“I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you.”

In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth — meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win. 

My Review

Author: Mary Weber
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: August 19 2014
Pages: 320
Source: Library

Eh, it's not for me. I don't know what else I'm supposed to write in this review because the fact of the matter is that Storm Siren is simply a book that had an interesting premise, but the execution was not for me.

I didn't connect with the characters and the plot didn't stand out. Like, at all.

Nothing about the world intrigued me.

Sometimes, stories don't click. It happens.

So, um, as this is a quite terrible review thus far, I shall now entertain you with a drawing of a siren!

Ok, ok, so this is quite terrible as a drawing. I'm sorry. 

Have you ever felt similarly about a book? Care to share?

-P.E.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home

GOODREADS

My Review

Author: Katie McGarry
Date of Publication: May 26, 2015
Pages: 496
Source: Library

Saying that I really wanted to like this book is an understatement. Or maybe, it isn't because I couldn't make myself finish it.

Katie McGarry and I have a 2:1, love:dislike ratio. Not bad. And everything in Nowhere But Here's premise, cover and early reviews pointed to an updated 3:1 ratio. Obviously, something went sour.

From the very beginning this books was weak. Emily is obnoxious, inconsistent and annoying for lack of a better word. She is introduced as this perfect good girl who is so high and mighty that she doesn't give her biological dad the light of day when he comes to visit every year. Such a chore. When suddenly thrust into his crowd she doesn't waste time to a) slut shame b) grandma shame "grandma's don't swear" and c) look down on Oz and then mentally undress him. There were also several moments when she would talk about her courage at looking these wild people in the eyes and the next second she'll be barfing her guts up on someones shoes. No, she didn't impress me.

Next is Oz, swoony not Oz...  His chapters weren't as disagreeable. The little that I read about the motorcycle club was interesting. But there was nothing about Oz that really captured my attention enough to make me want to stay. His frequent sexual comments about Emily's appearance weren't very enjoyable to read about either.

I could go on and write about my thoughts on the writing, plot, and such but I only got to about 30% of the book. McGarry is a great writer but this book's issue, in my opinion, was the story. Not much interesting had happened in the first 30% and for a book this size 30% is a lot of pages for me to make a decision. Definitely not for me.

-MARI

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.
She flees on her wedding day.
She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.
She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.
She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.
The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.
Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love. 

My Review

Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publication Date: July 8 2014
Pages: 492
Source: Library Ebook
It was a bad sign when I could barely remember the title of this book. It was a bad sign when, after devouring a book every day, I took a one week pause in the middle of this one. It was a bad sign when I did literally anything other than read.

There were a lot of signs, and maybe I should have listened to them.

I've watched paint dry before. It was an interesting process. The length of time was fascinating, but it was moreso to watch the colours change into darker versions. Even imagining the future, finished product was fun. Basically, I'm saying I've enjoyed watching paint dry more than I'e enjoyed reading The Kiss of Deception.

I don't understand what the draw is. I thought the story was so wholly uninspired that I got to the point where the assassin and prince's identities were revealed, and I was still bored out of my mind and decided that this story would never be for me.

Lia and I lack a relationship. I understand she ran away because she was abused and ignored most of her life. She wants to be valued for who she is rather than her title. She does not want to be a princess. Her family was willing to marry her off to a man she had never met, and all in all, I could theoretically understand the rationale of Lia's character and her friend, Pauline. I appreciated that they had a strong friendship, and in general, the friendships were something I did cheer on. I just couldn't give a damn about any of these characters. None of the characters captured my imagination. I suppose I've just had enough of the "I want to be normal" storyline, regardless of how reasonably justified it could be.

Maybe the story was doomed because this fundamental storyline has never interested me.

And then, there was the love triangle. I'm not one to indiscriminately bash on love triangles. I think they can be fascinating, if done well. But this one felt more ridiculous than normal to me. I mean, of course she is immediately interested in two people in town for her. One of them is an assassin, the other a prince. I thought both were terribly boring, I could not think of a single thing I thought was unique to either dude. Both seemed nice-ish, but there was a lot of marvelling at Lia.

I don't know why this book is almost 500 pages long. It makes the fact that I got more than halfway through even more impressive to me, in my eyes. Screw you Kobo, making me think this story was 350 pages. I would have stopped a hard copy ages ago. I feel like I gave this a fair shake and got through the boring intro bits until um, stuff finally happens. And it was amidst this stuff happening that I decided, definitively, that I didn't care.

