With the excitement that has been my life as of late I’ve come to the realization that for once the YA isles of the book store aren’t all empty of new fruits for me to plunder. Indeed I’ve actually missed many and though this makes me a little sad as it signifies my absence from books but it also excites me. There are so many more book for me to devour. One would think by 1000 book long goodreads tbr would have solved that but there is something entirely different about seeing books in a physical state. Dare I say, its magical.

So I browsed the shelves and found some of the books I'd been pining over on the blog like The Young Elites, Exquisite Captive etc.

But what really interested me was the books I'd never seen before but caught my attention. Here is my analysis:

Disclaimer: my status' are composed of brutal honesty. I'm a horribly picky person who writes off books like different flavours of ice cream (hard but do it anyway). Doesn't mean I don't end up picking up the book and hitting myself with it for being ignorant.

Evil Librarian - Michelle Knudsen

I have to say my local library has got some hot new librarians how much should we bet that they are all evil?

Status: Probably not but let's appreciate it's beauty!

The Spirit Glass Charade - Colleen Gleason

Nice glass orb thing!!! I picked this one because I like the cover... #noshame 

I now realize it is the second book in a series.

Status: This one is about Bram Stokers sister and Sherlock Holmes' niece.... will have to make room :)

Some Boys - Patty Blount

This one is definitely my kind of book. The synopsis kills me and I would really like to see how the author tackles the issue.

Status: GIVE ... IT ... TO... MEEEE

The Bodies We Wear - Jeyn Roberts

I like revenge books just as I like the show. I love this cover and damn is the synopsis amazing!

Status: Omg this is perfect!

Vango: Between the Sky and Earth - Timothee de Fombelle

How freaking cute! That cover is gold and the synopsis sounds like a boss. Not to mention the places that the protagonist travels to: Paris, Mediterranean Islands, Scottish Forests!!!

Status: For Scotland!

Did someone say Scotland!

I'm sorry... I had to :)

Have You Read or Added Any of These to Your TBR?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

The Winner's Crime

April 21, 2015

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Goodreads

Don't tell me you didn't see this one coming. It was so coming. I adored The Winner's Curse and did I stay royal blue is one of my favourite colours?

 What are You Waiting For?

-MARI 

Cover Wars is a weekly showdown of two beautiful covers. The winner, as voted by you, goes on to face a new cover, and wins bragging rights. This is basically a fun way to discuss what we like in covers.

Crimson Bound swept the poll last week in a shutout victory. We can't say this was totally unexpected from the sister of one of last year's most dominant covers. Still, can it hold on against Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke?

Both are sequels to some of Mari's favourite reads (no bias there, I presume?) and both covers are gorgeous. They continue to use elements from their predecessors; in Conspiracy's case, the muted colour tone, and in Crimson Bound, the stairway. Both covers emit a certain mood, foreboding and promising. Without a doubt, this will be a hard battle.

What do you think? As always, you have a week to vote. 

LET THE COVER WARS... BEGIN!

I don't know why but for some reason at some point in my life something has led me to think that talking about YA in an academic environment will make people look down on me. Thing is, there are people who have done just that but not everyone is the same. Also, what's so bad about YA in the first place, that anyone should be ashamed of reading it?

I think the root of the problem is Hollywood and the over-sensationalization of YA and anything teen oriented, may it be Bieber, Twilight or even The Hunger Games. Anything related to today's youth just explodes until it's in everyone's face, whether you want it or not. 

BOOM!

With widespread recognition comes widespread hate and haters. And no matter how secluded and introverted you are, you're bound to come upon one person that thinks reading YA is stupid. Some indicators might be things like, "Novels are a waste of time", "Why don't you read things that matter?" , "That stuff doesn't count as literature" , "Is that book about vampires?" 

When thinking back to it, I've always been quite protective of the fact that I read YA books. "I like to read." That is my introductory sentence but I seldom offer up what it is I like to read, any further than stating fiction as my preferred genre. Only those in my close circle get recommendations and book talks from me. In fact P.E. had no idea I read books until the mutual friend that introduced us also spilled the beans. 

