Readings of a Teenage Tree

Contest ends tomorrow!

2009-10-17T21:58:00.002-04:00

Well, technically it should end today but since I'm exhausted and heading off to bed I'm going to extend it by one day. If you want to win a copy of Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney you have less than 24 hours to enter! For more info, go here: http://readingsofateenagetree.blogspot.com/2009/09/win-copy-of-blue-plate-special.html

The Vampire's Assistant Giveaway!

2009-10-07T19:55:00.008-04:00

The Vampire's Assistant- In Theaters October 23rd

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

But of course, this is a book blog, not a movie blog...

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

-TWO winners will receive a Cirque du Freak book set (three titles in one volume) and a Cirque du Freak locker mirror

-Ends on October 25th

-To Enter, leave a comment here
-Extra entries for linking to the contest (+1 per link)

-Unfortunately, this is open only to the US and no P.O. boxes.

-Make sure to vote on the nifty widget below!

Win a Copy of Blue Plate Special!

2009-09-26T15:27:00.005-04:00

Summary

Big Macs and pop tunes mask the emptiness as Madeline watches her mom drink away their welfare checks. Until the day Tad, a quirky McDonald's counter boy, asks Madeline out for a date, and she gets her first taste of normal. But with a life that’s anything but, how long can normal really last?

Hanging with Jeremy, avoiding Mam, sticking Do Not Disturb Post-its on her heart, Desiree's mission is simple: party hard, graduate (well, maybe), get out of town. But after Desiree accepts half a meatball grinder, a cold drink, and a ride from her mother's boyfriend one rainy afternoon, nothing is ever simple again.

Too many AP classes. Workaholic mom. Dad in prison. Still, Ariel's sultry new boyfriend, Shane, manages to make even the worst days delicious. But when an unexpected phone call forces a trip to visit a sick grandmother she's never met, revealing her family's dark past, Ariel struggles to find the courage to make the right choice for her own future.

As three girls from three different decades lives converge, they discover they are connected ways they could never imagine. Each of them finds strength that brings her closer to healing a painful past, and faith that there is a happier future.

Giveaway Details:

-One winner will receive a copy of Blue Plate Special

-Ends October 17th

-To enter, leave a comment here
-Extra entries for linking to the contest (1 entry per link)

-As of right now, this contest is open to anyone. However, since I am not sending the book myself this is subject to change.

This is what's going on

2009-09-19T12:29:00.003-04:00

Since my last post I've been sick a total of three times. I have a sneaky feeling its from the people on my field hockey team coming to practice when they're not feeling well, but that's not the point. I've spent more of my free time sleeping than anything else.

However, I have not forgotten about this blog. I will be starting another giveaway this weekend, or early next week at the latest. I have a HUGE stack of books I have to review. And I'm going to try to get some IMM posts up at some point.

Please, just be patient with me. The new school year has really thrown me off and that combined with not feeling well has made it very hard to keep up with this blog, but I'm going to do my best to get things up and running again soon!

And the winners are...

2009-09-07T14:00:00.002-04:00

Heather Zundel
Ginny

Congratulations! I've just sent an email out to both of you, and thank you to everyone who entered!

Last chance to enter!

2009-09-07T11:53:00.002-04:00

There's only a few more hours to enter to win 8 books by James Patterson! In about two hours I'm going to pick winners!

For more info and to enter, go here.

Only 4 more days to enter!

2009-09-05T11:10:00.002-04:00

The promotion I'm hosting ends on Tuesday and you guys do NOT want to miss this one! I'm giving away EIGHT books by James Patterson, including 6 Maximum Ride novels!

There will be TWO winners, but so far only three people have entered! Come on, guys, you know you want these books!

For info and to enter, please go here: http://readingsofateenagetree.blogspot.com/2009/08/want-to-win-maximum-ride-prize-pack.html

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

2009-08-31T18:56:00.004-04:00

Morgan can't imagine living her life without Cam. They're the perfect couple and they've always been together. Then Pip, Cam's awkward cousin, shows up and Cam starts acting distant. The problem? The two are changelings- Cam is a fairy and Pip is a human. Worse, Cam is expected to go become Fairy King! Determined to keep him in her world, Morgan plots to stop the exchange- if their "perfect" relationship is worth it anymore.

This was a pretty good book, but I had higher expectations for it. I was expecting something with a bit of action, but a lot of it was just her day-to-day life with Cam as he's starting to change and whatnot. I also didn't really see any point for Morgan's psychic-ness other than a way for her to be convinced that Cam wasn't lying about being a fairy and so she could describe his changes, etc. It worked, but I wish there could've been a different way to still get the point across.

This isn't to say that this book wasn't good- I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't get boring or repetitive. I really liked how Cam was written going from top of everything to having his life slowly crumbling (though I did feel really bad for him!). I kind of figured how the story would end for Morgan and Pip, but I was shocked when we found out that Pip was going to be taking Cam's place when/if he became Fairy King. It makes sense, but for some reason I didn't see that coming.

The ending of the book, though, is what I loved the most and that alone makes this worth a second read.

Want to win a Maximum Ride Prize Pack?

2009-08-24T00:26:00.008-04:00

Not allowed to call it a contest, but here's what you need to know about this "promotion":

Two winners will each receive a prize pack consisting of the following:
Maximum Ride: Max (paperback)
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (paperback)
Maximum Ride: School's Out- Forever (paperback)
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (paperback)
Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (paperback)
Maximum Ride: Manga (paperback)
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (paperback)
Daniel X: Watch the Skies (hardcover)

Contest will run for only two weeks, ending on September 7th!

+1 entry for commenting
+1 entry for sticking a link somewhere (must provide proof)

NO P.O. boxes or international entries! Sorry guys, but I'm running this through a publishing company and I don't make the rules!

And the "must-include-or-else" info:

ENTER TO WIN A SET OF JAMES PATTERSON PAGETURNERS!
MAXIMUM RIDE – IF SHE LIVES, THE WORLD LIVES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE.

Read “MAX” - the newest book in the bestselling Maximum Ride series.
On sale in paperback 09/01/09!

Still reeling from their most recent adventure, Maximum Ride and the rest of the flock must head out to sea to uncover the secret behind a brand new series of disasters—fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii, hundreds of ships are being destroyed. As if that weren’t enough, they’re also being tracked by a criminal mastermind with, oh yeah, an army of mercenaries. Can the flock save themselves and the ocean, and the world, from utter destruction?

The Maximum Ride: Max Promotion is open to legal US residents who are at least 13 years of age as of August 24, 2009. There will be two prizes for each Promotion. Each prize consists of the following eight (8) books: Maximum Ride: Max (paperback); Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (paperback); Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever (paperback); Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (paperback); Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (paperback); Maximum Ride: Manga (paperback); The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (paperback); and Daniel X: Watch the Skies (hardcover). The approximate retail value of each prize is $72.00. Winners will be confirmed on or about September 28, 2009 by email. Prizes will only be shipped to confirmed winners with addresses in the US. Prizes will be shipped within 30 days after a selected entrant is confirmed as a winner.

Luna by Julie Anne Peters

2009-08-24T00:16:00.002-04:00

Like her namesake, Luna only shows herself by night. The reason? Her family would freak if they knew that Liam was a transsexual. Regan, her sister, is the only one who knows the truth and its getting harder and harder to deal with. Now, Luna wants to be seen by day, but how will her friends and family react?

Luna was an absolutely amazing book. Liam and Luna were both written beautifully. You could really tell the difference between the two, how Liam hated himself while Luna was (for the most part) happy. It was a vivid, almost eerie, insight into what its like trying to live your life when people expect you to be someone you know you just aren't.

The reactions of everyone to Luna revealing herself were just perfect. From Aly trying to accept it, but having a hard time, to the rejection of his parents (and seriously, that awesome twist with his mom? Wow!), just about every reaction was covered. I loved how the one person, besides Regan, who was mostly fine with everything was the one person who knew Liam the least. It really shows how much people hate sudden changes like this, and how they expect someone to always be the person they knew.

Luna is a must-read book, no matter who you are. It is seriously beyond awesome.

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

2009-08-20T12:22:00.004-04:00

Dru Anderson knows about the things that go bump in the night, but she's not ready to face them alone. After her father is turned into a zombie and she's forced to kill him, everything falls apart. Now the monsters are hunting her and Graves, the not-werewulf she dragged into this, is the only one on her side. Until Christophe turns up and reveals a startling secret about Dru. She knew she was special, but not that special...

For those of you who don't know, I am a huge fan of the TV show Supernatural, which in this case is not a good thing. I went into this from a Supernatural-fan standpoint which was not the right thing to do because all I could think about was "Okay, so take Dean and Sam, smash them into one person, make it female, and you've got Dru."

In all seriousness, though, Strange Angels was a very good book. If you like stories about people hunting supernatural things, you'll love this. There were definitely some unique points about this book, such as Dru's lineage (so to speak), which kept it from becoming too boring.

One thing that I was really happy about was how Dru really seemed like a real teenager. She wasn't lost in her ghost-hunting persona to the point where you went "She would not react that way!" There were definitely moments when you could tell that, despite what she did, she was still a real teenage girl.

Don't go into this book expecting it to be a parallel to other things you've read or watched, because it'll definitely ruin the story for you. This is a book that really needs to be read without picking it apart as you go.

Beastly by Alex Finn

2009-08-20T12:08:00.003-04:00

Kyle Kingsbury has it all, and knows it. As the most popular guy in school he doesn't see anything wrong with having a bit of fun with some new freak. Until the freak turns out to be a witch, who turns him into a beast. Now he's abandoned by his father and stuck in a Brooklyn home with no company except his tutor and a servant. Will the girl he saved (kidnaped) from her druggie father be the one to break the curse?

Beastly was a very interesting book to read. I loved how it took place in a very modern NYC, and the author really managed to pull off the setting. There weren't any moments where you were like "Wait a second, how could that happen in NYC?" which I was very happy about.

I also just loved reading the story from the Beast's point of view. You get a completely different feel for what happened. In Beastly you could see how Kyle changed from a stuck-up highschooler into someone who actually cared about other people and wanted to do the right thing, even at the expense of his own happiness.

Other notable things about this book were the other characters that showed up, especially Will (the tutor) and Magda (the servant). They both helped show how Kyle changed and the ending for them was very surprising, but definitely a good ending. I loved how Kendra, the witch, would show up in the mirror from time to time and her interactions with Kyle were great. The occasional scenes in a chat room were fun to read, especially because they had other well-known fairytale characters in them (though I wish they had used the Disney version of the little mermaid).

If you love fairytale retellings, especially Beauty and the Beast, then this is definitely a book you should pick up.

I kinda suck at the whole updating thing, don't I?

2009-08-17T15:51:00.002-04:00

I have (not joking) 6 books that I've finished and need to review. I'm definitely going to start writing the reviews tonight, but I might not be able to post any until Wednesday. I'm leaving sometime within the next hour or so to go out to dinner, then to a concert, and tomorrow I'm spending all day in NYC with my boyfriend.

However, later this week, and over the weekend, expect to see reviews for:

Wings by Aprilynne Pike
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Beastly by Alex Flinn

On Sunday expect to see a HUGE In My Mailbox post as well because I've gotten TONS of books this summer!

To the winners of my previous contests

2009-07-24T20:18:00.002-04:00

PLEASE let me know if you haven't gotten your book yet. I have tracking numbers for them all and I just had someone let me know that they hadn't received (my own fault- forgot to send one of them). They *should*, in theory, have gotten to you. If not, let me know so I can work something out. Most of them are through a publicity company so I can't control when they're sent except to send reminders; some I did send myself, so I can look and see if it's still around the house. Either way, I do want you to get your books!

Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin

2009-07-23T12:05:00.002-04:00

All Jill wants to do is a be a normal girl, which means going to the prom with the guy of her dreams. Unfortunately, Jill isn't a normal girl because for four days out of the month, she isn't Jill at all- she's Jack. This hasn't been more than a minor nuisance, but Jack's starting to develop a personality of his own and he's getting harder to keep in line...

I had such high hopes for Cycler and, for the most part, I wasn't disappointed. I was nervous at first, because Jill's story seemed a bit insubstantial. She barely even mentioned the whole cycling thing and was only focused on the prom. She skipped over the gritty details, only hinting at what was really going on. Not to mention I found her hypocritical at times, which I hated.

However, Jack's story was very well written. For me, he was definitely the better personality. He was more fun to read about, and there was more growth where he was concerned. Once he started developing his own personality, though, and it spilled over to Jill I didn't mind her story because it was actually interesting.

I really loved the ending and am looking forward to reading the next book!

Sorry, sorry, sorry!

2009-07-19T22:39:00.003-04:00

SO sorry for not really being active. Life has been hectic, despite the fact that it's summer vacation for me. I do have four or five reviews to post, which I will get to in the next few days.

Giveaway Winners!

2009-06-30T11:51:00.003-04:00

And the winners of the Twenty Boy Summer giveaway are...

AMY
Morgan @ BLT
Katie
Liz
Mishia

And the winner of the Clique: Summer Collection giveaway is...

Maria D

Thank you to everyone who entered! Winners, I've sent you an email. Please send me your address within a reasonable amount of time or I will be forced to pick a new winner.

Giveaways ending tomorrow!