Why wasn't this book condensed? The characters don't merit this kind of long set up, and I was reading about people doing chores all the time. I would have been far more satisfied had I started doing my own. Then, there was a certain scene that pushes Lia to action and frankly, I thought this was such a terrible plot device that I decided I couldn't continue. I couldn't.

I'm probably missing something because somehow, The Kiss of Deception has over 4 stars on Goodreads. I can see some parts are promising, like the friendships, but I personally was unbelievably bored. I think it's best if I just cut ties with this series and move on.

-P.E. 

Author: Ann Aguirre
Date of Publication: Aug26/14
Pages: 352
Source: Library

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B…. 

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other. 

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.

GOODREADS

Review:
It seems that every DNF review starts with the premise/disclaimer "So I finally got to pick this one up after having read many positive reviews and enjoyed the sound of the synopsis.” And once again that is exactly the case with this one, unfortunately it’s followed by the default, “However, I couldn’t get into the story”.

I Want It That Way is Ann Aguirre, author of YA Enclave Series’, foray into new adult. The story is about Nadia who moves into apartment 2B with her roommates: BFF Lauren, playboy Max and gay friend Angus. They all make an adorable cast, playing, dating and bonding. However, Nadia’s attentions is drawn by the hot downstairs neighbour Ty, a grumpy and tired young father. Mutual interest rises and the rest is history. 

I liked how Nadia came from modest means and was not the common NA heroine with serious psychological damage. She was driven and dedicated to her Special Education degree and this was shown through her daily activities, school, daycare, practicum, home, repeat. It was nice to see a character have a life for once and complain about not having time to eat but sometimes I felt like there was a junk paragraph in the middle of the page telling me that Nadia went to work today where everything was same old, same old; a little unnecessary.

Ty was alright. I did’t really understand him. He was hard to relate to not because he was a father, I think that was my favourite bit about him. His interactions with his 4 year old son, Sam, were wonderful. His job and architecture major were also nice additions, but anything beyond that and voyaging into the world of social skills were questionable. I didn’t find him romantic and for a romance that’s a major of a killer. I’ll say it this way, there were no sparks flying, it was all tell and no show and I can’t take that.

I guess whenever the story surrounds a common or cliche story line there are risks. That could’ve been the main problem here but my issue was more general. There was a wide disconnect between the reader, the character and the plot. Despite being in Nadia's head, I didn’t connect with her, I didn’t understand how or why she started to like Ty (besides the fact that he is a ginger). And the push and pull was all kind of nonsensical for me. I was lost and felt nothing. I skimmed through the sex scene and felt nothing.

It honestly, is too bad because people have enjoyed it, but the direction the story was taking by 56% of the way through was not something that pulls me enough to keep me on the hook. I was intrigued by the possible development of Lauren and Max’s relationship in the future books, so maybe I’ll try that one, but this book is not for me. 

-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.

Author: Amber Hart
Date of Publication: July 29, 2014
Pages: 320
Source: NetGalley - Thank you!

Some say love is deadly. Some say love is beautiful. I say it is both.

Faith Watters spent her junior year traveling the world, studying in exquisite places, before returning to Oviedo High School. From the outside her life is picture-perfect. Captain of the dance team. Popular. Happy. Too bad it’s all a lie.

It will haunt me. It will claim me. It will shatter me. And I don't care.

Eighteen-year-old Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn't stand a chance of fitting in. Nor does he want to. His only concern is staying hidden from his past—a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him everything. Including his life.

At Oviedo High School, it seems that Faith Watters and Diego Alvarez do not belong together. But fate is as tricky as it is lovely. Freedom with no restraint is what they long for. What they get is something different entirely.

Love—it will ruin you and save you, both.

GOODREADS

Review:

As a huge fan of Simone Elkeles’ Perfect Chemistry, I’m always on the lookout for the next best thing. When I saw Before You, I needed to have it. The synopsis was so intriguing and I loved the mysterious pasts and bi-racial relationships. Too bad the excitement waned after the first few pages.

I may have psyched myself out of this one, because there is nothing I can say except I was disappointed. My problem wasn’t with the writing, Ms. Hart is obviously talented, it was with the story, the plot and the characters.

The story is the classical West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, forbidden romance. It’s formulaic but when done right, enjoyable. That wasn’t the case with Before You. The story was lacklustre and obviously formulaic. There were so many plot conveniences that it made the story unrealistic and unrelatable. 

