Blog Tour: More Than Music (Review + Giveaway)

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Title: More Than Music (Chasing the Dream #1)
Author: Elizabeth Briggs
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Music major Maddie Taylor just finished her junior year of college and has a summer internship lined up with the LA Philharmonic, yet every night she practices guitar and secretly dreams of a louder life. But geeky girls like her don't get to be rock stars. That is, until tattooed singer Jared Cross catches her playing guitar and invites her to join his band on The Sound, a reality TV show competition. 

Once on the show, Maddie discovers there’s more to Jared than his flirty smile and bad boy reputation – and that he’s just as big a geek as she is. With each performance their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, but when the show pressures them to stay single they’re forced to keep their relationship secret. 

As the competition heats up, Jared will do whatever it takes for his band to win, and Maddie must decide if following her dream is worth losing her heart.

Review: Wild Awake

Title: Wild Awake
Author: Hilary T. Smith
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.

2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.

3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.

4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.

5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.

2. He says he has her stuff.

3. What stuff? Her stuff.

4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—

5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—

6. You pick up a pen.

7. You scribble down the address.

8. You get on your bike and go.

9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*

*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

Review: The Vinyl Princess

Title: The Vinyl Princess

Author: Yvonne Prinz

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Summer is here, and 16-year-old Allie, a self-professed music geek, is exactly where she wants to be: working full-time at Berkeley's ultra-cool Bob and Bob Records. There, Allie can spend her days bantering with the street people, talking the talk with the staff, shepherding the uncool bridge-and-tunnel shoppers, all the while blissfully surrounded by music, music, music. It's the perfect setup for her to develop her secret identity as The Vinyl Princess, author of both a brand-new zine and blog. From the safety of her favourite place on earth, Allie is poised to have it all: love, music and blogging. Her mother, though, is actually the one getting the dates, and business at Allie's beloved record store is becoming dangerously slow--not to mention that there have been a string of robberies in the neighbourhood. At least her blog seems to be gaining interest, one vinyl junkie at a time....

Review: The Reece Malcolm List

Title: The Reece Malcolm List
Author: Amy Spalding
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.

2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.

3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.

4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.

5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?

Review:

"I'm going to warn you, because something tells me I should. But I'm planning on hugging you. Don't freak."

I love this book! I love the humor and the real emotions underneath it. I love how the author managed to conceal them so it won't be depressing without removing its effect. I love the story and I definitely love the characters.

Devan meeting her mother for the first time made me anxious about the future relationship they will have. As someone who is close with her mother, I really wished hard that this would all work out for them. There were a hints of longing on Devan and her mom but because of the unfamiliarity, they both welcomed these with uneasiness.

Devan was a character I can't see myself as to but definitely enjoyed reading. I understand her feelings, even her animosity towards her mother and father. She faced both situations at home and at school with her head high but with some doubts inside. I love how she's so into musicals and how passionate she is. She was also that loyal and trustworthy friend you'd definitely love to have around.

Reece was a puzzle to me at first. I keep wondering about her age at the beginning because she acts and talks younger that I've expected. She even dresses the way teenagers do. I love that she tries to make Devan feel that she loves her in subtle ways that doesn't go against her personality of being not showy. And based on Devan's stories, I really appreciated how she supports her daughter about her passion more than what her father did. I wish we got to know more about why he was like that to her though.

What others said about this book was definitely true. It was moving, heartbreaking but the good kind. It was half serious and not, and the author mixed both amazingly. This is the kind of books that makes you feel minus the depressing thoughts and tears.

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This copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Review: City of Dark Magic

Title: City of Dark Magic
Author: Magnus Flyte

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.

Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.

Review:

"Prague is a place where the fabric of time is thin."

The title and the synopsis is misleading! I was attracted by its cover and synopsis that I expected magic—real magic, mysteries and secrets that would blow my mind. But at the end, I am still asking myself what did I just read..

The mystery of Prague, or at least the gist of it was revealed at the beginning of the story. It achieved its goal to make it feel mysterious and a bit creepy, but the problem is that it was told by the characters not implied in some events that took place. I might have felt the right emotion if it was slowly unveiled by what will happen in Prague. Keyword: slowly.