2009-06-29T19:27:00.001-04:00

Both of my giveaways are ending tomorrow! You have less than 24 hours to enter!

For info on my Twenty Boy Summer giveaway go HERE.

For info on my The Clique: Summer Collection giveaway go HERE.

And Tragedy Strikes

2009-06-17T15:06:00.002-04:00

"One day after school let out, Housatonic Valley Regional High School is mourning a teen pulled into a river."

That's my school. I knew- know- the kid. He was on the Envirothon team at the beginning of the year and though I don't know him beyond that he's a good kid. They haven't found him yet, but they're officially looking for just a body. I'm trying to remain optimistic, but it's been over 24 hours already and the river is only a foot below flood stage. They can't even get divers into the water because its too dangerous.

I have reviews and an award to post, but honestly it may be awhile before I get around to it. I'm still in shock over this.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

2009-06-14T11:07:00.003-04:00

This review is going to be kept brief, due to the fact that I read the book several weeks ago.

Her name is Jenna Fox- or at least that's what her parents say. She was in a coma for a year following an accident and can't remember anything about her past. If that's not strange enough, what she does remember makes no sense- such as having entire books memorized word for word. Just who is Jenna Fox and what are her parents keeping from her?

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was a very interesting book to read. It threw me off at first because for some reason I had missed the fact that it was set in the future (don't ask me how, I just did), but once I got into it I couldn't put it down!

I really loved the whole mystery behind who Jenna was. I was guessing right along with her and didn't know anything until it all came together! I thought the ending of the book was alright, but could've been done better. I wish we knew what Allys immediate reaction was to what happened to her.

All in all, a very interesting book with a very interesting premise. Definitely pick this up if you haven't read it yet!

In My Mailbox (11)

2009-06-14T10:59:00.002-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted, as always, by The Story Siren. I don't have a lot of time to find pictures and organize my IMM post this week, so it's just going to be a list of titles. Some of these books I actually got two weeks ago but never posted and some already have been reviewed.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson
The Shadow Theives by Anne Ursu
Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe
Playing with Matches by Brian Katcher
The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper
Blue Flame by K. M. Grant
Angel by Cliff McNish
King of the Screwups by K. L. Going
Beastly by Alex Flinn

Teaser Tuesdays- The Adoration of Jenna Fox

2009-06-09T10:20:00.006-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

The Rules

-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
-Share the title & author

The Teasers

"God! Bits of me have landed everywhere. It would be funny if it wasn't so horrifying."

-From page 137 of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Take a Chance Challenge!

2009-06-09T06:31:00.002-04:00

Hosted over at Find Your Next Book Here! (Link is for challenge post)

This challenge is all about taking chances in your reading. There are 10 tasks in all -- 7 involve finding a book to read in very random ways. The last three tasks are about taking chances as a writer as you are challenged to take on the role of short story writer, poet and movie/book reviewer. The challenge is meant to be fun and no pressure. Complete as many or a few of the 10 challenges as you want. However, the more you complete, the more chances you'll get to win the grand prize. Here are the details:

The challenge will run from June 1, 2009 through November 30, 2009 (6 months)
One winner will be drawn on December 1, 2009 and will receive a grand prize of $25 worth of books from Amazon (any books you choose!)
The total number of entries that can be earned is 16 (10 for each challenge, 5 for completing all tasks and 1 for blogging/tweeting about the challenge).
You can join the challenge anytime before the November 30 deadline but only tasks completed by November 30, 2009 will be counted as entries.
To have your entries count, you must publish them on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your entries in the comment section on the original post.

Here are the 10 challenges:

Random Book Selection. Go to the library. Position yourself in a section such as Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Children (whatever section you want). Then write down random directions for yourself (for example, third row, second shelf, fifth book from right). Follow your directions and see what book you find. Check that book out of the library, read it and then write about it. (If you prefer, you can do the same at a bookstore and buy the book!)
Random Word. Go to this random word generator and generate a random word. Find a book with this word in the title. Read the book and write about it.
Birth Year Book. Find a book that was published or copyrighted in the year of your birth. Read the book and write about it.
Judge A Book By Its Cover. Pick out a book based SOLELY on the cover. First, write about what you expect the book to be about based on the cover art. Then read the book and write about how the book was different from and/or similar to what the cover art led you to expect.
Phoning An Author. Pick a random last name out of the phone book. Find an author with the same last name and read a book by them. Write about it. (I'm flexible ... if the first random name you pick is Xprxyrsss, you can pick again!)
Public Spying. Find someone who is reading a book in public. Find out what book they are reading and then read the same book. Write about it.
Random Bestseller. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1950 for the min. and 2008 for the max. and then hit generate. Then go to this site and find the year that Random.org generated for you and click on it. Then find the bestseller list for the week that would contain your birthday for that year. Choose one of the bestsellers from the list that comes up, read it and write about it.
Lit Riff (inspired by the book Lit Riffs by Matthew Miele.) Choose a song and then write a brief story that is inspired by or further explains the lyrics of the song.
Poetic Review. Write a book review in three different forms of verse: haiku, limerick and free verse. (You can pick any book you want to write about.)
Movie/Book Comparison. Find a book that you haven't read that has a movie based on it that you haven't seen. Read the book and watch the movie within a few days of each other. Write about your reactions to both the book and the movie and compare the two.

Looks like its going to be a lot of fun!

The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

2009-06-08T12:16:00.008-04:00

After being dumped by her boyfriend, logical and down-to-earth Kate vows to never fall in love again. Then she finds out that she won a contest and gets to spend the summer in Verona studying Shakespeare- specifically, Romeo and Juliet. She is instantly at odds with Giacomo, one of the Shakespeare Scholars, but teams up with him to trick the others into thinking they've fallen in love- providing that she can keep from falling in love herself.

The Juliet Club was a good book. Not the best I've read, but not horrible. It was a typical two-polar-opposites-fall-in-love story, but luckily didn't end up being really cliche or over-the-top.

I really liked the idea of them being in Verona and studying Shakespeare. It really added a unique twist to the story and it was fun to read at the same time. The ending was perfect because it didn't drag out for a long time, plus I loved the last little paragraph about Kate's friends and their bet.

On the other hand, I didn't like how everyone seemed to have a crush on a different Shakespeare Scholar, because you just knew that in the end they were all going to end up together anyway. Also, the romance made some of the characters seem shallow at times, especially Lucy.

The Juliet Club was an entertaining book, but not anything really special.

You have got to be kidding me...

2009-06-08T06:49:00.007-04:00

As many of you probably don't know, I'm on my school's Envirothon team, which is a team that studies environmental conservation and then goes to a competition. We won states and should have been going to Nationals.

You compete with teams of 5 and we had 3 alternates. 8 people. No problem coming up with a team for Nationals, right?

Wrong.

Out of the 5 people that won states, 1 is going to be gone all summer. We knew this from the beginning. Unfortunately, our first-choice alternate can't go either. Down to 5 competing people, 2 who can't go, and 1 alternate. Okay, not our ideal team, but still fine.

Wrong again.

One of the original 5 now can't get permission to go. Okay, we still have one alternate. Problem: He has something going on that week as well.

4 people on the team, 4 who can't go. We don't have enough people to go to Nationals.

Our advisor only has until the end of the day to find a fifth person or we'll have to let the second place team go to Nationals.

We're really, desperately trying to convince our two alternates to back out of their vacations to go to Nationals, especially since the first one was seriously considering going in the first place and cancelling his plans.

-bangs head repeatedly on desk- I just can't believe it. 3 alternates and we still don't have enough people for a team! I really, really hope that we can find a 5th person today.

Well, one way or another, we'll know what's going on by the end of the school day. 4 hours left and counting...

EDIT: Okay, apparently I was wrong about knowing by the end of the schoolday. It's been almost 10.5 hours past the deadline and no news. Not even an email saying, "Hey, come down and see me, I have news." Nothing. At all. Is this good or bad? Only time will tell, I guess.

EDIT: So apparently we got a 1-day extension. Still waiting to hear whether the alternate will be able to fill in. If not, we'll have to step down. Is no news still good news? He must have come to a conclusion by now...

Angel by Cliff McNish

2009-06-05T15:09:00.004-04:00

Freya used to think she was an angel, until she was hospitalized for it. Now she's finally trying to live a normal life, but the angels won't leave her alone. On top of that a new girl, Stephanie, believes in angels and keeps trying to talk to her about them. That's when everything falls into place for Freya. She wasn't imagining that she was angel- she really is.

This book was alright. The characters themselves really sort of bothered me. Amy and her cronies seemed a bit stereotypical and Stephanie was just really weird, almost to the point where it was painful to read about her.

That being said, I really, really loved the angels. The idea of them simply being another species that chose to do whatever they could to help humans was really intriguing. I love the part with Freya and Mestraal right after Freya became an angel, because what he said was so sad, but true.

Actually, Mestraal was simply an amazing character. I loved the idea of an angel choosing to be deformed because he can't handle humanity's pain, especially considering what he used to be. In a similar vein, I thought the ending with those two was really well done. I liked how Freya came to terms with her angel powers and realized what she had to do and what her responsibilities were, but I really loved what happened to Mestraal. He was probably my favorite character in the whole book, actually.

Angel was an okay read. If you don't mind characters that are a bit obnoxious at times, its worth reading simply because how the angels are written.

King of the Screwups by K.L. Going

2009-06-04T19:14:00.003-04:00

No matter how hard Liam tries, he always seems to do the wrong thing in his father's eyes. When he finally pushing his dad past the breaking point, he goes to live with his gay, glam rocker, disc jockey Aunt (uncle) Pete. Liam vows to become the son his father wants him to be, despite Aunt Pete's lectures to be just who he is.

King of the Screwups really surprised me, but not in a bad way. I really like how Liam's need to please his father took on almost a humorous role as he tried to become a nerd instead of Mr. Popular, despite many, many failed attempts.

I really loved Pete and the others, though. They were all such great, diverse character- Pete, the disc jockey, Eddie the boutique owner, Orlando the teacher, and Dino the cop. Despite the differences, though, they were really fun to read about when they were together, no matter what they were doing.

I also really loved the addition of Liam's mom being a model and all the flashbacks to when Liam used to go with her to shows. In the same vein, I thought it was a neat how Liam wanted to be a model as well and knew everything about fashion, good clothes, etc. It was really cool to read about his take on those things.

King of the Screwups was definitely a good read all around.

Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger

2009-06-03T18:32:00.004-04:00

All Grady wants is acceptance as a guy, but when he used to be Angela people are having a hard time adjusting. His mom can't get used to the idea and his classmates think he's a freak. Yet despite all the drama, he finds friends in the most unlikely places, as well as his first crush.

Parrotfish was an absolutely amazing book. It raises the valid question of why do people have to be one thing or another, instead of just being in the middle? The football field analogy that they use in the book is really great, because it honestly makes you think- if you had to stand on a football field with extreme femininity at one end, and extreme masculinity at the other end, where would you end up?

At the same time, it was really horrible to see what Grady had to go through. The issues with school bullies, especially the stunt with clothes almost being stolen in gym, were written really well- the situations were horrible, but not over-the-top. I loved the confrontations with the various teachers about calling him Grady instead of Angela as well. And of course, the moments with his mother, when she didn't know what to do, were heartwrenching. One thing that I thought was really great was that, despite how awful things seemed at times for Grady, the book never pulled the worse-situation card. No physical attacks, no threats to be thrown out of the house. It helped keep the book away from pure angst and just show what would happen if someone came out as a transgender.

I loved the additions of Grady's "scripts" in the story. They were humorous, while still keeping the tone of the whole book. The romantic angle with Kita was good- not too extreme, but it kept things interesting. Also, it was great to see not only how Grady reacted to the change, but people like Eve and his mother who had known him for so long. On that note, the different reactions of people how didn't know him that well as Angela were great as well. And I was so happy that the practical things were mentioned as well- what to do about periods, binding his chest, etc. It really helped keep the book realistic.

There are so many more things that I could say about Parrotfish. It truly was an amazing book to read. Obviously, if the main point of the book (a transgender main character) bothers you, don't read it, but for everyone else this is a book you should definitely pick up.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman

2009-06-03T18:19:00.004-04:00

All Geena wants is her cousin Hero and her best-friend Amber to get along, but instead they're at each other's throats. As if that wasn't bad enough there's plenty of romantic mishaps and missteps between the three. In the end, all it takes for the three to unite is the need to get revenge...

Okay, obviously my own summary is vastly different from that of the actual one. Personally, I think that's fine only because the real summary is completely misleading. The real one makes you think that this is a light, happy summery read- and it is, to an extent. But there's also a fair amount of drama and backstabbing and misunderstandings thrown in as well.

I really loved how the book was written from Geena's POV- she was an awesome narrator! It took me awhile to get used to Hero and Amber, though. Hero was just too "innocent" for me, and Amber was too tough-skank. It seemed like the differences between them were almost exxagerated. That being said, I liked seeing the changes in those two throughout the course of the book. Geena felt a bit static at times, not necessarily in ideas but in personality, while Hero and Amber changed quite a bit.

For those of you who were worried that this would be too chick lit-ish, trust me it's not. There's depth to this book that makes it really enjoyable to read.

Save the CT libraries!

2009-06-02T18:17:00.004-04:00

Wow. I just realized that I've been OMGMASSIVELYUPDATING. Meaning, six (this makes seven) posts since the start of the month.

