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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
Wow, I absolutely loved this book. If I could give it more than 5 stars I most definitely would! Probably my favourite YA book I've read this year.
"I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk. "
The story is about 17 year old Nastya, who is starting a new school away from her home town as she is trying to get away from something in her past and she doesn't want anyone to know about it. It has changed Nastya's whole life, who she is. She tries to hide away at school and fade into the background so that people don't get to know her. She sees a guy, Josh, sitting on his own all the time with no one bothering him and she wonders how he manages to keep his "force field up" to keep people away. Josh has his own past issues. We follow Nastya as she starts to form relationships with a small group and deals with her past. We also get to follow Josh and how he deals with things.
Katja does an amazing job of drawing you in to this story. There is the mystery of what happened to Nastya and she drips this out to you slowly, throwing in some things that you really don't expect on the way. Then there is the slow build relationships with Josh and Drew and his family and of course Josh's story of his past. Add in a good dose of angst and heartbreak and you find yourself completely emotionally drawn in and invested in the story. Nothing in this book feels rushed. Katja has taken her time developing the story and the main characters. I was actually disappointed when I finished the book that I would be leaving the characters.
Highly recommend this book.
"I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk. "
The story is about 17 year old Nastya, who is starting a new school away from her home town as she is trying to get away from something in her past and she doesn't want anyone to know about it. It has changed Nastya's whole life, who she is. She tries to hide away at school and fade into the background so that people don't get to know her. She sees a guy, Josh, sitting on his own all the time with no one bothering him and she wonders how he manages to keep his "force field up" to keep people away. Josh has his own past issues. We follow Nastya as she starts to form relationships with a small group and deals with her past. We also get to follow Josh and how he deals with things.
Katja does an amazing job of drawing you in to this story. There is the mystery of what happened to Nastya and she drips this out to you slowly, throwing in some things that you really don't expect on the way. Then there is the slow build relationships with Josh and Drew and his family and of course Josh's story of his past. Add in a good dose of angst and heartbreak and you find yourself completely emotionally drawn in and invested in the story. Nothing in this book feels rushed. Katja has taken her time developing the story and the main characters. I was actually disappointed when I finished the book that I would be leaving the characters.
Highly recommend this book.
Worthy of the hoopla.
This was one of those Indie books that seemingly popped up out of nowhere last year and quickly earned a name for itself among the die-hard book hounds of the blogging/reviewing community. I kinda missed the party at the time (I was washing my hair), but when I saw it had gotten picked up by Simon & Schuster/Atria and it appeared on Netgalley, I couldn't resist any longer. So I grabbed it and figured I'd have my own dang party all by myself. I'd call it the Day Late and Dollar Short Ball. It would have ice cream.
Except I wasn't by myself, was I? I was with Josh Bennett.
Yes :D
So very yes.
I loved so many things about this book other than Josh, though he was the cherry on top of my ice cream. I loved the alternating POV chapters. I loved Josh. I loved reading about Nastya, without necessarily ever loving Nastya as a character. I loved Josh. I loved the dialogue, the sweet, romantic moments, the really fleshed-out secondary characters like Drew (who ended up being so much more than I'd thought he'd be). And Josh. Don't forget Josh.
The trend for this new wash of New Adult books seems to be to throw two completely messed up young people together and watch the disaster unfold between your fingers until they get so low, the only possible way is up. Usually by crawling there on their hands and knees. In THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY, the characters were certainly troubled; worryingly so. But instead of being angry and dark and all hatey, they both seemed to be punishing themselves more than anything. Nastya in all the bizarre ways Nastya did (more on her in a minute), and Josh by making himself more alone than he needed to be. Their separate issues were interesting, and together, they made this weird kind of sense as long as you didn't stare too closely.
Now Nastya... I've got to admit she annoyed me occasionally. The clothes thing? Hmm, not sure I ever really understood the logic there. It was like, "People are going to look at me anyway so why not give them something to look at by dressing like goth Barbie?". I just didn't geddit. Sorry.
And even my lovely Josh annoyed me once or twice. He might have been the saner of the two, but he wasn't perfect. And he was a very, very naughty boy at one point which, I admit, kinda made me a bit disappointed in him.
But, when all's said and done in this genre that can be really hit or miss, THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY was a hit for me, and I'd definitely read this author again.
4 Josh-shaped stars!
★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was one of those Indie books that seemingly popped up out of nowhere last year and quickly earned a name for itself among the die-hard book hounds of the blogging/reviewing community. I kinda missed the party at the time (I was washing my hair), but when I saw it had gotten picked up by Simon & Schuster/Atria and it appeared on Netgalley, I couldn't resist any longer. So I grabbed it and figured I'd have my own dang party all by myself. I'd call it the Day Late and Dollar Short Ball. It would have ice cream.
