ARC August Update - Whole New World, Your Voice Is All I Hear, State of Grace, It's About Love

Here is an update for ARC August hosted by Octavia and Shelly from Read, Sleep, Repeat. My goal was to read twelve ARCs this month. Not only do I have several from September to read, but I just got approved for several ARCs that were published this month! Last week I read three and this week I managed to read four of them. I am on a roll.

Here are mini-reviews of the ones I read.

Title And Author: A Whole New World (Twisted Tales #1) by Liz Braswell
Source: NetGalley
Scheduled Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Goodreads Synopsis: What if Aladdin had never found the lamp? This first book in the A Twisted Tale line will explore a dark and daring version of Disney's Aladdin. When Jafar steals the Genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

Review: I had high hopes for this one, but I am sorry to say they were dashed when I started reading. Here is what I liked: the author did an excellent job with the atmosphere and world-building. Her descriptions of Agrabah were incredible. However, the rest of the book left something to be desired. I'll be honest: from the premise, I was kind of hoping this book would be from Jafar's POV. But no, it was from Aladdin's and it was extremely boring. It was basically the movie all over again. There was no new information and zero character development. And the romance, which was a staple in the original Aladdin, was sloppily put together. There was some action and a little new stuff towards the end when they were planning to overthrow Jafar. Other than that, I was just wishing the book would end already. Buy/Borrow/Skip: Skip this one.

Title And Author: Your Voice Is All I Hear by Leah Scheier 
Source: NetGalley
Scheduled Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Goodreads Synopsis: April won't let Jonah go without a fight. He's her boyfriend-her best friend. She'll do anything to keep him safe. But as Jonah slips into a dark depression, trying to escape the traumatic past that haunts him, April is torn. To protect Jonah, she risks losing everything: family, friends, an opportunity to attend a prestigious music school. How much must she sacrifice? And will her voice be loud enough to drown out the dissenters-and the ones in his head?

Review: Here is what I liked about this one: it was a really, really good portrayal of someone with Schizophrenia. All of the weird mood swings and paranoid delusions were spot on and they started so subtly that it was hard to tell Jonah wasn't just being a jerk. April also did this very powerful school project to show her classmates what it was like to suffer from this illness. That part made me tear up and made me empathize with people suffering from Schizophrenia in a way that I never had before. But I did have a major issue with April. She was such an enabler and she acted like a jerk to everyone around her. Even when Jonah was in a mental institution, she lied to his doctors about symptoms she had observed. And when she finally told he doctors the truth, she acted so damn smug, like she knew Jonah better than anyone. I loved that the doctor had no reaction, except to say that of course she knew Jonah was lying to her. Duh. I also couldn't stand how she treated her best friend. She stopped hanging out with her after a week of knowing Jonah and then she got pissed when her friend was upset over Jonah's behavior. I also didn't like that she thought she was so in love with him after only a couple of weeks, but I guess that's high school, right? Buy/Borrow/Skip: Borrow this one. I had issues with the main character, but it is still a great portrayal of mental illness.

Title And Author: State of Grace by Hilary Badger
Source: NetGalley
Scheduled Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Goodreads Synopsis: Ever since she was created, Wren has lived in an idyllic garden with her friends. Wren's deity Dot ensures the trees are laden with fruit and the water in the lagoon is crystal clear. Wren and her friends have everything they could possibly need right there, in Dot's Paradise. If only Wren could stop the strange, disturbing visions she's started having. Do these visions make her less worthy of Dot's love? And what does Blaze, the most beautiful and mysterious of Dot's creations, know about what's going on in Wren's head? Gradually Wren and Blaze uncover the truth. And as she deals with this disturbing knowledge, Wren confronts a horrific secret from her past. Now she must decide whether to return to the comforting delusion of faith or fight for the right to face the very ugly truth. 

Review: At the beginning of the book, I swear it sounds like all the kids in the garden are part of a cult. The world building and descriptions of the garden were wonderful. There is a deity they call "Dot," there is a "Book of Dots" that governs their behavior, and there is constant chatter and excitement about "completion night," where some of the lucky ones will be "chosen" by Dot. These teenagers were so happy about everything and it was just eery. One of the issues with the book though was that there were so many people in the garden and it was hard to differentiate between them, probably because everyone was so damn happy. And it did take a bit to connect with Wren. When a boy enters their garden, Wren is forced to accept that Dot doesn't exist and that there actually is a whole world outside the garden. Wren also has to choose between the artificial bliss she is used to or the harsh realities of day to day life. I thought there was some great character development with Wren and I really understood her decision making process. It just took me a while to connect with her.  Buy/Borrow/Skip: Borrow. It was a very creepy look at technology and learning to think for yourself, but it wasn't the best. 

Title And Author: It's About Love by Steven Camden
Source: Edelweiss
Scheduled Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Goodreads Synopsis: Real life is messier than the movies. A bold, thought-provoking novel from the exceptionally talented, Steven Camden. He's Luke. She's Leia. Just like in Star Wars. Just like they’re made for each other. Same film studies course, different backgrounds, different ends of town. Only this isn't a film. This is real life. This is where monsters from the past come back to take revenge. This is where you are sometimes the monster. But real life? Sometimes, only sometimes, it turns out just like in the movies.

Review: I didn't think I would end up liking this book. As a matter of fact, for about half the book, I was ambivalent. It was probably the writing style, which takes a bit getting used to. Luke and Leia meet in film studies class and the book is a mixture of traditional narrative and screenplay notes. I loved their relationship and how it evolved. It was slow burn and witty banter and awkward silences . . . you know, exactly how a new relationship should be. Luke is a moody teenager whose family was torn apart when his brother went to prison for beating up and nearly killing a neighborhood bully. I loved every single character in this book, but I especially loved the relationship between Luke and his brother, Marc. I didn't understand at first why Luke was so unhappy about his brother being out of prison, but I kind of understood by the end. There are some great scenes between the brothers and some awesome character development. Reading the synopsis, I thought this would be a love story. But it is so much more. This book was about love and it was also about family and friendship and Luke realizing that he is more than his past. Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one!