Review: Inland - Kat Rosenfield

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (I really like this cover.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 12, 2014
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Page Count: 388 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Callie can't breathe. She hasn't been able to ever since her mother died and her father took her away from the sea. Finally, her father gets a job offer he can't refuse which takes them to the Florida coast. There it is like Callie can take her first real breath in years. Now that they are closer to the sea though, Callie starts to feel it pulling her, calling to her. She knows that the sea is where she belongs, because that's where her mother is.

This was quite disappointing.  I don't know what it was about this novel, but I had the hardest time getting through it. I loved Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone and this one sounded so promising, but then...nothing. It took me almost a month to read this novel, which is crazy. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for a Kat Rosenfield novel.

It was an interesting premise, but a bit predictable. Nothing about it was surprising and I figured things out long before Callie even thought to think about them. There's really not much else to say about this novel. It just wasn't right for me.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Sequels I can't wait to get my hands on... 
So I couldn't think of that many sequels that I want to read that aren't out yet, so some of these are books I want authors to write but they aren't necessarily sequels. Of course, directly after finishing this post I realized that I didn't include The Retribution of Mara Dyer. So consider that included now.

Ignite Me - Tahereh Mafi (I need more Warner!) 

Lair of Dreams - Libba Bray ( I need another nice creepy tale.)

Idols - Margaret Stohl

Hollow City - Ransom Riggs

Meridian - Josin L. McQuein

The Interrupted Tale - Maryrose Wood

I want a new YA novel from Rainbow Rowell!!!! I loved Fangirl and Eleanor & Park. She has a new book coming out soon, but it's an adult book. MORE YA PLEASE!

Inland - Kat Rosenfield (There's no cover for this and only the briefest of summaries, but I want it. Amelia Anne was so fantastic!)

I also want a new book from Arlaina Tibensky. And Then Things Fall Apart was just such a great novel and I want Arlaina to dazzle me again.

I want the tears that John Green provides. I want characters from him that I care so much about that it hurts to lose them. I want a book emotionally like The Fault in Our Stars.

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people  who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten beginnings and endings...

Beginnings...

Every Day - David Levithan
"I wake up. 
     Immediately I have to figure out who I am."

Under the Light - Laura Whitcomb
"I used to practice leaving my body." 

Nothing - Janne Teller
"Nothing matters.
I have know that for a long time.
So nothing is worth doing.
I just realized that."

Beauty Queens - Libba Bray
A WORD FROM YOUR SPONSER
"This book begins with a plane crash. We do not want you to worry about this. According to the U.S. Department of Unnecessary Statistics, your chance of dying in a plane crash are one in half a million. Whereas your chances of losing your bathing suit bottoms to a strong tide are two to one. So, all in all, it's safer to fly than to go to the beach."

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone - Kat Rosenfield
"The night before Amelia Anne Richardson bled her life away on the parched dirt road outside of town, I bled out my dignity in the back of a pickup truck under a starpricked sky."

Endings...

Looking for Alaska - John Green
"So I know she forgives me, just as I forgive her. Thomas Edison's last words were: 'It's very beautiful over there.' I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful."

Imaginary Girls - Nova Ren Suma
"It sounded impossible, something no one would believe, Yet I was so sure that at any moment I'd open my eyes and see her. I'd open my eyes and see."

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone - Kat Rosenfield
"That the windows are empty, and the dust has settled. 
That there is nobody left to remember that summer.
That Amelia Anne Richardson is dead and gone.
And that the only thing left, heavy and sweet in the violet twilight, is the scent of wild roses."

This is Not a Test - Courtney Summers
"The dead girl presses her face against the glass. She waits for me to tell her what's next."

The Sky is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson
"I don't know how the heart withstands it.
 I kiss the ring, put it back into the cabinet next to the notebook, and close the door with the bird on it. Then I reach into my pack and take out the houseplant. It's so decrepit, just a few blackened leaves left. I walk over to the edge of the cliff, so I'm right over the falls. I take the plant out of its pot, shake the dirt off the roots, get a good grip, reach my arm back, take one deep breath before I pitch my arm forward, and let go."

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people  who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten favorite book covers of books I've read...

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (my review)
I didn't love the original cover for this novel, but the new ones are gorgeous. 

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield (my review)
I simply adore this cover. From the colors to the font to the imagery; it's perfect.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (my review)
Love these photos and the covers for all these novels totally work.

The Listeners by Leni Zumas 
This cover is a lot of fun and relevant to the story, which is awesome.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (my review)
Love this cover. It's very eerie. The blood makes it. 

