Review: The Miles Between

The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Henry Holt
Pub. Date: September 1st, 2009
Pages: 288
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis from GoodReads
Destiny Faraday makes a point of keeping her distance from her classmates at Hedgebrook Academy. Her number-one rule: Don’t get attached. But one day, unexpectedly finding a car at their disposal, Destiny and three of her classmates embark on an unauthorized road trip.

They’re searching for one fair day—a day where the good guy wins and everything adds up to something just and right. Their destination: Langdon, a town that Destiny’s unsuspecting companions hope will hold simply a day of fun. But, as Destiny says, “Things are not always what they seem.” Only she knows that Langdon holds far more than that—a deep secret she has never shared with anyone.

The Miles Between explores the wonder and magic of a very real world where chance, mystery, and secrets abound.

Review
Is our life ruled and controlled by a fate already determined or, with a little extra effort, can we take can control of our own destiny? What determines why some people seem to always have it good and others the total opposite? A novel filled with coincidences, chance, and a desire to have just one day where all is fair, The Miles Between is a book that both touched my heart and captivated my mind.

Destiny is a profound observer of what she believes to be the pattern to coincidence. After being moved around from school to school, she is afraid to let anyone get too close; so instead, she watches. This all changes though when a twist of fate cuts her some slack on the one day she believes is doomed to end in disaster. Destiny was a very complex and believable character. I could tell that she was aching inside and I found myself yearning to know and understand her. I felt she developed beautifully throughout the book and I couldn't help wanting things to work out for her in the end. The other characters, though not quite as dynamic or developed, were likable. Mira was the quirky, fun girl who also acted as a bit of a mediator amongst the group; Seth was the cute, compassionate romantic interest trying to reach out to Destiny; Aiden was the slightly dorky one. Then there was Lucky, the lamb, who was indeed very lucky. After finding him standing in the middle of the road, the four teens take in the little fella and I've got to say, he really added to the story. Lucky was actually probably my second favorite character, after Destiny.

Needless to say, The Miles Between was not the light, typical roadtrip read that I was expecting it to be. As a matter of fact, it was anything but light and typical; instead it carried some much deeper undertones and was actually very unique as well as entertaining and fast-paced. Not to mention the fact that it actually evoked enough emotion in me to cause me to cry. Sure, there have been a nice number of books that have made tears come to my eyes but very few have actually made them fall.

The writing was so descriptive and beautifully done, even lyrical at times. Pearson's use of metaphors and similies really added something extra special and I was absolutely in love with her writing stlye from the beginning.

As for the ending, well I don't really want to say much about the ending because I feel to truly appreciate the ending, you need to know as little as possible about it. I'll just say that there were some twists I didn't see coming until I was already on the heel of them. It was an ending I can definitely admire and love.

The Miles Between is moving, engaging, and utterly memorable in it's originality. Mary E. Pearson did a truly remarkable job in writing this book and I can't wait to read more of her work. If you haven't read this book yet then I highly suggest that you do. I know I'll definitely be reading it again in the future.

Grade:
Characters: B-
Writing: A+
Plot: A-
Ending: A
Enjoyment/Likability: A-
Recommendable: A

Overall: A-

Cover: C

In My Mailbox (40)

In My Mailbox
IMM is a weekly meme hosted and created by Kristie at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Won from Shannon Whitney Messenger
~Airhead by Meg Cabot
~Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
~Runaway by Meg Cabot
~Meg Cabot Swag

From the Oh-So Awesome Adele
~Pretty Tough by Liz Tigelaar
~Playing with the Boys by Liz Tigelaar
~Japanese postcard. :D

Well that's it for me this week. I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend. :D

Noteworthy Passages: Birthmarked

Birthmarked (ARC) by Caragh M. O'Brien
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pub. Date: March 30th, 2010
Pages: 368
Age Level: 14+

Disclaimer: Please note that this is an ARC and passages and quotes below are subject to change in the final copy.

