Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Review: This is My Brain on Boys by Sarah Strohmeyer

May 3, 2016 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

this is my brain on boys -sarah strohmeyer Addie Emerson doesn’t believe in love, at least for herself. A straightlaced, brilliant girl, she’s more interested in getting an A than falling in love. But Addie is determined to prove the science of love—because Addie Emerson does believe in science.

Science tells her that “love” is nothing more than the brain’s state under the influence of certain chemicals. And by artificially stimulating those chemicals, the brain can totally be tricked into falling in love. So Addie decides to apply that knowledge—and make her classmates fall in love—to win the coveted Athenian Award for Science in her elite private school. One way to speed up the process—adrenaline—she’ll put her classmates in dangerous, high-risk situations . . . and research the fallout.

But a mysterious new guy keeps messing with her plans. And she kind of can’t stop thinking about his gorgeous brown eyes. With backstabbing competitors—including her former lab partner, the preppy, wealthier-than-thou Dex—and more than one pair of star-crossed lovers—can Addie manage to salvage her experiment and win the Athenian? And what happens if she does the unthinkable—and falls in love?

4 Drink Me Potions

Thank you Edelweiss and HarperCollins for this copy in exchange for an honest review

**This is My Brain on Boys comes out on May 10, 2016**

Funny, smart (mostly), and intriguing, this is not just any regular summer read from Strohmeyer. This is a book that both drew me in with its premise as well as kept me entertained.

Addie Emerson is a brilliant girl. And very socially awkward. She loves neuroscience and anything related to the brain. As a science student myself, I could appreciate her random use of neuro-related terminology. It may get a tad bit overwhelming for those who don’t necessarily appreciate such huge words and don’t really understand what all these different neurohormones are, but for me, it was absolutely perfect.

The science was mostly okay, though a couple of places I swear the terminology was mixed up. However, even for science parts that were more fantastical than real, I’m not the kind of person who gets pissed at that. It’s not meant to be a realistic science paper. This is a fun novel that focuses on a protagonist who uniquely loves science, and with a project on love . What more can you hope for? So the rest of my review focuses on all the things this book does right. If you’re one of those people who DO get annoyed at “less-than-realistic science” in a fictional book meant for teenagers, then I think you should go elsewhere right now. Like, right now.

That’s right. Don’t read further if that’s you. Just keep moving along.

Okay, now where were we? Ah, Addie Emerson. She’s naive in social attitudes and pleasantries, as well as takes every word literally (even slang and common phrases) but she has a good heart. Right off the bat, you enter her POV and see how she sees the world. It’s different. It’s fascinating. And it’s very much hilarious.

“They didn’t reject me because I’m socially awkward, did they? I’ve read plenty of books on the social behavioural patterns of adolescents. I know to keep at least forty-six centimeters between myself and others to ensure enough personal space.”

She’s a protagonist that you can stand behind. Over the span of the book, you figure out what her project is that she needs to work on to win a scholarship for college. And the fact that she’s been victimized in the past.

And hence, bringing in our second POV in the book, Kris, made the story even more fun. He’s the total opposite of Addie. They meet right at the beginning of the book and he brings freshness and worldly passions to balance out the colder, scientific end of the plot. He only wishes to make amends for what he’s done in the past, and he finds that this summer of “punishment” may have been the best thing that’s ever happened to him. His presence makes everything more complicated for Addie, and this is one chemical reaction – I mean, relationship – that I can appreciate.

The other secondary characters were maybe a bit cliche and stereotypical but that doesn’t mean they don’t bring out the fun and goodness of this story. From Dexter, the other extremely awkward scientist in this book, to Tess as a Drama Queen and actors’ daughter, these people jump out and make you wanna laugh with them or just give them a good punch in the face.

All in all, I’ve never been a huge fan of Sarah Strohmeyer’s past works but I do believe This is My Brain on Boys is one piece of work I can stand behind. It’s truly a hilarious and marvelous read.

Overall Recommendation:
Strohmeyer has outdone herself with this smart and entertaining book on science and love. Addie Emerson is a brilliant neuroscientist who fancies herself an expert on the chemistry of falling in love. With her quirky mannerisms and naivety, it’s very hard not to like our spunky protagonist. However, a chance meeting with Kris turns everything upside down for Addie and her experiment. I enjoyed the ups and downs of their relationship, especially when Addie tries to explain physical attraction with science. With pieces of hilarious prose and fun use of neuro-related terminology, This is My Brain on Boys is a perfect read for this summer, in particular for those with a tiny penchant for “less-than-real science” thrown into their novel.

Review: The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

April 9, 2016May 6, 2016 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Winner’s Trilogy #3

the winner's kiss -marie rutkoski Some kisses come at a price.

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?

3.5 Drink Me Potions

I honestly may have expected too much from this book. The Winner’s Kiss is the dramatic conclusion of the Winner’s Trilogy, filled with battles and Kestrel’s cunning wit to outsmart her homeland’s emperor and entire kingdom. Including her father, the general.

It picks up right where the previous book left off, thank goodness. What with all the incessant misunderstandings in the previous novel, I was starting to think that nothing could ever get rid of that underlying frustration I get whenever Arin and Kestrel are near each other.

So with abated breath, the story continues with Kestrel hauled off to the Middle of Nowhere as a prisoner of war. Shocker. Her father betrayed her.

I have always loved Rutkoski for her ability to still weave a great story without the unnecessary drama of a love triangle. Yes, the amount of misunderstandings was overwhelming but in a different way. However, the obstacle that keeps our two favourite people apart this time was unexpected and kind of brilliant in its own rights. I had wished that, as the title states, Kestrel better get that darn kiss she so deserves, and Rutkoski doesn’t disappoint in that either. I won’t ruin any of the romantic nuisances of it, but I think it can be satisfactory even for the harshest critics out there. It satisfied me, after all, and I most definitely criticized this.

