Whatcha Thinking Thursday

It's time for Whatcha Thinking Thursday, hosted by me! Here's how it works. Each Thursday I'll simply blog about something book related that's weighing on my mind. Feel free to comment away if you agree or disagree (just keep it clean, okay?), or if you want to post to your site either on the same topic or about whatever it is you're thinking about go right ahead. I just ask that you link back to here. Also, make sure you add your blog to the list so we can find you!

Sooo... this week I'm thinking about book that surprised me.

I have a few in mind that I've read recently. In both cases there was one reason or another that I looked at the book, read the synopsis and scoffed a bit. In both cases I got the book from someone else, and I doubt that if it hadn't been a freebie I would have ever picked up either book. In both cases I really enjoyed the book!

First off was Stork by Wendy Delsol- heres the synopsis (from goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Katla has just moved from Los Angeles to the sticks of Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, she learns to her horror that she’s a member of an ancient order of women who decide to whom certain babies will be born. Add to that Wade, the arrogant football star whom Katla regrettably fooled around with, and Jack, a gorgeous farm boy who initially seems to hate her. Soon Katla is having freaky dreams about a crying infant and learns that, as children, she and Jack shared a near-fatal, possibly mystical experience. Can Katla survive this major life makeover and find a dress for the homecoming dance? Drawing from Norse mythology and inspired by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, debut author Wendy Delsol conceives an irreverent, highly entertaining novel about embracing change and the (baby) bumps along the way.

I can honestly say I thought it was going to be totally cheesy, but I really, really enjoyed it (review here). I'm so glad I won this book, because it definitly surprised me in a good way!

The next book I haven't finished yet, it's called Elixir by Hilary Duff (yes Lizzie MacGuire writes books)- here's the synopsis:

As the daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington D.C. politician, Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. And though she dreads the paparazzi who track her every move, she herself is a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful young man begin to appear in Clea’s photos—a man she has never seen in her life. When Clea suddenly encounters this man in person she is stunned—and feels an immediate and powerful connection. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance and discover the centuries-old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fate, together they race against time to unravel their past in order to save their future—and their lives.

Again, I thought it seemed a little cheeseball, and to be honest the fact that it's by Hilary Duff was really not winning it any points in my book. Still, pleasently surprised with this one so far. It's a pretty good read and I was genuinely excited to see that this will be a series of books. I hope she can keep the good writing up!

So how about you- have you ever picked up a book that you thought was going to be blah only to find you really enjoyed it? How about the opposite- was there ever a book that you knew was going to rock, but it totally sucked instead?

Review: Stork by Wendy Delsol

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Katla has just moved from Los Angeles to the sticks of Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, she learns to her horror that she’s a member of an ancient order of women who decide to whom certain babies will be born. Add to that Wade, the arrogant football star whom Katla regrettably fooled around with, and Jack, a gorgeous farm boy who initially seems to hate her. Soon Katla is having freaky dreams about a crying infant and learns that, as children, she and Jack shared a near-fatal, possibly mystical experience. Can Katla survive this major life makeover and find a dress for the homecoming dance? Drawing from Norse mythology and inspired by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, debut author Wendy Delsol conceives an irreverent, highly entertaining novel about embracing change and the (baby) bumps along the way.

Review: I will be honest here- I was expecting this book to be totally cheesy. For whatever reason I wasn't sure that the premise of real life, human storks, who decide who should be pregnant and when would work for me. Especially when you add in the whole fish-out-of-water stroyline that was backing it up. I was totally wrong! This book got me. I think that Delsol took a story that was light and funny (LA teenage fashion plate dropped in MN) and was able to pair it with some really serious plot-points (Katla and Jack's near death experience as children) as well as some really interesting myth's and legends (Human storks, Ravens, etc.) to make a really well rounded book. It was a quick and easy read and I found myself thinking about it for a few days after I finished reading it.

