Review: Tempestuous by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes

Description: Recently banished, unfairly, by the school’s popular crowd, former “it girl,” Miranda Prospero, finds herself in a brave new world: holding dominion amongst a rag-tag crew of geeks and misfits where she works at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the food court of her local mall. When the worst winter storm of the season causes mall workers and last-minute shoppers to be snowed-in for the night, Miranda seizes the opportunity to get revenge against the catty clique behind her social exile. With help from her delightfully dweeby coworker, Ariel, and a sullen loner named Caleb who works at the mall’s nearby gaming and magic shop, Miranda uses charm and trickery to set things to right during this spirited take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Language: Moderate

Violence: Mild (there’s a mention of robbers who steal laptops, iPods, etc. in the mall, and some cases of revenge, some risky and including BB guns)

Sexual: Mild (a few kisses and innuendo)

Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for providing me with an ARC.

Have you ever had that feeling where the pacing is so slow that you feel you’ll lose interest in it quickly, and yet at the last moment when you’re about to close the book, you just need to find out how the book will end? That’s how I felt after finishing Tempestuous.

I’ve never read The Tempest by William Shakespeare, so I had to go on Spark Notes and find more details on it, because I searched Barnes & Noble’s website for a vague description, but it only told me things on the physical book, rather than the story on the inside. So, after reading the summary off Spark Notes, I understood a bit more about Tempestuous. It’s actually semi-amusing to me the way the authors modernized and twisted this story until it was molded into their own creation. I appreciate that. It takes guts to try to modernize a Shakespeare masterpiece, and so I give a round of applause for Kim Askew and Amy Helmes.

This being said, there are a few things in the book I didn’t appreciate. I didn’t like how everyone but Caleb was practically a slave to Miranda; I don’t know if this was the case in the original Shakespeare play, but I’m going to go on a whim and say it is this similar class, and if it is, I apologize for the negativity on that part. Still, I felt the whole grudge on her ex-friends and ex-boyfriend went on for a bit too long. I realize Brian cheated on her with her best friend, but the revenge seemed an inch below her level.

Other than the few things I didn’t care for, this was a pretty good book. There were some slow moments, some that weren’t as interesting, but even the lesser intriguing parts was still well written and made me want to continue on with the story.

The title of this book was actually what captured my attention—“Tempestuous: A Twisted Lit Novel.” If that doesn’t get you to read through the synopsis, I don’t know what will. Twisted Lit? I’m a fan of all old stories that have been manipulated into modern literature, and that’s the main reason I requested this one.

There was another thing I loved about this book. Actually, two things: firstly, this entire book takes place in a little more than one day (how cool is that?), and secondly, the chemistry that grew between Miranda and Caleb had a force to the readers that’ll have them cheering for them.

Now, I don’t know if you will fall upon the same issues I have with this novel, or if you will find it as surprising as I did, but take a chance and pick up this book. It’s not one you can easily forget.

Cover: I like the cover. It reminds me of a mall fountain mixed with an Old Roman/Grecian one, but that was probably the point, right? The soda on it is cute as well.

Setting: The local mall.

Characters: Miranda is a girl who can be very self-centered at times. It makes sense that her nickname is “princess,” because it seems she has many people wrapped around her finger, especially her friend and coworker Ariel, who she sends off to get revenge for her on her two ex-friends, even though those friends did nothing but emotionally hurt Miranda and her “friends.” (Really, it was Brian and Rachel who were to blame.) But thankfully, I got to know her better as the story progressed, and she isn’t as bad as I thought.

-Caleb is a character all in his own. I love how he doesn’t put up with Miranda’s crap, and points out her selfishness whenever there’s a chance. It seems as though he doesn’t care about what anyone thinks about him, and I like that about him, too, along with the fact that he has just an edge of bad boy genes in him.

-Chad and the other jocks Miranda accuses of being “nut-logs,” some of which include the infamous band, aren’t all that bad. They aren’t exactly the nicest people in the world, but they’re much better than Brian is, that’s for sure.

-Whitney, Britney, Rachel, and Brian were all complete jerks at the beginning of the story, especially towards Miranda, Ariel, and Caleb. Although Brian remains a player and the three besties’ eyes are only set on revenge, and I did get more than a little tired of reading about this, the story wouldn’t be as interesting without them.

Storyline: Teenagers get locked in a mall after being snowed in.

Writing: The writing is okay, in my opinion. It’s a little amusing at times, while the narrator can also appear snotty at others.

Surprises: (A small spoiler here.) I know this sounds a little weird, but I laughed so much at the thought of Caleb, Chad, and a few other guys in a band together. Just picture a sarcastic and stony-looking guy who works at a game store wearing a magician’s cape with a jock in another funny costume playing guitar and drums together. Laughing yet? No? Okay. Other than this, there actually weren’t a whole lot of surprises until the very end. The rest was more amusing than surprising, however.