Along with the much awaited reunion and final understanding between them, the story also spiked up in action. With allies from another kingdom come to help, they may actually stand a chance against the forces of Valoria. I wouldn’t say the book lacked in any suspense, but at times, it just felt a little slow to me when the army’s moving from this place to that while assessing the dangers from all fronts. Sure, that’s Kestrel’s thing, but it didn’t help pick up the pace any more.

What could have possibly added to this bit of slowness was the way Rutkoski writes. I do enjoy the way she can poetically describe a scene. It’s not all that colloquial or conversational. It’s great. To an extent. This kind of writing also makes me feel, as the reader, a little more detached emotionally from everything that’s going on. We move from what Kestrel’s feeling, and then to Arin, and back. All in a couple of sentences. My heart just wasn’t as invested into it as I could have been, I suppose. This may just be something up with me though.

All in all, this conclusion was satisfactory, in particular the ending. It ended off with a twist right up Kestrel’s alley and I was left hooting for joy at the way it all was splendidly handled.

Overall Recommendation:
Written in the beautifully poetic prose that’s come to be expected by Rutkoski, The Winner’s Kiss somewhat lives up to its name and provides a resounding conclusion both in battle and in love for our protagonists Kestrel and Arin. I wanted to love it more, but the occasional slowness to the plot and emotional detachment made it hard. Overall, the story provides everything that Rutkoski promised: retribution for the Herrani and an epic adventure that Kestrel and Arin lead us through.

musings

Author Spotlight: Meg Cabot

April 8, 2016April 9, 2016 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

So I’m pretty sure you know who Meg Cabot is, right? Like, I grew up on her books so she’s pretty important in my pages. Aha.

But, in case her name still doesn’t ring a bell, I’m sure you indirectly know her. I will now commence in giving you prompts to jolt your memories.

Exhibit A)

Her 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU series was made into an old TV show in the ’90s known as – well – Missing.

Exhibit B)

Disney has crafted her standalone novel Avalon High into a movie starring Britt Robertson (like, who doesn’t adore that girl-next-door kinda face?)

And lastly, if I have to come to Exhibit C for you to understand the vastness of her great works, I’m starting to think you don’t love YA as much as you think you do 😉

Exhibit C)

Meg Cabot started the very popular series The Princess Diaries, which as you guessed it (hopefully), has become a movie series as well starring none other than Anne Hathaway.

Now, I’m hoping this jogged your distant and vague memory of who she is because none of the above series/books are why I’m starring this Author Spotlight for her. Growing up, I adored her Mediator series about a girl, with the most hilarious sarcastic humor, who could see ghosts. And her job was, well, to mediate for them onto the afterlife.

No? Not jogging your memory because this series wasn’t made into a TV show/movie? Well, here’s the blurb for book 1.

shadowland -meg cabot

There’s a hot guy in Susannah Simon’s bedroom. Too bad he’s a ghost.

Suze is a mediator – a liaison between the living and the dead. In other words, she sees dead people. And they won’t leave her alone until she helps them resolve their unfinished business with the living.

But Jesse, the hot ghost haunting her bedroom, doesn’t seem to need her help. Which is a relief, because Suze has just moved to sunny California and plans to start fresh, with trips to the mall instead of the cemetery, and surfing instead of spectral visitations.

But the very first day at her new school, Suze realizes it’s not that easy. There’s a ghost with revenge on her mind… and Suze happens to be in the way.

As it is, Cabot’s Mediator series ended with the 6th novel, Twilight, back in 2005. To my utter amazement, drum roll please, a book 7 has been published this year that continues several years after the events of Twilight (which were satisfactory, don’t get me wrong – if Cabot had left me in a bind of a cliffhanger all these years, I would’ve stalked her down). And hence, for all you fans who loved Susannah Simon’s crazy ghost antics and her beloved ghost Jesse, I am pointing you all to Meg’s latest and probably, actually her last book in the Mediator series. (You’re welcome).

remembrance -meg cabot THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RETURN OF MEG CABOT’S BESTSELLING MEDIATOR SERIES FEATURING FAN-FAVORITE GHOST WHISPERER SUSANNAH SIMON

You can take the boy out of the darkness.
But you can’t take the darkness out of the boy.

All Susannah Simon wants is to make a good impression at her first job since graduating from college (and since becoming engaged to Dr. Jesse de Silva). But when she’s hired as a guidance counselor at her alma mater, she stumbles across a decade-old murder, and soon ancient history isn’t all that’s coming back to haunt her. Old ghosts as well as new ones are coming out of the woodwork, some to test her, some to vex her, and it isn’t only because she’s a mediator, gifted with second sight.

What happens when old ghosts come back to haunt you?
If you’re a mediator, you might have to kick a little ass.

From a sophomore haunted by the murderous specter of a child to ghosts of a very different kind—including Paul Slater, Suze’s ex, who shows up to make a bargain Suze is certain must have come from the Devil himself—Suze isn’t sure she’ll make it through the semester, let alone to her wedding night. Suze is used to striking first and asking questions later. But what happens when ghosts from her past—including one she found nearly impossible to resist—strike first?

If at the end of this blog and you still haven’t an iota of who the heck Meg Cabot is and her books, I do not judge you (much). The following link is to her Goodreads page and her website where you can browse through the multitude of books that she’s written in the last decades and learn more about her.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11654

Website: http://www.megcabot.com/

Now, if you really need a recommendation for where to start among all these books, as a girl who grew up on all her books, may I suggest the Mediator series? (totally not a biased suggestion here).