of the old South that touched this book so heavily. I’ve never been down there but I would like to imagine that it would feel something like the way this book made me feel. As the author was a native to the area, I can only assume that it would be quite accurate. The setting made it an even more enjoyable experience as not a lot of books in YA literature picks such a rural location, and does it justice.

The attraction and romance was made more delicious with the huge storm that trapped Ryder and Jemma together for the first time in ages. Just think about it. The two of them huddled in some storm cellar, which by the way isn’t all that large, enclosed in darkness as loud winds and roaring rain comes down from above. Sounds kind of cozy, like the two of them are in their own world where they are each others’ haven. There was even one amazingly steamy scene that was totally swoon-worthy…if you’re into that.

Anyway, Magnolia has proved to me that beautiful stories could be made from the tiniest of moments. Action and heavily packed plots don’t have to be necessary components that make up a tale of two people falling for each other.

And by the way, that ending was kind of genius. Just saying. For a flipped inside out Romeo-Juliet-esque type of story, that was one smart move to make. Kind of makes me wish there was a second book to see how the two fare once they hit college.

Overall Recommendation:
Set in the beautiful Old South, Magnolia is a surprising story from a not as well known author in YA literature. Steeped with a simmering attraction underlying the two protagonists’ animosity towards each other, it was a fun journey to see how a storm and a little together-time allowed them to see that the boundaries between love and hate may be quite thin. Both are rather strong emotions, after all, right? A definite recommendation. It was hard to put down, and sleep was worth the sacrifice to finish.

Review: Catalyst by Lydia Kang

March 26, 2015May 26, 2015 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Control #2

For fans of Uglies and The Maze Runner comes a complex, thrill-filled love story that will make you question exactly what it means to be human

In the past year Zel lost her father, the boy she loves, her safety, and any future she might have imagined for herself. Now she, her sister, and the band of genetic outcasts they’ve come to call their family are forced on the run when their safe house is attacked by men with neural guns. But on the way to a rumored haven in Chicago, Zel hears something–a whisper from Cy, the boy who traded himself for her sister’s safety. And when she veers off plan in order to search for him, what she finds is not what she expected. There’s more to their genetic mutations than they ever imagined…aspects that make them wonder if they might be accepted by the outside world after all.

2.5 Drink Me Potions

I was quite a bit disappointed with Catalyst. I loved Control so much that it physically hurt to see my expectations fall by such a wide margin.

To be fair, Lydia Kang is still just as amazing with her integration of science in her writing. I loved how Zel’s mind works, and in this next and final installment, many obstacles are thrown in her path which really developed her into a better character and person. From having to act as fugitives in their country to fighting off a new Aureus-like House, it wasn’t like there wasn’t anything happening with Zel and her friends.

The disappointment first stems off with Cy. After that conclusion in Control, let me just say that I totally hadn’t expected so much distance with him. Oh, and with another girl too thrown into the picture. Don’t worry, it’s not what you think (not a love triangle), but there’s definitely a wedge in their relationship after the year long separation and Cy seems fond of this girl. Yeah, he eventually lets Zel in after realizing he couldn’t “protect her from worrying about him”. I would just like to tell him that he’s an idiot and should’ve realized that Zel would worry twice as much from the added distance. Boys. They can be so naive.

And yes, there’s things to worry as Cy is displaying Ana-like traits. Freaky! Or not, ’cause it’s cool to receive air kisses and hear his voice in your head, whispering sweet nothings (or poetry). Unfortunately, it’s not as romantic as it sounds as the story never really goes into depth on their relationship, just somehow sliding back into place over time. I swear, it never even explains what happened that brought Cy and…the girl so close. Granted, I skimmed through a lot of this book (I was too saddened by my expectations slowly crumbling to read as slow as normal) so there may have been a few things I missed, but Catalyst is definitely not heavy in the romance department, unlike Control.

I will say that I loved the usual family dynamics with the rest of the Carus House members, and even seeing some redemption in former Aureus members. This story may not be considered a romance, but at least it stayed true to other themes like character development and learning to survive in a world that deems you illegal.

The ending was solid, in my opinion. Whatever problems I had with Catalyst, I think Kang did a wonderful job in choosing her conclusion. It was realistic and not some magical happy ending (it’s not sad, either, so don’t worry), but it held promises left up to the imagination of what may happen next to our favourite group of genetically manipulated friends. Not everything is answered. In fact, maybe there were more questions that popped up, but as Zelia even mentioned in the epilogue, some things may never been understood but you can choose to be happy or remain disatisfied with the unknown.

I love Lydia Kang’s writing and the science. So maybe this was just my own disappointment leaking into a biased view. Either way, Catalyst was unexpectedly surprising and still worth at least a primary read.

Overall Recommendation:
Control was by far my favourite sci-fi book that actually integrated accurate modern science into it. So with such high expectations come a downfall with Catalyst. Not so much a romance as Cy and Zel’s reunion was definitely NOT quite a happy one, the story still presented with action as the Carus House members are separated and chased by the society they live in. Zelia really grows in this story, finding in herself to take charge while all the same, remaining compassionate and forgiving to people even I would reconsider forgiving (and I like to think that I’m a rather nice person…). With that being said, don’t take my low rating as “it’s terrible”. It just wasn’t for me, but it may be a decent read for you.

Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

March 26, 2015May 26, 2015 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

4 Drink Me Potions

Open Road Summer was everything I thought it would be and way, way more.

Reagan has made a ton of mistakes in her past. She’s no good girl, unlike her best friend and superstar singer, Delilah (Dee) Montgomery. She gets tempted by things she shouldn’t and can’t have, going for harmful relationships that mean nothing.

Dee, on the other hand, is her rock. She doesn’t judge Reagan for what she does, but instead, is willing to bail her out of whatever trouble she’s in, even when she’s miles away on tour. She’s the exact opposite, the good-girl role model that tweens and their mothers can look up to with a smile.

I love that about this story. There is so much depth to all the characters. And each and everyone of them grows and develops for the duration of the summer.

Reagan meets Matt Finch, a guy who is nothing like the other guys she would normally go for. But, Reagan is determined to put behind her old ways, referring to herself as New Reagan, something who would think about her decisions and their consequences before doing anything rash and selfish. Matt is the symbol of a great and decent guy. He’s got manners and is polite to his fans. He doesn’t wear his fame like a second skin, feeling like he deserves all that he gets. Besides Dee, he’s the only one who sees Reagan for who she is, the brokenness that she deals with and was hoping to relinquish after a summer away on tour across the country.

For Matt and Reagan, I felt their attraction and friendship were very real. They started off with fun teasing and ribbing on each other. They flirt and laugh. But occasionally, they can share a conversation that shows Matt’s vulnerable side after the loss of his mother, and Reagan lets down her hard outer shell for him to see how broken she was underneath. They both grow in so many ways, but ultimately learning to live for the moment as life is precious and short. They can either choose to run away and hide from their problems or they can choose to risk pain and hurt in order to feel everything with someone special while they can.

Open Road Summer held so much more depth in its story beyond what the synopsis made me believe. It’s what drew me to it, and kept me reading straight through the day. No one’s perfect, as Reagan is such a flawed character. But it’s her determination to do things right as New Reagan, and her loyalty and fierce protectiveness of Dee as the media tries to marr her public image that makes me love her. Flaws shouldn’t define a person, and it definitely doesn’t do that for Reagan. There’s always more layers, which Matt finds out for himself.

And my, Matt is one amazing guy. Yes, he may be cheeky and unabashedly confident as he chased Reagan half the summer on the mutual attraction they felt. But he also writes the sweetest song lyrics, for the different women in his life. From an ex who exploited their relationship to the media, to his girl best friend, to Reagan and the most heartbreaking one? A beautiful song prose written about his mother on learning how to be strong as she taught him to be. See? It’s so hard not to love the characters when there are so many layers to them that make them so tangibly real. Like I can reach out to the stars and find a Matt Finch for myself (I wish).

As for Dee, she may seem like the 3rd wheel to this story but it’s nothing like that at all. I love her for how she is with Reagan, and for the tough situations that being in the spotlight puts her in. Yet she always finds the courage to keep on going through, wanting to put a smile on her fans’ faces while staying true to herself. She had her heart broken, but it’s not because her ex (Jimmy) didn’t love her. Quite the contrary, he loved her too much to keep her tied to him so he set her free. Their crazy love story, which was obviously not the highlight of Open Road Summer, was still so compelling and sweet, and I’d like to think that there is a lot of hope for the two of them. Whether they really get back together or not, a love built on a friendship like they had can’t be broken so easily.

I can go on gushing about this book, but then this review would be way, way too long. I loved that the 3 main characters each grew into their own by the end of the summer. They each had to learn what was important in life and where to move on with themselves after facing changes or heartbreak. The ending was kept particularly real. Although I love a good fairy tale ending, Emery Lord doesn’t make it out that Reagan and Matt have all the answers. There will be fights, and there are no guarantees that they’re not gonna hurt each other or end up breaking it off, but they’re worth the risk and worth fighting for. They don’t need all the answers or have to have a set plan of the future. They just need somewhere to start.

And that’s the beauty of it. Such a wonderful lesson that anyone can reflect and relate to. I’m pleasantly surprised and pleased to have found such depth to a book I initially thought was going to be more on the fluff side of things.

Overall Recommendation:
With three very compelling and realistic characters, Reagan, Matt and Dee really stole my heart. Each facing different problems at the beginning of Dee’s summer concert tour across the country, they learn so much about facing up to the problems that life hands you, and possibly even allowing themselves to be vulnerable for once. None of them are absolutely perfect, each frazzled by either fame, heartbreak or the horrible mistakes of the past. The characters give off such an honest feel to them that it tugs on your heartstrings when things get crazy. With such a straightforward plot, Emery Lord wrote it in such a way that drives home deeply the message of coming into your own and taking each moment for what it is. I highly recommend Open Road Summer for pretty much everyone.