February 2012 Releases

Finished with January 2012 Releases? Here are February 2012 Release. To see future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

13 New Covers (Brady, Gay, Gordon, Jones, Malley, Maverick, Peacock, Pearce, Rowland, Souders, Williams)

[REVIEW] Notorious – Cecily von Ziegesar (creator)

Cecily von Ziegesar (creator)
Notorious (The It Girl, Book 2)
Hachette (US: 6th June 2006; UK: 4th September 2008; AU: November 2008)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Jenny Humphrey is much more annoying in the Gossip Girl series, but here she’s quite tolerable, compared to the company she keeps. Callie Vernon is old money; her mother is Atlanta’s governor. Brett Messerschmidt’s parents are Jersey gauche; her dad a cosmetic surgeon, and her mum a big fan of animal print-leggings. And Tinsley Carmichael is the biggest bitch of all, but we’re supposed to hate her.

In this instalment, Brett’s been having a sexless affair with her adviser, and Tinsley decides to break them up. Callie’s ex Easy Walsh is now with Jenny; Tinsley decides to break them up. She’s not just breaking up romances, though – she’s dividing friendships, too. Tinsley could never be accused of not keeping things interesting.

[REVIEW] Dangerous Curves – Pamela Britton

Pamela Britton
Dangerous Curves
Harlequin HQN (US: 1st March 2005; UK: July 2008 [eBook only])
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)

I’m not violent, but if I were one to physically throw a book against a wall, I’d throw this one. Nothing to do with the writing’s quality, but with a particular story element. I’m offended. Not personally offended, but it still feels insulting in general. Perhaps you’ll feel different.

In the big climax scene (involving a civilian grandmother aiming a rocket launcher, no less) the heroine’s spine is damaged. Not fully severed, though, so I could’ve predicted the ending, but with most books I find it best to just read – and not think.

So Cece’s in a wheelchair, feeling sorry for herself and shutting everyone out. This goes on for about three months. Then Blain proposes to her, and Cece agrees conditionally. Then she manages to stand up – swaying, but unassisted. That condition: the wedding will only happen when she can walk down the aisle. About a year later, they’re married and pregnant.

So that’s a happy ending? Why couldn’t Cece have remained paralysed? Do wheelchair people not deserve love and marriage? Maybe the short-term paralysis was only put in the story to create conflict, so it shouldn’t be such a big deal, but I am freaking pissed off. What the hell? Are the author and publisher saying that love cures disabilities, or that paraplegics don’t deserve love and marriage? This was probably not their intention, but that’s how it comes across. Admittedly, this book was published back in…2005, perhaps, but I think my point of view would have been the same then. But I could be in the minority – I’m able-bodied, so I may not have a right to feel offended in this case. Huh.

[REVIEW] What Happened to Cass McBride? – Gail Giles

Gail Giles
What Happened to Cass McBride?
Hachette Little, Brown (US: 1st May 2007)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

The characters are unlikable, but the plot is a winner, well-planned with psychological twists and turns driving the story. A claustrophobic, psychological thriller with plenty of family drama. I read it one sitting, so should you.

[REVIEW] Banished – Sophie Littlefield

Sophie Littlefield
Banished (Banished, Book 1)
Random House Ember (US & CA: 13th September 2011)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Trashtown is the poorer part of Gypsum, Missouri, and home to sixteen-year-old Hailey Tarbell. She’s always been naturally athletic, but her grandma won’t let her participate in anything that doesn’t bring home the bacon. Meanwhile, Alice Tarbell makes money by drug-dealing, and probably also collects payment from the government for fostering five-year-old Chub, who has developmental disabilities…or does he?

Generations back in Ireland, a community of Seers and Healers moved elsewhere. Trashtown now plays home to some, and these Banished will do anything to keep their bloodlines flowing – including pimping out one’s thirteen-year-old daughter. So that’s bad, but otherwise being a Healer is quite decent – note Hailey’s athleticism, never being ill, and healing quickly if a mishap does happen. Though if she tries to heal someone, or something, that’s already dead…she turns them into zombies.

A rich dude runs a lab that has acquired some Healer DNA, and employs scientists to bring the dead back to life. After all, zombies respond to direct commands, making them perfectly obedient soldiers. The mastermind has found out about Hailey, and sets about capturing her…

There’s something insulting about someone fabulous who pretends to be less so. (Some of us are just naturally uncoordinated.) Another semi-insulting thing: supernatural abilities can cure developmental disabilities. I really like how Hailey looks after Chub, but if he doesn’t need her so much, then that relationship factor will go. Then the romance factor with another character (introduced late in Banished) will kick in, and I’ll lose interest. But hopefully the plot will still keep me going. We’ll find out in Book 2, Unforsaken, whenever I get my filthy mitts on it.

