Review: Boring Girls

"It wasn't madness and blood lust and something for parents to worry about."

Rachel's an introvert. She keeps to herself, reading and writing on her free time. And then everything changes when a class mate bullies her. Rachel begins listening to Heavy Metal, dressing in black (nothing to do with Goths), and writing dark poetry. Meeting Fern, encourages her to form a band. Finally, Rachel is free to express her real self -- but is violence the only way to do so?

The struggle to be taken seriously in the rock/metal music genre when you are female is something people don't talk about enough. Hayley Williams from Paramore has told numerous stories of how she had to stand up to harassment, and of course, Sara Taylor wrote a crazy traumatic scene demonstrating so in this book. With time, Rachel comes to believe that by hitting people and cursing at them, is the only way to maintain her image. But after reading this book, you come to see, that Rachel always had that rage in her. 

Not boring at all. 

Caught my arrow #43

Caught my Arrow is a meme similar to Stalking the Shelves featuring books that were purchased, borrowed or received that week.

Looks like a mixture of fantasy and contemporary books for me. I got the best of both worlds.

Received from Publisher

Une photo publiée par natalia (@natyuniverse) le 16 Juin 2015 à 5h45 PDT

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Borrowed from library

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Received from Author

Return to Kaitlin by Helen Yeomans

What are you reading this week?

Review: Undertow

Don't call them Mermaids.

They prefer to be called Alpha. One day they showed up ashore on Coney Island and claimed refugee status. Now the youth are allowed to integrate high school, and due to a class stunt gone wrong Lyric is designated to introduce their prince, Fathom, to human life. But what will happen if he discovers her greatest secret -- that she isn't human either?

Alpha, Sirena, or even sons of the ocean -- Buckley created a new race with special fighting abilities. Of course, he mixed the political aspect of it all, adding on to the tension. But it's the relationship between Lyric and her loved ones that keep me turning pages. Her best friend Bex deals with domestic abuse and Buckley weaves it well into the story. 

A great new series that promises lots of romance.

Review: I'll Give you the Sun

So quietly I can barely make out the words, she says, "She's my mom too. Why can't you share?"

Jude and Noah both share a passion for the arts, even more so, the need for their mother's approval. After a tragic accident that leads to her passing away, they find each other lost. Noah spends his time cliff-diving,and Jude believes her mom's spirit keeps destroying all her art until she makes something worthwhile. If only they could remove this distance between them. If only the could share the sun and communicate.

They're were lots of secrets in this novel -- some of them I couldn't see coming at all. Nelson wrote the story with two different points-of-views, both past and present (keep in mind that each chapter is about 100 pages long) which really helped understanding both sides. I do however believe that the mother's character and motives were not illuminated enough. But then again, do we really know our parents... 

A sad tale about the downside of having a sibling. 

Cover Reveal: Days of Throbbing Gristle

Does Heaven know you're miserable now?

It’s 1987. Sam Henry Hay, a 17-year-old exchange student from Sheffield, hops into Texas, USA, with one burning ambition: Manipulate his gullible host parents into funding his university, and leave his dead-end life in Yorkshire behind.
But is Sam manipulating America or America manipulating Sam? The clever lad schmoozes his way into many a bed and purse, yet can’t get rid of anyone. He executes careful plans, only to watch them disastrously fall apart. Worst of all, this once proud nihilist watches in horror as he reveals a conscience, in a world growing ever darker around him.

Influenced by Frank Zappa and Gore Vidal's writing, Kevin Cole brings us a razor-slashing teenage tale. Feel free to follow Mr. Cole via his twitter  to find out more about Days of Throbbing Gristle.