Which was yesterday.

Anywho, I do apologize for that, but I wanted to share this with you guys. Have you heard about the proposed CT budget cuts, especially the ones that will affect the libraries? My library sent an email out earlier today and I was shocked at how it would affect just my town:

• Loss of 30+ databases
• Loss of inter-library loan
• Loss of about $1,650 per year
• An extra $5,000 annually would be needed to continue membership in Bibliomation (and function as a library)

Can you believe it?

Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2009-06-02T15:41:00.004-04:00

Bailey didn't think anything of the temporary tattoos that her and her friends got- until she starts setting things on fire with her mind, Annabelle hears thoughts, Delia can change things with a wave of her hands, and Zo gets premonitions. Now, it's up to the four of them to save the world, if they can only find out what they're fighting.

Tattoo was a quick, fun read. I like the idea of the temporary tattoos giving them powers and then they immediately had to figure everything out because, apart from Delia, you didn't have the whole misuse of powers, let's-just-have-fun mentality at the start of the book.

I really liked how they included the Fates and Sidhe into the story. It was unique and yet practical at the same time. The girls got the info they wanted right away, but they had to work themselves to find out what they needed to know to save the day. The twist at the end with Bailey's heritage was really awesome as well, in my opinion.

I was a bit unsure of how the girls would turn out at first. They almost seemed a bit stereotypical, but once they got their powers they seemed to develop more unique personalities. Delia was really the only one who remained unchanged, but she was such a fun character that it didn't really make a different. I love how the first thing she did was change her nail polish color!

Tattoo was a great book to read. I'm hoping the sequel is as good!

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

2009-06-02T06:45:00.002-04:00

Everyone in New Avalon has a personal fairy, but not all are graced with ones they like. Charlie, for example, has a parking fairy. Not exactly useful when you can't drive and the school bully insists on kidnapping you at random times. Fiorenze has an all-the-boys-like-you fairy, which sounds great- except she can't get a moment to herself. When their own attempts to lose their fairies fail, what can they do but switch with each other?

How to Ditch Your Fairy was such a fun book to read! I love how fairies are portrayed, because they're more like good-luck charms than small winged creatures. I thought it was cool to include the contrasting views of fairies as well, like how some people didn't even think they existed.

I liked having the stats about Charlie's life at the beginning of each chapter. It was fun to keep track of how things were going by checking the "demerits earned" or "days spent walking" before continuing reading.

One thing I was a bit disappointed about was how the book almost seemed to hint at New Avalon being a bit of a flawed city, but they never came out and said it. Steffi kept making comments that would lead you to think that "Oh, they're going to reveal some horrible truth about the fairies!" but they never do.

All in all, though, How to Ditch Your Fairy was a really great book to read.

The Clique Summer Collection: Massie by Lisi Harrison

2009-06-01T15:57:00.003-04:00

Massie's summer did not get off to a perfect start. After being kicked out of her elite riding camp for cheating at a competition, her parents tell her that she has to get a summer job! What's a girl to do, but become a salesgirl for a make-up line? After all, giving makeovers are more of a hobby than anything else...

I need to start off with a disclaimer: I hate the Clique books. With a passion. I read one and swore to never read another.

That being said, this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It hurts my pride to admit it, but I didn't detest this book. I do have to say that Massie is a bit of a spoiled brat, and the "ah-bvious" type of writing got to me after awhile, but all in all it wasn't that bad.

This book was mostly just a quick, summer read. Not a lot of depth to it and there's not a whole lot to talk about, but it was pretty fun to read. One thing I do like about Massie is that even when everything goes wrong for her she still manages to find a way out so that she's still on top. It kept the book a bit more interesting, since I was wondering what Massie would do next to try to make things better.

Though I probably will go back to my vow of never reading another Clique book, I will admit that this one was pretty good. Not my thing, but all in all an alright read.

(Want a copy of your own? Check out my giveaway here!)

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

2009-06-01T15:48:00.003-04:00

Twenty days. Twenty boys. According to Frankie, it'll work out perfectly. Anna isn't so sure. She agrees to the game, but can't bring herself to tell Frankie that she's already had a summer romance with Frankie's brother, Matt, right before he died a year earlier.

Twenty Boy Summer was a really great book to read because it didn't focus on the immediate effects of Matt's death. Rather, it focused on the overall changes to Frankie and Anna, as well as the process of moving past his death and getting on with their lives.

I really loved Anna's brief romance with Sam, simply because it showed her letting go of the past and moving on. Despite that, I did get a bit sick of Anna constantly feeling like she was betraying Matt by being with Sam.

I thought the end of the book with Frankie and Anna coming to terms with everything was really well written. It wasn't sappy or angsty, but just brutally honest. It didn't feel like the writing had been forced or that the situation was fake, which I was really happy about.

Twenty Boy Summer was a really beautiful book. I'd highly suggest picking up a copy and reading it!

(Don't have a copy? Check out my giveaway here.)

Twenty Boy Summer Giveaway!

2009-06-01T00:01:00.019-04:00

Summary

"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."

"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Details
- Five winners will each receive a hardcover copy of Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
- Contest will run from June 1st to June 30th
- Contest is open to US residents only, sorry!
- Go here for more info on the book
- This is separate from my The Clique: Summer Collection giveaway! If you want to enter both, you must leave a comment here AND on the other giveaway!

To Enter

+1 for commenting here

+3 if you're a CURRENT follower

+2 for sticking a link on your blog (leave a link to where it is)

+1 for every person that you refer to this contest. They must tell me in their comment that you referred them!

The Clique: Summer Collection Giveaway!

2009-06-01T00:01:00.018-04:00

Summary

The Pretty Committee is spending the summer apart, but they're never far from drama... Five girls. Five stories. One ah-mazing summer.

THE CLIQUE

SUMMER COLLECTION

For more information, visit here: http://www.pickapoppy.com/

Details

- One winner will receive The Clique: Summer Edition by Lisi Harrison (5 books!)
- Contest will run from June 1st to June 30th
- Contest is open to US residents only, sorry!
- This is separate from my Twenty Boy Summer giveaway! If you want to enter both, you must leave a comment here AND on the other giveaway!

To Enter

+1 for commenting here

+3 if you're a CURRENT follower

+2 for sticking a link on your blog (leave a link to where it is)

+1 for every person that you refer to this contest. They must tell me in their comment that you referred them!

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti

2009-05-31T16:13:00.007-04:00

All the women in Quinn's family have had their hearts broken, but she does her best to remain optimistic- until she herself is abruptly dumped. On top of that, she's trying to handle a relationship with her formerly absent father. She's happy to have him around, until she realizes just how much he's hurt the women in his life. Quinn and her sister team up with the half-sister they never knew to right their father's wrongs and find out the truth.

When I first picked up this book I expected it to either be a lot of whining about how horrible men were or a completely anti-love book. To my immense relief, I was wrong on both accounts.

The Secret Life of Prince Charming is more about overcoming bad relationships and continuing to look for the "perfect one", instead of letting past experiences ruin everything else. Yes, it does give examples of bad relationships (can I just say that I loved the stories from the various female characters' pasts that were included in the book) but it really focuses on overcoming those relationships, as shown in the end of the book.

I really liked how most of the book was dealing with her father's previous girlfriends because it was such a unique twist to the plot, and really helped show the different level of relationships that could go bad- family and romantic. It kept the book from being a strictly romance story, which I liked.

The Secret Life of Prince Charming was a surprisingly good book to read overall.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

2009-05-28T19:47:00.004-04:00

Ai Ling can't help but feel happy that she's still unbetrothed, despite the dishonor it brings her family, because it means she's still free. Then her father never returns from a journey and she sets out to find him, despite a potential marriage waiting at home. On the way, she realizes that something dark is after her, and that finding her father isn't her only quest. With the help of Chen Yong, who's on a quest of his own, and her new powers, can she defeat an enemy from her past life?

Silver Phoenix was an okay read. There wasn't much depth to the book, but the story was pretty good. It was a typical quest book, but without too much explanation or thought-provoking writing.

Parts felt like they were added in to play a certain role, even if it wasn't necessary. Like Li Rong seemed to only be included to add angst later on, and the whole past-life part wasn't explained, which made it seem like it was only there so she would have a quest.

However, I felt like parts of it were really interesting. From when they met the dragon through to the point where they reached the palace was really interesting and I wish it could've been elaborated on more. Li Rong was such an awesome character and I wish that he was there for more of the book. The demons were pretty cool as well, for the most part, and it was interesting to see where they'd pop up.

If you want a simple read with some quests and a bit of adventure, Silver Phoenix is probably the book for you.

Soldier's Secret by Sheila Solomon Klass

2009-05-28T19:41:00.002-04:00

Deborah Sampson didn't want to sit at home and raise children, especially not with the man her mother wants her to marry. She wants to help her country. Seeing no other option, she disguises herself as a man and enlists in the Continental army. How long will her secret last, and what will happen if it's discovered?

I tend to be very picky about historical fiction, despite the fact that I absolutely love it, so if this seems a bit harsh I do apologize. That being said, I felt that Soldier's Secret was a fairly mediocre book. I loved how it was based on actual history and an actual person, but there seemed to be nothing (apart from one slight romance angle) to make it fiction.

It told the story of Deborah before and through the war, which was all fine and wonderful and yes, some of it was fictional. But it was so linear, with no depth or emotion in any of it. At times it felt like I was reading a narrative of what happened instead of an actual story.

I think that this story could work really well, but the way it was written it just fell a bit flat. There needs to be more depth and characterization for the book to really flow well.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

2009-05-27T17:11:00.005-04:00

Lia and Cassie were best friends. Then, Cassie died and Lia is left with clueless, busy, distant family members while the voice in her head reminds her to stay thin, stay thin. If she becomes thin enough maybe Cassie's ghost will leave her alone and she can disappear forever.

This book was a bit hard to get into, but once it picked up I couldn't put it down. The writing is absolutely amazing. It reads like a diary, but is written like a poem. Lia's story is absolutely heart-wrenching because you know that what she's thinking, what she's going through, actually happens to people.

What I really loved about this book was that though it discusses a fairly common issue it's still completely original. I never found myself thinking, "Okay, I've read this a million times before." I kept finding myself drawn into the story and into Lia's problems despite already knowing a lot of the information given about anorexia.

I loved the ending of the book with her and "Cassie" in the motel room, and then after that. It was just beautifully written and I found myself pitying Lia, and yet sympathizing with her at the same time. The ending was a nice, neat, and tidy happily-ever-after ending (which generally I like), but at the same time it didn't need to be.

Wintergirls was an amazing book to read. I'd highly suggest picking up a copy of it!

Willow by Julia Hoban

2009-05-25T19:03:00.003-04:00

Seven months ago Willow was driving her parents home and crashed the car. She survived. They didn't. Now she's living with a brother who barely speaks to her and has left everything behind. The only way she can survive is by secretly cutting. Then Guy comes along and finds out her secret. He pulls her out of the world she's created and Willow learns that maybe, just maybe, there are other things that can help her get by.

Willow is an absolutely amazing, beautiful book. I finished it yesterday and am still stunned by it. It's completely heart-wrenching. Willow's soul is bared to the reader. All of her doubts, worries, fears, pain, happiness, struggles, and triumphs are there for you to see.

I loved that while this book is about cutting and the romance between Guy and Willow there's still so much more going on. The cutting isn't "Oh, poor me, angstangstangst" or poser-cutting. You feel sorry for Willow, you sympathize with her, because you understand from the very beginning that she's not doing this because she wants to, but because she has to.

I was a bit worried about how much of a romance book this would be, but to my delight it wasn't. Not really, anyway. It was there all along, but I loved how for most of the book Guy was just someone who wanted to help Willow, who became her friend, and then became her boyfriend. I loved when Guy got angry and frustrated and couldn't handle what she was doing because it was such a realistic reaction.

Willow is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best books I've read in a long time. If you haven't picked it up yet, find a copy and start reading now.

Kissing the Bee by Kathe Koja

2009-05-24T17:49:00.004-04:00

It's always been the three of them- Dana and Avra, best friends, and Emil, Avra's boyfriend. It's their senior year and prom's fast approaching, but as Avra plans their escape and Dana studies bees for a Bio project, sparks start to fly between Dana and Emil. In the end, who will end up as the only queen bee?

Kissing the Bee was a good book. There wasn't a lot to distinguish it from other books, though. It was a typical friends-grow-up-and-fall-out story, with a healthy dose of slightly cliched romance thrown in.

There's really not a lot for me to say about this one. It really was short- only 121 pages. Despite it not being overly remarkable, I can't really bash it because I could really relate to Dana. I had a friend that was a lot like Avra once, but unlike Dana I didn't do anything about it. As much as I felt sorry for Dana, I really admired her for what she was able to do.

Overall, I felt like parts of it were predictable, but all in all it was a quick read and I don't feel like I really wasted my time with it.

In My Mailbox (10)

2009-05-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

Wow. It has been an amazing week for me. Not only did my school's Envirothon team win states (which means I'm going to North Carolina this summer!), and my first giveaway came to a successful finish, but I got so many flippin' books! Settle down, this is going to be a long I.M.M. post! (As always, credit goes to The Story Siren.)

Library Books

Finally got a copy of this from my library! It's been out for ages but someone finally returned it and I managed to snag it before another person did!

