Book Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Publish Date: October 1st, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8061-2
Pages: 356
Series: The Internment Chronicles, #1
Source: From publisher for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

My Review:

What an unusual book. Unusual in a good way though! I really wonder what does on in DeStefano's head on a regular basis, considering The Chemical Garden trilogy and now this trilogy.
I was a little confused at first, I wasn't sure if we were on Internment yet or if that was later on in the book but then I figured it out and it all made sense. (I was on vacation in the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee when I started Perfect Ruin, so my head was literally in the clouds!)
As per Lauren DeStefanos previous work, we are first drawn to the cover. Simple but elegant with one women as the focus and then a few different sketches/pictures/details. From first glance, you're drawn to the book, and I hope that the cover follows the same theme. There is nothing that turns a reader off more than changing the cover art halfway through a series.
Internment is a world up in the sky. People live on it, they are born out of a queue, paired with their betrothal, live life then die at an age that the King has deemed fit, their ashes are released to the sky god and everything and everyone is okay with this. That's life on Internment.Wrong doings and bad situations are rare. Inhabitants of Internment don't get too close to the edge because they see the damage caused by this. Life is happy and people don't ask questions until a young girls body is found murdered and all of a sudden life on Internment isn't what it appears.
Morgan is curious and bored, she knows there is more to life and the ground below intrigues her. But she can't tell anyone for fear it will mark her as irrational. She has a lot riding on her shoulders as it is. But when the young girls murdered body is discovered, Morgan is adamant on finding answers and in turn will help unlikely foes, do things she knows are wrong and keep secrets from those whom she loves the most. DeStefano has gone and done it again, she has created this unbelievable world, but makes it so easy to believe. The stars, the train, the bugs all of it is painted so clear in the readers head. The characters in Perfect Ruin are written with so much care and passion. I was going back and forth between who was my favourite - Pen, Basil, Lex or Alice.
Pen because of her tenacity. She was fearless and funny and so focused on the History of Internment. She is Morgans best friend and they have been through a lot together and are like sisters. Their relationship was easy and fun. Basil because of his devotion to Morgan. His kindness and strength are his best qualities. He loves Morgan not just because they are paired together but because he sees Morgan for who she really is.
Lex because of his philosophies and the fact that he's seen things throughout his life that no one thought possible. And though he is blind, he can see the truth behind so much. And Alice for her love and devotion through thick and thin. Each character playing a key role in Perfect Ruin.
I enjoyed so much about Perfect Ruin, right down to the paragraphs before each chapter and the way they all fit together and pull the whole story together. The one and only thing that really bothered me was the one specific death (I wont give anything away) and the non-reaction we get, though I'm hoping that will be addressed in Book #2. If you were a fan of The Chemical Garden series, you'll enjoy this crazy world and love reading Perfect Ruin too.

Blog Tour: Shadows by Paula Weston

Thanks for stopping by Stellar Book Blog! Enjoy my stop on this blog tour, be sure to follow Paula Weston on Twitter, Facebook and her blog.

Also, be sure to follow the whole tour between September 16-20. Schedule is posted here.

Happy Reading!

Publish Date: September 10th, 2013
Publisher: Tundra Books
ISBN: 978-1-7704-9547-0
Pages: 400
Series: The Rephaim, #1
Source: From publisher for honest review and blog tour

Goodreads Synopsis:

It's almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And who is Gaby? The truth lies in the shadows of her nightmares.

My Review:
Hell-beasts, hellions, demons and angels is the world we venture in when we pick up Shadows. We've read it before, we know the story. But Paula Weston takes us on a different adventure that is fascinating, intriguing and exciting!

Gaby just wants to live life quiet and alone since her brother was killed in a horrific car accident that she can't remember all the details to. She doesn't want to be reminded daily of what she lost. Gaby finds this seclusion within Pandanus Beach and with a roommate named Maggie who doesn't ask a lot of questions. The two of them have this sort of mutual agreement that they don't talk about Jude, Gaby's brother. And this suits Gaby just fine. 

