Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Title: Fury (Book 1)
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Pages: 352
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: August 30, 2011
Source: E-ARC from Publisher for Review
Official TUBL Rating: C-

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.

Mythology-infused and problematic, Fury is a disappointment. Set in Maine, the descriptions are beautiful and alluring but there are many other problems with the novel. The interchanging point-of-views between Em and Chase is choppy and ill-timed. There are many clichés in the novel and the two main characters, Em and Chase seem extremely shallow and nonsensical.

Em and Chase are two characters that are extremely similar and depthless. They knew the possible consequences of their actions and yet, they continued with seeming caution and regard to other people. The ordeals that Chase goes through with Ty are just stupid. He's too blinded by whatever cheesy spell she has on him. And the same goes for Em with Zach. It's just really to obvious that he's using her. Ultimately, readers will find Em and Chase to be two completely ignorant, self-centered idiots that have nothing else to do.

Honestly, the plot is horrifying. Fury seems to be a really cliché version of cheesy highs school drama but with a couple of mythological creatures thrown in. There are quite a lot of plot holes and disappointing aspects in Fury. Because of the interchanging point-of-views, and because Fury tries to tell two stories at the same time, the plot and prose seem rushed and flat.

Because Elizabeth Miles is a new author, it's okay if she doesn't deliver as well as people expect. There is lots of potential for the Fury series to grow and hopefully, she will succeed.

The Bottom Line: Just not my cup of tea. It may be yours, but it sure isn't mine.

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Love on Cue by Catherine Hapka

Title: Love on Cue
Author: Catherine Hapka
Pages: 288
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: March 10, 2009

When you have to sing your heart out, it's best to know how. . .

Maggie Tannery is a true theater girl and a total shoo-in for the lead in this year's school production of Romeo and Juliet. She's seriously psyched because it looks like her crush, Daniel, might be playing her Romeo both on-and offstage-if all goes as planned.

But when her school decides to perform a musical instead, Maggie catches a major case of stage fright-because she can't sing! With her leading role in jeopardy, as well as her chance of winning her leading man, Maggie turns to the musically talented Nico to giver her voice lessons. But their voices aren't the only things that seem to be harmonizing. As Maggie tries to break a leg-and not her heart-she wonders who the music man of her dreams really is. . .

Another hilarious read from the Simon Pulse RoCom series!

Love on Cue is great for those who like light comedy and easy romance but personally, I don't think it's all that great. To me, Maggie seemed WAY too desperate to be Derek's girlfriend. And the way she gets all tongue-tied around Derek got old. It happens way to commonly in books. I mean seriously!? In Love on Cue, she can't even form a coherent sentence. In real life, I don't think that would happen or if it does, then it wouldn't be common. I couldn't help but grow annoyed and irritated with Maggie.

Derek. He was VERY unrealistic. He was TOO perfect. In the book, he was portrayed as someone who could do no wrong. He was adept and proficient in EVERYTHING. I was just really unimpressed with his character.

It was random. I think that Hapka just threw in random scenarios so that Maggie would always find herself in an awkward position. They just didn't fit in with the book. There wasn't any connection at all.

Errors. Has anyone noticed that on the back of the book it says 'Daniel' and not 'Derek'? Call me a perfectionist but I hate mistakes like these. It's one of my pet peeves.

The only thing that really stood out to me in this book was, unexpectedly, Calla. She was the only character that constrained me to finish the book. Calla's issue was that she was a little overweight. But she was able to accept it and, eventually, joke about it.

The Bottom Line: I found Love on Cue to be disappointing but nevertheless funny. Don't stop reading Catherine Hapka though. Her book 'Twelve Dates of Christmas' is BETTER than this. I'll follow up with a review. But for now, C-
:-)

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