Review: Eternal Night by Carina Adly MacKenzie

Eternal Night

by Carina Adly MacKenzie

August 26, 2014

The Studion (Paper Lantern Lit)

There are gods among us...

Six young gods are hiding in plain sight among mortals, living secretly in cities across the world. From lavish penthouse soirees to pulsing underground clubs, for them, the party literally never ends. Until now.

On a hot June morning, the body of a beautiful girl is found floating in the rooftop pool of the Jefferson Hotel, her white-ink tattoos revealing the story of a life much longer than seems possible. Only the immortals know the truth: Nadia was the goddess of hope. Now she’s gone, and the world as they know it is ending. The Hudson River has turned blood red. Storms rage overhead. Mania is rapidly spreading across the globe.

It is up to the remaining gods—Lola, Dean, Weston, Mark, Nike and Peitha—to put aside centuries of betrayal and heartbreak, and stop the mysterious source of darkness that is taking over… before the sun sets forever.

Carina Adly MacKenzie, blogger and television critic, has penned a steamy, romantic, and ultimately redemptive story of forgotten gods, the persistence of hope, and the power of love to save us.

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I’m a huge mythology fan and love discovering books that spin and twist these stories and elements in new ways...so, I was really looking forward to reading Carina Adley MacKenzie’s Eternal Night. Unfortunately, I walked away from this YA book rather disappointed.

There are gods among us: they’re not very powerful anymore and hide in plain sight. When Nadia, the last goddess of hope, is found dead, her six godly friends (Lola, Dean, Nike, Mark, Weston, Peitha) must uncover the truth behind her death and stop the impending apocalypse it has brought on. These six gods, trapped forever in the bodies and minds of teenagers, must get past all their centuries old bullshit and work together to save the world.

Eternal Night starts off strong enough with a cool premise and some genuinely unique, captivating mythological elements. However, I found the overall execution, writing, and characterizations to be mediocre. While reading this book, I just kept thinking to myself This book could really use another round of editing. And in many ways, it seems like this book is trying way too hard to be something- hip, different, or edgy maybe- and just ends up feeling stiff.

The story definitely has its moments, whether they be funny; romantic; or thrilling, but I found myself mostly bored, and, at times, utterly frustrated with all the unnecessary descriptions. Seriously, I did not need to be told what each character was wearing, in full details, at every single moment or what each room/setting/new place looked like down to the tiniest detail. And the words “hipster” and “artfully” were used so much that I just started replacing them, in my head, with more fun to say words: His hair was whimsically/adroitly/wilily messy.

I think my biggest issue with Eternal Night, are its characters. I didn’t hate any of the characters, but, for a group of centuries old gods and goddesses, they’re all rather uninteresting. I did find myself amused by Dean and his humor though (and he totally reminded me of Dean Winchester from Supernatural, which I’m pretty sure was on purpose. So yay for that!). These six gods and goddesses are neither likable or unlikable, engaging or annoying, they’re all just easily forgettable.

There’s some neat twists and revelations thrown in toward the ending of Eternal Night, but the conclusion itself feels rushed and, like much of the book, feels disjointed.

My Final Thoughts: I was hoping Eternal Night would wow and entertain me, but, despite its good qualities, I found it disappointing and dull overall.

MY RATING

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

Carina Adly MacKenzie grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she boldly defied the no-reading-at-the-dinner-table rule time and time again. After studying English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Carina moved to Los Angeles to pursue a writing career. Carina was a television critic and entertainment reporter for Zap2it.com, the Los Angeles Times, and Teen Vogue, among other publications. Currently, she spends her days obsessing over vampire sibling rivalry as a writer for The CW’s new drama, “The Originals.” She loves coffee, Twitter, and her little dog Pacey. Eternal Night is her first novel. 

Guest Post and Giveaway: Heather Brittain Bergstrom, author of Steal The North

I'm pleased to have Heather Brittain Bergstrom stopping by today with a wonderful Guest Post and Giveaway....