A new addition to my library, and one that I've been wanting to read. Looks like it'll be a great, quick read for early summer.

I've been wanting to read this for so long! Partially because I think its so awesome that the main character's name is Willow, but also because I love books that deal with self-harm issues and this one looks great.

This one looks interesting, but I don't know how it's going to turn out. I'm very picky about historical fiction books, but I hope this one lives up to my (unfairly high) standards.

Another book I've been wanting to read for awhile. I've heard a lot of good things about it, so I'm hoping it ends up being good.

Haven't heard much about this one, but it looks like it'll be really good so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Another book that's been checked out for awhile that was finally returned. I've been waiting to read this one for awhile. It's definitely at the top of my list!

I've heard some mix things about this one, but I think it looks pretty interesting so I picked it up.

Bought Books

I've been meaning to pick this one up for awhile, but for some reason never did. I've read the first four books in the series and I'm hoping this one is just as good.

Looks interesting. Plus, you can never have too many vampire books, right? ;)

Noticing a pattern yet?

I was really hesitant to pick this up. I've heard some less-than-stellar things about later books in the series, but I figured that its in paperback and I'd continue to give the series a try, regardless of what others have said.

Okay. My guilty-pleasure books. I read this so fast that it's almost not worth buying them, but I couldn't resist. I had already read Fruits Basket Vol. 1, but the library that had them doesn't anymore. I'd seen Bleach Vol. 1 as the TV episode and loved it, so that was a natural choice. And I've been ordered to read Deathnote, so I had to get it.

Another guilty-pleasure book. I am such a huge Tolkien fan, PLUS this is a first American edition copy. It's the second one that I've bought at my library's book sale, too!

Recieved Books

I won these through Elise's blog. They actually came last Saturday, but I didn't have time to do an IMM post last week, so I rolled them over to this week.

I got this from Saundra Mitchell herself, for winning the Fresh Films giveaway that was hosted on The Story Siren. It's signed, which makes it extra awesome, but she sent so much cool stuff as well! A t-shirt, various candies, a key chain, a couple notebooks, plus other awesome goodies. Thank you so much!

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

2009-05-23T22:44:00.002-04:00

The Norther siders and South siders don't mix at Fairfield high. So when cheerleading captain Brittany Ellis is forced to work with gang member Alex Fuentes, things are bound to get ugly. What neither of them expects is to fall in love with the other.

I have to say that, first off, I've never read Romeo and Juliet. So while I can't review the book by comparision, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by this. Typically I don't like tragedy-romances, but this worked out well in the end.

I loved how Brittany and Alex had some depth to them. This wasn't just focused on the romance. There was hatred at first, and a real family-history to both to explain why they were the way they were. The tension in the book was rooted in the character's home lives, so you always knew why things were happening, which really made it that much easier to connect to the story.

I have to admit that parts of it were predictable, especially once the bet was brought into the story, but it didn't really detract from everything. I did like where the book left off and I think the addition of the short epilogue was great because it ties everything up without the story dragging on.

For those of you who like romances, I would suggest picking this up. If you don't like romance, or only like light-hearted romance, this probably isn't the book for you.

Winners of the Airhead giveaway!

2009-05-23T10:56:00.005-04:00

And it's over, folks! The winners of the Airhead giveaway are....

Amy

Shooting Stars Mag

Jenna

Carrie

Llehn

I've sent emails out to the five of you. I need your addresses within 48 hours or I will pick a new winner.

Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who entered! More giveaways are in the works, so keep your eyes open for those!

Looks by Madeleine George

2009-05-22T16:20:00.004-04:00

Meghan is the largest girl in school. Inwardly she's depressed; outwardly, she's invisible. Then she notices a girl, Aimee, who's as thin as she is fat, as angry as she is sad. Meghan begins to follow her, hoping to strike a friendship, but it isn't until Aimee is hurt by a girl from Meghan's past that they team up to get revenge.

I hate to be blunt, but I wasn't impressed with Looks at all. I felt like Meghan was really creepy when she was following Aimee around, to the point where I was wondering when the heck she would stop and actually work up the guts to talk to her. Aimee wasn't much better, considering she seemed to constantly shift between angry and nice(ish).

I didn't like the ending, where they got their revenge. They spent all the time trying to get back at Cara, only to try to comfort her afterwards? Not to mention that Aimee, who had been so adamant that she didn't want revenge, only to get "her" poem back, completely caved after only a few moments of Meghan pushing her.

The dialogue was really weird in some places too. Like, at one point, Cara made a comment about how "we need fresh blood in the collective". The first thing I thought of was "Wow, didn't know I was reading a Star Trek book." What the characters were saying just seemed so out of place at times.

All things considered, I really didn't like this book. I'm sorry for being so blunt about it, but it didn't really have any redeeming qualities in my eyes.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

2009-05-22T16:04:00.004-04:00

Rose and her sisters aren't like normal princesses. They're forced to dance for King Under Stone every night to pay off their mother's debt to him. They all know that they can't keep it up for long, not when they're so sick they can barely stand, possible suitors are dying, and there's talk of witchcraft. They need a solution, and fast, before they're married to Under Stone's sons. Galen, a young soldier returning from the war, may just be able to help them.

Okay, this may be a bit biased, simply because I LOVE fairytale retellings, but I thought that Princess of the Midnight Ball was just great.

One thing that I really loved about this book was that Jessica Day George took a rather basic fairytale and just ran with it. There's a lot more detail and information (obviously), but its so realistic. I love the addition of the specific kingdoms and how they're based on European countries. I really loved the addition of the church, because one: it's logical that there would be talk of witchcraft and two: it just made the book that much better, with the crazy church official trying to pry into the princesses lives.

I thought it was really great how King Under Stone's character was really explored. The version of The Twelve Dancing Princesses that I knew didn't really explain why they were going down there, or I just forgot the details. I loved the dark past and shady dealings of their mother, I loved the scheming of Under Stone, and I loved how you didn't really know how they were going to get away from all of it.

Princess of the Midnight Ball is a completely awesome book. You should definitely pick it up!

Last chance!

2009-05-22T15:59:00.003-04:00

My giveaway (info can be found here) ends at midnight Eastern time! You have until then to enter, spread the word, etc. Winners will be announced tomorrow, Sunday at the latest.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

2009-05-20T16:50:00.003-04:00

Terra Rose Cooper works hard to keep her body perfect, but what attracts attention is the large port wine stain on her cheek. She's spent her life covering it up and getting laser surgery on it, but it doesn't do any good. Through her overly controlling father into the mix and Terra just can't wait to get away. Then she meets Jacob and they instantly connect. The problem? Terra already has a boyfriend and is afraid that if she leaves him, she'll be left with no one.

North of Beautiful was an amazing book. I felt like it was being rushed at first, but it wasn't really, and the pacing ended up being great. The language and style of it really drew you in as well.

I love the focus on maps in this book, from the fake China map that was her father's downfall, to the geocaching, travelling, etc. It made the book really unique and tied together the various themes of self-loathing, doubt, romance, and overcoming problems.

One thing that I thought was great was that there wasn't the whole fake-depressing ending before the true-love finale that you often find in romance books. Even when Jacob found out about Terra's boyfriend, there was so much good happening in her family at that point that it really helped keep the book away from being melodramatic.

North of Beautiful was simply an amazing read. I highly recommend it.

Also, [insert shameless plug for giveaway here]. The link to it can be found at the top of my sidebar!

Giveaway ends on Friday!

2009-05-18T11:07:00.002-04:00

My giveaway ends on Friday, guys! Not a lot of people have entered it yet and there's going to be FIVE winners! So get the word out and enter if you haven't yet!

The official giveaway post can be found HERE.

Teaser Tuesdays- North of Beautiful

2009-05-12T14:28:00.005-04:00

The Teasers

"That hurt, that reminder of how our family was so screwed up, we couldn't even share the people we loved with each other. And when we did, Dad removed them from our lives, like fake maps plucked out of a collection."

-Page 161 of North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt

2009-05-11T16:58:00.005-04:00

It takes time and patience and dedication to build a house, but only a single moment to destroy it. Harper finds this out when her father and stepmother get divorced. Faced with all her problems at home, she opts to go to Tennessee to help build a home for a family who lost theirs in a tornado. What she finds is a summer romance with Teddy, the son of the family the house is for, and maybe a way to rebuild her own home.

How to Build a House was a short, quick read but very enjoyable. Harper is creating her own story as she builds the home, though at the time she doesn't realize it. The parallels between the tornado and the divorce, the new home and Harper's wishes, give the book a deeper meaning that's certainly a treat for readers.

The backstory doesn't drag, and the present-day tale doesn't either. The story moves along at a nice pace, giving enough information but not weighing you down with too much. The romance was nice, but not over-the-top. I loved the ending, because it was realistic but still decently happy.

Harper is a blunt narrator. She tells it like she saw it and doesn't leave anything out. While this is nice at times, you sometimes want to scream at her for not seeing things the way they are. And I know that her family went through a divorce, but her insecurities got obnoxious after awhile.

However, I'd have to say that I really enjoyed this book overall.

Anila's Journey by Mary Finn

2009-05-11T16:51:00.004-04:00

Anila's alone in the world, but she's not an orphan. At least, that's what she keep telling herself. She still holds onto the hope that her father may be alive. When her guardians leave Calcutta she's reluctant to follow them, insisting that her father could return for her anyday. Instead, she takes a position with Mr. Walker and draws the birds they see on their river journey. What she finds on the voyage, though, may lead her to the one thing she wants the most- her father.

Anila's Journey was a decently good book. It's told not only from Anila's point of view, but also through her memories of the past. Through these two stories you understand the character better, instead of just having a regular backstory.

I wish there was more information on some of the side characters because at times it felt like you didn't really know anything else about them. The ending almost felt a bit rushed, but not to the point where it was aggravating. I do like where the book left off, with the hint of what would happen next but without everything dragging on for pages and pages.

All in all, there was nothing wrong with this book in general. I wish parts of it could've been more developed, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

In My Mailbox (9)

2009-05-10T10:51:00.002-04:00

In My Mailbox is brought to you by The Story Siren. Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but I figured I ought to share the books I got from my library this week anyway.

I've been wanting to read this for awhile and I finally managed to snag my library's copy! It looks like it's going to be a good book, so fingers crossed.

I'm a bit hesitant on this one. I don't usually read Romeo and Juliet spin-offs, but I figured that I should at least give it a try.

Undecided on this one. A lot of people have said that it's really good but it's not really the type of book I like to read.

I've been wanting to read this one! It looks like it's going to be really good and I love retelling of fairy tales.

Another book that I wouldn't usually pick up, but it looks interesting so I figured I'd give it a try.

This one just looks really good. I haven't heard anything about it, but I'm hoping that it's good.

And.... [insert shameless plug for my giveaway here].

Giveaway Time!

2009-05-05T06:28:00.004-04:00

So it's finally here, the giveaway that I've hinted at a couple of times in recent weeks!

Emerson Watts isn't your average sixteen-year-old girl. She loves playing video games with her best friend, Christopher, and has made peace with her less-than-supermodel-esque looks. But when she's involved in a bizarre accident, she wakes up to find she's now in the body of a supermodel. Who's behind it? What's the motive? And how can she get Christopher to realize she's still the same person inside? From #1 New York Times bestselling author MEG CABOT comes Airhead, now available in paperback! And look for book 2 in the series, Being Nikki, in hardcover in stores now!

Five winners will each recieve a paperback copy of Airhead by Meg Cabot!

This contest will end on May 22, 2009.

To Enter:

+1 for commenting here

+3 if you're a CURRENT follower

+2 for sticking a link on your blog (leave a link to where it is)

+1 for every person that you refer to this contest. They must tell me in their comment that you referred them!

+1 for every book suggestion that I use here (this option ends tonight!)

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

2009-05-04T21:27:00.003-04:00

Isabel Finch and her sister Ruth were promised their freedom in their mistress's will. Instead, they are sold to a Loyalist family in New York and Isabel's new mistress enjoys tormenting her. Curzon, the slave of a rebel leader, tries to get Isabel to help the Patriot cause. Hesitant at first, after the horrible actions of her mistress, Isabel realizes that she's neither Patriot nor Tory, but must play both sides to gain her freedom.

I love historical fiction, especially if its set around the American Revolution. I had high hopes for Chains and it did not let me down. Chains offers an interesting glimpse into the sights and sounds of revolutionary New York through the eyes of a slave girl.

Unlike other books, however, I felt that this book wasn't a standard "slave trying to get free" book. Isabel had high points and low points, made mistakes and was punished, and sometimes didn't want to push through. It felt more realistic than other historical fiction books, which I really enjoyed.

Chains is an absolutely stunning book. Anyone who likes historical fiction should pick it up!

Help Needed- Rewards Offered!

2009-05-03T21:23:00.003-04:00

I've been having some computer problems. My laptop has a virus and no longer allows me to go online (are the two connected? Maybe they are, maybe they're not...), while my desktop has an obnoxious habit of freezing whenever I try to go on blogger. Because of this, I haven't been able to keep up with what's been going on in the world of YA books. (Incidentally, this is also why I haven't posted that vlog that should've been up yesterday.)

So, I need your help. I have a book selection meeting at my library on Wednesday and I have NO idea what books have recently been released.