A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle (my review)
This is a very fancy cover and I quite like it.

Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison (my review)
I loved this cover so much that I bought a print of the original photo.

Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard (my review)
I like the simplicity of this and it represents the book perfectly. It's also rare to see a real boy on the cover of a novel.

Peanut by Ayun Halliday & Paul Hoppe (my review)
It's simple. Super simple.

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (my review)
This book is super gorgeous all around. 

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people  who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I read in 2012...

Sparks - S.J. Adams

I saw this title on the Rainbow List and loved the title. I didn't love the cover so I thought I'd try it before buying it. It is 100% amazing. 

Adaptation - Malinda Lo

I have read Malinda's other two novels and felt fairly lukewarm about them. This one really was incredible though. Just different and intense.

The False Prince - Jennifer A. Nielsen

A surprising read for me. It was part of Scholastic's Mother-Daughter BookClub. It was just so well-written and I adored the main character.

Battle Royale - Koushun Takami

YES! This book is amazing. 

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

This was such a lovely book. I wish I could cut out the section I didn't like, but even with it I am so in love with this novel.

Transcendence - C.J. Omololu
Very different from Dirty Little Secrets, but amazing. I really enjoyed the time travel in this novel.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone - Kat Rosenfield
From the cover to the last page I adored this book. A perfect mystery-blend.

This is Not a Test - Courtney Summers
The best zombie novel I've read. Not zombie heavy, just lovely.

Born Wicked - Jessica Spotswood
A very exciting novel about witches, I hope they come back in style, because this was delightful.

The Diviners - Libba Bray
Libba Bray is just brilliant. The setting and the creepiness make me want to read this one again (with the lights on).

Honorable Mention: Chopsticks: a novel - Jessica Anthony & Rodrigo Corral
This book was beautiful. If there is a YA novel more beautiful and heartfelt than this one I want to know about it. So few words, but so much emotion packed into it.

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people  who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Favorite New-To-Me Authors...

This one is a bit tricky, because some of the authors only have one book out, so it's difficult to count them as a favorite. I'm sure these author's won't fail to impress with their sophomore works though. Some of these authors I just hadn't gotten around to yet, but am sure glad I did. 

Michelle Hodkin - Though I am not as big of a fan as some people were with Mara Dyer. I definitely have a place on my list for Michelle and Mara. I really enjoyed the first two books and am dying for the next.

Anna Carey - Eve and Once were two novels I read this year and liked a lot more than I had anticipated. 

Kat Rosenfield - LOVED Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone. Loved, Loved, Loved!

Katherine Longshore - Gilt was a very interesting read and I ended up liking it the best out of all the books I read on the subject of the 4th wife. 

Amanda Grace (a.k.a Mandy Hubbard) - But I Love Him and In Too Deep were both intense interesting reads. I am very eager to read more of these books. 

Jessica Spotswood - Born Wicked was a delightful witchy read and I can not wait for the next!

Jennifer E. Smith - The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight! I dare you not to love this novel. Seriously. I also really enjoyed her Middle Grade novel The Storm Makers.

Emma Carlson Berne - Still Waters was so fantastic. I have Never Let You Go at home now and I can not wait to be chilled again!

Erin Morgenstern - Loved The Night Circus, thrilled for the movie as long as they don't ruin it. 

Jeanne Ryan - I really enjoyed Nerve which was excellent because I hadn't heard anything about it, but it turned out to be fab!

 

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I wouldn't mind Santa bringing me...

The Retribution of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin

I just need to know. I need to know!!!!

Alice in Zombieland - Gena Showalter

The design of this book is just fantastic. I am not sure how I haven't read it yet, but everything about it is gorgeous. If you have a chance to check out a copy of it, you'll see what I mean.

The Diviners - Libba Bray

If you didn't read my review, I loved it and I need a finished copy of my own.

Embers and Echoes - Karsten Knight

I can't wait to find out what happens next. I enjoyed Wildefire quite a bit.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone - Kat Rosenfield

This book was amazing and is gorgeous. I borrowed it from the library, but would love to have it in my collection.

Invisibility - Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

Yes!

The Interrupted Tale - Maryrose Wood

I adore these books!

The Madness Underneath - Maureen Johnson

I really loved The Name of the Star and can't wait to dive back into this world.

Scott Pilgrim vol.1 & 2 in color - Bryan Lee O'Malley

I seriously love everything Scott Pilgrim and desperately want these.

The Archived - Victoria Schwab
Loved The Near Witch and Ash-born Boy and need to read this.
 

