Now, this is slowly becoming a tradition here at i swim for oceans. I am in a healthy, loving relationship, kiddos, but it doesn't hurt to tell you that I hate this so-called "holiday." Frankly, I think you should tell people you love them all year long...not on a day that's dominated by greeting cards and fake love. I'm jussayin'. So, in honour of my supreme dislike of this holiday, I decided I would do my very own UnValentine’s Day post for you all. This time, we're going to talk about love gone wrong. So romantic, right? WRONG!

Dark Song by Gail Giles – Yes, I love this book. I have never once made that a secret, but let me just tell you how horribly love-gone-wrong this book is. We’ve got a vulnerable main character, Ames, who is desperate to rebel because of everything complicated and messy happening in her life. We’ve got a so-called love interest, Marc, who manipulates, violates and demeans. Oh yeah, and he threatens her whole family.

Breathing Underwater – This one has schools in an uproar, trying to ban it because of the oh-so-sensitive materials for the even more sensitive eyes of the youth. Ok, first of all, dating violence exists. It does, so this book clearly reaches to those victims. Futhermore, it displays in full force the effects of a boy trying to escape the darkness in him and the girl trapped by his spell. That’s a love story gone wrong, if I’ve ever heard of one.

Stay by Deb Caletti – This is the classic story of misogynistic manipulation and the vulnerability of a YA character desperate to find herself. There was so much hurt, and danger, and unspeakable cruelty in this book that you’re left wondering if the good guys really do exist (they do). Consider this your classic (albeit amazingly written) tale of twisted and wrong YA love.

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown – You know how you always want your man to shower you with love and affection? Well, there’s a fine line between loving and possessing, and this book wholly grabs you and shakes you into a painful, bitter reality. Cole manipulates and possesses Alexandra throughout, never allowing her to see a shred of hope and leaving her to believe that A) not only is it her fault, but B) it will never happen again. Needless to say…we know that those lines never really mean anything.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick – Okay, this one’s got the trifecta. First, we’ve got the heroine who is easily swayed by the bad boy’s charm. We’ve got the “bad boy”/badass angel who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about Nora’s feelings, and THEN we’ve got the scenes where he quite clearly takes advantage of her. Oh yeah, and she’s often crying and alone. I’m gonna call bad romance because, clearly, it doesn’t just stick to YA contemps.

What YA stories can you think of that feature bad love stories or love gone wrong?

TGIF is a new(ish) feature at one of my absolute favourite blogs, GReads!, hosted by the lovely Ginger. It's a way to celebrate the impending weekend, and answer fun questions. Most of all though, you get to know a wee bit more about all those awesome bloggers you meet. So, what are you waiting for? Do your own post and head on over to link up!

Which particular books opened you up to a new genre?

I could say it a thousand times, and I'd honestly sound as though I'm preaching, but there are SO so many books that have opened my eyes to new genres and subgenres that I thought I'd never like. Those who follow me religiously know that I've always had a bit of a strong aversion to contemporary fiction though. And, actually, a lot of you have asked why, so I'll my general reasoning down to three main points:

1. I don't feel like a good portion of contemporary fiction is even remotely like real life adolescence, and that makes me cranky.

2. So much of contemporary fiction paints things in black and white/good or bad/hot or not. Life isn't that simple, or cut and dried. It's complicated.

3. I like messy things. I like watching worlds unravel and spin out of control. I've read too many contemps were it's all ribbons, and ponies and a nonstop Taylor Swift (happy) love song.

That said, I have been proven wrong in quite a few instances this past year, and I can admit when a book changes my mind in a way. So, the top three books that have truly spoken to me on a deeper level in the genre of contemporary fiction are:

1. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar; 2. Dark Song by Gail Giles; 3. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

The common denominator? They're all dark and twisty and messy. Colour me crazy, but I love it when they are out of control.

Talk to Me Tuesday is a brand new weekly meme where we will discuss anything (and everything) literary-related in an open forum of honesty. Questions for the next week will be posted one week prior to the post on the Features page. If you'd like to participate in this weekly feature, simply create your post, link back to me, and add your post to the wonderful Mr. Linky below. Have fun, and have at it!

This week's question: What makes a great novel, in your opinion?

It’s kind of like the age-old question for book reviewers and book nerds, alike. What makes the perfect book for you? What makes you want to read a book again, and again, and again? I sat down the other day and decided to analyze it, and I decided it’s a bit like a trifecta for me. Three things (mainly) make a book great for me, and when just a single element is lacking, a book lags in my opinion and slips in my reviews.

First, I need great characters. I need them to be well-rounded and motivated in the sense that there is a reason they exist in the book. For example, in a book like Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, we were given Lea, an emotionally troubled girl desperate to vanish from the face of the earth through her disease, anorexia. She is haunted by a pact she made with her best friend, determined to continue her own destruction for fear of failure, and hell-bent on being the best at something, even if it means her ultimate demise. There are, however, characters that are too surface-level for me, and leave me wishing a book was stronger in that element. A perfect example for me in this case is Bridget from Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison. She’s promising, yes, but I never felt like her character ever really broke through her mean-girl stereotype except for self-survival.