Overall: 4 stars. This is interesting story that others may have enjoyed somewhat more than I did, but I did give it the rating I think it deserved. Like I said before, I really like Shakespeare, although I’ve only read a few of his works, and this was an intriguing and exciting book for me.

Recommended: I’d recommend this one to all who love Shakespeare and would be interested in reading a twist on the story all the fans know and enjoy.

—“Remind me why I'm doing this again?" I whispered back.
“For your real friends, of course: Me, Caleb, and Chad.”
“That's sweet of you to say, but I'm not sure we're all friends. Mr. Darcy over here," I indicated Caleb with a nod, "finds me barely tolerable.”

—“Where are you taking me?” he asked.

“To Got Games for a pair of those trick handcuffs,” I said. “I’m not letting you get away so easy this time.”

Review: Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make.…

1. I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?

2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is now enragedand out for blood. Mine.

3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry—get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)

(Sorry. That was rude.)

Language: Moderate

Violence: Mild

Sexual: Moderate (talk of virginity)

Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for providing me with an ARC.

When I started Confessions of an Angry Girl, I wanted a break. I wanted a light and quick read to ease my mind off the recent business and things that are beginning to overcome my life. It is a quick read, but what I got after reading this was so much different than I expected it would be.

The thing is, this book defines the word angst. The majority of it talks about sex, drugs, and partying. Oh, and let’s not forget about Rose’s anger problems, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Something I was looking forward to was a complicated relationship in the midst of it all. Yep, it is complicated, but it isn’t fulfilling.

Something about Rose: she’s an angry girl (hence the title). But as I read this, the only anger coming from her is complaints and the occasional tantrums she throws. She is understandable in the terms of her father’s death that last summer (which is the worst summer of her life), her brother moving away to college and seeming to not really care much about her (or that’s what she thinks), and her mother who rarely says a word to her that isn’t therapeutic. But other than this, she seems immature with her attitude, but wise with other things. Strange.

Now for a fun fact: I relate to characters in stories way too easily, whether it’s something I’m reading or something I’m writing. This story really made me connect with the characters. I felt Rose and her family’s pain through the story, all the irritation and the reality of the situations. After reading this, I felt angry, sad, confused, shocked, scared at the right moments, and gleeful at the slim moments Rose was, all through this novel. I even laughed out loud at a few parts, at Rose’s expense. So you can imagine how flustered I made everybody with my reoccurring bipolar attitude through two days I took reading this. Honestly, there were more than a few times that I wanted to slap Regina. I still do, in fact. Yeah, there were a couple of moments that I wanted to knock some sense into Tracy and even Rose, but multiply that by fifty-six and you’ll understand my emotions for the spiteful Regina.

Honestly, I was desperate for things to work out between Jamie and Rose while reading this. I wanted Jamie to come to his senses and stop dating Witch Head-Cheerleader; I wanted Tracy to stop acting like a twit and realize that she’s being a snob; I wanted Regina to “trip” and fall in a hole; I wanted Rose to be happy for once and to stop being so angry, grab hold of her senses and acknowledge the fact that her father was dead; I wanted her mom to actually act like a real mom should; I wanted Matt to join Regina in that hole, but die from the impact of the fall so he can’t be a bigger sleaze-ball than he already is; but most of all, I just wanted everything to run smoothly and have a happy ending.

But I’m afraid I cannot tell you if it ended to my anticipation. I can tell you that some things ended the way I wanted it to, but then, some things made me want to throw the book at the wall. Somehow this author makes me want to scream about the story, but at the same time make me want the second book. That’s talent, right there.

I really don’t know what the second book will be about, but I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

Cover: I like the cover, actually. I think it fits Rose nicely on the whole anger thing and is pretty unique.

Setting: High school. Need I say more?

Characters: I hate to be mean about them, but most of these characters are honestly annoying and self-centered. Rose’s friend, Tracy, is one of the worst, who mostly is only interested in losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Matt (a hormonal jock who cheats consistently, unbeknownst to his girlfriend), and doesn’t listen to Rose when she gives Tracy advice. That annoys me so much. Plus, she doesn’t pull through until the end. That added bonus points to her, but I can’t get over what she did to Rose.

-Another note: the cheerleaders. I understand they’re mean (even meaner than the real ones, especially Regina, the leader), but it seems that Rose has a huge grudge on them, even before she found out Jamie was dating the head cheerleader. Sure, they either ignore or bully her, but why does she seem like she wants to strangle them?