As mentioned, everything was revealed immediately making the rest of the book dull. I was expecting some big, mind-blowing thing to happen that would top what Alessandro and Pollina said but it was still the same. The climax didn't have a big bang, unlike what I expected. Even a 'bang' would suffice, but none happened.  What's with that freakin threshold? We need more information about it! There were lots of things that were left as it is without any explanation. It had a promising premise but it turned out to be a disappoinment.

As for the characters, I really tried to like Sarah. Her love for music and her talent was awesome. I was impressed at the part where she recalled her lessons with Professor Sherbatsky, but that's it. She was poorly developed and flat. The only change in her that I noticed was her willingness to believe in things that she thought was absurd.

The villain.. Was that senator the real villain of the story? After reading the story, I can't understand what in the world was her real motive. She gave so much effort and harmed a lot of people for what? Her reasons were so petty. For someone who exerted so much effort, the time she was mentioned was wasted in reminiscing instead of plotting.

Another problem is the length. It was long but there were lots of unnecessary and irrelevant parts. Some were thrown in the plot and then left as it is. One example is the death of Sarah's father when she was in fourth grade. It seems to imply that she was intensely affected by the loss but rather than show some profound proof, maybe with her beliefs and the way she lives her life, we were just told that she took it hard and missed him so much, etc. Another is the sex scenes which was obviously thrown into the plot to, I don't know, maybe show some edge with Sarah's character or imply the age group of this novel? But it didn't achieved that. Sarah didn't turned out to be a badass, I-don't-give-a-shit character with some edge. She turned out to be a woman who have a very active libido that would hump on someone who has a stick.

Another thing that didn't helped me in absorbing the story was the format of the ARC. Was it just my copy of everyone had boxes instead of numbers? I hate reading sentences with dates where I have to think of it as blank. I can't even connect some information because of the lack of date. 

If the synopsis didn't mentioned and promised too much about the non-existent 'dark magic' and maybe made loads of revision, this could be better than what it is. I like the part about the music and history though. Maybe this was a good one to others but City of Dark Magic and I don't mix well.

--

This copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Review: Guitar Notes

    

Author: Mary Amato

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: On odd days, Tripp Broody uses a school practice room to let loose on a borrowed guitar. Eyes closed, strumming that beat-up instrument, Tripp escapes to a world where only the music matters.

On even days, Lyla Marks uses the same practice room. To Tripp, she’s trying to become even more perfect—she’s already a straight-A student and an award-winning cellist. But when Lyla begins leaving notes for him in between the strings of the guitar, his life intersects with hers in a way he never expected. 

What starts as a series of snippy notes quickly blossoms into the sharing of interests and secrets and dreams, and the forging of a very unlikely friendship.

Challenging each other to write songs, they begin to connect, even though circumstances threaten to tear them apart.

Review:

"When the vibrations of the music make your soul vibrate, you feel the thrum."

Why is it that I am left speechless every time I read a book with a touch of music? This was light to read, didn't have too much drama despite what Tripp and Lyla are going through but despite that it felt like it has a soul. Too bad the ending felt abrupt but despite that it still made me feel and inspired me.

I knew I'd love Tripp the first time I've read the first chapter. I think I just easily fall for fictional characters who loves music and shows how important it is in their lives. But other than that, I enjoyed reading him. His humor reminded me of Augustus (TFIOS) and Paul (HTKARS). Most of the time, he was being sarcastic or funny but each line he throws seem poetic, not to mention his crazy antics against The Termite.

The first time I read Lyla, I thought she was caged and wanted to be free from music. Like totally free from it, but thankfully she just needs to breathe a different air. She's a typical musical prodigy that is cramped up with auditions and rehearsals. She nails everything she plays with her cello but unfortunately, it wasn't her--or it wasn't technically her, but a machine who uses her body.

The songs they wrote were amazing. I said I won't listen to them until I finish reading the book (yes! they're actually available online!) but you can imagine the beauty of it by just reading it. It shows their humor and what they truly feel inside. Every song they make is like an outlet for the things that words can't express.