Steal the North

by Heather Brittain Bergstrom

April 10, 2014

Viking/Penguin

A novel of love in all its forms: for the land, for family, and the once-in-a-lifetime kind that catches two people when they least expect it

Emmy is a shy, sheltered sixteen-year-old when her mom, Kate, sends her to eastern Washington to an aunt and uncle she never knew she had. Fifteen years earlier, Kate had
abandoned her sister, Beth, when she fled her painful past and their fundamentalist church. And now, Beth believes Emmy’s participation in a faith healing is her last hope for having a child.

Emmy goes reluctantly, but before long she knows she has come home. She feels tied to the rugged landscape of coulees and scablands. And she meets Reuben, the Native American boy next door.

In a part of the country where the age-old tensions of cowboys versus Indians still play out, theirs is the kind of magical, fraught love that can only survive with the passion and resilience of youth. Their story is mirrored by the generation before them, who fears that their mistakes are doomed to repeat themselves in Emmy and Reuben. With Louise Erdrich’s sense of place and a love story in the tradition of Water for Elephants, this is an atmospheric family drama in which the question of home is a spiritual one, in which getting over the past is the only hope for the future.

What people are saying about Steal the North:

“A heartrending exploration of longing, loyalty and love. With palpable sympathy, Bergstrom captures the rugged and desolate atmosphere of eastern Washington and the distinctive people who call that place home.”
—Christina Schwarz, bestselling author of Drowning Ruth andThe Edge of the Earth

“A shimmering debut about the ties that bind, and the bonds that save us, especially when we least expect it. Shattering, romantic, and deeply profound, (and how many books can claim such adjectives?) Bergstrom’s novel lays a dazzlingly original claim to the unpredictable landscape of the human heart.”
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You

“In Steal The North, Heather Brittain Bergstrom has written the kind of debut novel one longs to read—full of crooked fates, hopeful hearts, and the bitten courage it takes to thrive—a tale, ultimately, of redemption.”
—Carol Edgarian, New York Times bestselling author of Three Stages of Amazement

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

The First Step to Becoming A Young Heroine

by Heather Brittain Bergstrom

I think for many a young girl, like my protagonist, Emmy Nolan, the first step to becoming a heroine (at least of her own life) is standing up to mother. I write this as a mother. Emmy’s mom, Kate, has made all the decisions for her, and many of these important decisions Kate had a right to make as Emmy’s caretaker. Others she did not—for example, not allowing Emmy to embrace or even explore spirituality. Emmy is obedient, for the most part, to her controlling mom. But even daughters of less overbearing moms often go away to college unable to make a move or the smallest decision without mother’s approval. I am guilty myself of being a hovering parent. By sixteen, Emmy knew one day soon she’d stand up to her mom, but she also knew it would have to be over something more significant than clothing choices or even picking which high school to attend. At the end of Steal the North, love triumphs (as it always should after great adversity). But equally important, Emmy makes a bold, decisive move on her own. She leaves her mom’s path and starts etching out her own. She take possession of her own life. That is hard to do, especially for kids nowadays (thanks to hovering parents). But it is an absolute triumph: with possession comes accountability, creativity, and growth. Emmy may not slay a dragon, but, in my opinion, she does something equally brave by taking possession of her life. By the end of the novel, the North of the title has come to stand for, among other things, Emmy’s right to decide her fate. She steals this—in the same way Coyote steals a blanket or Raven steals the sun.

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Heather Brittain Bergstrom grew up in a small farming town in eastern Washington, located between the two largest Indian reservations in the state. Her family has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, and she remembers her grandmother telling stories of how the Snake River used to flood their house every spring. For much of Bergstrom’s childhood, her parents were members of a fundamentalist Baptist church where she attended school in an unaccredited basement academy. Bergstrom has worked as a truck stop waitress and as a teacher. She has won multiple awards from Narrative Magazine, including first place in the Fall 2010 Story Contest. Four of her short stories can be found online at Narrative. Leslie Marmon Silko chose a story by Bergstrom to win the Kore Press Short Fiction Chapbook Award. She has also won writing awards from The Atlantic Monthly and The Chicago Tribune, as well as other places. One of her stories was picked as a notable story in the Best American Short Stories 2010.  Steal the North is her debut novel and first published book. Bergstrom currently lives in the Sacramento Valley with her husband and two children. She returns often to the Pacific Northwest to visit the rivers and to feel the wind in the canyons and coulees.

