Top Ten Tuesday - #10: Top Ten Books that Broke My Heart

{ ++ } Hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, this meme features a different theme every week, and hey, it's Tuesday - we've got the rest of the week ahead of us.  We all need a little fun, and who doesn't love the challenge of ranking their top 10 anything...especially when it comes to books?!  I know I do, hence why I thought it'd be fun to participate, and spice things up a little!

February 14: Top Ten Books That Broke Your Heart A Little

{ 1 } My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.  This one absolutely ripped my heart out.  I don't know what to say about it, other than if you're ever looking for an incredibly well-written, emotional read...maybe don't start with this one by Jodi, work your way up to it, because this. is. tough.  And amazing.  And difficult to read. 

{ 2 } Tempest by Julie Cross.  I know, you're thinking, "Molli, it's a TIME TRAVEL book.  About a guy.  How did it break your heart?"  Ah, but it's SO much more.  The interactions between Jackson and his family members GOT to me, especially between Jackson and a character I can't talk about (spoilers!) and the reason I can't mention that aspect of the book.  I formed an emotional attachment to and connection with this book and some parts hurt to read. 

{ 3 }The Dark Tower by Stephen King.  I adore a great many of his books.  I loved the Dark Tower series fiercely.  I visited his site so often I think my computer knew the way there on its own.  I read the first four books, then waited for the final three.  I will always swear that he was a very different man when he wrote the first four, than he was when he finished the series.  The last book was...emotional, haunting, devastating.  He made some choices I still don't agree with, but I've had to accept, because it is, after all, HIS story to tell.  One of the character deaths absolutely crushed me though, and I'm still not over it. 

{ 4 } Web of Dreams by V.C. Andrews.  I devoured all of the then-published VCA books when I was 14 and 15.  Leigh VanVoreen was not only one of my favorite characters, but also the reason I started roleplaying, and what led me to meet my best friend. Web of Dreams was the final novel in the Casteel family series and although it was not actually written by V.C. Andrews, for some reason, reading Leigh's book hurt me so much, because I was so invested in the series and in her story. 

{ 5 } Crusader by Sara Douglass.  I - I can't think about this one a lot without getting angry, hurt, and so forth.  Sara Douglass passed away last year, so I'm still kinda sad over that.  Her books got a bit "out there" as she kept writing, but they were still good. 

{ 6 } Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.  The only thing I am going to say about this one is that I was disappointed not just in the resolution to the Edward/Bella/Jacob love triangle, but in the book overall.  I was resigned to how it would end when it came to the romance.  I just wanted more out of the story overall! 

{ 7 } Treason Keep by Jennifer Fallon.  This book made me hate a character I previously adored, for the way he treated another character, and in my humble opinion, the author made no efforts to redeem him.  (Note: she is still one of my favorite authors.  But...oy.) 

{ 8 } Twilight's Dawn by Anne Bishop.  I think (though it has not been said) that this is the last book in her Black Jewels trilogy.  I read only part of this one, but it was enough to have me crying my eyes out in the book section of Hastings.  I read the books with my best friend (or rather, she read them and then after she finished the first one, I started them) and they are...among my favorites.  I have SO MANY favorite moments.  Characters I love.  I love the writing, and the relationships.  In Twilight's Dawn, the author changes everything and I just...I can't. 

{ 9 } Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.  I know, it's weird to see THIS HP book on here, right?  It broke my heart in both good and bad ways.  Bad because of a few character deaths, and good because well, it was the end!  The end of and EPIC series, and I wasn't really read to say goodbye!

{ 10 }  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.  Oh my heart.  I can open this book to a few places and immediately start sobbing.  (Which is why I don't do that very often.)  THG has a hold on my heart, and Suzanne Collins killed one of my favorite characters in this book.  I...adored him.  I absolutely adored him.  And I have "dream casted" him as one of my favorite actors, and...I can't explain it.  He's one of my favorite fictional characters ever, and I spent the rest of Mockingjay after he died sobbing.  I still can't really think about it.  And...my pairing didn't happen.  *sighs and frowns*  I've accepted it, but I don't agree with it.  