I desperately need suggestions, both for recent releases and books that are just generally awesome. If I end up using any books that you suggest, I'll give you an extra entry in my contest for Airhead by Meg Cabot that's starting on Tuesday (if you don't want to be entered in my contest just let me know).

If you want to check to see if my library has the book already, you can do so here.

I'll only be able to take suggestions through Tuesday, so get those suggestions in soon!

The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee

2009-05-02T20:59:00.003-04:00

Summary from the book:

Jennifer Day lives in a small Australian mining town full of secrets. After the sudden death of her teenager sister Beth, Jennifer uncovers a blue cardboard box of her sister's possessions... Why couldn't Jennifer- or anyone else- save Beth? Their parents blame Beth's friends and themselves, and Jennifer's eccentric grandmother is convinced that Beth had been communing with angels. Jennifer isn't sure what to believe. With the help of her best friend, she tries to piece together the final months of her sister's life using teh clues in teh box. But what she finds are mysteries, miracles, and more questions.

More questions is right.

I really struggled to finish this book. I wanted to like it so much, but I just couldn't. It switched between present-day and the past, and it was often hard to tell everything apart. There were so many side characters that I guess were supposed to add detail to the town but I found it really confusing to keep them all straight. And we didn't really need to know anything about them, either. At times it felt like the author was trying too hard to make the writing poetic and it was hard to get through.

I really don't feel like I got a full story with this book. What did Beth collapsing at the lake have to do with anything? We know what she did before she died, but why did she do those things? I felt the whole present-day story with Jennifer trying to find her singing voice kind of strange. There was an attempt to bring everything together at the end, but it didn't feel satisfying and the ending felt a bit rushed.

I'd have to say that I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone, however maybe someone else would be able to get more out of it.

Award!

2009-05-01T10:33:00.005-04:00

Many, many thanks to Books and Literature for Teens for giving me the One Lovely Blog award!

This award is given to new blogs and blogging friends. The rules to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to at least 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I'll admit, I don't have 15 newly-discovered blogs but I'll post a couple blogs that I like.

1) Pandragon at From the Library of Pandragon- She has an interesting monthly "Blast from the Past" giveaway and her reviews are pretty good, if not strictly YA books.

2) Paradox over at Paradoxical- A dear friend of mine who first introduced me to YA book blogs. Unfortunately, due to computer issues, she hasn't been able to post much recently, but hopefully everything's back up and running soon!

3)The Epic Rat- Love her blog and she's always been a huge supporter of mine!

4) Melissa over at Melissa's Bookshelf- I love the new layout of her blog and she's just an awesome blogger overall!

News and Notes

2009-04-29T16:40:00.003-04:00

I know I haven't been posting much recently. I guess real life just decided to swamp me. I got wrapped up in some other hobbies for a little while, but more recently I've been working on research for a 15-20 page history paper. On top of that I've just been emotionally drained. Some really stupid things, some not so stupid things, too much stuff going on, and what appears to be the approaching end of several close friendships all add up to me not really being in the mood to blog.

BUT big things are coming up! Next Tuesday will mark the start of my very first contest! I don't want to give too much away now, but it involves a book I recently read and there will be FIVE winners for that! Plus, I should be posting a vlog this weekend, if I can find my digital camera.

Starting Saturday things are going to be picking up around here!

In My Mailbox (8)

2009-04-26T14:38:00.004-04:00

As always, In My Mailbox is hosted over at The Story Siren. It wasn't my best weeks for books, but a couple of the ones I got mean a lot to me.

First of two library books. I've been meaning to read this one for awhile and actually suggested that my library pick it up. I don't know if they have it yet, though- I got this one at a library a couple of towns over.

Another library book. I hadn't heard of this one before, but it looks interesting. We'll see how it turns out.

My first ever book I got to review! I was so happy when the publicist contacted me and asked if I'd be willing to review it. I got this on Tuesday, I believe, and my review is posted here.

I don't have a picture of my last book, but when- if- I get around to posting a vlog I'll show it to you guys. I participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) each November and this past year the winner's got a code to get a free proof copy of their book through CreateSpace. I finished editing mine a couple of weeks ago and finally put that code to good use! My book came in the mail on Thursday and I was so excited to get it! It's really awesome seeing my writing in print, even if I'm going to be the only one to read it, LOL!

The 30-Question Book Meme

2009-04-24T06:41:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I've seen this around on several blogs and decided to do it. Started in the last ten minutes before I left for school, finished during English class, and posted when I got home, LOL!

1. Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
Trade paperback simply because I can't afford a lot of hardback books. Not to mention that if I'm carrying around two or three on top of my school books the hardback books tend to get quite heavy quite fast.

2. Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Borders, but that's only because its closer to me than Barnes & Noble so I've gotten used to going there. I have to say, though, that I sort of like the atmosphere of Barnes & Noble more.

3. Bookmark or dog-ear?
Okay, I will admit.... I used to dog-ear books. But I don't anymore! I only use bookmarks now (or makeshift bookmarks, anyway).

4. Amazon or brick and mortar?
Amazon only if I have a specific book in mind. Otherwise I really prefer browsing in a brick and mortar store.

5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Neither. Mine are by my definitions of genre. Mostly. Its rather confusing to explain...

6. Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep, keep, keep! I donated some of my older books to my library, but I never throw books away.

7. Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep it! They make the book look a lot better.

8. Read with dust jacket or remove it?
I used to remove it, but now I mostly read with it on.

9. Short story or novel?
Novel. I've never really gotten into reading short stories.

10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter all the way! I've read some Lemony Snicket books but never finished the series. It just started to bother me after awhile. Not saying that Harry Potter didn't, but by the time I started going "Okay, Rowling, can we wrap this up now?" there were only two books left to read anyway, so I finished the series.

11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Neither. I stop reading when I actually have to start doing school work again. ;-)

12. “It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?"
Hm... I'd have to go with "Once upon a time", but I do love "It was a dark and stormy night" books as well.

13. Buy or borrow?
I prefer to buy, but I tend to borrow a lot of books from my library as well.

14. New or used?
I prefer new, but if I'm picking up books that I've already read I buy them used. This seems kind of backwards to people but a lot of the books I've already read I can find at my library book sale so I buy them there.

15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
All three. I love browsing, and find a lot of good books that way, but I tend to take reviews into account a lot and I do keep my eyes out for the ones that people have recommended.

16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
It depends. I like a little bit of room for speculation, but some endings are too tidy and those really bother me.

17. Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
Anytime. Before school, on the bus, inbetween classes, during study hall, inbetween activites in class, during classes if the teacher's not paying attention, etc.

18. Stand-alone or series?
Both. I don't like series that drag on forever, but some books I wish were part of a series. It depends on the individual book.

19. Favorite series?
Lord of the Rings, hands down.

20. Favorite children’s book?
Oh wow, what were the name of them? They were something like the Jewel Kingdom books? With four sisters and each one had a jewel and reigned part of a kingdom (Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire, and Emerald, maybe?).

21. Favorite YA book?
Ooh, tough one. I don't actually think I can pick just one!

22. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Blackjack and Frosty by Ellen F. Feld. They're meant for younger kids but I absolutely love them! I don't know anyone else who's heard of them in my area, but they may actually be popular. I don't know.

23. Favorite books read last year?
Wow. Um... I don't know. I can't remember what I read last year! All the dates sort of blur together...

24. Favorite books of all time?
The Lord of the Rings and his other Middle-Earth books.

25. What are you reading right now?
My NaNoWriMo novel- my free proof copy just came in the mail! I'm partially through The Anatomy of Wings as well.

26. What are you reading next?
Continuing The Anatomy of Wings and then Chains.

27. Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old?
I don't know, but that's because I was reading books that were way ahead of my reading level when I was eleven. Case in point- I read Rose Red when I was in sixth or seventh grade. I don't know what would be appropriate for an eleven year old!

28. Favorite book to reread?
The Lord of the Rings. Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter as well. Um... Any of Tamora Pierce's books. Same with Ann Rinaldi's.

29. Do you ever smell books?
Yes! I love the smell of books- both old and new. My friends used to joke that I'd get high off of smelling books, lol!

30. Do you ever read Primary source documents, like diaries or letters?
Yes, for school. And actually outside of school sometimes. I love history, so I find them really interesting.

Airhead by Meg Cabot

2009-04-23T19:29:00.002-04:00

Emerson Watts would rather play video games than worry about celebrities. Despite that she finds herself at the opening of the new SoHo Stark Megastore with her younger sister who wants to meet the singer Gabriel Luna and teen supermodel Nikki Howard. After a devasting accident, Em wakes up to find that she's not herself- literally. Worrying about her feelings for Christopher, her best friend, is the least of her problems. Now she has to trade in her video games for the catwalk and no one can know that she's not who she appears to be.

You know, I generally don't read these types of books. I think this is only the second Meg Cabot book I've read. That being said, I was pleasently surprised to find that I actually enjoyed this book.

Em was a great narrator. I loved her sense of humor and how she told the story. Her reactions to everything were really believeable and I was glad that she was actually struggling to adjust to what had happened.

A couple of the other characters in this book seemed a bit flat, but most of the main characters were very interesting. I really like Christopher, especially at the end (okay, so I'm a bit of a romantic at heart). Lulu surprised me the most- I didn't think I'd like her as a character, but she was endearing and not as stupid as she seemed.

I'm so glad that there's a sequel coming out to this soon. There was a resolution in the sense that Em is starting to adjust, but there's so much more I want to know!

This is a wonderful, unique book. Even those that don't like "chick lit" will find this book great.

Airhead comes out in paperback May 3rd, 2009.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante

2009-04-22T17:30:00.002-04:00

Agnes and Honey are best friends living in Mount Blessing, a secluded religious commune in Fairfield, Connecticut. Despite their closeness, they couldn't be farther apart. Agnes is a saint-wannabe while Honey scorns anything religious. Then, Agnes's Nana Pete comes to visit and unintentionally uncovers a dark secret. Nana Pete takes Agnes, Honey, and Agnes's brother and flees. Honey couldn't be happier and looks to the future, while Agnes's world is turned upside down and she desperately clings to the past.

Wow. Once I started reading this I simply couldn't put it down. Mount Blessing is such a creepy place! No TV's, no radios, no contact with the outside world. You have to strive to be perfect, chant prayers for hours each day. If you break the rules its off to the Regulation Room for you, a place where you're basically- no, literally- beaten.

What was really chilling is that Agnes and the others, with the except of Honey and "the outsiders" don't realize that anything is wrong. Agnes is harming herself for "penance" and thinks that she's doing the right thing. The parents know about the abuse, but don't do anything to stop it. Everyone is basically brainwashed and it freaked me out a bit to read about it. When Emmanuel, the leader of Mount Blessing, tried to "fix" Benny's fingers... ugh. Just unbelievable.

At the same time, though, you know that a scenario like this isn't entirely impossible, which makes it even creepier to read. This book was an amazing read. I was drawn in immediatly. It was one of those books that, when I was done, I had to stop and take a minute to just think about it.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies is simply, absolutely, amazing. One of the best books I've read this year!

Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

2009-04-21T17:12:00.005-04:00

Paula's spent six years trying to figure out how to get back into the Other Kingdom to see Tati, but she's finally moved onto more practical goals. Now she's in Istanbul with her father, who's secretly bidding on Cybele's Gift, a statue of a pagan goddess that supposedly brings good luck to those who have it. Suddenly, Paula finds herself with a quest from the Other Kingdom and it revolves around Cybele's Gift. More importantly, it may be from her sister Tati. With the help of her new friends can she outwit the enemies and complete her quest?

This book revolves less around the Other Kingdom than Wildwood Dancing, with its focus more on mythology and human characters, but that almost makes the book better. There's not this sense of "I don't understand what these magical people are doing" that you had in the last book. Sure, it's still there a little bit, but not to the degree that it was in Wildwood Dancing.

I felt like, overall, the characters seemed better in this book. They were more developed, more intricate, and easier to connect with. Not to mention that I'm glad that there were still some of the characters from the last book, though they only had small, small roles (except Paula, of course). I also enjoyed the fact that this book had more of a mystery and adventure in it, as opposed to just a struggle to keep things together. It was also great to see the romance aspect of it from a first-person perspective, instead of the skewed version of it we had in the last book.

The end of the book was definitely left open for a sequel, almost to the point where it was obnoxious because I don't think we're getting another book for quite awhile, though I could be wrong. However, all things considered this was a wonderful book to read. Anyone who's read Wildwood Dancing should definitely pick this one up!

Teaser Tuesdays- The Patron Saint of Butterflies

2009-04-21T15:25:00.010-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

The Rules

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

Share the title & author

The Teasers

"My knees feel as if they are grinding into a knotted pile of wood, but I do not take my eyes off her golden aura. Maybe there will be no message today; maybe the first apparition will just be a test of my faith, to see if I will stay or run away."

- From page 175 of The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante

And the votes are in!

2009-04-20T15:12:00.003-04:00

Author Interviews - 1 vote

Vlogs - 2 votes

Contests - 3 votes

Weekly Memes - 2 votes

Non-book related - 1 vote

Nothing - 0 votes

As you can see, contests got the most votes, with vlogs and weekly memes tying for second. And you're in luck! I may be having a contest soon with 3 winners in support of a book that's coming out in paperback. If that doesn't come through I'll be having a different contest with 1 winner, but with several books to choose from. More info on those later.

