4 Stars: "Seraphina" by Rachel Hartman

"Seraphina" is the fantasy story of a young woman and her struggle with her real identity in a very unforgiving ancient land. The book deals with dragons and other fantastical creatures.
Goodreads.com description: Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page.
I was undecided between 3 or 4 stars. Ideally, this would be a 3.5 star in my rating, because since it is a teen book I didn't feel it taught me anything about people, I didn't have a moment where I found it to have changed part of me, or to have shown me something about myself that I didn't know before. It was very enjoyable to read; it was refreshing, easy and with quality. Yet there were no epiphanies on my side. It would have made for a great beach read. I actually looked forward to sitting in the bus since I would get to read this novel, which is a high compliment to Rachel Hartman. Furthermore, I found myself missing the characters when they weren't with me. I finished this book some time ago, but felt so close to it, that had to wait for some time in order to write a fair review. As it turned out my feelings didn't change. I still enjoy what I read, and was not sad that I wasn't able to take more from the story. It is after all the story of a young woman trying to come to terms with whom she is (or what she is) in a society plagued by pain and a war that had ceased not long before her birth. If I wanted to compare her character to a similar historical event the closest thing that comes to mind would be the persecution and racism against young Japanese people post WWII. These people knew little about that culture and the people they were associated with, yet the pain in society was so raw that they were seen as the soldiers that left thousands of mothers, fathers, wives, sons and daughters missing family members.

Seraphina was wonderful, I don't usually read teen fiction, let alone pick it up without having had it recommended from my coworkers. Granted, the book received a glowing review in Quill and Quire; but I was impressed by the story. It felt so real and lacking all the cliches that make teen books bestsellers that I felt time just fly by while I was immersed in the story. 
Seraphina was smart, funny and kind. She was forced to grow up but still kept the heart of a child. I found her to be realistic despite the fantastical twist of the story. I was gripped by this book. I couldn't let go of it. The world felt so well crafted, complete and natural. The writing flowed without needing to make extrapolations in order to give it some solidity. I have been in a historical fiction mood lately, so this was right up my alley. 
In conclusion I am looking forward to seeing what is going to happen next with this character. I wish I wouldn't have to wait and hope that my interest doesn't wane in the time in between. 

4 Stars: "Maidenhead" by Tamara F. Berger

"Maidenhead" is the third novel of Toronto writer Tamara Faith Berger. I found it hidden away in my local store and couldn't help but be intrigued by the description. From Goodreads.com:
 Myra, naive and curious, is on a family vacation to the southernmost tip of Florida – a mangy Key West full of Spring Breakers. Here, suffering through the embarrassments of a family on the verge of splitting up, she meets Elijah, a charismatic Tanzanian musician who seduces her at the edge of the tourist zone. Myra longs to lose her virginity to Elijah, and is shocked to learn he lives with Gayl, a secretive and violent woman with a strange power over him. Myra and her family return to an unnamed, middle-class, grey Canadian city and she falls in with a pot-smoking, intellectual anarchist crowd. When Gayl and Elijah travel north and infiltrate Myra’s life, she walks willingly into their world: Myra continues to experiment sexually with Elijah, while Gayl plays an integral part in the increasingly abject games. Maidenhead traverses the desperate, wild spaces of a teenage girl’s self-consciousness. How does a girl feel scared? What is she scared of? And how does telling yourself not to be scared really work? As Myra enters worlds unfamiliar of sex, porn, race and class, she explores territories unknown in herself.

As a teenage sex wasn't something that was hidden from me. I was taught that sex happened, that sex was supposed to feel good in order to incite people to reproduce. I was not taught there was anything to be ashamed of in sex, I was taught that it was something that you shouldn't take up like a sport but take great responsibility for the consequences of my actions. 

The protagonist of the story was sheltered by her parents in that same way that we shelter our kids whenever we can. By trying to avoid their questions we also do not give them the right to knowledge. Myra's parents were wonderful parents, but not all kids are the same. Myra needed more; she needed a deeper meaning to her life; she needed to interpret the wise thoughts of philosophers on her own and face the truth of reality. Her first shock came as the form of slaves. She was thirsty for more. Attraction, masturbation, decremental experiences, and rebelliousness come crashing onto her in rapid succession after that first shock. 

The book deals with themes that I know some people will have a hard time reading. For me, it felt refreshing seeing a young woman free herself from society and embrace sexuality. I admired her deep thoughts, the truthfulness in which she compared herself to other women, her insecurities reflected my own in many ways, without falling into the cliché. 

"Maidenhead" is a must read for young women. I agree that not all 16-19 year-olds are reading Gore Vidal, Simone Weil, Giorgio Agamben or Georges Bataille; yet her ability to interpret their works in a manner that affects people from modern and ancient times struck me as marvellous.  

I loved "Maidenhead" throughout its 165 pages. I read it in less than a day. Devoured it. It brought me back years to a time when I, too, touched myself, learned myself. I found my own thoughts in several parts of the book. I saw some of my experiences in the eyes of characters. I was excited and scared. I was unchanged, yet more secure about my believes in freedom and asking for what you want. 

"Maidenhead" is about sex, about drugs, about a path to find oneself. I felt the pain and shock Myra felt to see what she thought to be reality crumble and finally be able to see the world for what it is. Thank you, Miss Berger, for showing me that I'm not alone in the art of embracing pleasure and satisfaction in the path of human growth. Sacrifice does not make anything but pain greater. Life is about enjoying every second and learning from it all. 

3 Stars: "Bared to You" by Sylvia Day

"Bared to You" is the first book in a modern romance trilogy that promises the masses a hit for their "Fifty Shades Trilogy" addiction.
Goodreads.com Description:
Our journey began in fire...

Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness—beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily...

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private wounds... and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart...
After reading "Bared to You", I have to agree that both novels have several points in common:

• Ana and Eva seem to have serious self-esteem issues that make them more likeable in the reader's eyes. This is not a praise, and I will get into that later. 
• Both leading ladies have roommates they share everything with, and I mean everything... Just seconds after whatever 'thing' happened. 
• Both ladies come from divorced/separated parents, with both having a flaky mother. 
• Both ladies are VERY smart, but are not exactly at the top of their profession, I guess the job market sucks everywhere. 
• Christian and Gideon have large amounts of money. In the 'billions' type of 'large'.
• Both leading men tend to be possessive and controlling in that way that hardcore feminists get offended and romance readers feel loved. 
• Both leading men are not just 'hot' they are SERIOUSLY good looking. Especially when they are naked.

And I would say that's about it. 

Why did I not give it less than three stars? What did I like about the book?

For one I like strong characters, and Eva tends to ask for what she wants, express how she feels, and not swoon as easily as your average Harlequin damsel. Don't take this like there isn't a strong attraction between the characters, they are attracted to one another from just looking at each other, but Eva tries to stand up for herself and not just make excuses for her lover just because he is hot. I liked how she made plans for herself instead of just waiting around for life to happen. She could take control of a situation and didn't need him to make a name for herself.

I liked the fact that Gideon did play the part of a working CEO, he did spend time at the office doing important things and not just planing their next date. I liked that he didn't change much throughout the book. This book takes place over a few weeks time and it would be unrealistic to think that a person changes that fast, no matter how in love they are. 

I liked the fact that the book is written by an adult that doesn't spend time overly describing what the characters are wearing, what fabric it is, what brand, how expensive, etc. I like the fact that it gets the point across once and refrains from describing it again and again, using a thesaurus or otherwise. The book is written by an adult, and for adults. 

Finally the sex. I hear people say that they don't read romance for the sex, and I can't believe that. If that were the case there wouldn't be a Romance category, it would all be mashed in Erotic Fiction or Chick Lit. If you don't read it for the sex you may as well start reading Teens books. So, how is the sex? It wasn't over the top. It wasn't the main plot, and I liked that. I feel  it was average, really. The character seemed to enjoy it thoroughly, but as a reader it didn't excite me. It was sexy, but didn't make me blush. I wasn't expecting whips and chains, but I felt the lead up to the sex could have been better. After all the chasing and the gossiping, it simply didn't meet the expectations. The sex was well written, but it didn't make me lust for the next encounter. 

In summary, I liked the realism of the novel. The characters are enjoyable and easy to read. In fact I read it in three sittings. It kept me reading until the end. The story is not common and I can easily see it happening. 

Why did I not give it a higher rating?

Eva is constantly being approached by guys, yet she has a hard time believing she is beautiful. 

I didn't like that Gideon seemed bi-polar at times. Trauma or not. 

I didn't like the many cliches in the book. Like everyone has had sex on the same couch at home and they are completely OK with sitting down later on to watch a movie.
I like cliffhangers as much as anybody else, but this ending bothered me.

"Bared to You" will find a hungry audience craving more "Fifty Shades" goodness, and it will deliver.