Review: Partials by Dan Wells

Partials by Dan Wells
Expected publication: February 28th 2012 by Harper Teen
Pages: 472
Source: e-ARC from NetGalley
Series or stand-alone: Partials (1)
Rating: Squee-worthy
Further info/purchase: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Find the author online: Twitter | Website


The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

My Review

Partials is a unique book, and one that, despite feeling that it is sometimes fuzzy on details I would like more clarification on, for the most part, author Dan Wells draws the reader immediately into his book.  Partials catapults the reader smack-dab in the middle of the action, where we learn instantly the effects RM - the mysterious virus unleashed by the Partials eleven years ago - has on infants: they never live long.  The youngest human left in the decimated population is fourteen years old, and with no surviving children to carry the next generation forward, conditions are strained.  The Hope Act mandates pregnancy at 18 years old, and Kira Walker feels hopeless, in the midst of it all.  I liked and felt for Kira immediately.  She is strong and opinionated, with a huge heart, and she is not happy with her lot in life, or with her government's attempts at an answer to all the problems.  Kira wants to do something other than watch new babies die, and I definitely sympathized with her.  Being in that situation - and worse, working in the maternity ward - is bad enough, worse is knowing there's nothing you can do - or is there?  

What I liked most about Partials were the characters.  All of them were strong, yet with their own flaws, so that they all seemed real, like people you might get to know.  Kira wasn't happy being a bystander - she wanted to reach out and fix something, anything.  Her adoptive sisters each had their own reasons for being unhappy, for wanting to do more, be more.  Marcus, Kira's friend and sometimes boyfriend, was fiercely devoted to her, yet sometimes unable to understand her actions and motivations.  Several of the secondary characters are like Kira in that they are determined to change their present, in order so that there is a future, while others, including some of her adopted family, are hesitant to rock the boat.  The plan Kira develops is risky and thrilling - I was at once supportive and afraid, as Dan Wells propels the reader right along on Kira's journey.  Though several months pass in Partials, the pacing is steady, and never really falters or detracts from the story being told. 

Plot wise, Partials is a very strong story, which throws several twists into the narrative so that when I read the last page, I was definitely wishing it was time for Failsafe (the sequel) to be published.  There is a huge shocker that, thankfully, I didn't see coming, because it really added to my enjoyment of Partials.  I do have a gripe though - while the world-building is well done, I wanted to know more about what led to the present state of things.  There is a war mentioned - the Isolation War - and then the war with the Partials, and although we are told in brief what happened, I'm a back-story kind of girl, so I still wanted more, and in that sense, I didn't enjoy Partials as much as I thought I would.  A few of the plot elements kept making me think of a television show I adored a few years back - I'm not going to say which one - and that was both off-putting and awesome.  The question at the end of Partials remains:  just because you are told someone is the enemy, are they really so different?  And as it so far-fetched to think that something could be learned from someone's nemesis?

 

Partials is a fast-paced book that will no doubt leave readers breathless.  The characters are well-developed and the chances they take to save their race and their world are daring and admirable.  I would have liked more explanation, but I look forward to that in the sequel, as I am sure that author Dan Wells will produce yet another can't-miss dystopian! 

Disclaimer

In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any sort exchanged hands.   I review books with no intention of monetary gain; rather, I review books out of my love of reading.  

In My Mailbox - #16

{ ++ } Kristi at The Story Siren hosts this weekly meme which gives bloggers a chance to highlight the books we bought, checked out, won, or otherwise procured over the last week.  And whether I've came into money (brb, laughing forever) or only had the goods to splurge on a book or two, they all deserve some love.


{ ++ } This is my IMM for the last month!   I waited so that I actually had a couple books to show y'all!  : )  Be sure to leave me links to YOUR IMM!  Also in mine at the end is a special message to all my followers, old and new! 