Win a finished copy of Steal the North!

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Goodie Basket (55): Weekly Book Haul and Blog Recap

Goodie Basket...is a weekly feature hosted here at Word Spelunking that showcases all the goodies (books, bookish things, reviews, interviews/giveaways/guest posts, blog tours, etc) that popped up in the Goodie Basket that is Word Spelunking each week.

(This meme is inspired by other book haul memes such as In My Mailbox hosted by  The Mod Podge Bookshelf, Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, Showcase Sunday hosted by Books, Biscuits & Tea and Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer )

It's been a few weeks since I've done book haul; real life has been keeping me pretty busy. So this haul is from the last two-three weeks. AND since the last Goodie Basket post I did, this little cupcake turned 3 months old and will be 100 days old September 1st, which kinda totally blows my mind:

Baby Aeicha in her owl hat!

Now, let's see what arrived in my goodie basket these past couple of weeks...

FOR REVIEW

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

(Tor Teen: finished copy from pub)

Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff

(Macmillan: ARC from pub)

The Classroom: Student Council Smackdown by Robin Mellom

(Disney-Hyperion: finished copy from pub)

 Shadow Train by J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel

(HCI: ARC from pub)

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

(Harper Teen: ARC from pub)

The Shadowhand Covenant by Brian Farrey

(Harper Collins: ARC from pub)

The Real Boy by Ann Ursu

(Walden Pond Press: ARC from pub)

The Last Dogs Books 1 and 2 by Christopher Holt

(Little Brown Kids: finished copies from pub)

FOR REVIEW

The Ghastly Dandies Do the Classics by Ben Gibson

(Penguin Kids: finished copy from pub)

PURCHASED

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex

(purchased for my niece)

SWAG

Sweet Legacy Swag from Tera Lynn Childs for being on the Venon Squad

Big THANK YOUS to Tor Teen, Macmillan, Disney-Hyperion, HCI, Harper Collins, Walden Pond Press, Little Brown, Penguin, and Tera Lynn Childs for all the bookish awesomeness this week!

Weekly Blog Recap

This week on the blog...

The Taste Test Blog Tour stopped by with a super yummy guest post from author Kelly Fiore.

I shared an awesome new Kickstarter Campaign for a fun, doggy filled illustrated book by my buddy Adam Glendon Sidwell.

The Crest Release Tour stopped by with an interview with heroine Kendra Irisavie and I'm giving away 5 signed swag packs and the Ondine Quartet Ebook Collection.

       Posts You May Have Missed

My review of Counting by 7's by Holly Goldberg Sloan

My review of The Flame in the Mist by Kit Grindstaff

My interview with Kit Grindtsaff

My Celebrate the Civil Rights Movement Blog Tour post

WHAT DID YOU GET THIS WEEK?!

2nd Annual Authors Are Rockstars Tour: A.J. Paquette {Guest Post}

I'm so excited to be participating in the Annual Authors Are Rockstars event again! This event is organized and run by the splendiferious  Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books, and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads. 

My rockstar author is....

A.J. is the author of several books and is here today with some of her top favorite quotes from all of her books! But first, let me tell you why I think A.J. Paquette is a rockstar author:

Why A.J. Paquette is a Rockstar Author

I think A.J. is a Rockstar Author because, not only does she write enthralling, highly entertaining, and thought-provoking books, she writes them for ALL kinds of young readers. From the littlest readers to readers young at heart, A.J. has a book for everyone. She writes fantastic picture books, middle-grade books that sparkle and shine, and smart, complexly crafted young adult books. But that's not all...A.J. isn't just an author, she's also a literary agent, which means she doesn't just write awesome books, she helps share other awesome books by other rockstar authors with the world! 

