Book Nerds Across America

Goodreads Description:

The Greek gods never actually existed. Did they? Sophie Darrow finds she was wrong about that assumption when she's pulled into the spirit realm, complete with an Underworld, on her first day at college. Adrian, the mysterious young man who brought her there, simply wants her to taste a pomegranate. 

Soon, though she returns to her regular life, her mind begins exploding with dreams and memories of ancient times; of a love between two Greeks named Persephone and Hades. But lethal danger has always surrounded the immortals, and now that she's tainted with the Underworld's magic, that danger is drawing closer to Sophie.

MARY'S REVIEW:

I was given this book from the author for an honest review. Thank you Molly!!!

I have been in love with the story Persephone and Hades for as long as I've loved Greek Mythology. Okay, I know that some of you are thinking..really? Okay the kidnapping part is wrong but I always thought that there was more to the story than others storytellers let on. Now, I would never compare authors, because I think each author is unique in their own way AND that is why I LOVE authors so much!! Not every story is the same. Sure, there are similarities but each is the author's take on the story! 

What I liked:

Molly Ringle's twist of Persephone and Hades is amazing! Pure Talent!! 

Adrian and Sophie! Love these two so much! This is a modern day story WITH A BIG OL' TWIST! 

Sophie has gone off to college and soon meets Adrian who introduces her to a whole new world. He tricks her into drink pomegranate and she begins to have flashbacks! (this isn't a spoiler - read the description) Soon Adrian and Sophie become closer and strange things begin to happen. Okay, I can't really go into it or it will be a spoiler! 

However, just like Persephone and Hades this is a story you DON'T want to put down !!! 

What I didn't like:

Okay, there were a couple of times when I shook my Kindle and said "Come on just tell me already!" But, that is what makes Molly a great writer. 

Of course there is a HUGE cliffhanger!! *hangs head* and book 2 isn't done yet!

But, I will be stalking Mollys Twitter Account for updates on the release of book 2!!

Look out Molly....you just gained another fan!!! =)

You can purchase the book here:

 

When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole -- a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her -- she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate . . . someone who truly loves and understands her. At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her close friend Zack, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all her time with another boy? As the months pass, though, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats. As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose -- between her "true love" and herself. (from Goodreads) 

Flo's Review
Oh, my BookNerds know how to throw me for a loop. My situation with this Book of the Month was similar, in a way, to the month we read My Beautiful Failure. I got this book from the library, read the description, and had zero interest in reading it at all. I set it down on my coffee table and neglected it for weeks. I picked it up several weeks later, added it to my TBR on Goodreads and read some reviews. I still had no desire to read it. I set it back down on my coffee table and started to think about ways to tell Jacque that I was opting out of this month's read. Then Jacque tweeted me to ask if I'd started it. I saw the tweet today, Sunday afternoon, while I was lazing on my couch reading another book. Instead of tweeting her back that I wasn't going to read it -- which was completely my plan -- I picked it up and started reading.

And then I read the entire book in a matter of hours.

Wow. First of all, the writing style is very easy. It just flows. It makes it a fast and easy read. Second, I was fascinated by the characters. In the author's note at the end of the book, Jennifer Brown explains how she never understood how abused women never left their abusers, and how often women are quick to say, "One time and I would leave!" They have never been in the situation, yet they are so sure they wouldn't stand for it. But...they've never been in the situation. "..we don't often often enter romantic relationships based on what's going on in our minds," she says, "We love, and because we love, 'I would never...' becomes an incredibly inaccurate prediction." 

In several of the reviews I read, people did not like Alex. But I guess what struck me about her is that she was very rational. The arguments that she had in her head made sense. And throughout the relationship she wasn't often speaking from a deluded point of view. She knew she was being abused. She saw that the relationship was hurting her physically as well as hurting all her relationships. But... The but. 

I read this book in a matter of hours because I wanted to see how she would come out of it. (I never assumed that Jennifer Brown would end the book with her protagonist still in the relationship, as recovery is part of the journey.) And in the end it was a little reaching out -- very realistic to Alex and what she could do at that point. Not a big lightbulb, per se, but one small, scared hand reaching out. 

This was a very well-written and powerful book. I've said it before, that I always love when books surprise me, so thank you to the Book Nerds and to Jennifer Brown! Oh, and you didn't think I could end this review without swooning over Zack, did you?! #TeamZack

Jacque's Review:

Book Nerd Teri and I attended one of the author speed dating sessions at this year's RT Convention and met Jennifer Brown.  I never would have selected one of her books based upon the descriptions, but by the end of our short discussion with her...Teri and I were sold.  Her books deal with very difficult subjects that are relevant to teens/high school students.

Bitter End is about an abusive relationship.  Alex is a senior in high school and has been best friends with Bethany and Zack since they were all in diapers.  She is an excellent writer and spends time tutoring other students.  This is how she meets Cole, a standout athlete who transferred from another school for his senior year.  They begin dating and everything appears to be wonderful, but Zack does not approve of Cole.  Something happened between them in gym class, but neither Cole nor Zack is willing to discuss it.

Cole becomes obsessive, stalkerish, controlling, and eventually his jealousy/anger turns to violence.

Bitter End is a very fast read and I was immediately drawn into the lives of the characters.  I could completely understand and appreciate Alex's thought processes.  I'm sure everyone has heard of situations like this and unless you are the one in the situation, you can't fully understand what is going on.  We all think...WOW...this guy is a creep and if it were me, I would ________.  It is very easy to judge someone else, but there is always more to the story than meets the eye.  Alex is not weak.  She knows from the very first incident when something is amiss, but she can always seem to rationalize it.

This is an excellent book that I would highly recommend high school students read.  It is a great way for teens to break the ice and begin thinking and perhaps discussing these types of situations with their friends or *gasp* maybe even their parents.  Even if the topic doesn't pertain to them or someone they know, becoming more aware of domestic violence and ways to recognize and deal with it before it spirals out of control could certainly benefit anyone.

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true. When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises. The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers? (from Goodreads)

Flo's Review
In the same way I picked up How to Love and All Our Yesterdays, I picked up an ARC of Hero at BEA, having never heard of Enchanted, and not knowing that Hero was the second book in a series. I eventually figured it out and realized I'd need to read Enchanted. How lucky was I when Sync had it as one of the free audiobook downloads for the summer! 

This book was interesting. Basically, it's a story of different fairy tales, but all told together as one story -- the story of the Woodcutter family, and more specifically Sunday Woodcutter. (Yes -- the daughters are named for the days of the week.) It made me think that I don't know a lot of fairy tales! I recognized a good bit of the stories that were weaved in, but there were a lot that I didn't. It was a creative concept, but honestly, I found myself getting confused. There was so much going on that I started to forget who the characters were, what their magical abilities were (if any), and their back stories -- which kept being referred to once they were told.  Along with there being too much going on, I felt that some of the stories were incomplete? That may be because I don't know the fairy tales. 

I did enjoy the love story of Rumbold and Sunday -- even the magical elements. I also enjoyed the Woodcutter family and their interactions with each other.

Here's the trailer:

"Remember who you are."

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested. Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape. Because tonight, they’ll come for her. (from Goodreads)

Flo's Review
WOW. I absolutely was not expecting that ending! 

But let me back up. Crewel got a lot of buzz leading up to and after its release in late 2012. I was lucky enough to meet Gennifer Albin at the Miami Book Fair shortly after it came out and attend a panel discussion where she talked about her book and her world building. I was immediately fascinated. Also, how pretty is this cover?

Gorgeous, right?!