Neurotic Thoughts - Drowning Instinct Book Review

Drowning Instinct
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Genre: YA Dark  Contemporary
Published By: Lerner Publishing Group
Source: Lerner Publishing Group and NetGalley
Summary from Goodreads: 
There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord’s first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire. 

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain... magnetism. 

And there are stories where it’s hard to be sure who’s a prince and who’s a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.

My Thoughts:
When the summary mentions that this is not a fairy tale that ends happily ever after, they are not kidding nor are they exaggerating. This book is dark, emotional and had me questioning myself, and what I thought I believed about the characters and what they were doing the whole book. 


When I first started reading Drowning Instinct I wasn't sure I was going to like it. The writing style felt off because of the way Jenna is recording the story for a police officer. Once I got used to it though I stopped noticing it except for at the beginning of the chapters. To say I was drawn into this story is an understatement. You won't want to put this one down until you have all the facts.


Now I must tell you that I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in than what you read in the above Goodreads summary. I truly believe that that is the best way to go into reading this book. Not knowing a damn thing about it. Because discovering every crazy unimaginable scenario that happens as it happens will be the "blow you away" factor to this book. Trust me, you might be reading this review thinking "but she didn't tell me anything about the book" that is definitely what you want though. This is one of those books that I will think about again and again and one day might even have to read again.


I will tell you this, Drowning Instinct is definitely worth reading. Reading this is like riding a gripping, crazy insane, frustrating, emotional roller coaster and it's worth every second. 


Warning: There are some HEAVY issues brought up in this book. I would recommend it to the more mature YA readers out there. 

Waiting on Wednesday (5/23/2012) Necromancing the Stone (Necromancer #2)

Author: Lish McBride
Expected Release Date: September 18, 2012
Summary from Goodreads:

With the defeat of the evil Douglas behind him, Sam LaCroix is getting used to his new life. Okay, so he hadn’t exactly planned on being a powerful necromancer with a seat on the local magical council and a capricious werewolf sort-of-girlfriend, but things are going fine, right?
Well . . . not really. He’s pretty tired of getting beat up by everyone and their mother, for one thing, and he can’t help but feel that his new house hates him. His best friend is a werebear, someone is threatening his sister, and while Sam realizes that he himself has a lot of power at his fingertips, he’s not exactly sure how to use it. Which, he has to admit, is a bit disconcerting. 
But when everything starts falling apart, he decides it’s time to step up and take control. His attempts to do so just bring up more questions, though, the most important of which is more than a little alarming: Is Douglas really dead? 


I'm so excited for this book I can't even tell you. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer has been one of my favorite paranormal books EVER! 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we (bloggers) are anxiously awaiting. So what book are you excited about right now?

Teaser Tuesday (5/22/2012) Bad Hair Day by Carrie Harris

"Dude, don't you listen to yourself? If you put your huge hairy guy together with a rabid animal, you get a werewolf. Didn't you see the Twilight movies?" He put a fist on his hip and wagged his finger at us. The sight scarred me; I squeezed my eyes shut and wished for a self-lobotomizer. It didn't work. 
"No," Aaron said. "I did not. And I'm proud of that."
"Well," my brother said, "you should. It's the only explanation that makes sense."


Teaser from page 98 of the ARC.


Summary from Goodreads:
Senior year is positively hair-raising.

Kate Grable is geeked out to shadow the county medical examiner as part of her school’s pre-med program. Except when he’s arrested for murder, she’s left with the bodies. And when Kate’s brother Jonah stumbles upon a dead gamer girl, she realizes that the zombie epidemic she cured last fall was only the beginning of the weirdness taking over her town. Someone’s murdering kids—something really hairy. And strong. Possibly with claws.

Is it werewolf awesomeness like Jonah and his dorktastic friends think? Kate’s supposed to be a butt-kicking zombie killing genius...but if she can’t figure out who’s behind the freakish attacks, the victims—or what’s left of them—are going to keep piling up.

It’s scary. It’s twisted. It’s sick. It’s high school.


Expected Release Date: November 13, 2012

Miz B hosts Teaser Tuesday every week, check her out for the official rules.  I never seem to be able to stick to the rule about only 2 sentences.

I love reading teasers so let me know where I can view yours in the comments. Have a great day!

Neurotic Thoughts - Incarnate Book Review

Incarnate
Author: Jodi Meadows
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Published by: Katherine Tegen
Source: Katherine Tegen Publishing and NetGalley
Summary from Goodreads:


New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

Incarnate's plot was so unique to me that even though I didn't love the book, I still had to finish it to find out where it was going. I've often wondered about past lives and if we have been here before as another person at another place in time, that's what originally drew me to this book. As well as the very striking cover. In my mind I never imagined that you would always remember you past and the people who you've known. That's where Incarnate went with this idea though and I found that to be so intriguing. 

The first half of the book was definitely my favorite part. This is where we meet Ana. Ana is uncommon because she is a new soul, meaning that this is her first life. In the world that Meadows has created, a new soul is a rare and terrifying event for the rest of the people. Typically a person dies only to be reincarnated into another body where they remember everything and everyone from their past life. Something went wrong for one soul though and that soul didn't return. Instead Ana was born. 

Ana sets out on her own, leaving her abusive "mother" behind to find more people and to try and figure out why she is here. Along the way she meets Sam. While I liked Sam there was something about the way that he was SO old (in a hot young bod) that was just a little creepy for me. Then during the second half of the book things took a weird turn and I began making those weird huh? faces. So while I didn't love Incarnate I did find it interesting and I've found myself thinking back on parts of the story again and again. If you like fantasy a lot or even a little you will probably enjoy this one more than I did. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Journey.

This week I will be working hard to get back into the swing of things here at home. So much has been piling up while I was vacationing. I've got a ton of reviews to write, books to be read, laundry to wash, carpets to vacuum, well I think you get the point. 

What I Read Last Week

not yet reviewed

Zero by Tom Leveen

One Moment by Kristina McBride

What I Am Now Reading

I'm actually juggling more than normal right now.

Bad Hair Day by Carrie Harris

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Beg For Mercy by Shannon Dermott

(even thought this cover doesn't really look like a YA cover it really is, I promise!)

and this week I'm trying something new and listening to an audio book as well. 

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

read by Sara Zarr

To Review This Week

hopefully

Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

and 

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Have a wonderful Monday!