There was also a stark resemblance to Perfect Chemistry. They both start with the beginning of senior year and the protagonists are getting dressed for their first day. Faith, like Britanny, is dance captain with a friend who is hellbent on taking her spot. Faith is also queen of her school and is dating the star quarterback and a class -A jerk. But, they are perfect for each other and have been together forever! The similarities were a little too much and they bugged me.

As for the characters, I read up to halfway and I honestly couldn't appreciate them. Faith was unrelatable and frankly, a little pretentious. Her constant comments on her restricted life and messed up past didn't help me connect with her, they just made me see her as ungrateful. 

Diego on the other hand, was also a very flat character. He had a bad past with the cartel and was now in America building a new life. From what I read, Diego moved to America for his safety but he didn’t act like someone who wanted to be there. Also his constant comments about the white girls he labeled as sluts were uncalled for. I don’t think all guys think like that and I don’t much like those that do.

Many the side characters like Faith's friend Melissa, her boyfriend Jason, and his mother were completely one dimensional. All Melissa wanted to do was break Faith's relationship with Jason because Faith was "restricting" herself. Jason was the perfect boyfriend until he conveniently turned into an ass after seeing Diego. His sweet Housewives of Orange County mother soon turned into a snake as well. I just could not find one character to help redeem this story, especially when things started going downhill thanks to the instalove.

Overall, this book wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get into it. There were so many things that bugged me upfront and it’s a shame because when done well these types of books are my favourites. Not this time.

-MARI

Author: Jay Kristoff
Date of Publication: August 12 2012
Pages: 451
Source: School library

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she's determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

Review:

I barely read this book so I don't feel like this will be much of a review. Nonetheless, I did read it in some sense so here are some very early thoughts.

I ran out of books and picked this one up from my school library the librarian told me technically, taking books out isn't possible at this time but I could if I returned it by Friday. So my attitude toward this book was that if I were to read it, it would have to make me love it because two days during summative period is not a lot of time for reading.

The other thing I knew about Stormdancer is that it wasn't a book that used Japanese culture very well. I read the reviews and made the conscious decision to try this book, but never take this book as an accurate portrayal of Japanese culture.

From the pages I read, I had just one pretty big issue. It was that I had no clue what was happening. There were so many name drops of stuff I had never heard of. I'm open to learning new things but I felt like the writing, especially the description, was so clunky. I was completely lost because I kept encountering Japanese words that I didn't understand. I felt like the explanations were insufficient for me, too.

A lot of the descriptions were very formulaic. It was a lot of stuff like 'the rice paper walls were decorated with ------ and ------' and there were three of these type of sentences, all with parallel structure, right after one another. I didn't find it very interesting because I didn't know what the words meant, and I generally care very little for heavy description. What I prefer is more of a poet's description; describing the emotions rather than random details about the scene.

The plot also felt excruciatingly slow. It felt like it took forever for stuff to happen. I mean, of course that would happen if you spend so much time on descriptions. But I really got nothing out of them. I think ordinarily I would stick with Stormdancer for some more time. I wouldn't let it go so fast, but I didn't have the time. That being said, the beginning wasn't appealing to me.

I have heard that after 50 or so pages when the voyage starts the story improves. Is that true? I got to them on the ship before I had to return the book. So, I'll let you guys determine what I should do: give it another shot, or move on?

-P.E.

Author: Leah Bobet
Date of Publication: April 1 2012
Pages: 368
Source: Library

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

Review:

Leah Bobet seems like an interesting person in Twitter, I picked Above for Cover Wars a while back, and she's Canadian so I was really hoping I would like her book. What made me stop 55 pages in?

1. Awkward dialect. Dialect isn't a bad thing in itself. I've enjoyed many books with dialect before, so the dialect itself wasn't the biggest issue. I think it was the fact that the dialect promises a writing style that would be hard to get into, plus at some point there was some kind of story woven in that I had to reread a few times just because I was so confused.

2. Confusion. I don't know what Safe or Sick or Beast or Shadows or ANYTHING is. There seemed to be no explanation, and what explanation that existed was hard to comprehend because of the dialect. It got to a point where I couldn't imagine certain events taking place so I had to look at the story very generally, and...

3. The story doesn't call to me. The writing doesn't appeal to me and I don't even know what the premise is supposed to be. What's left to keep me reading are the characters, whom I can't enjoy because I don't understand (like the girl that turns into a bee? What?). The other thing that could have saved the story is the...

4. Plot, but there is a major issue right off the bat. A pretty significant event occurs and I do not understand it at all. I don't understand the aggressors, I don't understand the world, and I can't continue with Above when I'm already confused about what's supposed to be a pretty big deal.