Katla is a fun charecter. She's confident in herself and even when she finds herself totally out of place she doesn't become a "poor-me" type of girl. It's fun to watch as she finds out she is the newest member of the Storks, a group of mostly Grandma aged ladies who, through things like dreams, are able to pair babies with mothers. It's an interesting power to have, to be able to grant someone's wish, and it's not something that you see everyday in a book, so it was a welcome thing to read about. In addition to all that Katla is also dealing with the normal awesomeness that comes with high school, like boys and homecoming. Then on top of that add a childhood incident that everyone but Katla remembers, one where she almost died, but was saved by Jack. Without giving anything away, I thought it was great that Delsol didn't shy away from looking at repressed memories and the choices that parents make in order to protect their children, even if they don't always turn out to be for the best. I thought Katla's story was well balanced out between the normal and the supernatural.

I also loved the secondary players. Jack was fabulous as the guy who remembers Katla the way she was before the accident, remembers saving her and so desperately wants her to remember him as well. He's dealing with own supernatural issues and is trying to keep it all together (and play in the homecoming football game). Katla's parents are great- although divorced, both are involved and available to Katla, which is something I feel we don't see enough of. Wade and Monique are perfect in their king and queen of the school roles and Wade becomes the perfect enemy as he inches into the supernatural world as well. Penny and Tina are the right kinds of friends for newcomer Katla- showing her the best parts of MN and letting her show them a little bit of LA fashion.

I also can't say enough about the Storks- they are creepy and somehow totally endearing at the same time. Hulda is the head of the Storks and she helps Katla figure it all out, while talking in clipped sentences and riddles. I love when she shows Katla's father her warehouse is for sale and tells him that it is all about karma, and asks him to relay a saying back to his investors overseas. The vision of a serious business man repeating Hulda's confusing sayings to important investors was funny to me.

Overall, this was a really well rounded book. It was gorunded in reality, but allowed for us and the charecters to look into myths and legends and see the truth there as well. I'm really looking forward to Frost, the second book in this series, even though I am not at all looking forward to the wait (it's not out until next fall).


About Wendy Delsol:
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In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. The idea is to share what books you got your hands on in the last week. This week was pretty good to me, with a few books from the library, a few that I won in contests and one on review!

Contest Wins:
The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz- Logsted (ARC)

Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day... a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda?

Filled with shocking twists and turns, The Twin's Daughter is an engrossing gothic novel of betrayal, jealousy, and treacherous secrets that will keep you guessing to the very end.

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Stork by Wendy Delsol

Sixteen-year-old Katla has just moved from Los Angeles to the sticks of Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, she learns to her horror that she’s a member of an ancient order of women who decide to whom certain babies will be born. Add to that Wade, the arrogant football star whom Katla regrettably fooled around with, and Jack, a gorgeous farm boy who initially seems to hate her. Soon Katla is having freaky dreams about a crying infant and learns that, as children, she and Jack shared a near-fatal, possibly mystical experience. Can Katla survive this major life makeover and find a dress for the homecoming dance? Drawing from Norse mythology and inspired by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, debut author Wendy Delsol conceives an irreverent, highly entertaining novel about embracing change and the (baby) bumps along the way.

For Review:

She Smells the Dead by EJ Stevens
It's the beginning of senior year and Yuki's psychic awareness of ghostly spirits is threatening to ruin her life. Her ability to sense spirits of the dead isn't glamorous like the ghost hunting on television.

SHE SMELLS THE DEAD.

The smell impressions are becoming stronger. Yuki is being visited in her dreams, and she suspects that her friend Calvin is involved in something strange. To make matters worse her crush on Garrett is going unrequited, Yuki's friend Emma is on a rampage against bee oppression, and annoying Calvin Miller mysteriously disappears.

Will Yuki be able to focus her powers in time to save the lost soul who is haunting her? Meanwhile, who will save Yuki from following the spirits into the light?

From the Library:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

*All descriptions from goodreads.com*