I'll start looking into some memes to participate in this week. I've always liked the idea of Teaser Tuesdays, so I might do that tomorrow.

As for vlogs... no ideas there. I know one person specifically said that they like the idea of vlogs because its easier than reading so many reviews. What about a vlog post once a week giving a quick rundown of what I've read that week and what's coming up the next week? Sound good?

If you have any other ideas please let me know! I love to hear what you guys think!

In My Mailbox (7)

2009-04-19T10:54:00.005-04:00

In My Mailbox is, as always, hosted by The Story Siren!

Picked this one up at my library. I've been meaning to read it for awhile but just never got around to it. It looks like it's going to be really good.

Got this one at my library as well. I've heard mixed things about this book, but I figured I'd read it anyway.

Another library book. It looks really good and I've heard some good things about it, so I decided to pick it up.

Another library book. I'm in the middle of reading this right now and it's really good. I love, love, LOVE the cover of it!

The last of the library books. I already read this one and, if you want, you can read my review here. Apart from a couple little things it was a really good book. I love the cover of this one too!

I found a gift certificate to a local bookstore that my sister had gotten me for Christmas, so I picked this up. I've heard some good things about it, it looks interesting, and it really only came down to this and Wintergirls (and although I want to read Wintergirls my library is getting a copy of it).

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

2009-04-16T20:01:00.003-04:00

Vassar Spore, an overachiever in a family of overachievers, lives her life through lists, planning every tiny detail and always being prepared. Then her Grandma Gerd blackmails her parents into having Vassar accompany her on a backpack trip through Southern Asia. Suddenly thrown out of her comfort zone she finds herself with no lists, no preparation, and no clue what to do. And while she's trying to figure out what the big secret is, can she finally learn to just Live in the Moment?

This book was interesing. There are a lot of wacky characters, from a manager of a tribal opium den to an Asian cowboy. Grandma Gerd was just awesome all around- very laidback and a bit eccentric, but she still has a good outlook on life.

I have to say, though, that Vassar really bothered me at times. Seriously, she brought ten suitcases with her to Asia which include insane things like an inflatable toilet seat cover- and yet she never seemed to think that any of it was overkill. Some of the things she did were also really hard to believe. When she tried to return the artifact, okay, I could believe that. I also believed her outrage at the fate of the cows' but what she did just made me cringe.

I also didn't think Vassar grew enough. She was like "I refuse to change. I'm going to resist this as long as I can" and then suddenly she was like "BAM! Gotta Live in the Moment!" I can understand that it was a life-or-death situation, but it was so sudden and so hard to believe. I wish we had more of a lead-in to it.

However, all in all this book was pretty good. I did enjoy it a lot and would recommend it to others.

Witch's Canyon by Jeff Mariotte and Bone Key by Keith DeCandido

2009-04-14T17:09:00.011-04:00

Okay, going to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I'm keeping these two reviews brief, mostly because unless you watch the TV series they're based off of (Supernatural), I doubt you'd want to read them.

Every 40 years in Cedar Wells, Arizona people start dying horrible, bloody deaths. It's the start of the third killing cycle and Sam and Dean are on the case. It's a race against the clock to figure out why the spirits of those long dead are coming back as the murders keep piling up.

This was my least favorite of the two. While the story and mystery was good, Sam and Dean were slightly... off. I found myself struggling to keep reading this, which was strange because there was a lot of blood and gore, which I usually love.

It was written for someone who's never watched the show which, as a someone who's a dedicated follower of the series, got really annoying really fast. I also didn't like how the author kept describing the emotions. In other books this is fine, but not with Supernatural. With the Winchesters I want to be shown what they're feeling, not told.

Ever since the Devil's Gate was opened, Key West has been swarming with spirit activity. Sam and Dean travel there to try to put the stop to some of the more powerful hauntings, but what they didn't plan on was having to defeat the spirits of an entire Indian tribe.

I liked this one a lot more than Witch's Canyon. There were some flaws, but for the most part all of the major "Okay, that's weird" parts were explained. Sam and Dean were more in-character in this book as well, in my opinion, which made it a lot easier to read. Plus, Bobby was included in this, so how could you not love it?

I read Nevermore, another Supernatural book by Keith DeCandido and I must say I like how he writes Sam and Dean. There's enough info about their emotions and fears to provide insight into them, but not enough to really annoy you (like what was happening in Witch's Canyon.)

Some general notes for both books-

It threw me off for a moment to read them, simply because they (obviously) take place before the current season, but that didn't detract from the overall feeling of the books
If you don't watch Supernatural, I wouldn't suggest reading these. However, you might be able to read Witch's Canyon and be able to pick up on everything quickly anyway.

What would you like to see around here?

2009-04-12T11:44:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I only really post reviews here and, on occasion, participate in In My Mailbox. But I'm curious- what are some things you would want to see?

Author interviews?
Vlogs?
Contests?
Other weekly memes? (Any one in particular?)
Something non-book related?
Something else?
Nothing?

Leave a comment if you have any specific suggestions! Or just vote in the poll on my sidebar (the poll will close noon on April 19th)!

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson

2009-04-12T09:52:00.005-04:00

Think faeries have magic? Think again. In the Oakenwyld the faeries are a dying race, living in fear of the world oustide the Oak. Then there's Knife, the Queen's Hunter who not only battles predators like crows, but becomes friends with Paul, one of the nearby humans. Maybe the humans have a way to stop the mysterious disease that's killing off the faeries. The problem is that the Queen is determined to keep the faeries away from the humans. Knife sets out to learn the truth about what happened to the faeries' magic and the Queen's involvement with humans. But if she does find the answers she's seeking, what does it mean for her and her people?

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter was such an awesome book to read! It's definitely not you're typical faery story. I love how the faeries were portrayed as a dying race, instead of the light-hearted, magical people you'd think they'd be.

This book is a fun read on top of a romance on top of an intriguing mystery. There's definitely something here for everyone! This book keeps you guessing at what's really happening until the last page, and even then the solution isn't what you thought it would be. The romance isn't overbearing either, though it does play a large part in the outcome of the book.

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter hits stores on April 28, 2009. You should definitely pick this one up!

Splash!

2009-04-09T23:05:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Melissa for giving me this award! Go check out her blog- its great!

The Rules:
1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post
4) Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom your received your Splash award.
6) Have F~U~N

And I'm giving this award to:

Gosh, I don't know. Not because I can't choose, but because I can't limit it to just nine! If you read this, consider the award yours! (And no, that's not a cop-out... okay, so maybe it is... a bit...)

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce

2009-04-08T13:02:00.005-04:00

Beka's now a full-fledge Dog, but her troubles are far from over. From problems with her partner to a new scenthound, she's got her hands full. Then she finds someone sneaking silver coles (counterfeit coins) into the city. She leaves Corus with Goodwin to catch the Rat, but she must learn to become a Bloodhound in order to suceed.

Mm, I read this awhile, so forgive me if this review is a bit scattered.

Bloodhound was a very good sequel to Terrier. I was glad to see the return of the supporting characters, even if most of them only had small roles. However, the one advantage of this was that it allowed for a new cast of supporting characters to come in, all of which I loved, especially Okha.

Like Terrier, this book isn't so much a mystery as a struggle for Beka to get the information she needs to prove what she already knows and, like in Terrier, there is still that fine line between the Dogs and the Rats. Actually, that line is almost emphasized more in this book, due to the undercover work that Beka and Goodwin have to do.

One thing I will say is that it felt like a few parts of it were too similar to Terrier, such as with the corrupt Rogue. However, none of those parts ruined the book for me.

Bloodhound hits stores on April, 14th. Any fans of Tamora Pierce should definitely pick it up then!

In My Mailbox (6)

2009-04-05T10:46:00.003-04:00

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. Alas, I didn't get many books this week (and I've already read most of them!) but I thought I'd post them anyway.

I got this book from my library at the beginning of the week and finished reading it already. It was very good and I've already reviewed it here so I won't go into too much detail.

One of my lovely friends won a second copy of this, so she gave me the first one that she had bought. I've already read it (and reviewed) but still, I'm so glad to finally have my own copy!

Same story as above. A friend won a second copy of this, so she gave me her extra. I haven't read this yet but I'll definitely be getting to it ASAP! It looks awesome!

Marked: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

2009-04-03T18:44:00.003-04:00

Vampyres have always existed, but Zoey never thought that she'd be Marked- until the tell-tale mark appeared on her forehead. Now she must go to the House of Night, the school for fledgling vampyres, where she'll live for the next four years learning how to be an adult vampyre- that is, if the Change doesn't kill her. She quickly falls into a group of new friends, but not everything is fun and games. She may have Imprinted on her ex-almost-boyfriend, the Goddess Nyx has Marked her as special, and she has to stop the leader of an elite club from abusing her power. Now she must learn to accept the changes in her life and embrace her destiny, before things get worse.

I was a bit hesitant to read Marked, simply because I know that Hunted (a later book in the series) got some pretty bad reviews. However, I figured I wasn't going to let that stop me from reading this- and I'm glad I didn't.

Marked is truly a unique vampire book. The vampire mythology in it is fresh, exciting, and interesting. I've never read anything like it and the idea of being Marked to become a vampire is pretty awesome. The whole story read really well too. Zoey was a great narrator and her voice made it easy to get into the story- and once you were in, you were hooked. I also loved the rituals mentioned in the book, but I won't go into that too much.

All in all, despite what the other books in the series may be like, Marked is very, very good!

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

2009-04-02T19:35:00.007-04:00

It's Jessica's senior year of high school, but she's not expecting anything profound to happen. Then a mysterious new student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming she's a Romanian vampire princess and insisting that they're betrothed. Jessica finds herself making the transition to vampire princess when she must fight to not only win back Lucius, but stop an approaching vampire war.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is a fun read. It's a wonderful romance book without being fluffy and obnoxious. Although the book starts with Jessica finding out about her vampire past right away the book keeps a good pace. Plus, there are a lot of little twists in here that make it more than just a typical romance book.

The depiction of vampires was really interesting and I loved the additions from the book "Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions" that Lucius gave Jessica. I also loved the letters from Lucius to his uncle. They gave you a really interesting insight to the changes he goes through (plus, they were just really fun to read).

I had heard good things about this, but the title still made me a bit hesitant. I was expecting something a bit cheesy or cliched but I was pleasantly surprised by this. It was dark at times, but still a fun, realistic romance to read. You should definitely pick this book up if you haven't read it already!

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

2009-04-01T18:01:00.007-04:00

Jena and her four sisters enjoy a life where they are treated with respect and equality by their father, but that's not the most unusual part of their lives. They cross into the Other Kingdom every full moon to dance and socialize with the folk that live there. Then, their father is forced to spend the winter in a wamer place due to his failing health and the sisters soon find themselves under the control of Cezar, their cousin. Cezar considers women inferior and has vowed to destroy everything associated with the supernatural. Jena's older sister, Tati, has fallen in love with one of the Night People and Jena doesn't trust him. Now, with the help of her trusted friend, the frog Gogu, Jena must struggle to not only save her Tati, but her home- both in this world and the Other.

Wildwood Dancing got off to a bit of a slow start, but I still got sucked into the story. It may be based off of The Twelve Dancing Princesses it doesn't read like a fairytale. It retains elements of the original story, but there's so many new details to it.

One of the things that I loved most was the setting of this. I've always loved a Transylvania that's not always associated with vampires (the instant assumption that Transylvania=vampires ticks me off). Wildwood Dancing is set against a rich background of folklore and superstition, which provides a realistic setting despite the Other Kingdom and its inhabitants.

Though the characters bothered me at times, I truly enjoyed reading about them. They grew and evolved throughout the book which kept the characters interesting even if their actions bothered me. I wish there had been more information about some of the Other Kingdom characters, but I realize that they aren't the main focus of the book (and if there had been more of a focus on the Other Kingdom it probably would've detracted from the overal story).

All in all, this was a very good book, one that I highly recommend others read!

The Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan

2009-03-29T15:52:00.003-04:00

Battle Hall Davies hasn't heard from her brother in four years. He ran away when she was in highschool but now, four years later, he's tracked her down and Battle finds herself spending the summer with him at Forest House, the co-op where he lives. She's quickly swept into the Forest House Shakespeare production and there's even a chance at a new girlfriend in her future. It's not all fun and games, though, as Battle realizes that Nick isn't who she thought he was- and she's not who she thought she was either.

Rules for Hearts is a companion book to Empress of the World, which I raved about here. I was so excited to read this and, for the most part, it didn't let me down.

It was really awesome reading a book from Battle's point of view, since Empress was from Nic's. There were a lot of mentions of the characters from Empress as well, and easy to see how much that one summer had affected Battle. Her relationship with Nic, Katrina's smoking, the Empress doll- everything had a connection to this story now.

Again, I love how Sara Ryan doesn't tell a completely happy story, but still makes it realistic. She doesn't have the reunion between Nick and Battle perfect, but illustrates the problems that come with being apart for four years while still emphasizing the fact that they were once very close.

However, I did feel that this book fell short in some parts. Although all of the characters were wonderful, I wish there had been more elaboration on some of them. At times it felt like I didn't know enough to understand why Battle was connecting to someone, or why something was happening. Also, you were left wondering for quite awhile as to what had happened between Nic and Battle, and then I personally still don't feel like we had the whole story.

