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ec_newman's review against another edition
3.0
Like the other Twisted Lit, fun and a bit cheesy. Inventive more than anything.
mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
Short Review:
Let's just say, the first part was awesome, the second part was absolutely horrendous and boring.
I loved the idea: kids stranded in a mall? With a snowstorm going on? Wow, awesome. Can't wait to see how that develops.
Instead, we get teen drama, breaking a mall (yes they do considerable damage to the mall) and some lame mystery going on (I knew for the start that that person would be the criminal).
Our main character was at times nice, but a lot of time she was just annoying, childish and thinking she was so high and mighty all the time. I didn't like how she treated people around her. Thinking they are her lackeys and all men fall for her (she even rejected one thinking he was there for her). She changes a little at the end, but it is so little.
I did like Ariel, she was a nice character, though a bit too hyper at times.
Would I recommend this book? No.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Let's just say, the first part was awesome, the second part was absolutely horrendous and boring.
I loved the idea: kids stranded in a mall? With a snowstorm going on? Wow, awesome. Can't wait to see how that develops.
Instead, we get teen drama, breaking a mall (yes they do considerable damage to the mall) and some lame mystery going on (I knew for the start that that person would be the criminal).
Our main character was at times nice, but a lot of time she was just annoying, childish and thinking she was so high and mighty all the time. I didn't like how she treated people around her. Thinking they are her lackeys and all men fall for her (she even rejected one thinking he was there for her). She changes a little at the end, but it is so little.
I did like Ariel, she was a nice character, though a bit too hyper at times.
Would I recommend this book? No.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
I was contacted by the authors to review both Tempestuous and Exposure. While I had not hear of either of these authors, or even the books, when I looked into them more I accepted and quickly made a start on them. Tempestuous is a modern day spin on The Tempest by William Shakespeare, and while we had to read Shakespeare's work in school, I am in now way a fan of his work, and while Tempestuous sounded interesting I was wary about reading it.
The minute I began reading I was instantly intrigued and wanted to know how a girl and boy end up hand cuffed together. I soon found myself engrossed in Miranda's story and learning about her fall from grace, from the top of the popularity ladder, right down to the bottom rung. This leads to her having to find a job, which is working at a hot dog stand and having to wear a ridiculous hat, leaving her at ridicule from her ex-friends and most popular girls in school. While Miranda may not have the best job, or the best head gear, her co-worker is one I instantly liked. Ariel is quirky and is often in her own little world, but she makes for great comedic responses to whoever she speaks too.
As Tempestuous progresses we soon find out the reasons for Miranda being handcuffed to Caleb, and I loved the build up between this duo. From the minute they meet they are at each others throats, and as the situation gets worse and they find themselves trapped in the Mall it led to more conflicts between them.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tempestuous, and even though I probably wouldn't have the nerve to do this myself, I loved the pranks Miranda plays to get back at the popular group and I often found myself laughing out loud at them. After finishing Tempestuous I was extremely happy to know I had the second book in this series to read. Kim and Amy have done a great job at modernising Shakespeare's work, and while I still can't see myself willingly picking up a book of his, I enjoyed reading this alternate version.
The minute I began reading I was instantly intrigued and wanted to know how a girl and boy end up hand cuffed together. I soon found myself engrossed in Miranda's story and learning about her fall from grace, from the top of the popularity ladder, right down to the bottom rung. This leads to her having to find a job, which is working at a hot dog stand and having to wear a ridiculous hat, leaving her at ridicule from her ex-friends and most popular girls in school. While Miranda may not have the best job, or the best head gear, her co-worker is one I instantly liked. Ariel is quirky and is often in her own little world, but she makes for great comedic responses to whoever she speaks too.
As Tempestuous progresses we soon find out the reasons for Miranda being handcuffed to Caleb, and I loved the build up between this duo. From the minute they meet they are at each others throats, and as the situation gets worse and they find themselves trapped in the Mall it led to more conflicts between them.
"Well, excuse me for having a perfectly natural freak-out response to all this. Unlike you, I do not have the emotional detachment of a cyborg".