I'm an incognito nerd :P

This all really came up when I was sitting in my very first Philosophy lecture beside a girl to whom I finally introduced myself after multiple minutes of contemplation. We exchanged the formal degree introductions, her an English Major and I the Business Major. She then went on to ask me what my hobby was and I slowly said..." um reading...fiction" Thinking she might be interested in the classics and such I felt quite overwhelmed. Long story short, she declared her love for YA and we then had a great conversation about Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. 

P.E. and I when we book fangirl

Now, while it's easy to blame Hollywood and embarrassing pre-teens for going wild over everything, it's also important to remember that people will be judgemental if they want to be and it's our choice to let them or stand up for what we enjoy. I like YA, I won't mention it to people like I do my name because it's a private interest but I'm not going to be ashamed of it either. Most of my close friends are actually a direct result of our shared interest in YA lit. How can something that brings people together in a friendly, innocent way be bad?

SOURCE

-MARI

P.S. NOTE: True story; I have a "I read YA" pin on my bag, and every single day I've waited for someone to say, "OMG ME TOO!" so I can fangirl about it. And not one goddamn person. So enjoy your friendship. :( -P.E.

...

I can end the chitter chatter at that title. The title explains everything. 

I wish I was you....

Bye

...

follow us @thesireniccodex

After the crazy week that it's been, I want to highlight the beauty of this gorgeous city. Downtown skyline. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to chase the dream list if all I talk about is this place.

Someone's been to the Scholastic Book Fair. Those were my absolute favourite in elementary school. One year they were even selling ... gasp* Twilight!!

P.E. is a bit of a clutz when it comes to her belongings so I was totally with her when she thought this book was damaged. Except I thought she was the perpetrator. All's well it's the cover design, love it!

I was sitting in the third row and I'm sure the professor saw me squeal. I'm such a nerd...

No P.E. what you need is something much, much stronger ---> crème brûlée?

You may think I'm shamelessly promoting the blog but what I'm actually doing is flaunting my baby. Meet Baby, he has a new rainbow dress! Handsome, no?

So I went to the library to "study". Note the textbook in the bottom, I had it all planned out :)

 By far my favourite of the week. Two of my new favourite things. Outlander + Scotland = tartan. Yes I went out wearing that and flaunted it quite proudly.

How's Your Picture Taking, Memory Making Week Been?

-MARI

P.S. Anyone else on Instagram? I'm super addicted and would love to know!

We're all avid readers with specific tastes. Through hundreds of books, we probably have developed a certain self awareness when it comes to what we like and don't like in books. So, in a post inspired from The Six Evil Geniuses of Essay Writing by Charles King , I thought this could be easily applicable to books.

I'll describe some faux pas, and then I'll let you guys rank them. Feel free to elaborate on a faux-pas that I missed in the comments. 

Takin' a Dump

IMAGE REDACTED.

Infodumping! Argh! As of writing this post, I am reading a book with the worst infodumping. Some infodumping is always acceptable because, especially for stories taking place in different settings, the reader needs to know this information otherwise we'd be complaining about how little depth there was to the world building. But some authors don't know how to do it well. They spew paragraph after paragraph of arduous description that ends up being utterly useless because  the reader has no context. It takes real talent to weave pieces of info with, you know, actual narration, and it's an essential skill because no one likes infodumping. 

Love, Accelerated

I'm being quite generous here. I'm not exonerating authors for love at first sight (or as I prefer it, feelings) because I accept that some attraction at first sight can happen. It's when characters prioritize their significant other over anyone else in their world between weeks of meeting them. Especially the, "I'll die for you!" bits. Because I happen to think that's an ENORMOUS sacrifice to make, and maybe I'm selfish and don't understand, but I ain't givin' my life away to no boy within six months of meeting him, nonetheless the weeks it takes for these YA couples. It always makes me roll my eyes and I never like it. Authors, write YA characters like they have lives and aren't just waiting for some romantic interest to come along and give their life some meaning. 