-Jamie. I don’t understand why he’s such a big deal. Yes, he can be really sweet and is overall a good guy, but he cheats on his girlfriend. Whenever there’s a rare moment that he’s sweet, all the other times he’s expressionless and basically a brick wall. Nothing. And yet everyone makes a huge deal about him. Explain why, please.

-Rose. She seems to hate most things. Yeah, her dad died last summer in Iraq, and I understand her pain of getting over it, and yes, she is definitely interesting and has a different personality, but there are few things that interest her or things she doesn’t know, besides relationships. This being said, I realize she is supposedly a geek, but really? Another thing that irritated me about her was how she always complained about her looks, how she wasn’t pretty enough, etc. Have some confidence, Rosie! Even though I’ve come to understand her more, my points still stand firm.

-Peter and the mother: let me get this out there: the mom annoyed the crap out of me. She seemed to be in this shell that wouldn’t break, always going into therapy-attack on Rose. On another note, Peter is anything but in a shell. Not only does he have a major potty mouth, but he also doesn’t act like the older brother Rose knew and loved. He’s like a guy friend, telling her to have fun and party in school because life is too short. Other than this, Peter seems like an okay guy. Not great, but not terrible either.

Storyline: A coming-of-age story about a girl trying to survive high school.

Writing: The writing was okay. It has this strange addictiveness that makes me want to continue the story, even though it annoys me more often than not.

Surprises: There weren’t exactly a whole lot of surprises in this one, besides the cruelty behind the fake smile of Regina and the other cheerleaders, and how Tracy finally came force in the end (after the wreck was ended). Oh, and that last part about Jamie.

Overall: I’m a little iffy with this book. On one hand, the characters get on my nerves. But on the other hand, they make me want to continue on with the series (because I hear there’s another one coming out early next year) and read more about them. I suppose I have a love-hate relationship with it, but I hear a lot of people do. Nontheless, Confessions of an Angry Girl was surprising and I found that, despite my somewhat annoyed review, I did enjoy reading this.

Recommended: I recommend this book for ages fourteen and up, just because of the conversations about virginity and the risks of sex, plus all the language included. But those who love contemporary and coming-of-age novels with a hint of humor and a whole lot of angst will find this one to their liking.

—But I do remember that day in study hall in the beginning of the year when he was drawing that house. Jamie’s a really good artist, unlike me. Which is why, when he grabs his stuff off the shelf in the back of the room and sits right next to me, I feel a little intimidated, along with everything else I feel when I’m around Jamie. (pgs. 246-247)

—“She deserved to get knocked on her a**.” (p. 248) Finally, someone has the nerve to say it!

—When he says stuff like that to me, about me, it makes me feel naked. His ability to see right through everything actually makes me a little mad right now, given our weird circumstances. He doesn’t want to be around me, so he shouldn’t get to say stuff like that. (p. 249) Oh, but I think he does want to be around you, Rose.

—Bad things happen whether you’re scared or not, so you might as well not bother being scared. It’s a waste of time.

November Book Haul + Update!

No hard feelings?

I was about to head off to get some sleep after a long day when I realized that it has been way too long since I chatted up with you guys! I'm sorry to leave you hanging, but I have some excuses. Sigh. Excuses, excuses.

1. My thumb broke nearly a month ago, and still hasn't fully healed. Physical therapy has become a big pastime for me. You can't imagine how difficult it is for me to type with one hand! So frustrating. But I digress...

2. NaNoWriMo! I really need to catch up on my story, but just the fact that I'm crazy and awesome enough to write 50k words in one month proves my business point. (NaNo: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/loverofliterary)

3. Rehearsals this entire month, most days, plus eighteen performances in a production I'm in starts next week. And I need to get rid of this cold. Like now.

4. I'm in mourning. My beloved dog of twelve years recently passed away. Less than three days ago, actually. He was there when nobody else was (as was books, but you know) and was, in a sense, my best friend. It feels as though I've lost a family member, and I fear I cannot even speak of him without tearing up. 

5. I've grown accustomed to the life of Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusingShadows). And stalking everything Lux-related (http://www.goodreads.com/series/66252-lux).

6. I'm addicted to roleplaying. It's quite fun. (GoodReads rocks!)

7. I've run out of excuses.

Okay, so there are a few more distractions going on, but it'll take too long to type...with one hand. But, as a special treat, I have gotten a few more books. One of them (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11958583-skinny) I won from FirstReads (GR) Giveaway (Screams and runs around the room like a maniac because I rarely win anything)! There are two here yet to arrive, sent to me for review as well.

I've also joined NetGalley, so hopefully I should have a few eBooks to review, if allowed. So exciting!

That's all for now, but I'll give you updates and such further on.

What books have you received recently?