Received for Review

Grave Mercy by R.L. Lafevers

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Croak by Gina Damico

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Starters by Lissa Price

Partials by Dan Wells

The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuery

Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves

 Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie 

* Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, HarperCollins/Harper Teen, Flux, Amulet Books, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, and Farrar Straux and Giroux *

Purchased

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (special edition)

{ | } What did y'all get in YOUR mailboxes?  Don't forget to share your links.  : )

If I Could Write a Letter To Me - #1: So You've Started a Book Blog

{ ++ } Inspired partially by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner, partially by the Brad Paisley song (Letter to Me) and mostly by my desire to share some of the knowledge that I've learned in the months since I started blogging, I am introducing a new feature here at Once Upon a Prologue called If I Could Write a Letter to Me.  Each month I'll tackle a different subject in the form of a letter to my younger blogging self - sort of a "things I wish I'd known when I started," and a collection of tips and tricks I've picked up along the way.  I may or may not keep the letter format, just depends on if it's easy or difficult to write.  It should be fun, I think, and maybe I'll pass along some info.

If I Could Write a Letter to Me- #1:  So You've Started a Book Blog

Dear Blogging Self, Day 1:



So earlier today, you had this great idea, totally inspired by Suz over at A Soul Unsung.  She started her book blog a couple weeks ago, and you started thinking, “huh, maybe I should start one too,” then today, you did.  You’ve clicked the sign-up button, thinking “it can’t be that much different than LiveJournal,” and now you’re staring at the pre-made templates wishing you could design something kick-ass for your blog.  It’s only been a few hours and already you’re fantasizing about giving it a cool book-ish name, jazzing it up, and ooh, what’s this cool thing called GFC?    It’s pretty much immediately apparent that the book blogging world is a huge place, VERY different than LiveJournal (your usual platform where you’re comfortable,) and that it’s going to be a great big adventure…if you can ever figure out how to get started. 

Here are a few pointers, some do’s and don’ts.  (If you’d known these, your transition from fumbling geek to honest-to-goodness book blogger might have been easier, but it wouldn’t have been half as much fun.)

Discussion Post - #1: Trends in Literature I'd Like to See Less Of

 

Discussion Post #1: Trends in Literature That I'd (and we'd) Like to See LESS Of.  

{ | } Everyone is welcome to participate!  Maybe you agree with me.  Maybe you disagree (and if you do, that's okay)!  Maybe you can think of something I've forgotten!  Let's start a conversation and go back and forth.  I want to hear what YOU have to say.  I want to get to know y'all and hear YOUR side.  I'm going to highlight a few things that I, personally, would like to see less of in literature (mostly speaking of YA literature as that's the bulk of what I'm reading) and why, then I want to hear y'all's thoughts and opinions!

Top Ten Tuesday - #9 : Top Ten Books You'd Hand To Someone Who Says They Don't Like To Read

{ ++ } Hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, this meme features a different theme every week, and hey, it's Tuesday - we've got the rest of the week ahead of us.  We all need a little fun, and who doesn't love the challenge of ranking their top 10 anything...especially when it comes to books?!  I know I do, hence why I thought it'd be fun to participate, and spice things up a little!

February 7:  Top Ten Books You'd Hand To Someone Who Says They Don't Like To Read

{ 1 } Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.  I resisted this series for awhile (why?  I'm not really sure) but when I finally DID read it, I could absolutely see why so many people have read and gushed about it.  It was an amazing experience, waiting for the last couple of books to come out, reading the last book, savoring it.  Even someone who doesn't normally read should make an exception for this book and the series!

{ 2 } Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris.  The Sookie Stackhouse series is a ) so much better than the show and b ) adorable and c ) sexy and rather addictive.  I ADORE the books and they have a bit of everything. 

{ 3 } Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi.  I shelved this as "women's fiction" on Goodreads and I reckon it would appeal more to women than men, but it DOES feature two narrators - one female, one male.  It's flirty, mysterious, sexy, inspiring, and a whole lot more.

{ 4 }The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I know I mention THG too often but...four people at my work are currently reading it.  At least two of them don't read very often.  I LOVE that this trilogy is getting so many people to read! 

{ 5 } Take This Regret by Amy Lichtenhan.  This is the perfect mix of emotions, and is guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes and tug at your heart-strings.  You will feel SO MUCH reading this book. 

