Review: Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Title: Epic Fail

Author: Claire LaZebnik

Publisher:  HarperTeen

Publication Date: 8.2.2011

Pages: 288

Genre: Contemporary, Remake

Series: No

Source: Purchased from Amazon.com

Rating: B+

Summary (from Goodreads):

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Review:

Finally, a reworking of Pride and Prejudice that would make Jane Austen proud! Claire LaZebnik created a vibrant cast, took Austen’s original novel, but then made the concept her own with a great modern twist. The ending result is fabulous and total entertainment.

I cannot get over how much I fell for Elise and Derek. Something about their connection simply jumped off the pages and grabbed me. Elise was simply awesome. She’s the type of girl I would have loved hanging out with in high school. And yes, while Derek is a bit standoffish and hard to read at times, that mystery only adds to his appeal. Their scenes together were a big part of what kept me reading—I could not wait to get to their next interaction.

If I find fault in anything about this novel it’s the way it sort of fizzled at the end. I felt like it dragged on a chapter or two more than necessary. I’m not sure what, if any, purpose the last few chapters added to the story. I thought maybe something else would happen, but it never materialized. I was left a little confused and let down by that.

Epic Fail is a fast, fun, and adorable read. It’s the kind of book you want to sink into in one sitting and not feel the least bit guilty about binging on after three straight hours.

Buy: Amazon

Review: Jane by April Lindner

Title: Jane

Author: April Lindner

Publisher: Poppy

Publication Date: 10.11.2010

Pages: 384

Genre: Romance, Remake

Series: No

Rating: B+

Summary (from Goodreads):

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.

Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

Review:

As a fan of the original Jane Eyre, I was elated to hear about this book. In April Lindner's debut novel, she does quite a good job. Her descriptions are detailed without being overly wordy. I think she truly knew the heart of Jane Eyre and focused to enfuse it into this book.

The title character of Jane was just as I expected, if not at times a bit bland. While I mostly loved this character, at times she just fell flat. Perhaps the most problem I had with the book was the character of Nico Rathburn (aka Mr. Rochester).

Lindner's love for this character became quite apparent, but I feel like she never truly made Rathburn her own. Instead he became a somewhat odd variation of Rochester. Imagine Mr. Rochester in leather pants. Oftentimes I found she would have Rathburn saying things that just seemed ... dated. I could see *Rochester* saying them, but not a rockstar from 2010.

The storyline of JANE is sound and the love Lindner feels for the original is apparent on every single page. The love story between Jane and Nico is sweet and passionate. This book is by no means bad, and I am not disappointed I purchased it. I just think fans of the original Jane Eyre may struggle with some of the characters, but the audience this is geared towards has probably never read Charlotte Bronte's novel and will enjoy JANE immensely.

Review: Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

Title: Prom & Prejudice

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Publisher: Point

Publication Date: 1.1.2011

Pages: 231

Genre: Romance

Series: No

Rating:  D+

Summary (from Goodreads):

After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn’t interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be — especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.

Lizzie is happy about her friend’s burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles’s friend, Will Darcy, who’s snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn’t seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it’s because her family doesn’t have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk — so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway?

Will Lizzie’s pride and Will’s prejudice keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? Whatever the result, Elizabeth Eulberg, author of The Lonely Hearts Club, has concocted a very funny, completely stylish delight for any season — prom or otherwise.

Review:

I know I’m totally going against the grain here, but I truly did not like this book. I desperately wanted to, but I just couldn’t. I will admit that I’ve never read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, but I am familiar with the storyline. And honestly, I feel like now I’ve read it.

Here’s what I did like: I liked the way Eulberg managed to weave all the characters from Austen’s novel into this. Her ability to keep the original names of the characters in her updated version amused me (Mr. Collins is now Colin, a drab but sweet boy who is mostly clueless). The idea of the storyline itself is golden, and I love the idea of a modern retelling of a class – April Lindner’s Jane was one of my favorite reads this year. However, I felt Eulberg fell short when it came to executing the dialogue and setting the scene.

It was apparent within the first few chapters that this wasn’t your typical YA book because of the lines the characters spoke. I have never known a teenage girl to ever use the word “daft” in everyday speech unless reading from a book aloud in class. The characters spoke like they had been transplanted from the 1800s into the modern age. I have a very hard time finding a book enjoyable when I know that this isn’t how teenagers talk (and I don’t mean in a Dawson’s Creek kind of way). Eulberg also didn’t take the time to explain her settings. Characters walked through blank rooms, speaking contrived lines that, quite frankly, got annoying after a while. I also am not a fan of the insta-romance. It seemed like Elizabeth and Darcy fell for each other in the span of 20 pages. There were mentionings of them taking walks together, but that was it. The reader isn’t privy to these chats, so it makes their love seem abrupt and disjointed.

In all, it almost felt like a high school creative writing assignment. Like a teacher handed a student a classic and said, “Here. Read this and rewrite it for your generation.” The potential was there, and despite the lack of setting and weak dialogue, Eulberg is a good writer. But think this story would have benefitted from another 100-200 pages more to flesh out the story.