Monday, January 25, 2010

THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer Hubbard - GIVEAWAY

THE SECRET YEAR is a great book. It grabs you from the first page and pulls you in and never lets go. Colt is such a wonderful character. Your heart will break for him as he works his way through the loss of losing Julia.

Have you been wanting to read THE SECRET YEAR and just haven't picked up a copy yet? If so, now is your chance. Fill out the Google Form below for your chance to win. All entries due by Sunday, January 31, 2010 at Midnight (CST).



BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I'LL BE DEAD - WINNER!

Congratulations to Dawn Miears She is the winner of the autographed BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS I'LL BE DEAD ARC.

If you didn't win, you can always buy a copy.

Be sure to enter to win this week's contest for THE SECRET YEAR.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

RADIANT SHADOWS by Melissa Marr - REVIEW

HarperTeen - April 20, 2010

In order to understand the specifics of all the characters in this story, it would be best to read the other books in the series. WICKED LOVELY, INK EXCHANGE, and FRAGILE ETERNITY.

RADIANT SHADOWS picks up whereFRAGILE ETERNITY leaves off. As per their agreement, Seth leaves Sorcha in Faerie so he can return to his life in the Mortal world. Everything starts disintegrating soon after and provides a backdrop for RADIANT SHADOWS.

Ani, Gabriel’s daughter, is struggling with her role in the Hunt and controlling the way she feeds. Unlike her siblings, Ani can feed from both mortals and faerie. She feeds on emotions. Life for Ani becomes extremely complicated when Bananach takes an interest in her and orders her to kill Seth. Not knowing what to do, Ani decides her only option is to run.

Devlin, the brother of Sorcha and Bananach, is sent to the Mortal world to look after Seth. Sorcha is obsessed with what Seth is doing and worried for his safety. The trouble is, Devlin gets sidetracked when he runs into Ani at a night club. Devlin and Ani are connected. The specific connection is unknown – all Devlin knows is he can’t resist Ani.

Melissa Marr continues to hold readers’ attention in this, the fourth of the WICKED LOVELY series. Aislinn doesn’t play a role in this installment because Keenan is missing so she must focus her attention to the Summer Court. Faerie is in danger because of Sorcha’s actions and it is up to Devlin and Ani to put it right, but Bananach (War) is determined to see death and destruction everywhere. Can they save Faerie before War destroys everything?


Thursday, January 21, 2010

ANGUS, THONGS, AND PERFECT SNOGGING - DVD

ANGUS, THONGS, AND FULL FRONTAL SNOGGING is a movie. They changed the title though. It is called:




Read the books before you see the movie:


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

FIRE by Kristin Cashore - REVIEW

Fire lives in the Dells - a land filled with beautiful creatures called monsters. There are monsters of every kind. Monster kittens, monster bugs, and the most fierce and dangerous of all, monster raptors. The monsters are covered in fur and feathers of the most vibrant and iridescent colors. Their beauty traps humans, allowing the monsters to control their minds. Monsters can influence humans - make them stand still and allow themselves to be killed, alter their thoughts and decisions, or compel them to do something against their will. Fire is the last human monster in the Dell and people are afraid of her and tend to stay out of her way or try to kill her.

Fire is aware of the danger monsters pose to the people around her and takes care to remain respectful of their privacy and free will. The only time she attempts to claim a person's mind is in self-defense. Her life is a comfortable rhythm of hunting and spending time with her best friend Archer. Fire has spent seventeen years within the safety of her own grounds and surrounded by people she can trust so when the Prince from King's City comes to ask for her help in getting information out of captured spies, she can't help but say yes. Fire has wanted to see King's City for a long time.

Fire's abilities and conscience are pushed to the limit once she joins the fight to save the crown.

FIRE is a companion book to GRACELING. You absolutely don't need to read one before the other because FIRE takes place approximately 30 years before GRACELING'S timeline picks up. FIRE is a beautiful story. I listened to the audio book that Xanthe Elbrick narrates. Xanthe's voice made Fire come alive and I was almost sad when the story was over. If you like fantasy, you definitely need to read FIRE.


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Read-a-Likes - FAERIES

In honor of the fact that I received RADIANT SHADOWS this week, I thought I would use faeries as the topic of my Read-a-Like post. I’m focusing on faerie stories where there is struggle of some sort – mostly between the different Courts. I’m sure I missed some, so be sure to leave other titles in the comments section of this post and let me know what else I need to read.

The natural starting point for this list is:

WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr
INK EXCHANGE by Melissa Marr
FRAGILE ETERNITY by Melissa Marr



TITHE by Holly Black
VALIANT by Holly Black
IRONSIDE by Holly Black



FAERIE WARS by Herbie Brennan
PURPLE EMPEROR by Herbie Brennan
RULER OF THE REALM by Herbie Brennan
FAERIE LORD by Herbie Brennan



LAMENT by Maggie Stiefvater
BALLAD by Maggie Stiefvater



WONDROUS STRANGE by Lesley Livingston
DARKLIGHT by Lesley Livingston



THE GOOD NEIGHBORS: KIN by Holly Black
THE GOOD NEIGHBORS: KITH by Holly Black



These two books involve pixies, but … I felt they were close enough.
NEED by Carrie Jones
CAPTIVATE by Carrie Jones



THE IRON KING by Julie Kagawa



So, what else is out there?