{ 6 } Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.  This book (and the series) has SO much to offer.  It's fun.  It's heart-pounding.  It's fun and thrilling and mysterious.  I liked the sequels more than this first book but it's definitely addictive.


{ 7 } The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.  Kelley has a writing style that is easy to read and easy to get lost in.  She writes characters that are relatable - they're more like people you've known than fictional characters. 

{ 8 } Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.  I was hesitant to read this one (another werewolf book?) but then I did and I didn't regret it.  Cremer's world-building is SO superb that you're RIGHT THERE at  once, in the story, and it's all happening around you.  Plus?  There's not one but TWO hot guys. 

{ 9 } Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop.  I don't know what to say about this book.  It's...everything.  Heart-breaking.  Sensual.  Dark.  Addictive.  There's magic.  Court intrigue.  This book is one of my all-time favorites.  I loaned it to my friend Jennifer - who does NOT read - and it took her six months to read it, a few pages at a time, because she fell so hard for the book and the characters. 

{ 10 } Twentie's Girl by Sophie Kinsella.  Most people would say to start with her Shopaholic series (which is VERY cute) but I actually prefer her stand-alone novels.  They are light and funny, and quirky, but usually feature a great romance and lovable characters.  This is my favorite of her stand-alone novels!



{ ++ } Your turn!  What book or books would you give to someone who doesn't normally read to get them hooked?  (And who are these people who don't read?  Gosh!)

Follower Love Give@way Hop

{ | } Hosted by Kathy at I Am A Reader Not a Writer and Rachel Renee Anderson, I wanted to show a little (or a LOT) of love to my awesome followers.  I'm participating in the Follower Love Giveaway Hop as a way to say "THANK YOU" to y'all - the ones who comment on my posts, offer me support, re-tweet me, put up with my craziness, and are just generally amazing.  I've said it before, but my blog wouldn't be half as successful as is it without y'all.

{ | } So how does winning the book of your choice sound?  That's what's up for grabs in this giveaway, plus since this is a hop, I'm including the linky list to all the other fabulous blogs participating.  There are LOTS of cool prizes up for grabs.

{ | } Again...truly...seriously... THANK YOU.  I love y'all.  Enter, hop, and have fun!  The Hop is open until 02/15/12!

Review: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

 I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Pages: 448
Expected publication: February 14, 2012 (The Dial Press)
Source: E-ARC from NetGalley
Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone
Rating: Squee-worthy
Further info/purchase: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Find the author online: Website | Facebook Page

___

I've lost it. The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate Poppy. Stay positive!!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry the ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her 'happy ever after' begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring but in the panic that followed, she has now lost her phone. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton doesn't agree. He wants his phone back and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other's lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents... she soon realises that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

My Review

It's been awhile since I read a Sophie Kinsella novel, but hers are always light, fun reads, and that's what I was craving when I've Got Your Number showed up on NetGalley.  I knew my next few reads would likely be heavy, so I dove into Kinsella's newest novel with hopes for a quick read, which is what I got - but also a bit more than I expected.  I've always liked Sophie Kinsella's stand-alone novels far more than her Shopaholic series, which started to wear thin for me after about four books.  To me, her stand-alone novels are the perfect mix of her unique brand of humor, memorable characters, and addictive plots, without drawing out the story too much.  In I've Got Your Number, we meet Poppy Wyatt, whose phone is stolen shortly after she loses her irreplaceable engagement ring.  Poppy spots an abandoned phone in a nearby trash can, and I've Got Your Number takes off from there on a hilarious and at times emotional roller coaster ride. 


Poppy was my favorite character, which was a nice treat, considering when I can't connect with the lead character, I usually don't like the book.  But I sympathized with Poppy right away - a spirited, fun-loving girl who spends all of her time doing things for others and worrying about what others think.  At first, Poppy came off as a bit shallow, but as I've Got Your Number progressed, Sophie Kinsella took us deeper into what made Poppy who she was, and as a character, Poppy really started to make sense, and take on a genuine feel.  She wasn't just someone I was reading about - she was someone I understood, and someone I liked.  I really enjoyed seeing her grow as a person over the course of this book!