What's the best thing in this is that the songs are available online at http://thrumsociety.com. There's also a song book at the end of the book, with the lyrics and chords of the songs they Tripp and Lyla wrote.

The only thing that cost its .5 star is the rushed ending. Most of their interaction, although small were recorded almost everyday. I wish there was more about Lyla's recovery. But aside from that, I seriously think that this novel rocks. It thrums.

Review: Take a Bow

 

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business.

For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage.

Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates.

Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform.

The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

Review:

I was about to give up on this at first because of Sophie but good thing I didn't. Eulberg did a very good job with this that almost covered everything.

Though this book was written in four POVs, it really did worked out for the book. It wasn't confusing at all. There was also raw passion felt from the characters when they're talking about music. I also loved its fast pace which didn't drag everything and add too much drama but still didn't feel like something was cut short from the story.

Oh and the characters. I definitely love how they were all written. The moment I started reading this, I already had it in my mind that Sophie will come out as the lead female protagonist in this and I was expecting myself to like her. But I really hated her. She was, ugh, self-centered and selfish and I really wonder how could people put up with her. What's new with this is I got used to hate manipulative bitches based on how other characters, usually the one narrating the story, interact with them. But in this one, we get to read and see what's going on with Sophie's mind and that's just downright nauseating. She was perfectly molded by the author to symbolize those people who climbs their way to the top no matter who they hurt. I hated her but I loved the way she was written.

Reading Carter, Sophie's boyfriend who is a former child star felt like someone's caged. Although he didn't have much POVs, he clearly delivered the message his character's meant to do. I loved how he was not overly exposed yet he still did well.

Emme and Ethan--oh I love these two. They are the most interesting POVs I've read and not to mention that their friendship was superb. They were each others rock and despite Ethan's self-destructive behavior, he really did care for Emma. Their 'journey' towards happiness was heartwarming and sweet to read, although my heart broke at some parts of it.

This is a story of friendship, fame, betrayal, love and art. It shows how people's mind work under the pressure of reaching their dream and keeping their relationship with others afloat.

Review: Five Flavors of Dumb

Author: Antony John

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: THE CHALLENGE: Piper has one month to get a paying gig for Dumb—the hottest new rock band in school.

THE DEAL: If she does it, she'll become manager of the band and get her share of the profits, which she desperately needs since her parents raided her college fund.

THE CATCH: Managing one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl who is ready to beat her up. And doing it all when she's deaf. With growing self-confidence, an unexpected romance, and a new understanding of her family's decision to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, Piper just may discover her own inner rock star.

Review:

"Music. It's not about those things. It's about a feeling. It's about expressing yourself. It's about letting go." - Kallie

For the nth time, I made a mistake of not reading a book the moment it was recommended to me. *facepalm*

I did expect this book to be good, but I never expected it to win me not just because it's related to music. It slammed home! I never expected any book to make me feel what How to Kill a Rock Star did in my personal perspective but this book definitely came close.

Once again, a book showed us how music could change our lives despite not having the talent to make it. It's the passion that counts and in this book, it was not Josh, Will, Tash, Ed or Finn that made me realise that. It was Kallie and eventually Piper.

The plot itself was awesome. How could a deaf girl manage a band? I'm sure everyone had doubts even those who loved Piper so much but her determination and belief in the band made it all possible.

This was just the right mix I was looking for. It has raw passion, right pull of emotions, some drama and everything else including friendship, family and love.

"Bands fall out. But at the end of the day, they're like family." - Baz

The characters were awesome. It made it more real because of how they were uniquely written. Each of them had their own personality and made the story whole. Even Josh's asshole-ness (is that a word?) made it complete.

I love how it featured Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix. Both legends made the characters love and reverence for music made it all real. I am honestly emotional, like Kallie, when it comes to Kurt Cobain and I was having a hard time trying to hold back my tears while I was reading it at school. I love how the author managed to teach not just Piper but also the readers how these legends rose to fame and how much they've influenced their listeners. I just love reading them here.

This, without a doubt, goes to my list of all time favourite books that I would not get tired of rereading. I hope whoever reads this will also feel that amazingly indescribable feeling I felt.