Vanilla Cookie Cutters

There is no excuse for not having diversity in a book. And you can't just have one token diverse character. Diversity in ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, able-bodied or not, these should all be factors into a story. It's not enough to say we want diversity in literature. It's about why there is no diversity. Why are there only straight white middle to upper class people? The world is much bigger. I'm not looking for diverse books. Diversity is not a genre or category of book: it is the standard, and something I'll be looking out for. C'mon authors, you amazing people are able to write books with complex worlds and endearing characters. There is no reason you can't put that extra effort into your world building to make it more realistic. (Obviously, books where the author chose to make the characters privileged and ignorant are the exception, and that lack of diversity serves a purpose.)

You-Know-What

Swear. Do it. Trust me, young adults do it. They do it quite clumsily, and quite well. Learn the language of your characters and put in those f-bombs. Again, it's about making your story realistic. Also, let's cut the fake swear words. If you're going to swear, do it, and do it loudly, proudly, and obnoxiously. Often, swear words happen naturally so let's have some "Oh SHIT" moments in battle. Or some damns. How about "Are you fucking kidding me?" Don't shy away from swear words. Books don't occur on screen, so there is no parental warning on display. And, in my experience, if parents say no, then kids want it even more.

Tick Tock, Setting Up

Or first book syndome. Some first books are completely irrelevant to the overall story arc of a series except for their last few chapters. The entire book is an introduction to the world, the myth, the characters. The main character knows nothing, and neither does the reader. Somehow, someone thought that hundreds of pages of set-up is the key to a successful story. Guess what: it isn't. And okay, sure, sometimes stuff needs to be explained to the reader so you start at the beginning. Authors, have some creativity! You can find ways to integrate this essential information while the story is taking place. Stories written in nonlinear time are so much fun, and often, most stories start the same. It's really their endings that separate them. So, skip it. Start with the character on the run. Give them that backstory and history essential to the story, but not exciting enough to actually be in it. Day in Legend by Marie Lu is an excellent example of this. And this shouldn't be just for the love interest- do it to the MC!

So, which of these annoy you the most? Is there anything I forgot to mention? Don't be a stranger, leave a comment :)

-P.E.

Author: Kekla Magoon
Date of Publication: October 21 2014
Pages: 336
Source: NetGalley- Thank you!

When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white.

In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth.


Tariq's friends, family, and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and to cope with the hole left behind when a life is cut short. In their own words, they grapple for a way to say with certainty: This is how it went down.

Review:

How It Went Down goes where a lot of YA doesn't and just for that it deserves to be applauded. The story centres around a certain premise that is far too common in real life: a black kid is shot by a white man. What happened? Magoon effectively uses multiple POVs to offer a broad look at the impact such a tragedy can have on the community.

The writing was insightful and very thoughtful. There were many different voices and happily, they all stood out. Different characters warranted different writing styles and each perspective was about two pages, never surpassing a handful. You would think that a story like this would be a mess, confused by so many voices, but Magoon did a commendable job at focusing the story. There was one connecting theme to every passage: Tariq.

After having read How It Went Down, I feel like I know Tariq, and yet I don't. He seemed to be a firecracker of a kid, full of charisma and self assurance. He wanted more for himself and his friends. He loved his sister and came from a good family. He also had a side to him that almost invited trouble. A lot of characters used the term "punk" to describe him and it stuck with me. Most importantly about Tariq is that he is not all good or bad, but by no means did he ever deserve to die.

How It Went Down made me think even more about what's always going on in the news. I like to think of myself as someone that does try to listen and see the world as it is and even so, I was shocked and sad to read How It Went Down. The story is full of different people with different lives and how Tariq's death impacts them all. It also speaks a lot to racial intolerance and how hard it is to get justice for a black boy's death. There were elements like family issues, gang life, abusive relationships, and even people who believe that racism is over while it's still a dangerous world for people of colour.

I can't tell you if How It Went Down is accurate, but it feels that way to me. I'm lucky to never have lived in an environment like Tariq, and so I knew that this stuff existed: gangs, violence, drugs, but I never quite understood how. For kids like Tariq, the odds are against them. I've dealt with some struggles in terms of getting to university, but for kids that live in those sorts of neighbourhoods, it's exponentially harder. It's not even the studying aspect: these kids are not safe. The world doesn't care about them, and the people that say they care will use and abuse them. They get stuck in a cycle, and it's not their fault.