The secondary characters were all very entertaining, from Poppy's co-workers, to her fiance's parents and brother, to Sam, the businessman whose assistant's phone Poppy commandeers.  Sophie Kinsella has a way of writing characters who really leap off the pages - even the minor characters, for the  most part, are always somewhat memorable.  And Sam especially was a wonderful addition to I've Got Your Number.  I adored him from the start, although I spent most of the book going, "no, no, Sam, you idiot!" (in a loving way.)  His interactions with Poppy were golden - there were actually several moments between them that made me laugh out loud, and one or two where I grinned uncontrollably.  I loved watching Poppy juggle her life, and her encounters with Sam, via email, text message, or in person.  The added mix of her acting as his PA/assistant was just too cute, especially when she decided to try to "help" him out by making him appear more persona able to his staff. 



Several aspects of I've Got Your Number were too neatly wrapped up for me, and there were a few too-convenient solutions.  Normally, those sorts of flaws would have gotten this book a different rating, but like I said, I expected a fun read, and that's what I got, though still with more depth than I expected!  And what really put this over the top and made it a great read for me was how funny it was, and the unforeseen emotional moments.  I could overlook the fact that the ending was rather tied with a pretty bow because a) in a way, it was still a good ending and b) it was just TOO cute NOT to love. 

Disclaimer

In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any sort exchanged hands.   I review books with no intention of monetary gain; rather, I review books out of my love of reading.  

2012 Follower Survey Results

{ ++ } My reader/follower survey is officially over and I wanted to, in brief, share the results with y'all, and the changes that will be made here at Once Upon a Prologue.  Nothing drastic, but I'm changing a few priorities and such!

Memes:  Most everyone wanted to see less memes.  So from now on, In My Mailbox will be done once a month (unless I just get inundated with books and need to do once twice a month), Waiting on Wednesday will be done no more than twice a month instead of every week, and Top Ten Tuesday will be done once a week - my ONLY weekly meme.  Teaser Tuesday and Why I Love Wednesdays will not be done - the latter was not a popular meme and the former, while enjoyable, started feeling like a chore.

Cover reveals: Readers wanted less cover reveals.  So I won't be hosting any of those for the foreseeable future.   I might consider doing, once a month, a spotlight read on the new release I am most excited for or something like that if there is interest. 


Reviews: Readers wanted more reviews!  YAY, since I LOVE posting reviews.  For now, I am going to aim to post 2 reviews a week, 3 if I can ever get THAT caught up.  : )


Giveaways:  People were a bit split - some prefer a specific book for giveaway (like ARCs, etc), while others prefer a "book of your choice" type giveaway.  So I will be offering more of the latter, along with a few ARC giveaways. 


Original features: Most everyone is in favor of my features - Guest Who, Once Upon a Blogger, etc.  I will run those as long as there is interest!


Follower interaction: this is perhaps the most important.  By far everyone suggested discussion posts as the best way to increase follower interaction, so shortly I'm going to start a semi-regular discussion post - probably once every other week or so.  Feel free to comment on this post or shoot me an email with a topic YOU would like to discuss.  I may use my "letter to me" upcoming feature, or I may run that one AND discussion posts.  I'll be trying out some new things.  :)


{ ++ } Finally, I just want to say that I received some amazingly beautiful comments on my blog - and me - which I did not at all expect.  So thank you VERY much for all the love and support.  I truly adore my blog and the blogging community, which means all of y'all.  I always always want my blog to be a fun place for y'all to come hang out and want to visit again and again.  I try to visit as many blogs as I can, but if I haven't come by yours in awhile, leave me a link on one of the memes we both do, and I'll hop right over!  I am always striving to improve and I think 2012 is going to be a GREAT year here at Once Upon a Prologue!