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Review: Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone - Kat Rosenfield

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 5 stars  

Cover Rating: 5 stars (O_O perfect!)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: July 5, 2012

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Page Count: 277 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

On a night where everything started to change for Becca, a dead body changed her town. The unknown corpse of a girl on the side of the road, left her small town fumbling. The cops weren't sure what to do with a murder case, and no one knew how this could have happened in this town. Everyone knew one thing though: the person who did this couldn't have been from around here. Becca wants to escape this town at the end of the summer, but the murder has left her rattled. Her plans seem less sure and she finds herself curiously drawn in to the gossip surrounding the mysterious girl. Amelia Anne Richardson was on her way to her big new life, until something happened that left her stuck in a small town she never knew.

Amazing. Can that be the end of my review? I mean, what else is there to say. This book was just as good as I had hoped it would be and that cover is still FANTASTIC. Kat Rosenfield crafted a novel that kept you guessing as you floated through the beautiful writing. I loved the format of this novel too. You have Becca's perspective in Bridgeton after the murder and then Amelia's perspective in the time leading up to her demise. It was very interesting having Becca's side of the story, since she didn't have any real connection to Amelia. Usually in murder mysteries the people telling the story have some sort of tie to the victim, or at the very least are the ones in charge of investigating. It was refreshing to get a new take on murder aftermath.

The writing was completely beautiful and gripping. I never wanted to stop reading. Each chapter makes you a bit more feverish;  you creep to the edge of your seat inch by inch. This made it so that there was never a great place to stop, because it felt like the next page would tell you all the book's secrets.

Becca had other things going on and since she didn't know the murder victim, so those other things took up a lot of her brain space. She was curious about the murder, but also nervous that, like the corpse, she may never actually escape Bridgeton. It was interesting to see Becca going about her life fairly normally, but with the nagging of wanting to know who murdered Amelia. The other characters weren't quite as developed, but we knew as much about them as Becca did. I liked that the story went into the hard times that James had gone through. It made me more sympathetic towards him, it made him into a guy with feelings instead of just some jerk. Every emotion that the characters had in this novel made sense and I really liked that. At first you might think, well, why to the summer people not care much for the locals, but then you read a few more chapters and you find out. It was really great.

Definitely, definitely pick this book up soon. There is no way you will regret it. This will certainly be on my Top Books of 2012 list. So go read it now.

First Line:
"The night before Amelia Anne Richardson bled her life away on a parched dirt road outside of town, I bled out my dignity in the back of a pickup truck under a star-pricked sky."

Favorite Line:
"The perfect circle of dark, still water; the overhanging trees rising gracefully around it; the cool, gray boulders worn smooth by time and weather—Brendan saw all of this and gasped at its beauty."

Books I am looking forward to next year and Happy Holidays!

 For the next week or so I will not be updating my blog (not like I'm doing a great job this month anyways). The holidays are simply a busy time, and I probably just won't get a chance to relax. It's all in good fun though. I thought I'd just share with you some Christmas cat pictures and then talk about some books that are coming out next year that I am super excited about. Feel free to tell me what you can't wait for in the comments section. Happy Holidays to all my readers!

I'm going to try not to include books that I have ARCs of or have done WOWs for, because clearly I'm already excited for them. There are hundreds of books I'm looking forward to next year, but here's some highlights of that list! Click on the title will bring you to Goodreads so you can add it to your TBR list too!
Parts of series
Endlessly by Kiersten White
I don't want the story to end, but can't wait to see what happens.
A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Across the Universe was one of my Favorites from 2011 and I can not wait to read this follow-up.
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Even though I didn't love Delirium, it left me wanting more.
Until I Die by Amy Plum
Loved Die For Me.
The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting
Yes. I love this series and am super curious to see how this one ends.
Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel
I am dying to read this one, I loved Infinite Days and really want to know if my suspicions about the ending are correct!
Timepiece by Myra McEntire
Hourglass was fun and I want more!
Perception by Kim Harrington
I adore Clare and can't wait to see what awaits her in the next book.

Standalones 
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Yes I have already per-ordered this. No I don't want to talk about how many copies.
Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony
This novel is mixed media and I am very interested to see how well it is done.
Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr
I love short stories and faeries. That title and cover don't hurt either.
Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz
Invincible Summer is my favorite book of 2011, of course I want more from Hannah!
Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield
First, that cover is AMAZING, second it sounds really intriguing.

I know I'm probably missing a million, but you'll see what I'm reading in the New Year!