Gaby has these dreams about fighting monsters and writes it off as an active imagination. Within these dreams is a mysterious but handsome guy whom, lo and behold, shows up one night at the same bar that she is. Things aren't adding up, and to make it worse Gaby runs into people who seem willing to fight her for no apparent reason. Needless to say Gaby is confused and wants answers and it seems the only one to know answers is Rafa but he is far from willing to sit down and reveal everything to Gaby. Little by little Gaby figures out that maybe things aren't as they seem, and that she is suffering from memory loss and distorted memories. I loved that we were on the journey with Gaby to remember things. The book wasn't all hellions and beast and so forth, Shadows was also about overcoming the unknown and forgotten and I loved that!

Paula Weston is an Australian author, with Shadows already published and read by many in Australia and it was neat seeing the Aussie feel to the book. I'm sure some wording needed to be changed but I loved that Wallaby's were out on the road, and friendships were with mates and little details like that. The writing was fantastic, I could really put myself in the book and see the picture. There was action, suspense and romance all written with an expert hand. Gaby is a character that is just trying to find herself and because of that, she is easy to relate to. She's just a normal girl trying to live a normal life. Rafa, on the other hand with have your emotions all over. His up and down moods, and his impeccable timing of leaving right when he shouldn't will have you rolling your eyes at him! 

Paula Weston's Shadows is a great read, and I cannot wait for Haze, book #2 in The Rephaim series, set for Fall 2014.

Because I enjoyed Shadows so much, and the lovely people at Tundra Books want others to love it too, we are giving one lucky US/Canada reader a copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Friday Never Leaving by Vikki Wakefield

Publish Date: September 10th, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9781442486522
Pages: 352
Series: None
Source: ARC from publisher for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this wrenching, exquisite coming-of-age novel, Friday discovers what makes a family—and a home.Friday Brown has never had a home. She and her mother live on the road, running away from the past instead of putting down roots. So when her mom succumbs to cancer, the only thing Friday can do is keep moving. Her journey takes her to an abandoned house where a bunch of street kids are squatting, and an intimidating girl named Arden holds court.

Friday gets initiated into the group, but her relationship with Arden is precarious, which puts Friday—and anyone who befriends her—at risk. With the threat of a dangerous confrontation looming, Friday has to decide between returning to her isolated, transient life, or trying to help the people she’s come to care about—if she can still make it out alive.

My Review:

From the first sentence of the book, I know I would love it. And love it I did! I cried, I laughed and I felt something for each of the characters. They came alive and affected me in each and every way.
Friday is a young girl living everywhere and anywhere on the streets with her mother. They sleep in hotels and run before they can pay. They sleep in the woods after having a fire and telling stories to each other. Each story in which Friday remembers the details of even after her mother succumbs to cancer and leaves Friday for good. Instead of living with her grandfather as expected, Friday tries to honour her mother in a way, and takes to the streets again. Friday knows what its like on the streets, she's no rookie having her whole life as proof. Surviving without her mother shouldn't be any different. Then she meets Silence. A young boy with no voice but so much to say. He takes her to the place where runaway kids, like himself find shelter, friendship and some hope within each other. Right away, Friday makes some friends and with them, some enemies. She convinces herself that she wont stay long, though her and Silence find comfort in each other and because of this Friday is invested and wont leave without him.
With the help of Adren, the self-elected leader of the bunch, they are on the move again seeing as there are too many of them to go unnoticed now, to find a new shelter and things start to spiral downward fast. They find "home" in an abandoned city and nothing feels right. The teens are unhappy and realize that things may not be as they seem. People start questioning the way Arden runs the show, and Friday is marked as a target in her eyes.
The friendship between Friday and Silence is heartwarming. The connection I felt between them was real. I was rooting for the two of them to leave and never look back. They compliment each other so well, and I really loved their dynamics. They are definitely a character duo that will stick in my head for time to come.
Friday Never Leaving had such an eerie feel to it -the beginning and end especially. The ending will leave you speechless! Vikki Wakefield left me blubbering like a baby throughout the last few chapters (and parts in between). Friday Never Leaving was expertly written with enough detail to pull you in with every word and remember this book even after you (reluctantly) put it down. Its such a unique read with a fresh, new writing style. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something new!