Review: Various Positions by Martha Schabas

Various Positions by Martha Schabas
Pages: 336
Expected publication: February 14th 2012 by Farrar Straus Giroux
Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone
Source: e-ARC from NetGalley
Rating: Shrug-worthy

Further info/purchase: Goodreads  |  Amazon  | Barnes & Noble


 Trapped between the hormone-driven world of her friends and the discontent of her dysfunctional family, fourteen-year-old Georgia is only completely at ease when she's dancing. When she is accepted into Canada's preeminent ballet school, Georgia thinks it is the perfect escape. Artistic Director Roderick Allen singles her out as a star, subjecting her to increasingly intensive training, and Georgia obsesses about becoming the perfect, disciplined student. 

But as she spends more and more time with Roderick, it's not so clear exactly what their relationship means. Is he her teacher and mentor, or is there something more? These blurred lines will threaten both Roderick's future at the academy and Georgia's ambitions as a ballerina.

My Review 

 Debut author Marsha Schabas catapults the reader into Georgia's world - the powerful, stressing, seductive world of the ballet.  I took ballet for five years, so I remembered some of the terms, the positions, and the charged atmosphere of the dressing room before a performance, the jangling of nerves, the desire to be perfect.  And - guilty pleasure time - Center Stage is one of my favorite films, so even though I read the synopsis of Various Positions before I began reading it, I was still expecting a very different sort of novel than what I quickly realized I was reading.  I'd forgotten that Georgia is only 14 when the story begins, and truly, there were many moments, both awkward and mature, when I couldn't believe I was reading about a 14 year-old.  Georgia's thoughts and phrasing sometimes seem implausible for such a young girl, and while I know that often times teenagers who've grown up quickly are far more wise than adults give them credit for, it just didn't feel believable in Various Positions.  Georgia wasn't a totally reliable narrator - what she was seeing, and what was actually happening were, at times, two vastly different things.  I ended up feeling sorry for her in a few portions of the novel, because between her experiences at ballet school and her home life, she was a pretty mixed-up teen.  

Sometimes I really loved the writing style in Various Positions.  Martha Schabas has a strong voice as a writer, and her turns of phrase were often clear and concise, while holding my attention.   However, words were often repeated; I literally lost count of how many times someone's "bum" was brought into description.  This is a physical book, but that started to grate on my nerves some.  Also, the various secondary female characters were all too often described as "sex girls," and that was annoying after awhile.  Georgia, shy and introverted for most of the story, decides she isn't going to be like them, but her methods to go in the opposite direction, combined with her excessive fantasies about Roderick, her instructor, were disturbing at times.  Georgia is maturing, and her femininity is blossoming, but instead of discussing this with her mother, she starts exploring on her own terms, which leads her down a path she truly shouldn't be treading.  Her obsession with Roderick was understandable at first, then almost stalker-ish in some moments.  Georgia spends more time reading between the lines of his actions toward her than she does anything else, and the story, for me, started spinning out of control as this plot line went on.  

I was also really disappointed in Georgia's home life.  Her half-sister Isabel was incredibly fascinating, but sadly, we weren't given a great deal of scenes featuring her.  I loved that Isabel was truly supportive of and worried for Georgia.  Her parents were another matter.  Georgia's father was distant throughout the entire novel, and her mother was, in my opinion, a terrible role model.  When her parent's weren't fighting, Georgia's mother was laying around, doing nothing, or bemoaning her life.  I wanted to shake her more than once, and I wanted to slap her father.  Neither of them even bothered to notice what was going on with Georgia until the shoe fell in the end, and that was incredibly irritating.  

Various Positions is both interesting and disturbing.  The end of the book was completely unsatisfying for me.  Georgia acts completely out of character as the climax of the novel approaches.  The book DOES end on a somewhat hopeful note, though I think I expected more, after all that she went through - some character growth.  There was a glimmer of that as the end neared, but I wanted - and needed - more.  I kept looking for that "more" throughout the novel, but it just wasn't there for me.  Various Positions is an intriguing yet flawed look at a teenager's self-awakening.

Disclaimer

In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any sort exchanged hands.   I review books with no intention of monetary gain; rather, I review books out of my love of reading.