When people advocate for diversity in YA, How It Went Down is what happens, and I am so grateful that books like this exist because they need to. You don't understand the life you're living until you're confronted with another one. I can read articles about Ferguson, I can read so many statements and tweets and cry about them, but putting all those pieces together is How It Went Down, and it does that superbly. It sets the scene, and frankly, it's a story that needs to be read.

Now, in terms of more style related comments, How It Went Down is extremely engrossing, especially at the beginning. Near the end it does drag a little and the ending is extremely open. Nothing is really solved, and I feel like this is a book best read in bits and pieces rather than in massive chunks, like I did to finish it. The ending has its strengths and weaknesses, and I think I'll end up saying that it's very consistent with the rest of the book. It was pretty obvious what Magoon was trying to do and she did it extremely well, based on my rather ignorant opinion.

My biggest hope for How It Went Down is that this story can start a discussion, or at least open some eyes to some of the issues that still exist in our society, no matter how much we try to ignore them. In any case, I'm very thankful to Henry Holt for allowing me to review this title.

-P.E.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke

April 21, 2015

The girl known as Gretchen Whitestone has a secret: She used to be part of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle. More than a year after she made an enemy of her old family friend and fled Munich, she lives with a kindly English family, posing as an ordinary German immigrant, and is preparing to graduate from high school. Her love, Daniel Cohen, is a reporter in town. For the first time in her life, Gretchen is content.

But then, Daniel gets a telegram that sends him back to Germany, and Gretchen’s world turns upside-down. And when she receives word that Daniel is wanted for murder, she has to face the danger she thought she’d escaped-and return to her homeland.

Gretchen must do everything she can to avoid capture and recognition, even though saving Daniel will mean consorting with her former friends, the Nazi elite. And as they work to clear Daniel’s name, Gretchen and Daniel discover a deadly conspiracy stretching from the slums of Berlin to the Reichstag itself. Can they dig up the explosive truth and get out in time-or will Hitler discover them first?

Goodreads

Oh my goodness!!! Most awaited book of 2014 alert! Prisoner of Night and Fog was all that I wanted from a book, being the history nut that I am, it went above and beyond my expectations. Naturally, I'm dying to get my hands on this one!

 What are You Waiting For?

-MARI 

Cover Wars is a weekly showdown of two beautiful covers. The winner, as voted by you, goes on to face a new cover, and wins bragging rights. This is basically a fun way to discuss what we like in covers.

There are landslides, and then there was last week's Cover Wars. To say it was one sided would be an understatement. Tell Me You Love Me managed a dominant win, and I'm extremely curious to see what will happen this week when it's faced against one of last year's champion cover's sister, Crimson Bound. Cruel Beauty is one of the Cover Wars all time greats; can Crimson Bound topple the goliath that is Tell Me You Love Me?

I enjoy the crispness of both covers. Tell Me You Love Me is a tribute to minimalism, and Crimson Bound has much more going on, from the checked base of stairs to the girl with the red riding hood. But is that enough to beat the adorableness of the ripped couple and heart? Or does Crimson Bound's richness end up on top? 

That's for you to decide! As always, one week to vote. 

Let the Cover Wars begin!

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Date of Publication: April 26, 2013
Pages: 328
Source: Library

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

GOODREADS

Review:
I don’t know what to say. I want to say that I enjoyed it but that is not completely true. I did however feel inclined to finish the book because of some story lines that broke my heart.

I’ve been curious about Rainbow Rowell’s work for some time and despite my curiosity, I felt a little like her books aren't for me. When I saw the audiobook available from my library e-catalogue I thought it was time I answered that question once and for all. 

Eleanor and Park is a love story but it is more a coming of age story and a story about family and friendship masked under a very youthful portrayal of first love. It was realistic in all the cute and clumsy ways first love can be. Eleanor is unattractive, but she is also unique. Park is biracial in a place where that isn’t a normal but he is twice the man many of his other friends will ever be.

Reading about the two of them was cute. I liked the awkwardness. But when they fell in love, I didn’t. I felt like the older sister watching as my little brother fell in love in a completely childish way. To me, Eleanor and Park were best friends who hit puberty and rushed into a romance. That’s not a bad thing though, its very much real life.