A.J. Paquette's Favorite Quotes From Her Books

Author’s Note: Ask any parent to pick a favorite child, and I’m guessing that most will kindly demur. Now imagine having thousands upon thousands of paragraphs, er, children—not only do you have to choose between them, but you also have to remember each of them individually! Needless to say, not the easiest task to accomplish. Despite this, I was excited when assigned this blog post topic; it was immensely fun to dive into my projects old and new, poke around, and see which quotes caught my eye. From these I’ve pulled out a selection of the ones that did so: I will not say that these are my “Top Favorite Quotes,” but I will say that they are ones I like very much, and which I hope give a flavor for the stories from they are drawn. Maybe you will be inspired to pick up one or more of the full books and check them out for yourself?  –AJP 

#1

I am alone. People around me talk, laugh, push, jostle. They speak into small mobile phones and they squawk at their children. They look coyly at boys or girls near them. They move fluidly through this dance of life without giving it a second thought. And here I stand, stuck on the side with my dancing shoes still in hand. It is not that I don’t know the right moves—I don’t even hear the same music.

--Luchi arrives in Bangkok, in NOWHERE GIRL (Walker/Bloomsbury, 2011)

#2

The sun is shining, and we are in the mood for adventure. It’s a perfect day for tracking fairies! Let’s go look for clues. –The hunt begins, in THE TIPTOE GUIDE TO TRACKING FAIRIES (Tanglewood, 2011)

#3

Dahlia was dead, but the sunflower was not. Not yet, anyway. It still looked shimmery and only half-visible, just like all other living things. But the stem was bent and broken, and drooped down from the rest of the plant. Soon it would expire—right into Dahlia’s waiting hands. Then she would carry the new ghost flower to her garden. –We are introduced to Dahlia, in RULES FOR GHOSTING (Walker/Bloosmbury, 2013)

#4

Six months didn’t seem nearly long enough to inhabit a place like this. It was the kind of house you wanted to take your time to explore, savoring every room and introducing yourself to each doorframe and wall hanging. It was the kind of house you wanted to make friends with slowly, because you knew it would be a friendship worth keeping, one that could last a lifetime. –Oliver arrives at Silverton Manor, in RULES FOR GHOSTING (Walker/Bloomsbury, 2013)

#5

“Cyclid-Bf appears to be in every way ideal for supporting human life,” said eminent astrophysicist Dr. Alan Bartleby. “Yet any humans actually trying to get there would perish long before arrival. Humanity may have just found its ultimate paradox.” –News article quoted in PARADOX (Random House, 2013)

#6

Ana has no idea what kind of person she was, or is, but one thing she does know right now: Loneliness and self- pity are not only self-indulgent but dangerous. You have now arrived on Paradox. She’s maybe alone, definitely damaged, possibly deranged— but she’s here. On this alien planet. She has no one to rely on but herself. –Ana gets moving, in PARADOX (Random House, 2013)

#7

Petey is enjoying a TRANQUIL afternoon: peace and quiet and some light gardening. Pru is feeling TRICKSY. She has a sneaky little plan. –PETEY AND PRU AND THE HULLABALOO (Clarion, 2013)

A.J. Paquette

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

A.J. Paquette has been writing stories since early childhood. She and her sister would spend hours creating masterpieces of stapled paper and handwritten words, complete with pen-and-ink covers and boxed illustrations. The road to publication was long and winding, peppered with many small successes including: a variety of national magazine publications, being a 2005 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award honoree, and receiving the 2008 SCBWI’s Susan Landers Glass Scholarship Award, for the book that would later become Nowhere Girl. Her first picture book, The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies, was published in 2009. She now lives with her husband and two daughters in the Boston area, where she continues to write books for children and young adults. She is also an agent with the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. 