[Miranda, kindle location 1655 ]
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tempestuous, and even though I probably wouldn't have the nerve to do this myself, I loved the pranks Miranda plays to get back at the popular group and I often found myself laughing out loud at them. After finishing Tempestuous I was extremely happy to know I had the second book in this series to read. Kim and Amy have done a great job at modernising Shakespeare's work, and while I still can't see myself willingly picking up a book of his, I enjoyed reading this alternate version.
beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
Miranda has been exiled to get a job. As if things could not be bad enough, the only jobs left at the mall was working in the food court. Miranda has a uniform that includes a hat with a spinning hot dog. Luckily, Miranda’s co-worker, Ariel is cool. However Miranda blames her ex-boyfriend, Brian and his new girlfriend, Rachel for her predicament.
Fortunately for Miranda she only has a few hours until her shift is over. As Miranda’s bad luck would have it a storm blows in and traps her and her enemies in the mall. Now it is a battle of epic proportions between Miranda on one side and Rachel on the other side. Oh and did I forget to mention that Miranda will have to battle while being handcuffed to Caleb, a possible love interest of Miranda’s.
To be honest, I was not familiar with the story of The Tempest. I had to read up on the story. Having once done that, I thought this book was a nice modern day twist on William’s story. I think that the teen audience will enjoy this book. This book just did not hit the right sweet spot for me. I found the characters a bit childish. This turned me off. Also, the story moved slowly for me. This could have accounted for the fact that I was not feeling the characters. Kim Askew and Amy Helmes make a good team. I could not tell where one stopped and the other one picked up writing the story.
Fortunately for Miranda she only has a few hours until her shift is over. As Miranda’s bad luck would have it a storm blows in and traps her and her enemies in the mall. Now it is a battle of epic proportions between Miranda on one side and Rachel on the other side. Oh and did I forget to mention that Miranda will have to battle while being handcuffed to Caleb, a possible love interest of Miranda’s.
To be honest, I was not familiar with the story of The Tempest. I had to read up on the story. Having once done that, I thought this book was a nice modern day twist on William’s story. I think that the teen audience will enjoy this book. This book just did not hit the right sweet spot for me. I found the characters a bit childish. This turned me off. Also, the story moved slowly for me. This could have accounted for the fact that I was not feeling the characters. Kim Askew and Amy Helmes make a good team. I could not tell where one stopped and the other one picked up writing the story.
shelvesofsecrets's review against another edition
3.0
I found Tempestuous to be the kind of book you enjoy, but can't remember the details when you think about it a month later. That is to say, I found it to be enjoyable, but not particularly memorable.
Our heroine, Miranda Prospero, is a cocky high school student who has recently fallen from grace at her fancy prep school as part of a cheating scandal. In order to pay restitution, Miranda is stuck working a crappy job serving hot dogs at the mall food court. That's exactly what Miranda, along with her quirky co-worker, Ariel, is doing when the storm of the century hits, causing the roads to become impassible and stranding everyone in the mall.
Miranda has to contend not only with the dorky teens that work in the food court, but also with her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friends, who are also stranded in the mall. The public and private school teens polarize and pranks and mayhem ensue. But it's not all fun and games. A thief is loose in the mall and he or she isn't above assaulting potential witnesses, or worse.
As Miranda and Ariel, along with their fellow mall employees, including the mysterious Caleb, whom Miranda finds herself manacled to, race to not only catch the thief, but also enact some revenge of Miranda's snotty private school classmates, they might just learn something about each other and themselves.
Miranda is not the most likable heroine. She's cocky, manipulative and stuck-up. While she does do some growing though the book, I still wasn't a huge fan of her calculated and some-times insincere tactics. However, I still think her heart is in the right place and you really can't expect someone to change their personality overnight.
The secondary characters were fairly enjoyable and force the reader to remember than no one is simply a stereotype. I like Ariel, although I wish she could have had a bit more backbone and not been as devoted to Miranda as she was. Caleb was your typical loner-type, who had all kinds of onion-y layers that Miranda got to discover through the night locked in the mall.
I was surprised at how much happened in this relatively short book. It seemed like the pranks, jokes and close-calls were never-ending, although they did wrap up in the end into a neat little package.
The parallels to Shakespeare's The Tempest were fairly weak, although the resemblance came through in the character names (Miranda Prospero, Ariel and even Caleb, which is similar to the character of Caliban) and the idea of a storm marooning the characters.
While I didn't find Tempestuous to be anything ground-breaking or overly memorable, I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading Exposure, the next book in the Twisted Lit series.