The highlight of the book for me was their respective families. Park’s parents were a dream team. They loved each other despite the differences of culture and the sacrifices that had to be made like the fact that Park’s mom had to leave her family behind and adjust to a whole different world. 

Park’s family was a foil to Eleanor’s. Where one had the average 2.2 kids the other was swarmed with red headed children. Where one had a loving parental unit, the other was composed of two divorced and selfish parents. My heart went out to Eleanor in this area. She was strong and brave. She did stupid things but she was a child.

When it comes down to it, I understand why everything happened. I feel like the things I had a problem with were intended by Rowell. The romance was intended to be clumsy and awkward, because this isn’t a romance, it’s more than that. Still, I felt that it was very slow. My fingers itched to click the next button and skip the chapters as the words drawled on and the plot progressed at an ant's pace. 

Eleanor’s push and pull and severe anxiety and self image problems were hard to deal with. She dished all her drama onto Park who only asked something simple. It bothered me that she made a big deal about the simple idea of getting a makeover. No having some makeup on doesn’t change who you are and even if it did, it’s not a bad thing. No one is trying to change you.

Overall, it was cute and probably what many people would like from it but for me I noticed the good but I also was annoyed by a lot of the things going on. Eleanor was my main problem and I couldn’t completely connect with her despite how much my heart went out to her.

-MARI

The Weekly Progress is a type of wrap up post that happens every Sunday on The Sirenic Codex looking on the week that was.

This week was a bit like midterm week. I did two tests, and returned to school after Thanksgiving. It was nice to get the tests over with and I don't have anything coming up until next week. 

Books Read

0. 

Currently Reading

It's really hard to get into this book because I feel like the explanations have been poor. The world building is confusing and it's hard distinguishing the characters. I wish the story would stop being mysterious with so many references to the past and let me get to know the characters. 

On the Blog

Mari wondered about YA movies worth watching. 

The Witch Hunter was her WoW choice.

This week's Thursday Thoughts wondered if YA will stand the test of time, and had a little bit about my excitement for Gone Girl.

Then, a DNF review for Breathe For Me and some hype to end the week.

Frankly, I think we could have a better week and I know a lot of that is that I haven't been writing much. I have since written two posts I think are pretty good, so I hope you enjoy them soon!

 The Week That Was

It's hard to believe that I was home last week, because I was, and it was nice except for the fact that I was terrified of my upcoming midterm. I studied more than enjoyed the holidays, and I'm sad that fall semester only has one day off, and that was it. I guess I'm looking forward to winter break! I think I'm getting three weeks off, and it should be great. 

Song of the Week

I listened to lots of music this week, but this is the current song I'm listening to. It's a song everyone has probably heard by now, but it's fun and the music video is cute. :)

Have a good week!
-P.E.

A discussion between P.E. and Mari.

P.E.: It's been a while since we did this, so let's go for it. A new year, new books. What book are you hyped up for?

Mari: Oh gosh that's just evil. How about every book I've spotlighted on WoW for the past year? Somehow I've managed to downsize to 3 so here it is. This Shattered World looks like a fantastic companion to These Broken Stars. I'm very excited to read about a female soldier captured by rebels, yes!! As for The Young Elites, I will literally read anything Marie Lu writes so if this was about Barney getting plastic surgery to be a green dinosaur, I would still read it. Lastly, Mortal Heart is the conclusion to one of my favourite series. This story is so amazing and I can't wait to read Annith's side of things.  Some other titles that I feel deserve a mention are: The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare and The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski.

P.E.: You know my book tastes pretty well. Let's spice this up: guess three books I'm dying to read. (They are sequels to books I've been telling you to read since forever!)

Mari: Lazy, I see right through you. But fine, the biggest, most obvious one is Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater. Next up is probably Rick Riordan's next book, which ever book it might be because he is your favourite and lastly I know you liked the The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey & Red Rising by Pearce Brown, so both of the sequels to those.