Synopsis from GoodReads
After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

Noteworthy Passages

Third Person Narrative; pg. 32-33
But she knew people were not noticing her clothes. They were staring at her face. And as she and Emily's father walked back up the aisle, to the place where Emily and Sasha were already sitting with Emily's mother, Gaia heard whispers. Muttering. She didn't have to hear individual words to know it was pity. The only thing that stung worse was the deeper message: freak.

Third Person Narrative; pg. 127
That night, Gaia ate her first full meal in days. The image of the oranges haunted her, and the memory of the sweet scent was like a mist of pure color before her nose. She craved one of those oranges so badly it was like an illness. And this made her laugh.

Mace, Yvonne, Oliver, and Gaia; pg. 219
"I don't think so. That was a sauna parlor, there, where I found you," the baker said. "They'll just think you were working the late shift."
Gaia was baffled. "A sauna parlor?"
She saw the baker and his wife hesitate.
The girl clarified in her open, childish voice. "He means it's a brothel."
The baker clapped a hand to his forehead.
"What?" the girl said. "It's a very discreet, high class brothel. Tell them Oliver."
"Real nice, Yvonne. Thanks," the teenager said blushing.
His mother looked murderous.

~~~~~~~~~~

Well everyone, those were the Noteworthy Passages for Birthmarked. There were others I would have liked to have used but I didn't want to post anything that might be spoilerish. Hope you enjoy the ones I did choose though. If you would like, you can read my review of Birthmarked HERE. :D








PLEASE NOTE: This is a feature hosted here at my blog in which I present you with selected passages or quotes that I deem Noteworthy from a book I've just reviewed. My hopes are of course, that these passages will make you want to pick the book up and read it. This feature was started and created by me in January in hopes of making my blog more unique. That being said, I would like to kindly request that you do not use this feature as it was intended to be for my blog only and is not a meme. If you see some one else using it, please know it is without my permission. Thank you.

And Then Everything Unraveled Giveaway!!!

And Then Everything Unraveled by Jennifer Sturman
Publisher: Point
Pub. Date: June 1st 2010 by Point (first published July 1st 2009)
Pages: 256
Age Level: YA

Synopsis from GoodReads
Delia Truesdale has no idea her life's about to change forever. She's too busy enjoying the California summer. Her internet tycoon mother, T.K. Truesdale, is out of town, and that means Delia can spend all her time at the beach, surfing. That is, until everything unravels.
Her mother suddenly goes missing, and everyone thinks she's dead - except Delia, who knows T.K.'s way too organized to simply disappear. But Delia's still sent to New York to live with her two aunts - a downtown bohemian and an uptown ice queen.
And in case that's not bad enough, she also has to deal with a snooty new school and trying not to fall for the wrong guy. Oh, and finding her mother.
As she delves deeper into the tangle of conspiracies and lies surrounding T.K.'s disappearance, Delia begins to suspect that the wrong guy may be the right guy...and that some secrets - especially the dangerous ones - were never meant to be unraveled.

And Then I Found Out the Truth by Jennifer Sturman
Publisher: Point
Release Date: July 1st, 2010
Pages: 272
Age Level: YA

Synopsis from GoodReads
Delia Truesdale is still searching for the truth about her mother, who is in hiding somewhere in South America. But for now, Delia has to make do with her mystery-solving in New York City, alongside her Aunt Charley (a downtown hipster), her Aunt Patience(an uptown ice queen), a detective with a questionable taste in neckties, an eccentric psychic, her brainiac friend, and Quinn, the wealthy, gorgeous boy who--gasp!-- seems to return Delia's affections. Too bad Quinn's shady CEO dad may be involved in the scheme Delia is trying to crack. And a trip to South America may be in order after all...

~~~~~~~~~
Contest Details

Prize:
~Thanks to the lovely Tooraj, one lucky winner will receive a paperback copy of And Then Everything Unraveled and a hardcover of And Then I Found Out the Truth by Jennifer Sturman.

Rules:
~Though comments are appreciated, you must FILL OUT THE FORM for your entry to be counted.
~Contest will end at Noon 12PM EST on July 1st and the winner will be announced that same afternoon or evening. The winner will then have 48hrs to contact me or another winner will be chosen.
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