Our heroine, Miranda Prospero, is a cocky high school student who has recently fallen from grace at her fancy prep school as part of a cheating scandal. In order to pay restitution, Miranda is stuck working a crappy job serving hot dogs at the mall food court. That's exactly what Miranda, along with her quirky co-worker, Ariel, is doing when the storm of the century hits, causing the roads to become impassible and stranding everyone in the mall.
Miranda has to contend not only with the dorky teens that work in the food court, but also with her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friends, who are also stranded in the mall. The public and private school teens polarize and pranks and mayhem ensue. But it's not all fun and games. A thief is loose in the mall and he or she isn't above assaulting potential witnesses, or worse.
As Miranda and Ariel, along with their fellow mall employees, including the mysterious Caleb, whom Miranda finds herself manacled to, race to not only catch the thief, but also enact some revenge of Miranda's snotty private school classmates, they might just learn something about each other and themselves.
Miranda is not the most likable heroine. She's cocky, manipulative and stuck-up. While she does do some growing though the book, I still wasn't a huge fan of her calculated and some-times insincere tactics. However, I still think her heart is in the right place and you really can't expect someone to change their personality overnight.
The secondary characters were fairly enjoyable and force the reader to remember than no one is simply a stereotype. I like Ariel, although I wish she could have had a bit more backbone and not been as devoted to Miranda as she was. Caleb was your typical loner-type, who had all kinds of onion-y layers that Miranda got to discover through the night locked in the mall.
I was surprised at how much happened in this relatively short book. It seemed like the pranks, jokes and close-calls were never-ending, although they did wrap up in the end into a neat little package.
The parallels to Shakespeare's The Tempest were fairly weak, although the resemblance came through in the character names (Miranda Prospero, Ariel and even Caleb, which is similar to the character of Caliban) and the idea of a storm marooning the characters.
While I didn't find Tempestuous to be anything ground-breaking or overly memorable, I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading Exposure, the next book in the Twisted Lit series.
heather4994's review against another edition
5.0
While I don't remember The Tempest that well I do recall a storm, isolation, and romance. Tempestuous had it all. It was a lighthearted contemporary romance and mystery that kept me entertained me while reading it. It wasn't taxing to read so it's just the thing to read for the holidays or a great beach read especially if you're heading somewhere sunny for the holidays.
Miranda Prospero used to be one of the popular crowd but has fallen from grace due to a tutoring scheme gone awry. Now not even the geeks won't talk to her. But at the food court, where she's working, she reigns as a queen among the lowly public school kids and most especially with her pixie like co-worker. (Wasn't there a pixie in The Tempest?) It's fun to watch Miranda at work. She's got a scheme for everything and an ego as big as the snowstorm outside that has the food court workers and a few of Miranda's ex-friends stuck in the mall overnight with a dangerous thief.
While Miranda's ex- friends hole up down at the richer end of the mall with all the best bedding and food, arming themselves with BB guns, Miranda and her co-workers decide to launch a counter attack to get the supplies they need. All while handcuffed to a nerdy gamer named Caleb. (Long story, read the book)! During this time, Miranda plays matchmaker, sleuth, supply coordinator, entertainment director and most of all, revenge taker and she finds herself falling for someone other than her ex. But when her ex comes crawling back, it's really hard for her to say no to her old lifestyle.
As I said, I don't know how much this sticks to The Tempest because I don't remember it, but it was enjoyable to read and a great holiday read especially because the troops get snowed in for a night. You'd be amazed how much entertainment a food court can provide. Think Jenga with frozen hot dogs. I have another novel to read by these two authors called Exposure that I can't wait to dive into that released next month.
Very clean read. Recommended for anyone that enjoys contemporary YA literature.
Thanks to the authors for a review copy of the novel in return for a review. This in no way influenced my opinion.
Miranda Prospero used to be one of the popular crowd but has fallen from grace due to a tutoring scheme gone awry. Now not even the geeks won't talk to her. But at the food court, where she's working, she reigns as a queen among the lowly public school kids and most especially with her pixie like co-worker. (Wasn't there a pixie in The Tempest?) It's fun to watch Miranda at work. She's got a scheme for everything and an ego as big as the snowstorm outside that has the food court workers and a few of Miranda's ex-friends stuck in the mall overnight with a dangerous thief.