Except I wasn't by myself, was I? I was with Josh Bennett.
Yes :D
So very yes.
I loved so many things about this book other than Josh, though he was the cherry on top of my ice cream. I loved the alternating POV chapters. I loved Josh. I loved reading about Nastya, without necessarily ever loving Nastya as a character. I loved Josh. I loved the dialogue, the sweet, romantic moments, the really fleshed-out secondary characters like Drew (who ended up being so much more than I'd thought he'd be). And Josh. Don't forget Josh.
The trend for this new wash of New Adult books seems to be to throw two completely messed up young people together and watch the disaster unfold between your fingers until they get so low, the only possible way is up. Usually by crawling there on their hands and knees. In THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY, the characters were certainly troubled; worryingly so. But instead of being angry and dark and all hatey, they both seemed to be punishing themselves more than anything. Nastya in all the bizarre ways Nastya did (more on her in a minute), and Josh by making himself more alone than he needed to be. Their separate issues were interesting, and together, they made this weird kind of sense as long as you didn't stare too closely.
Now Nastya... I've got to admit she annoyed me occasionally. The clothes thing? Hmm, not sure I ever really understood the logic there. It was like, "People are going to look at me anyway so why not give them something to look at by dressing like goth Barbie?". I just didn't geddit. Sorry.
And even my lovely Josh annoyed me once or twice. He might have been the saner of the two, but he wasn't perfect. And he was a very, very naughty boy at one point which, I admit, kinda made me a bit disappointed in him.
But, when all's said and done in this genre that can be really hit or miss, THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY was a hit for me, and I'd definitely read this author again.
4 Josh-shaped stars!
★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. What a great first book by this author. These characters are unforgettable and stayed with me for a while after reading this book. I love when that happens.
"The Sea of Tranquility" by Katja Millay has been on my TBR list for a couple of months now, thanks to the nearly 5-star rating it has here on Goodreads and the 5-star rating it has on Amazon. I've been hesitant to read it though because of the very same ratings. I can't count the number of times I've had my expectations set really high only to have them come shattering to the ground once I've closed a seemingly publicly well-received book. But today, I found myself giving in and finally read "The Sea of Tranquility"...and while it isn't the most eloquent word that I can use to describe this book, the first thing that popped into my head after I was done was WOW.
This book took me on a journey and what a journey it was. Nastya/Emilia/Sunshine was indeed a jigsaw puzzle that didn't want to get solved and Josh Bennett definitely didn't want to exert any time or effort into trying to figure her out. Their paths unsurprisingly cross but what does surprise me is the manner in which their dysfunctional friendship/relationship develops throughout the story. These are two characters who have both experienced loss on way too many levels and seeing their worlds from both their perspectives made it difficult to not become invested in them as individuals and as a couple.
The supporting cast of characters are not just well-rounded; they have background stories that make you want to get to know them better. They aren't shallow and just put there as sidekicks. They all play integral parts in the story of Nastya/Emilia and Josh.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants more than the usual run-of-the-mill boy-meets-girl-and-rescues-her story...and having a plate of cookies and a mug of black coffee nearby won't hurt. ^.^ Definitely one of the best books I've ever had the privilege of reading.
This book took me on a journey and what a journey it was. Nastya/Emilia/Sunshine was indeed a jigsaw puzzle that didn't want to get solved and Josh Bennett definitely didn't want to exert any time or effort into trying to figure her out. Their paths unsurprisingly cross but what does surprise me is the manner in which their dysfunctional friendship/relationship develops throughout the story. These are two characters who have both experienced loss on way too many levels and seeing their worlds from both their perspectives made it difficult to not become invested in them as individuals and as a couple.
The supporting cast of characters are not just well-rounded; they have background stories that make you want to get to know them better. They aren't shallow and just put there as sidekicks. They all play integral parts in the story of Nastya/Emilia and Josh.
Spoiler
When Nastya/Emilia saw Josh's garage for the first time and said that she knew this place and when Josh relayed the story his grandfather told about dying for a moment and seeing the porch and swing clicked in my head but I still couldn't help but smile at the end of the story when Nastya/Emilia answered Josh's question. ^.^I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants more than the usual run-of-the-mill boy-meets-girl-and-rescues-her story...and having a plate of cookies and a mug of black coffee nearby won't hurt. ^.^ Definitely one of the best books I've ever had the privilege of reading.
