Review: Fallen Angel - Heather Terrell

Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell, published by HarperTeen on 28th December 2010

Goodreads synopsis:
Heaven-sent?

Ellie was never particularly good at talking to boys—or anyone other than her best friend and fellow outcast, Ruth. Then she met Michael. Michael is handsome, charming, sweet. And totally into Ellie. It’s no wonder she is instantly drawn to him. But Michael has a secret. And he knows Ellie is hiding something, too. They’ve both discovered they have powers beyond their imagining. Powers that are otherworldly.
 
Ellie and Michael are determined to uncover what they are, and how they got this way . . . together. But the truth has repercussions neither could have imagined. Soon they find themselves center stage in an ancient conflict that threatens to destroy everything they love. And it is no longer clear whether Ellie and Michael will choose the same side.

Review:
This is one of those books that on paper sounds like it's going to be the perfect story.  In reality, although I thought I was going to love it, I had very mixed feelings about 'Fallen Angel'.  It definitely didn't completely win me over, although I'm still trying to put my finger on quite why.

The plot centres on Ellie, who has been having strange dreams in which she can fly.  When she meets new guy Michael at school, the two are instantly drawn together, even though he claims that they met in the past but she has no recollection of him.  Their relationship soon starts getting serious and Michael helps Ellie to begin to understand the feelings that she's been experiencing and the dreams she's having.  From then on, it's full steam ahead between the two of them but there's a deeper mystery still to be uncovered in which they could end up playing a major part.

All the ingredients are there for this to be a captivating read.  It has a strong supernatural base which is always something which appeals to me, it features a female protagonist with a mystery and an obligatory sidekick, there's a hot guy, a battle between good and evil and a number of interesting revelations about the characters.  However, I found that all of these elements didn't always gel and frankly, sometimes the story was so slow that I found my attention kept wandering away from the pages in front of me.

Some parts of this book were good but overall it just didn't grip me.  The plot wasn't very original and I guessed a lot of things before they actually happened which meant that I was often tempted to skip ahead to the end which is never a good sign. 

Regardless of all this, I do think that there's still plenty of potential for the second book in the series, 'Eternity' but the storyline will really need to improve to get me well and truly hooked.

Aprilynne Pike - Illusions cover revealed

Aprilynne Pike's third book in the Wings series, 'Illusions' will be published by HarperTeen on May 8th 2011.  I absolutely adored the first two and I cannot wait for this one!  The cover has just been revealed and it's amazingly gorgeous. 

If you haven't read this series yet and you're a fan of faeries and all things magical then you should definitely check them out.  There's more news and a synopsis on Aprilynne's website: http://www.aprilynnepike.com/Illusions/

Only another 178 days to go!!

Review: A Kiss in Time - Alex Flinn

Goodreads synopsis:
Talia fell under a spell . . . . Jack broke the curse.
I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic. . . .
I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.
I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.
I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.
Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!
Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels. . . . The good news: My parents will freak!

I'm posting both book covers because they're just so different.  The hardcover one is on the right and the paperback one on the left.  Which do you prefer?  I think I like the harcover because it's so much prettier and appealing. 

Review:

'A Kiss in Time' is a modern, original-take on the classic fairytale of Sleeping Beauty.  I love books like this and the way that they weave something entirely new from a traditional story which is etched in so many peoples' minds.  Alex Flinn's interpretation of the tale brings it up-to-date in such a clever and inventive way.  I wish I'd thought of it!  The book starts off three hundred years ago, where Princess Talia is preparing for her sixteenth birthday, whilst continually being watched to ensure that she doesn't go anywhere near anything resembling a spindle.  When the inevtiable happens and she falls into a deep sleep, the story skips forward to the present day, where instead of a handsome prince, she's awoken with a kiss by hot guy Jack. 

I really enjoyed the way in which the narrative alternated each chapter between Talia and Jack, so we got their own perspectives and views on the events that were happening.  Talia has to learn to cope in modern day America (which is hilarious!), while Jack unexpectedly finds himself with a princess in tow.  Although Talia starts off a little bit unlikeable (she's a spoilt princess after all), I found myself rooting for her in the end.  It's a testament to Alex Flinn that I never knew how the story was going to end.  After all, in 'Sleeping Beauty', the tale ends with a kiss but here it's only just beginning. 

This was a sweet, funny book that I loved reading.  I can't wait to get stuck into 'Cloaked' and 'Beastly' next.  Flinn seems to have the perfect formula for the fairytale genre with a 21st century spin.

Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson

Goodreads synopsis:

When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

Review:

’13 Little Blue Envelopes’ follows the journey of Ginny, as she globe-trots her way around the world according to the instructions, left in a series of 13 letters, by her deceased aunt.  Her travelling adventure takes Ginny on a trip of self-discovery, opening her eyes to new experiences, emotions and people.  It’s also an opportunity for her to let her hair down for once and just have fun!

This wasn’t a stand-out book but I still enjoyed it.  I’m not a traveller myself so I had the pleasure of living vicariously through Ginny instead!  It was a quick read (I finished it in one evening) and would probably appeal to a slightly younger teen audience.  I liked the way that by the end of the book Ginny had become more self-assured and confident (but I reckon she was pretty confident to start with to go gallavanting around Europe on her own).  It did surprise me a little bit that Ginny’s mother would let her go alone, without any idea of where she was going to end up, but maybe that's just me.

There are certain aspects of the story that I would have liked to have seen developed further and a bit like Ginny's journey I felt it was all rather a whirlwind at time, skimming the surface without digging deeper into the story itself.  However, I loved reading about all the places she visited...I only wish I was as brave as her!

I haven’t read anything by Maureen Johnson before but I'm now interested enough to try some of her other books now.  I've heard that 'Girl at Sea' is very good and of course there's going to be a follow-up to '13 Little Blue Envelopes', so I shall be looking out for that too.