While Miranda's ex- friends hole up down at the richer end of the mall with all the best bedding and food, arming themselves with BB guns, Miranda and her co-workers decide to launch a counter attack to get the supplies they need. All while handcuffed to a nerdy gamer named Caleb. (Long story, read the book)! During this time, Miranda plays matchmaker, sleuth, supply coordinator, entertainment director and most of all, revenge taker and she finds herself falling for someone other than her ex. But when her ex comes crawling back, it's really hard for her to say no to her old lifestyle.
As I said, I don't know how much this sticks to The Tempest because I don't remember it, but it was enjoyable to read and a great holiday read especially because the troops get snowed in for a night. You'd be amazed how much entertainment a food court can provide. Think Jenga with frozen hot dogs. I have another novel to read by these two authors called Exposure that I can't wait to dive into that released next month.
Very clean read. Recommended for anyone that enjoys contemporary YA literature.
Thanks to the authors for a review copy of the novel in return for a review. This in no way influenced my opinion.
somarostam's review against another edition
5.0
I am a great fan of Shakespeare's plays. I loved Hamlet and Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet was epic. But I haven't read The Tempest, so I'm not sure about the similarities but this book was one twisted piece of literature (in a good way)!
Miranda was always the "it" girl, the "go-to" girl, the most popular girl at her high school. Until, she decided to open up a little win-win website, but soon, everything spirals out of control, and she falls down her popularity mount, unfairly. They say "The taller you climb, the harder you'll fall" (something along these lines)...
Everyone at her high school hates her, and her father is devastated. Now, Miranda is working at a corn-dog stand in the local mall, to pay up for everything she earned in her little plan. But one night, as a huge blizzard hits, she is locked inside with a bunch of other teenagers. But Miranda is set on one thing: get revenge in the truest way!
I loved this novel. Who would have thought that I could fall in love with such a light, almost-cliche sort of read. But, surprising myself, I adored this. And since I need to organize my thoughts, I will write this review in points:
1- Kim and Amy's writing is exotic. It is light. It is believable (for a teenager). Their writings blended together in perfect harmony that I couldn't tell the difference, at all.
---
Her boundless enthusiasm and my healthy sarcasm went together about as well as a helium balloon and a bucket of rusty nails...
---
2- Most of their characters were layered. Miranda is very unlikable at first. But I absolutely loved her once I got into the story. She tends to help everyone, and she is sarcastic. Ariel, Miranda's co-worker is such a sweet, sweet girl! I adored her. She reminds me of, well... me. And rarely books make me feel like that. A couple of the characters fell flat for me, but I didn't mind.
3- The Romance. A slow-building, love-hate relationship between Miranda and Caleb. An A+ for the authors on the romance. I loved noticing the growing attraction between them and how they pushed each other away at first. But even if there were not enough one-on-one moments, I felt their chemistry.
---
A simple guitar slung over a guy's torso can transform even the most feral-looking guy into someone, well, kind of hot...
---
4- The mystery. Yes, there is a mystery. Something occurs in the mall and someone is responsible. This part was a little predictable, I found out who it was a couple of chapters before Miranda did. But THAT did not stop me from enjoying how the characters treated the discovery. When contemporary authors add a mysterious feel to the story, I always end up disappointed. But this was not the case here. The mystery part added to the story, and it led to a great character development.
Sarcastic. Funny. Spellbinding. A promising debut from two one-in-a-million authors! I cannot wait to read more from them! Go, grab a copy, NOW!
Miranda was always the "it" girl, the "go-to" girl, the most popular girl at her high school. Until, she decided to open up a little win-win website, but soon, everything spirals out of control, and she falls down her popularity mount, unfairly. They say "The taller you climb, the harder you'll fall" (something along these lines)...
Everyone at her high school hates her, and her father is devastated. Now, Miranda is working at a corn-dog stand in the local mall, to pay up for everything she earned in her little plan. But one night, as a huge blizzard hits, she is locked inside with a bunch of other teenagers. But Miranda is set on one thing: get revenge in the truest way!
I loved this novel. Who would have thought that I could fall in love with such a light, almost-cliche sort of read. But, surprising myself, I adored this. And since I need to organize my thoughts, I will write this review in points:
1- Kim and Amy's writing is exotic. It is light. It is believable (for a teenager). Their writings blended together in perfect harmony that I couldn't tell the difference, at all.
---
Her boundless enthusiasm and my healthy sarcasm went together about as well as a helium balloon and a bucket of rusty nails...