3 New Deals (Barnes, Bick, DeStefano)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes‘s The Squad series (includes Perfect Cover & Killer Spirit) optioned by ABC Family. Toby, a computer hacker, gets drafted to become part of Bayport High School’s varsity cheer team, only to learn that the team is actually made up of government agents.

Ilsa J. Bick‘s White Space to Egmont (NA) in a 2-book deal. Pitched as The Matrix meets Inkheart, about a seventeen-year-old girl who jumps between the lines of books & into the white space where realities are created and destroyed – but who may herself be nothing more than a character written into being from an alternate universe.

Lauren DeStefano‘s Wither to Prospect Park & Violet House (which is owned by Aly & AJ Michalka).

3 New Covers (Dane, Merle)

5 New Covers (Black, Jones, Locke, Scott, Tayler)

[REVIEW] Sweet Valley Confidential – Francine Pascal

Francine Pascal
Sweet Valley Confidential
HarperCollins (AU: 1st April 2011); Random House Cornerstone Arrow (UK: 14th April 2011); St. Martin’s (US: 3rd January 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

I was raised on British comedy TV, so books provided my US insight. Growing up in Australia, reading Sweet Valley was an escapist bizarro world of cultures that seemed very foreign: cheerleaders, school spirit, every sixteen-year-old had a car, etc. And they were always shopping, even though none of them worked. Lila Fowler must’ve used credit cards paid for by her dad, but that doesn’t explain the others. So everyone in Sweet Valley seemed rich.

Like most long-running series, Sweet Valley jumped the shark – namely when Sweet Valley High switched to SVH Senior Year, Sweet Valley Twins to Sweet Valley Jr. High, and Sweet Valley University to…well, the twins moved into a duplex, and then came the biggest shark-jump of all: an Upstairs, Downstairs four-book series entitled Elizabeth, in which Elizabeth Wakefield runs away to England, calls herself Elizabeth Bennet, and works as a scullery maid for some kind of British royalty. I am not kidding. I wish I were.

After the first Elizabeth novel, I dropped all Sweet Valley. I moved onto chick lit, then crime for a good chunk of time, then urban fantasy in the early-2000s.

My memory is a sieve, but Sweet Valley Confidential leads me to believe my brain isn’t an entire wasteland:

SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL / MY BRAIN
Lila Fowler’s dad is Richard / Lila Fowler’s dad is George
A. J. Morgan is blond / A. J. Morgan is a redhead
Aaron Dallas was a dick in high school / Aaron Dallas was not a dick in high school

Basically my beef with Sweet Valley Confidential is that I don’t know what’s canon (or even what “canon” means):

Canon: Events that are set in stone, and affect future storylines
E.g. Maude dies in The Simpsons
Not canon: eg. The Simpsons never age, even though they’ve had so many Christmases

Confidential references events from SVU: Jessica Wakefield was married to Mike McAllery; Elizabeth had a long-term relationship with Tom Watts. But it forgets that Enid Rollins became Alexandra.

A series should stay true to the characters all the way. Francine Pascal throws that out the window, turning villains into heroes, and heroes into villains: Jessica and Todd are engaged. Elizabeth and Bruce are BFFs.

Class clown Winston Egbert formed a dot-com biz; became rich and a douchebag. I really liked him before, and sleazy Bruce was great fun – the Chuck Bass of the ’90s. Lila Fowler was also a favourite, but she barely gets page-time in Confidential; just hosts a party.

The plot is weak, but the novel was published for nostalgia. Lyrics from Beyoncé’s “Broken-Hearted Girl” and Justin Timberlake’s “My Love” immediately date the story, and are unnecessary. The book is mostly meh, but Chapter 14 is when all hell breaks loose, a brilliant set-piece. At their grandmother’s birthday dinner, the twins face off, the guests get involved, Ned Wakefield escapes the table, and Alice Wakefield screams to bring in the cake. I don’t know if this scene is supposed to be hilarious, but it’s a hoot!

In short, you’re probably better off not reading Sweet Valley Confidential, but you’d be a fool to miss the shenanigans of Chapter 14. I can’t buy eBooks, so I’ll miss the upcoming e-serial, unless it emerges in a print book.