P.E.: And that is why I have a co-blogger. /endpost

Okay, maybe some more is needed. Mari's picks were all spot-on, and those are probably all the books I'm really dying to read. But, hype is not a finite thing: there is more to go around. For example, The Queen of the Tearling! Mari and I have been drooling over that book for quite some time now. I love epic fantasy with strong female characters that have to deal with politics. The rating on Goodreads isn't as high as I would have wanted (Oh no, a paltry 3.8), but that doesn't diminish my excitement!

Mari: I'm very much intrigued by this one, but I'm worried about some of the negative reviews surfacing. I'll still try it out but I'll have to get it from the library. A book that's been out for a while but I've only recently bothered to read the synopsis and realize that it's the kind of book I wanted to read is: The Kiss of Deception. I love the idea of someone running away on their wedding day, isn't that one of the most filmy scenes? Also, I would love to see the action between, the jilted prince and the assassin all in the process to woo a runaway princess!

P.E.: It reminds me of the first awesome scene in Spy Kids, when the parents are telling the story of their wedding? I loved that movie so much when I was a kid. Who's kidding, I still do. Anyway, another book I'm super excited for is Red Queen. I've had pretty great experiences with books that have "red" in their titles in the past (hehe), and the premise of this one is actually surprisingly close to Red Rising, what with the colour caste system. I guess I'm a sucker for books that promise adventure, intrigue, and seem a bit epic. I haven't read any reviews of Red Queen yet so I don't know if my excitement is warranted.

Mari: OHH, I can't say I've read any reviews but I have seen some buzz on this which is making me quite interested. I'm also super excited about this one.

These Are Our Hype Up Books, What Are Yours?

-P.E. & MARI

Author: Rhonda Helms
Date of Publication: August 5 2014
Pages: 232
Source: NetGalley (thank you!)

Isabel’s been cursed since the Middle Ages.

Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, she made a hasty bargain with a demon, asking for liberation from an oppressive husband-to-be and the excitement of travel. But the demon’s “gift” came at a steep cost. Each time he moves her to a new city, her memory’s wiped. No one can touch her bare skin without injury or even death. And she sees the lifespan of every living being (and is, in fact, immortal herself).

All a constant reminder that she’s different than other teen girls.

But New Orleans seems to accept her as she is. She has friends and a real life in this quirky, hot city. Then Isabel meets Dominic, whose deep soul and strong character draw her to him. Her growing love gives her the courage to confront the demon, insisting the curse be broken. But the demon’s price for freedom is much, much higher than she could possibly give.

Review:

This was a DNF for me, for the simple reason that I was not at all interested in reading this book. I've had it for quite some time and I ended up dragging along, not reading it for weeks. It wasn't that the story was horrible. From what I read, the story was fine. It just didn't have any kind of spark, nothing that held my interest.

Isabel is the main character and she is someone that is tortured and angsty. Except the reader doesn't know what her big issue is, the big paranormal twist that makes her feel that way. As the story progresses, bits and pieces are revealed. It's shown that Isabel can't touch people otherwise she kills them. She can see how much time people have before dying. She also seems to be from another era and she made a deal with a demon. I didn't get too far, so I can't comment on much else, but these facts are slowly revealed, and I guess my issue with them is that I never got to the part where I felt like I needed to know more.

Isabel is a dry character. She probably gets better as the story progresses, but reading in Isabel's POV makes me sad because she is so helpless, and almost reserved. I didn't feel much emotion from her, even when she was supposed to be quite distressed. I couldn't connect to her. Furthermore, her relationship with Dominic, especially at the beginning, had me cringing.

They have an initial attraction. He is super sweet. He is somehow really into her, and super into poetry and pursues her even when she constantly turns him down. They get to know each other better while working on a project-- a poem-- for Isabel's favourite class, English. He turns out to be a poet too. When Isabel is around Dominic, she can barely think and often loses her composure as she stutters a lot.

This storyline isn't new to me. It doesn't feel new. It doesn't hook me in because there are so many stories about Isabels and Dominics. I also think the "project" idea is too overused and I did roll my eyes a little.

I really have read very little of Breathe For Me, so conceivably, it could improve right after I stopped reading. This is a case of me having very little time to actually read, and wanting to spend my reading time on books that call to me right away. Sadly, Breathe For Me wasn't one of those books.

-P.E.