All in all, though, this book was good. I'd recommend it to anyone who read Empress of the World and wants a quick glimpse into Battle's life the next summer.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

2009-03-27T15:19:00.003-04:00

Ever used to be a normal teeenager, but ever since the car crash that killed her family she's been different. She hears people's thoughts and sees their auras- everyone's except for the new guy at school, Damen. When he's around the noise stops and she's almost normal, but Damen's not. He leaves Ever with more questions than answers, more problems than solutions, and though he stops the noise her life will never be normal again.

I absolutely loved this book (as proven by the fact that I read it in less than a day). Ever is such a wonderful character to read about. I really love how her abilities were a curse to her because honestly I don't think this would've been half as amazing if Ever was a happy-go-lucky girl who openly embraced the changes and whatnot.

I love how Damen and Drina were immortals, but not vampires- but you were still guessing as to whether they really weren't bloodsuckers. You didn't just know "Oh, they're vampires". You were forced to guess and hunt for clues along with Ever.

Speaking of Damen, the romance part of this was very well written. It's not a sappy happily ever after story. Ever doesn't just cave in for this guy. There's good moments, some wonderful moments, but there's also struggle and sadness as well, which I was thrilled about. I love reading moments of just pure romantic fluff, but the whole love at first sight thing in this genre is really overdone.

Loved this book to death and can't wait for Blue Moon to come out!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

2009-03-26T18:05:00.007-04:00

The only life that Mary has ever known has been her small village, run by the Sisterhood and seemingly the only one left in the world. The fences protect her people from the Unconsecrated, who live in the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Then her dreams of the ocean and a life with her love fall apart as the fence is breached and the life that she knows comes crashing down.

Wow. The Forest of Hands and Teeth was AMAZING! It reminds me a bit of Lois Lowry's books (especially Gathering Blue), just because of the post-apocalyptic not-everything-is-as-it-seems feel to it, but it's still a completely unique story and I loved it!

All of the characters were really amazing. They were so dynamic and realistic, just completely awesome to read about. You practically felt their fears and hopes along with them, ached for their unfullfilled dreams and mourned the loved ones they lost as they did. I even felt sorry for the Unconsecrated because many of them were simply victims, even though I knew that they were the "bad guys" in this book.

I can't even really think of much else to say because everything about this was just wonderful! The plot was awesome, the story fast-paced, the language simply beautiful. I honestly just don't know what else I can say!

I wish there had been more detail on how Mary's village had gotten to the point that it did, but all in all this was a truly amazing book. I highly recommend this to, well, anyone!

The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb

2009-03-23T15:58:00.003-04:00

As a Fetch, Calder has the job of escorting souls to Heaven. He meets them at their death, takes them through the Aisle, transfers them to the Captain, and that's it. Until he meets- and falls for- one living human. Convinced that she's his Star Fetch, a human taken body and soul into the Aisle to become a Fetch, he crosses over into the human world and takes over a body. What he doesn't realize, though, is that he's just made the biggest mistake in all of his 300 years as a Fetch and the Lost Souls, those who never made it to heaven, will be looking for him.

The Fetch was a truly remarkable book. Set during the Russian Revolution it takes a completely historically accurate situation and turns it into the perfect supernatural story.

The concept of Fetches was really interesting. They weren't angels, merely escorts, but they had the same holy feeling to them that you'd expect an angel to have. I wouldn't mind reading more books with Fetches in them, that's for sure!

I also loved how Calder's past was worked into the story, not only with the flash backs but also when he was trying to get back to Russia. Actually, especially when he was trying to get back to Russia because those scenes where the past met the present were some of the best in the book.

One thing that I will say is that I wish they had gone on to explain what Calder was supposed to do after he got his new Key at the end, and maybe have more of an explanation as to what happened to the newly-forming demon. Also, the clues that Rasputin (yes, that Rasputin) gave him as to how to get back to the Aisle didn't really seem to be remembered for the entire book.

However, all in all it was a wonderful read.

In My Mailbox (5)

2009-03-22T11:14:00.003-04:00

As always, In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren! I don't have a lot of books this week, but I love them all!

It came! It came! I got home Thursday after a long day of school, public speaking competitions, and play-watching to see a package from Randombuzzers sitting on my table! It's next on my BTR list so I'm frantically trying to finish up The Fetch so I can start in on this!

Plus, as a side note, this is my first ARC that I've ever gotten!

So my older sister needed a prom dress yesterday and there was a Barnes and Noble by the store, so I spent quite awhile in there looking for books. This was one of the three I picked up. It came down to this and Princess of the Midnight Ball, until I remembered that my library was already getting the other. Plus I was sort of in the mood for more vampire books, LOL!

Picked this one up at the store yesterday as well. I saw this on someone's blog a week or so ago- maybe on The Story Siren's In My Mailbox post? Anywho, I saw this in the store and just grabbed it. It looks like it's going to be awesome!

This little book was tucked away on the bottom shelf in Barnes and Noble. I picked it up and the first thing I see is that this is by Sara Ryan. She wrote Empress of the World which I raved about here. So I read the back and one of the main characters of Empress of the World is the main character in this book! This is my second favorite book I got this week, I can't WAIT to read it!

Need by Carrie Jones

2009-03-20T06:12:00.004-04:00

After the death of her father, Zara's whole life changes. Her mother ships her off to Maine to live with her grandmother and, on top of that, she keeps seeing a strange man following her. She assumes that he's the guy responsible for the disappearance of the teenage boy, but he also has a chilling connection to her too and Zara is quickly drawn into a world where pixies run rampant.

Now, she's not only fighting to get past her father's death- she's fighting for her life.

Okay, tell me what this reminds you of:

Girl likes warm places but moves to a cold area to live with another family member. Girl gets a car upon arrival. Girl dreads going to school and, when she does, has a guy that obsessively shows her around, quickly makes new friends, and finds one girl that hates her. Girl falls in love with non-human guy. Girl has a weird self-sacrificing problem but it's okay because the Guy (and others like him) save her.

If you said Twilight... you're correct!

If you said Need... you're also correct!

Tt wasn't exactly like Twilight, but at parts of it I was definitly going "This seems familiar..." That was really my only major problem with the book, though. I loved the idea of having pixies be the bad guys 'cause you definitely don't see them too much, and I loved how they had the shapeshifters on the good side as well. Zara's habit of listing phobias was interesting and they really worked for chapter names and whatnot.

One thing I really loved about Zara was that she wasn't like "Pixies? Oh my gosh, that's totally was it is! And I'm not scared at all and don't find the thought of pixies absolutely insane!" She rejected the idea of pixies at first, she insisted that there had to be another solution, which made her seem more realistic than other main characters.

All in all, a good book. The Twilight-ish moments didn't really kill it too much. It seems like it was set up to have a sequel, and if there is one I'll read it. If not, it won't kill me.

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

2009-03-18T19:55:00.003-04:00

Charlotte Miller has inherited Stirwaters, the family's woollen mill, after her father's death. Now the last of the Miller family she faces bankruptcy, vandalism, and a shifty uncle as she struggles to hold her life together.

Then, Jack Spinner shows up, offering a way out. It starts with gold thread in exchange for a fake pearl ring... but where will it end?

How many of you have read Rumplestiltskin? If you have, you'll definitely recognize that story in here. However, what really surprised me was how fresh this was. It wasn't simply a recap of the fairytale with a bit of a twist- it was a whole new look on the old story. It's a realistic setting, mixed with old superstitions and spirits, the combination of which makes parts of it very chilling!

Can I say that I liked the mill better than any of the actual characters? It reminded me of Old Sturbridge Village, which is one of my favorite places to visit. Plus, just the way it was written it was almost a character in itself (actually, it was in the end, but that's besides the point).

Charlotte is an admirable character with her struggle to make sense of what's going on around her. Despite the supernatural elements that she gets mixed up in, she's a surprisingly well-grounded character. She's the one who tries to ignore what Jack Spinner is the longest, who tries to find real-life solutions to the problems.

In my opinion, this is what makes this story so believable. Because Charlotte is forced to slowly accept the truth, we too find ourselves drawn in bit by bit. There's no overwhelming sudden rush of information, no over-the-top ghost stories that we're forced to believe. It seems so believeable and real, despite the supernatural elements.

A very good book, one that I would highly recommend, even if you're not one to go for retold fairytales, since it's not read like Rumplestiltskin.

In My Mailbox (4)

2009-03-15T11:23:00.006-04:00

Here's another In My Mailbox, as started by The Story Siren! I actually got books in my mailbox this week, as opposed to buying them!

I won both of these in contests- Song of the Sparrow from Books by Their Cover (I believe) and The Forest of Hands and Teeth from Carrie Ryan's own blog! Both are signed, which is very, very awesome!

I got all of these at my library this week. I've been wanting to read Need for awhile, so I was glad when I saw that they had finally gotten it! The Fetch just looks really interesting. A Curse Dark as Gold is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin (probably spelled that wrong) and I love fairytale retellings!

Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce

2009-03-14T14:49:00.003-04:00

Evvy has come a long way from Chammur. Now, after the war in Yanjing and her arrival in Winding Circle, she finds herself in the Battle Islands with Rosethorn and Dedicate Myrrhtide as they attempt to figure out what's killing the local plant life. With the help of Luvo, Evvy's friend and the living heart of a mountain, she begins to realize that they may be up against forces that none of them can control.

I'm so glad I bought this book! It was very well written. Evvy is one of my favorite characters from the Circle Opens quartet. It was really awesome reading this, just because of how much she's grown, even if she's still not completely perfect.

The new characters that were introduced in this book were awesome as well. Myrrhtide was obnoxious at times, but he was supposed to be that way- plus, it was just interesting seeing a Dedicate who wasn't the nice, caring type. Oswin, his crew of former pirate children, and the other locals provided the cultural feel to the story- their attachement to their land, their knowledge of the power lines, etc. Really, though, Luvo was the best. He's this living, stone-like entity that was the heart of a mountain. Certainly one of the most unique characters in the Circle universe!

Those who've read the books in the Circle universe, especially Street Magic, should pick this up but if you aren't familiar with this world don't dive into it with this book.

Did I miss the memo? [angry rant]

2009-03-11T21:16:00.003-04:00

Since when are *book blogs* an unreliable source of information about *young adult books*?

Okay, settle down, kids. It's story time!

So I'm on the book selection committee for my library. Which basically means that I help choose what books the kids/young adult section gets. Of course, this is simply awesome because it usually means I can have them get a book that looks really good, but I can't afford to buy.

But that is not the point.

We had a meeting today. And I suggested three- yes, only three 'cause I left this until the last minute- books. The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dust of 100 Dogs, and Evermore. All of which, as most of you will probably agree, are epically awesome. Admittedly, I've only read The Dust of 100 Dogs but I've heard enough good reviews about the other two *on book blogs* that I was willing to suggest them, despite the fact that I have my own copies.

So I get asked the innocent question, "Where do you get all your book suggestions?"

And I told them the truth. "Book blogs."

"Oh." -laughs- -condenscending grins- "That's... nice."

Wait... what?! Since when is it a bad thing to rely on people's reviews of a book? The other people at this meeting were going on reviews of their books too, but since mine weren't "official" or something they don't count?

I can name book bloggers that have had reviews published, that have had author interviews published. Bloggers that are known by authors and trusted by publishers. My own pathetic little review of The Dust of 100 Dogs got mentioned on A.S. King's blog! If an author cares about something a completely unknown person says about their book, why should *well known* bloggers be an unreliable source of info? What makes their word different than anyone elses?

If my books get pushed to next month's list I'll be ticked. Our YA section has only just moved past two shelves, while the picture books are overflowing. I'm going to fight for the books I suggested if it comes down to it too, because I'm NOT going to let their preconcieved (and completely wrong!) notions of blogs stop my library from getting GOOD YA books!

-end rant-

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A. S. King

2009-03-10T15:40:00.004-04:00

The famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was about to make her escape from pirate life when she was slain and cursed to spend 100 lives as a dog, before returning to a human body with her memories intact. Now, a teenage American girl, "all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica".

Awesome, awesome, awesome book! From Saffron's (reincarnated Emer's) story, to the tale of Emer's life, to the dog facts scattered inbetween it was just perfect!

I was slightly worried that Saffron would be completely identical to Emer, but I'm glad she wasn't! It certainly made things interesting, having a high schooler remembering over 300 years worth of lives. I really loved how Saffron would imagine torturing the people who bothered her in various piratey ways and when she tried to call up Emer when she was in Jamaica. Those moments made for really interesting glimpses into the life of a teenage girl with a soul of a former pirate who lived 300+ years as a dog.

Emer's story surprised me. She wasn't the typical pirate you'd expect her to be- but that's what I loved about it. Speaking of surprises, the whole thing with Fred was perfectly done! I was wondering why the heck I was reading about it, but then it all fell into place perfectly. Also, the very last page of the book made me grin madly. What can I say? I'm a sucker for happy endings- and believe me, this one was the best.

Epic win. Just completely, totally epic win.

Wake by Lisa McMann

2009-03-10T15:22:00.004-04:00

Janie is getting sick of being sucked into other people's dreams. Naked dreams, falling dreams, sex-filled dreams- she's seen it all. Worst of all, she can't tell anyone about her ability or they'll think she's crazy. Then, she finds herself in a gruesome nightmare where, for the first time, she's a participant. Just who's dream is it and what does it mean for her?