---
2- Most of their characters were layered. Miranda is very unlikable at first. But I absolutely loved her once I got into the story. She tends to help everyone, and she is sarcastic. Ariel, Miranda's co-worker is such a sweet, sweet girl! I adored her. She reminds me of, well... me. And rarely books make me feel like that. A couple of the characters fell flat for me, but I didn't mind.
3- The Romance. A slow-building, love-hate relationship between Miranda and Caleb. An A+ for the authors on the romance. I loved noticing the growing attraction between them and how they pushed each other away at first. But even if there were not enough one-on-one moments, I felt their chemistry.
---
A simple guitar slung over a guy's torso can transform even the most feral-looking guy into someone, well, kind of hot...
---
4- The mystery. Yes, there is a mystery. Something occurs in the mall and someone is responsible. This part was a little predictable, I found out who it was a couple of chapters before Miranda did. But THAT did not stop me from enjoying how the characters treated the discovery. When contemporary authors add a mysterious feel to the story, I always end up disappointed. But this was not the case here. The mystery part added to the story, and it led to a great character development.
Sarcastic. Funny. Spellbinding. A promising debut from two one-in-a-million authors! I cannot wait to read more from them! Go, grab a copy, NOW!
michellesantiago's review against another edition
3.0
It's one of those teenagers-stuck-in-the-mall for 24 hours kind of story filled with crazy schemes, revenge against the mean preppy kids, light romance, etc. There's a lot of cliches and the writing be a bit all over the place but it's a quick, fun read nonetheless. Full review to come.
kblincoln's review against another edition
3.0
This one was not quite to my taste. True, it had over-the-top witty, media-referencing banter, massive Shakespeare allusion, and a heroine who learns the hard lesson of not judging people by outward appearance.
Miranda and her merry band of foodcourt workers are trapped with the popular gang in the mall one night when a snowstorm closes down everything. With only an ineffectual mall cop to chaperone, the kids go a big crazy.
The popular gang take over various stores, they borrow willy nilly from different stores, and Miranda ends up handcuffed to Caleb, a dower boy she'd hardly noticed before.
But this is going to be a night of hijinks. Despite the threat of a mysterious robber, Miranda focuses her attention on getting back at the popular kids; including her former friends and boyfriend who dumped her in a most flagrant way due to an SAT prep scandal.
I think why this didn't work so much for me was that I couldn't get past the necessary suspension of disbelief required by the scenario: dozens of teenagers trapped in a mall overnight pilfering items and food without fear of reprisal? Causing glitter chaos? I just kept cringing whenever the story required them to "borrow" something else. While Miranda was fun, she was definitely a character and not someone I ended up identifying with or feeling like was a real person.
So thumbs up for wacky hijinks and Shakespeare (and truly LOL one-liners) but it wasn't quite what I'm looking for in YA fiction.
This Book's Snack Rating: Doritos for food court humor and that distinctive, spiced flavor of whackiness you either enjoy or don't
Miranda and her merry band of foodcourt workers are trapped with the popular gang in the mall one night when a snowstorm closes down everything. With only an ineffectual mall cop to chaperone, the kids go a big crazy.
The popular gang take over various stores, they borrow willy nilly from different stores, and Miranda ends up handcuffed to Caleb, a dower boy she'd hardly noticed before.
But this is going to be a night of hijinks. Despite the threat of a mysterious robber, Miranda focuses her attention on getting back at the popular kids; including her former friends and boyfriend who dumped her in a most flagrant way due to an SAT prep scandal.
I think why this didn't work so much for me was that I couldn't get past the necessary suspension of disbelief required by the scenario: dozens of teenagers trapped in a mall overnight pilfering items and food without fear of reprisal? Causing glitter chaos? I just kept cringing whenever the story required them to "borrow" something else. While Miranda was fun, she was definitely a character and not someone I ended up identifying with or feeling like was a real person.
So thumbs up for wacky hijinks and Shakespeare (and truly LOL one-liners) but it wasn't quite what I'm looking for in YA fiction.
This Book's Snack Rating: Doritos for food court humor and that distinctive, spiced flavor of whackiness you either enjoy or don't
dtrumps's review against another edition
4.0
Solid 3.5, funny, smart, if a little predictable (I knew who the culprit was 1/2 through), but very much worth the read. I loved Miranda and her subjects.