Then, we have the plot. This is arguably the most important element of the story because without a sturdy and steady plot, there is no pace, and without the pace, let’s be honest…the whole book falls to pieces. Every plot is different (obviously), but every plot needs its share of background, a good flow, and a climax. For me, a great example of an awesome plot is that of Dark Song by Gail Giles. It starts with a spoiled little rich girl, rips her from her roots, throws in a bad influence, and leads to something that could very well destroy a family and a life. It moves steadily and consistently without lulls and major plot holes. A lot of books, unfortunately miss the mark with the climax. A prime example of an unfortunate fail for me was Witch & Wizard by James Patterson. It’s bland, boring, and spends too much time on minute and obscure details to ever get going. It promises a powerful premise but falls hopelessly short.

Last, there’s the writing style and voice. In YA literature, which I primarily read and review, there’s a delicate balance that must be upheld at all times. There’s a misconception that YA lit needs to be dumbed down and writing in blah/boring terms because the people who read YA are sans education or far too young. Contrary to what one might think, we can handle seriousness and great prose. We can analyze the themes properly. Some books, like Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers, respect this and challenge our minds. Other books, like Trapped by Michael Northrop, miss the mark because they simple err on the side of youth, forgetting that we’re every bit as capable of reading and understanding powerful books and messages.

Here's what some of your fellow bloggers said makes a great novel for them:

The Book Vixen says, "It pulls me in from the get-go, never let's me go, and keeps me thinking about it long after the last page has been turned."

Linds from Bibliophile Brouhaha says, "A GREAT novel? One that takes you on the character's journey. When the story is so compelling, the voice so authentic, and the writing so solid, that you've become the character and the journey is your own."

Ginger from GReads says, "When the writer makes you forget that you're reading words on a page & the story takes a life of it's own inside your mind."

Obviously, these are my personal opinions, but without any of these elements, I have to deduct points in my reviews, which (I believe) my readers can attest to. I take no pleasure in tearing books down, but I do take great pleasure in reading challenging and unique books. Luckily for us, there are a great many fabulous books on the market today and, therefore, there is no shortage of fantastic reading.

Want to weigh in and do your own Talk to Me Tuesday post for this week? Go ahead and link up!

Marc said he heard the dark song when he creeped houses. The song the predator's heart sings when it hears the heart of the prey. I heard it now. Marc said it had always been in me. Lurking. Waiting for me to hear.
Ames is not the person she was a few months ago. Her father lost his job, and her family is crumbling apart. Now, all she has is Marc. Marc, who loves her more than anything. Marc, who owns a gun collection. And he'll stop at nothing--even using his guns--to get what he wants. Ames feels her parents have betrayed her with their lies and self-absorption, but is she prepared to make the ultimate betrayal against them?
Taken from GoodReads.

In Dark Song, we meet Ames. She’s a golden girl with the world at her feet. Born into a life of privilege, cushy mansions, and excess, Ames doesn’t know the first thing about loss until the rug is pulled out from under her feet. When her father is fired from his job, details emerge revealing him for what he truly is, and Ames feels betrayed. Lost and confused, her perfect world starts to unravel, and suddenly she’s thrust into a new town with new lies and new losses. But Marc offers her an out. He offers her protection and a sense of stability…but how much is Ames willing to give up for him?

Before I say anything else, let me state that Dark Song is NOT a feel-good book. If you are looking for something light and fluffy, this is not the book for you. I didn’t really know what I was in for when I started Dark Song, but I was intrigued, and I’ll admit that I devoured this book in about four hours. It’s a quick and fast-paced read that sends you on a dark and enthralling ride as a good girl goes bad. Gail Giles strings you along with Ames and her family, hooking you with a plot that won’t let you go.

I was amazed by just how dark Dark Song really was. I had a general idea where it was going, but wow…it dips into some pretty dark and messy material – stuff that I’m not usually used to or want to read. That said, I think Gail Giles handled the issues with due tact. I will, however, state that while I found the characterization of Ames, her family, and Marc to be superb, I was really, really disappointed in the secondary characters at the beginning like Kim. Her first introduction is as “the anorexic girl,” and her descriptions that followed were stereotyped and a bit crass. Furthermore, her cronies were the stereotypical mean girls that I loathe so much. I wished those characters broke the mold like Emily. I also had some trouble stomaching the actual relationship between Marc and Ames. It’s very…graphic, shall we say. I think, however, that was the point of Dark Song.

All in all, if you’re looking for a no-holds-barred take on one girl’s downward spiral from good to bad, Dark Song is a really great read. It’s very dark though, so if you do read, be prepared for the content to be rather heavy. I give this a very strong 4 out of 5, and I’d recommend it to fans of YA, contemporary fiction, and I think an adult audience would appreciate it, as well, as it’s a very poignant story.

This ARC was given to me free of charge from the publisher, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page, and BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I had a flash of my mom's face as she folded and smoothed the thick, fluffy towels, scented with lavender. She always folded and put away the towels herself for some reason, instead of letting Carmen do it.
Dark Song by Gail Giles

And now, for my Tuesday Teaser...For those of you who don't know, I do my Tuesday Teasers differently (and yes, I add this disclaimer every time). Each week, I feature two sentences (or more) of something I've written, leave it up all day, then remove it around 11 PM. You're welcome to comment on it, love it, hate it, or simply read it at your leisure...if you'd like, of course. This week's teaser is from my current WIP, RACE.

The Tuesday Teaser is down! Check back next week for more :)