Oh my god, I just don't know what to say about this book. I seriously considered leaving the rating blank because [b:The Sea of Tranquility|16151178|The Sea of Tranquility|Katja Millay|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352987353s/16151178.jpg|21547521] isn't something that can easily be summed up in stars, my feelings for it are much more complex than that. I do realise that I'm pretty much the only person in the universe who gave this less than 4 stars (and most gave it 5) and there are a number of reasons, but I'll get to those in a minute. But it's important to know that 3 stars isn't really accurate at all. On goodreads, 3 stars means "I liked it" and I think I can say that there were no parts of this book that fit that description: I either loved it or was annoyed by it. There were 5-star bits and there were 1-star bits and somehow my rating has fallen somewhere in the middle.
Let me tell you what I loved.
This book is brimming with emotion. It's an intense, painful read about two complicated individuals who are both haunted by their pasts and find some level of solace in each other. There were parts that were so equally beautiful and painful that I was hanging on every word, propelled along by Millay's gorgeous writing and often hilarious dialogue. Nastya is easy to love, from her original snarkiness that should have you laughing to the darker sides of her character that will draw you in and make you need to know her secrets. And, boy, does she have secrets. I also quite liked reading about her obsession with names and their meanings, even though it was incredibly cheesy that the love interest's name - Josh - means salvation. Cue eye roll.
I think one of the best bits of this novel, though, was Drew. He was the only character who surprised me, the one who was introduced as a typical lecherous jerk and developed into something much more real and entirely lovable. I really love it when characters turn out to be more interesting than I expected them to be and Drew definitely delivered on that front. Plus, he is the source of some much-needed comic relief in this rather dark story, providing many laughs and memorable moments.
But...
This is a standard contemporary YA romance. With standard contemporary YA romance characters who have standard contemporary YA romance angst-filled issues. Which I guess is absolutely fine if you find yourself returning to this genre again and again in search of the same goods you got last time. In fact, this novel is perfect for fans of [b:Pushing the Limits|10194514|Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1)|Katie McGarry|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322770025s/10194514.jpg|15093690] (another book I felt conflicted about), they offer me some basic entertainment but they follow the same pattern and are completely predictable. They use stereotypes for characters (except, like I said, Drew), they always feature issue-ridden protagonists who need saving, the relationships always evolve through the same cycle of doubt, jealousy and general angst. Oh, and now attempted rape scenes seem to be a requirement as well.
Even though I did grow to like Josh more towards the end, I had a lot of trouble with his character to start with and I never fully recovered from it. In some ways, he reminded me of Ethan from [b:Beautiful Creatures|6304335|Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, # 1)|Kami Garcia|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327873282s/6304335.jpg|6488966] in that he saw himself (and eventually Nastya too) as being morally above everyone else. He is more critical of himself as the novel progresses but I found myself really annoyed at him for turning his nose up at the "vapid, cute and popular" girls who flirt with guys. The usual stereotypes are employed here, using the blonde, pretty and popular girl as an unnecessarily mean airhead. She's even called "pretty in an obvious way"... what does that even mean? And that's such a horrible, bitchy comment. Josh even comments on how morally superior he is to Drew by saying "I don't think I'd be desperate enough to sink to Drew's level". This is why I found it really hard to care about the guy. Nastya, of course, doesn't try to hook up with all the hot guys so she is also a morally superior being in Josh's eyes. For a further example, see my status update: http://www.goodreads.com/user_status/show/23158580
On top of that, it's all just a little too cheesy for me at times - an odd thing to say for a book that is simultaneously so dark - but one thing I really can't stand in romance novels is pet names. I find it gross, actually. And in this Josh always calls Nastya "sunshine" and I just do not think it's cute. I know some readers will and that's great, but I just... ugh *vomits* And back to the whole saving thing, Josh even gets in this line that I don't think I could physically make my vocal cords say out loud: "every day you save me". This is obviously a matter of taste and perhaps your eyes are filling up right now when you read that. If so, this is the book for you, but it doesn't do it for me. I think it even takes something away from the very real emotion when they say something that's straight out of your standard romcom. But, to end on one last positive, Millay writes sex scenes that are handled expertly, honestly and gave me a few tugs on the old heartstrings. This book ticks the boxes at both ends of the scale for me, but it will definitely be your new favourite if you love contemporary romance.
I wish she was all or nothing with the not talking. It felt punitive to the people around her that weren’t in the loop.
Loved Josh though.
Loved Josh though.
I CRIED LIKE A LITTLE BABY AND MY HEART IS ALL MUSHY AND MY BRAIN HURTS
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes