Potent Potables

Several things contributed to my not getting as much reading done in February as I might have liked, but here is a short round-up of the books I did get to read:

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting--While I think the concept of a girl who can see a strange aura around those people (and animals) who have been murdered, as well as a matching imprint on the killer, is a great idea in concept, I'm not sure it was executed particularly well. I did like the MC Violet (after I decided to try to ignore all the mooning over her male bf), and I loved that she was strong and willful, and had such great friends and family. But the way the third person POV was written kept me from really connecting with her. The dialogue also didn't feel very teenagery (yeah, I think I made that word up). Final thought: the last word in the book is "perfect," which should just never be allowed.

Fallen by Lauren Kate--Another great concept (fallen angels), but the author added a nice twist by putting the MC, Luce, in a reform school, which makes for a fun cast of secondary characters. This was also written in third person POV, but it was so much better executed than in TBF, mostly because Luce's voice was very believable, so I got a good sense of her feelings and motivations. I honestly was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, and I think it's because I've been disappointed with a lot of YA paranormal romance lately. Only complaint: there are very few answers in this book. So I'm looking forward to the next one in this series (due out in the fall).

Gone by Lisa McMann--The third (and final) book in the Wake trilogy, I'd been looking forward to this one. I definitely wasn't disappointed, but Fade is by far my favorite of the three. Gone is a much quieter book, if that makes sense. Less action, more internal musing, but still a good ending to the series. I'll miss Janie and Cabe, for sure.

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville-- I owe a big thanks to my pal Ellen for getting me to pick this book up because it's so much fun. Very Neil Gaiman-esque, but even smarter, if you can believe it. The best part about it is the hilarious cast of wacky characters, including: a discarded milk carton pet named Curdle, garbage cans (or "bins") that are ninjas/security guards called Binjas, creatures that come to life at the uttering of a word called Utterlings...I could go on, but you should discover the amazing wordplay for yourself.

Up next: Meridian by Amber Kizer.