Mm, I've heard a lot of good things about this book. I will admit that it's a good book, but not exactly what I was expecting. Most of the book seemed to be focusing in on her relationship with Cabel. I was also disappointed in how she was learning to control her powers. It didn't seem that epic to me. A couple of library books, some strange dreams with dead people in them, and BAM! she starts to learn.

I know there's going to be a sequel, but it seems like there's a lot of loose ends as well, especially concerning Miss Stubin. I'd almost rather have learned more about that than having the situation with Cabel get wrapped up.

I can't say I was really disappointed, because like I said it is a good book- just not what I was expecting. I loved the idea of Janie getting sucked into dreams, especially since she couldn't control it at first and didn't enjoy having that power.

I will be reading the sequel at some point, because this book certainly got my attention!

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

2009-03-08T16:12:00.012-04:00

Clay Jensen came home from school on a seemingly normal day to find a package waiting for him containing seven tapes. Tapes containing thirteen stories about people Clay knows, told by Hannah Baker- who committed suicide two weeks before. The instructions are clear: if you have the tapes, one of the stories is yours. Listen to them and, afterwards, pass them on to the next person.

Armed with a map and the tapes, Clay spends a night crisscrossing his town, listening to the stories that explain why Hannah committed suicide and wondering what he did to help cause her suicide when maybe, just maybe, he could've been the one to save her.

Thirteen Reasons Why may be the best book I've read this year. It tops The Singing and it'll most likely top Melting Stones and Bloodhound as well, which is saying something.

Each chapter is one story aimed at one person. Each story is seemingly unconnected to the others, but as the book progresses you realize how everything had a cause, a starting point. You learn Hannah's story - why she commited suicide - as well as Clay's - what his relationship to Hannah was. I was just about sobbing by the end of this because it was written so powerfully, so truthfully. No sugarcoating, just the bare facts of what led her to commit suicide.

Read. Now. I promise you, you won't regret it.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

2009-03-08T16:00:00.003-04:00

Tally's a Cutter, a unique subgroup of the Special Circumstances. Most of the time, her new clarity is the best feeling in the world. It allows her to get her work done and push everything else away. But she can't forget that it was David and the New Smokies who created the nano pill that destroyed Zane's brain. Unwilling to forgive them, she sets out with Shay to destroy the New Smoke, only to find herself inadvertantly changing the world forever.

Those who love this series will not be let down by this book! It is the climactic ending that you've been waiting for, where the inevitable final clash between the New Smoke and Special Circumstances comes together. The world expands far beyond Pretty Town and the outlying wilderness, allowing the reader to get a sense of the different cultures and ideas of Tally's World.

I personally loved Tally the best in this book. The way she thinks and acts are interesting, yes, but it's the way she reacts to what's going on that makes her so darn fascinating. It's the spark that, despite everything, hasn't yet died, her human feelings in an inhuman body, and the sacrifices of a so-called greedy person that makes this nearly addictive to read. Tally reaches the zenith point of her character, where she's feeling so much and has gone so far that you can't put the book down because you want to know what else she's going to do.

If you've read the first two books you must read this. If you haven't, read Uglies and Pretties first, then this one. Either way, read this book. It is awesome.

Just to let you know...

2009-03-05T06:25:00.002-05:00

I have state tests this week so, while I'm going to have plenty of time to get reading done, I will probably not be posting any reviews until Saturday or Sunday. I'm just completely burned out right now and even if I tried to write a review it would most likely not come out as anything close to coherant.

So this weekend you'll probably get 3-4 reviews at once and that's why.

Wendy by Karen Wallace

2009-03-02T11:09:00.004-05:00

Wendy Darling doesn't have a perfect life. Her father's drunk, her mother's oblivious, and her Nanny's abusive. That's mostly routine for her, but one night when she spies on her parent's dinner party she sees something she can't forget. Now, as her family is falling apart, she must try to reach the bottom of a mystery that takes place in the adult world, while she's still confined to the nursery.

This takes place before Peter Pan with the Darling family as the main cast (including Nana!) but don't be expecting fairy dust and mermaids. This is purely historical fiction. However, that doesn't make it any less awesome.

Though told from the perspective of a nine year old the book deals with more adult issues, which creates the main focal point of the story: how does a child deal with things they can't understand? Wendy bottles up her emotions and thoughts, coming to conclusions herself because there's no one else for her to turn to.

You can see Wendy clearly evolve throughout the book. She starts off as a child, one who may not have the happiest life, yes, but still a child. As she starts seeing more and more glimpses into the adult world she's forced to grow up, even if she doesn't want to, so that by the end of the book she's almost a completely different character.

Some might say that the combination of adult themes with a younger narrator doesn't work, but I think it does, simply because it allows the story to move past the unfaithful husbands and incomprehending mothers to the impacts that that has on a child, which was really intereting to see.

All in all, Wendy was a good book, but don't necessarily read it because you love Peter Pan, because apart from the family there are very few similarities.

In My Mailbox (2&3)

2009-03-01T11:27:00.007-05:00

Here's another In My Mailbox, started by The Story Siren. Since I forgot to do this last week I'm going to add the couple of books I picked up earlier in this post as well.

ETA: Ahhh! Just went and got the mail and I found this:

The signed copy of Evermore that I won in one of The Story Siren's contests! -squeals-

And the rest of my books for this week:

These were the two books I got last week. As I've already raved about Melting Stones here so I'm not going to go into anymore detail than that except to say that it's slowly approaching the top of my Books to Read list! I picked up Marked at the same time because it looked like an awesome book.

Got all of these at my library this week. I've been wanting to read Wake for awhile and almost started squealing when I saw they had it. I'd heard a lot about Bonechiller and decided to just pick it up. Thirteen Reasons Why just looked like it would be awesome.

I have basically been ordered to read this by my sister, who forced her copy onto me and said, "Read it. Now." I will admit that it does look interesting, though...

Fix by Leslie Margolis

2009-02-28T11:23:00.003-05:00

Cameron knows what it's like to be horribly unpopular, but after having her nose fixed by a plastic surgeon and moving to a new school she finds herself with a new group of popular, beautiful friends. But she's still as self-conscious as ever and, as she gets ready to go to college, she can't help but to improve one more thing...

Allie, Cameron's sister, is all lined up to have a nose surgery of her own. With her sister's two surgeries and her mom getting a facelift it sort of runs in the family. But going through with this will mean missing a week of soccer camp and sacrificing her spot on the varsity team...

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading this book but it was very good! Ultimately it's a story about society's pressure for people to look good. On the one hand you have people like Cameron who feels that she needs to be beautiful just to fit in. But then there's Allie who is conflicted about what's more important to her.

Cameron's second surgery really struck me as interesting because it wasn't that she needed it done for a modeling job, she simply wanted it done to feel better about herself. You end up feeling sorry for her because of what she went through in the past due to her looks, even if you don't agree with what she's doing.

It was a fairly quick read, but still very enjoyable. If you're interested in reading a book with plastic surger as one of the main themes, pick up Fix!

Aww, thanks! ^^

2009-02-27T06:26:00.002-05:00

So, as you probably know, I've only been blogging for about 18 days. Imagine my surprise when the epic rat nominated me for a "fabulous" award! It means a lot to me that out of all of the other (probably better) book blogs out there you thought mine was worth mentioning!

"Willowe is fairly new, but she is doing an excellent job at reviewing! If only I could read as quickly and as much as she does... Plus, I absolutely love Willowe's header! It's gorgeous!"

Rules: Write 5 things you’re addicted to and then nominate 5 other blogs to pass this award on to!

1) Music. Whether it's on my mp3 player or I'm practicing my french horn I LOVE music!
2) Reading. Which should be pretty obvious, considering I have a *book* blog.
3) Writing. I absolutely love to write. I've participated in NaNoWriMo for the past three years, doing ScriptFrenzy (and NaNo!) this year, and am currently working on two stories (while editing a third). I just love writing!
4) Wrestling. -hangs head in shame- Yes, I will admit that I'm a WWE fan. It's sort of the odd one out in this list, isn't it?
5) Tolkien. Is beyond completely amazing. I LOVE all of his books (though the Middle Earth ones are my favorite). I think I own more of his books than any other authors (even Tamora Pierce!). Probably know more about his writing than that of anyone else too, ha!

Shoot, I have to go catch the bus. I'll edit this when I get back and nominate 5 other people for this. If I can limit it to just five...

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

2009-02-25T16:53:00.003-05:00

Dashti's a mucker and knows enough of the songs of her people to be able to sing away heartache or lure cats to her. After losing her mother she travels to the city where she finds herself locked in a tower with Lady Saren after the noble refuses to marry a man she hates. Saren orders Dashti to pose as her when Khan Tegus, Saren's love, comes and Dashti complies, not knowing that when they escape the tower and are forced to flee to Tegus's land she'll land in a mess even she won't be able to sing out of.

Mm, this book is hard to summarize but it was very good. I was surprised at how early on in the book they escaped but it makes sense. After all, there's so much more adventure when the characters aren't trapped in one tower for the entire story.

The story is told in the form of Dashti's journal which I personally loved (but then again I'm a sucker for books written as diary entries). The one downside to this would have to be that you got a lot of insight into Dashti's mind but not so much information on Saren, which made it hard to truly like her. It wasn't until close to the end of the book that I actually enjoyed reading about Saren becaues prior to that I thought that her weaknesses were almost too exaggerated.

I loved the mucker information in the book. I just thought it was so cool to have a group of people who could sing to convince animals to calm down or a wound to heal. In a way it was ironic, though, that Dashti considered the nobles to be so wonderful but she was the one with this amazing power of song that she didn't think was that awesome at all.

Very enjoyable book and now I just have another reason to finish reading Princess Academy!

The Singing by Alison Croggon

2009-02-23T15:50:00.004-05:00

Maerad and Hem are each carrying half of the Treesong, the song that will unravel the Nameless One and stop the forces of Dark. Maerad and Cadvan are searching for Hem who, unbeknownst to them, is seeking them as well with the help of Irc and Saliman. They know that they have one chance of suceeding, but with the Black Army marching ever closer can they find each other and sing the Treesong before time runs out?

Do you remember the end of The Lord of the Rings? Frodo destroys the ring and Sauron is defeated for good, but there is this sadness on the hobbit because he knows that things will never be the way they were before. And when you turn the last page of the book (or the credits start to roll for the movie) you just sit there, thinking about what just happened because it was such a powerful ending and diving into something else seems almost sacriligious.

That feeling is this book. And I don't get that feeling with many books. Sure, there's that moment when I sit and think over what I just read, but those of you who caught my Lord of the Rings analogy know how much stronger this feeling is. That's what I felt when I read the end of The Singing.

Alison Croggon has the amazing ability to be able to tell a story and keep her readers on the edge of their seat when Maerad and Cadvan are spending three days hiding in a cave. She takes the suspense that's been building up during the past three books and weaves it through everything that happens. Her writing is artistic, almost poetic at times, and these books are simply beautiful. She can take everything that's happened and finish the book without a huge battle and make you feel like you didn't miss a single thing.

This book has everything you could possibly want in it. Battles, strange powers, close friends, relationships pushed the brink, death, pain, suffering, loss, refuge, reunions, music, change- I could go on and on. Alison Croggon weaves so many themes into her writing, making the characters so much more realistic.

I particularly liked how she emphasized the pain that Maerad was feeling at being the Chosen One, especially the glimpse we got of Maerad if she went evil and the sheer power she would have, and then later as she fell and couldn't even care for herself as they travelled to sing the Song. Maerad has grown so much since she left Gilman's Cot in The Naming and you really got to see the manifestation of those changes in this book.

Anyone who's read the rest of the series must read this book. If you haven't read the series pick it up now. It is absolutely beyond completely amazing.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2009-02-21T16:04:00.005-05:00

By sheer luck, the small toddler escapes the assassin the killed the rest of his family, wandering up the hill to the graveyard where he is taken in. There, he becomes Nobody Owens- called Bod- and is cared for by the ghosts of the graveyard. He learns about the outside world, occasionally venturing out on his own and interacting with the living, as well as learning the tricks of the dead. But somewhere, a man named Jack is looking to finish what he started...

Wow. This book was absolutely amazing. This was the first book by Neil Gaiman that I read but if they're all as good as this it certainly won't be the last! The graveyard came alive for me, with each ghost having it's own personality and quirks. Bod's place among the dead was carefully marked out, but it was easy to see that the graveyard was still his home, from his familiarity with the ghosts to his knowledge of Fading.

Each chapter reads as an individual story within Bod's life, from his first trip to the barrow where the Sleer live to his experiances at school with the living, but when they're put together you get such a wonderfully clear picture of how he grew up. By the end of the book everything that he's learned falls together and he protects himself and the home of those he loves. Unlike other books, the world isn't sugarcoated for Bod. This book has a dark aspect to it, but plenty of humor and fun to keep it from being truly scary.

The one bad thing I will say would have to be the very end, but that's just the sentimental part of me speaking. I'm still wishing that, somehow, when he dies Bod's bones will end up in the graveyard and Silas will stop by for frequent visits, hah!

Wonderful book (with wonderful pictures!). A must read, for sure.