BOOKS BY A.J. PAQUETTE

(click on each book to learn more)

Picture Books

Middle-Grade

Check out my 5 cupcakes review of Rules for Ghosting

Young Adult

Check out my 4 cupakes review of Paradox

Review: Proxy by Alex London

Proxy

(Proxy #1)

by Alex London

6/18/13

Pub: Penguin

Format: ARC

Source: pub

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Purchase: Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.
Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.
Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

I received an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review

Alex London's Proxy has one of those premises that could either go really, really bad or go really, really awesome...thankfully, this book is all awesome! Any expectations I had were surpassed and I walked away from this book greatly impressed and thoroughly entertained.

Set in a bleak future, Proxy is a modern day The Whipping Boy. In this world you're either a have or a have not, there's no middle ground and the difference between the two is huge. The super rich Patrons live in a world of lux, every desire granted, every need met. Patron children often have a Proxy, a poor counterpart who takes the punishments when the Patron misbehaves. Knox is a Patron and Syd is his Proxy. Since the age of four, Syd has taken the punishments for every crime, wrongdoing, and naughty thing Knox has done, and he's done a lot. But when Knox is responsible for the death of a friend and Syd is sent to prison, their two very different worlds collide. The two must work together to save themselves and maybe the country.

Proxy is an edge of your seat thrill ride with explosive twists, complex characters, and excellent storytelling. Excitingly fast-paced, with deftly crafted chapter cliffhangers, this book keep me turning pages until I finished in the wee hours of the morning. Proxy is a multi-layered, multifaceted story brimming with action, romance, sci-fi elements, and breathtaking insightfulness

The dystopian like setting in Proxy seems, at first, like many other dystopian settings in YA books, but London has infused his world with such refreshing innovation, awesome gizmos and gadgets, and shocking hierarchy and social practices, that it quickly feels new in completely enthralling in unexpected ways. The immediate complex and layered world we find Syd and Knox in is, for the most part, greatly developed and laid out. The separate sections of the rich and the poor are each thoroughly explored and we are given a comprehensive and complete look at this world as a whole. My one big issue with the world-building is a lack of detailed backstory or history. There are definitely tidbits sprinkled throughout that explain how and why the country has become how it is, but I wanted something more specific to give me a wider understanding of the logical reasonings behind this world. Does this lack of sufficient history distract from the story being told? Absolutely not! And I really think this is more of a personal preference kind of issue.

The idea of Patrons and Proxys is such a wildly thought-provoking one and London really runs with this idea and takes it to some compelling places. There's a lot of poignant social commentary organically woven with the action, romance, and sci-fi elements. This is a story that will encourage discussion and serious thought on a wide array of topics.

London has created a wonderful cast of intriguing characters. Syd has such complexity and depth, and he's easy to relate to and like. Syd is gay and London has incorporated this part of Syd into the story in ways that feel natural and authentic and important, but not as if his sexuality is used for shock value or as an easy storyline tool. You really don't see gay main characters in YA books that aren't strictly contemporary, which is a shame, so I love that London offers such a relatable, well-developed gay character to readers. Now, Knox is a whole different story! Not gonna lie, I pretty much loathed this dude in the beginning of the book. He's arrogant, selfish, thoughtless, spoiled, pretty much a douche...BUT, he's supposed to be. I don't think we're supposed to like him at first. And I appreciated how consistent his character development is; yes, he grows and matures, but in ways that feel believable. Bravo Mr. London for creating a character that I hated (and wanted to kick in the balls) then tolerated then warmed up to then genuinely liked then had mad respect for *slow clap*

The ending? THAT ending! Y'all I have a love/hate relationship with the ending of Proxy. It's unexpected and explosive and heart-wrenching and powerful and made feel ALL the feels, but I just don't know whether I love it or hate it. Either way, it's a helluva way to end the book.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Proxy is a wonderfully complex story that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. If you're looking for a fast-paced, exciting read that will both thrill you and make you think, than definitely pick up this book. Alex London has gained a new fan and I will be impatiently awaiting the next book!

MY RATING

Alex London

Website / Goodreads / Twitter 

Alex London writes books for adults, children and teens. At one time a journalist who traveled the world reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he now is a full time novelist living in Brooklyn.