5. I'm also in a piss poor mood. Chalk it up on school and general bad luck, but I'm frustrated enough as it is. I wanted this book to take me out of where I am and so I can focus on something else. Instead, I ended up being frustrated when 55 pages in, I know nothing.

6. I don't have much faith in the book. Say what you want about Goodreads, but a 3 star average killed my enthusiasm for Above.

Ultimately, I think Above is probably better than the first 55 pages, but as a reader sometimes I don't have the patience to wait that long. Some people like unraveling a mystery, but from what I could tell, this wasn't my read. Maybe I'll regret this and I probably didn't see the author's creative vision. Either way, I'm ready to move on.

-P.E.

Author: Simone Elkeles

Date of Publication:  October 1, 2013

Pages: 342

Source: Library

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Review:

I’m going to start this review by stating that I’m a huge Simone Elkeles fan. I've been one since I read Perfect Chemistry for the first time in 2009 and that respect and absolute devotion has never wavered, even now.

From the title of this review, you can tell that I wasn't impressed by Wild Cards. The book is introduced to the reader as YA contemporary fiction romance based around a football team. The female protagonist is a tomboy captain of the boys' varsity football team, Ashtyn. That’s pretty kickass if you ask me, but Ashtyn was anything but. 

The downfall of this story stared with its premise and football playing Ashtyn. Immediately, I envisioned something like Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally. What I got was a lot of telling that Ashtyn was a state level football player but I didn't see any football. 

I didn't much care for any of the characters. They were all very stereotypical: jocks, cheerleaders, 20 year old bimbo step-moms. Add some angst, instalove, family drama and there you have it.

The story felt very awkward which was probably a result of Ashtyn and Derek's awkward relationship. Step-aunt and Step-nephew. That wasn't really the awkward part though; this could've made for a few funny situations. It was mostly the characters themselves. All Ashtyn did was brood about her bad family situations, her gloomy boyfriend and how Derek should stop looking at her because she hates him but she can't stop herself from wanting to be held by him.

As for "bad boy" Derek; expelled from private school, Derek: all he did was rake the leaves, wear cowboy boots, have an estranged relationship with his grandma and oh, paint the outhouse. 

From the first meeting, there was something wrong with the two of them. They never actually sit down and talk to each other. All their conversations result in a brawl, where they are plain mean to each other. Then somehow they fall in love, but she already has a boyfriend and he doesn't want a relationship. Oh boy.

It did have some positives and that goes to Ms. Elkeles’ skill of keeping the reader engaged. Despite not caring much for the characters or plot, I still felt driven enough to continue reading for as long as I did. The writing was great, clear and vivid, as one would expect. 

Wild Cards isn't a bad book at all, but it fell flat to my skyscraper expectations and that's okay. Many others have enjoyed it and maybe I will too if I ever come back to it. I’m still looking for that great YA sports novel and this one missed that mark. 

-MARI

Author: Will Hill
Date of Publication: March 1 2011
Pages: 540
Source: Library

Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

AMAZON / GOODREADS

Review:

I don't often stop reading books, but I was 195 pages in and I wasn't interested in the story at all. I was actually frustrated to the point where I didn't believe continuing Department 19 would bring me any joy.

The writing didn't work for me. I don't know why, but it failed to capture my attention. It had no emotion and it seemed to lack depth or personality. I couldn't read every sentence. I tried not to, but I couldn't help but skip boring parts. The descriptions weren't natural or believable to me.

The thing that turned me off Department 19 was the characters. They made such unbelievably stupid decisions that it was hard to sympathize with them. Jamie is a freaking neanderthal. He is insolent and refuses to listen to anybody. He's mouthy and I can't find anything redeemable about him besides that he loves his mother. I still can't stand him. He throws temper tantrums all the time. Like, he hears something he doesn't like and so he screams and flips over a table with sharp objects that could hurt the people around him. What the hell? Dude you're hurting. Whatever. That's no excuse for acting like an idiot. And this guy thinks he of all people can rescue his mother. With that type of discipline and self control? I don't think so.

Except that's something else I didn't like. He probably will rescue his mom. He's already some sort of prodigy within the department after 24 hours of training. He can already fire a T-Bone (don't ask) straight into the target. He's already from one of the most influential families although they still aren't the most powerful because we're supposed to feel bad for Jamie.

I don't like Jamie. His character rubbed me the wrong way. The story also seems not be my sort of thing which confuses me because this premise is totally my type. I'm disappointed in Department 19 but I don't want to continue reading it. Thus, DNF.

-P.E.