Monday, January 18, 2010

Winner of SOME GIRLS ARE Giveaway

Congratulations to Darci Lenker. She is the lucky winner of SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers.

For those of you that didn't win, it is definitely worth purchasing.




Be sure to register for this week's Giveaway. An autographed ARC of BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I'LL BE DEAD by Julie Anne Peters. Good luck everyone!

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I'LL BE DEAD by Julie Anne Peters - GIVEAWAY

Have you heard about the new book by Julie Anne Peters? Check out my review of BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I'LL BE DEAD from couple of days ago to read a little about it. Would you like to win a copy? What if I told you it was autographed? If you'd like a chance to win it, fill out the Google form below. You even have several ways to get extra entries.


Sunday, January 17, 2010

THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES by Carrie Ryan - REVIEW


Delacorte Books for Young Readers - March 9, 2010

FYI - This book is a companion to THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, NOT a sequel.

Gabr

y has lived with her mother in the lighthouse for years. She is content with her friends, her quiet world, and dreaming of life in the Dark City where people enjoy more comforts than she is used to.

Gabry's friends are more adventurous than she is.

They like to sneak out of town and explore the unsafe areas where Mudo roam. They particular enjoy going to the abandoned and dangerous amusement park on the other side of the fence. Gabry doesn't want to go where the Mudo wander - she wants to stay safe, but Catcher is going and she wants to be with him. The thought of spending time with Catcher alone and in the dark overpower her thoughts of safety.

Gabry's trip to the amusement part quickly turns into a disaster. She is forced to grow up fast with very little information. The little she learns from her mother sends her on the biggest adventure of her life. One she never even considered a possibility. The only thing that keeps her going is the desire to learn the truth about her family and save the people she loves.

My first reaction when I started reading THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES was disappointment. I wanted more about Mary. Also, there were several times when Gabry got on my nerves. But, after thinking about the book for a while, I have come to the conclusion that continuing to story of the people surviving life among the Unconsecrated/Mudo several years after THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH was okay. How much more could we have seen Mary do? She'd already survived the trip through the forest and found the ocean. What could she do more exciting than that? Plus, Gabry provides a whole new perspective of life after the Return. I can't wait to read the third novel in this wonderful series. Keep up the good work, Carrie Ryan.

This is another example of book covers that have changed. The first cover I saw posted on Goodreads for THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES was this one:







What do you think of the two covers? I prefer the first one. It matches the cover of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH much better than the new one.





Saturday, January 16, 2010

THE RETURNERS by Gemma Malley - REVIEW


Will Hodge doesn’t have many happy days, especially since his mother died and his father’s political involvement has grown more and more radical. In addition to stress at home, Will’s friends don’t really talk to him anymore, he starts losing short blocks of time, and strange people start following him around claiming to know him.

Then, the dreams begin and he starts to think he is going crazy. He dreams of concentration camps during World War II and several other atrocious events from history. At first, Will thinks he is going crazy but soon explains the strange thoughts on the history he is learning in school. Deep down, he knows the dreams are serious.

Eventually, he can’t avoid the strange people anymore. They explain to him that they are Returners, just like him. Returners are “people who have been reincarnated and whose destiny is to recall the atrocities they have witnessed in the past.” When Will learns about the part he plays in this complicated situation he is forced to decide what his role will be.

Are we born with a predetermined destiny or can we change who we were meant to be?

As a fan of dystopian literature I enjoyed reading RETURNERS. The only reason I gave it 4 out of 5 glasses is because I felt it took too long to get to the specific Returners story line. Most of the book deals with Will’s denial of his connection to the strange people following him.

Friday, January 15, 2010

WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead - REVIEW


Wendy Lamb Books – July 14, 2009

WHEN YOU REACH ME was a one-sitting read for me.

Miranda lives in New York City with her mother. She and her best friend, Sal, spend most of their time together, navigating the ins and outs of life, school, and their neighborhood. One day when walking home from school, Sal gets punched in the stomach by an older boy that hangs out down the street from their apartment building. Sal pulls away from Miranda after that and stops hanging out with her. Miranda feels completely lost without him.

Since Miranda isn’t spending much time with Sal anymore, she has plenty of time to help her mother prepare for an appearance on The $20,000 Pyramid. Miranda and Richard, her mother’s boyfriend, drill her every night on different questions that could appear on the show. Sal’s mother even takes notes on the game show every day to help.

Losing Sal’s friendship bothers Miranda a lot. Not having him to talk to is bad enough, but she really hates walking home alone. Not only does she have to walk by the group of older boys by herself, but she has to walk home alone. Not only does she have to walk by the group of older boys by herself, but she has to walk by the crazy, old man by the mailbox. Then, the notes start arriving – notes telling her things about the future.

Can Miranda trust the notes? Can she really save the life of someone she knows by doing what they say? You’ll love following along with the mystery to find out what Miranda does, who she saves, and what the old man has to do with it.

If you like WHEN YOU REACH ME, you need to find THE POWER OF UN by Nancy Etchemendy. It is fantastic and shares some of the same story elements.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

BONESHAKER by Cherie Priest - REVIEW


Tor Books – September 29, 2009

While most of the United States is suffering from the ravages of the Civil War, Seattle, Washington is dealing with something even deadlier – zombies (a.k.a Rotters).

Sixteen years have passed since the terrible event occurred, destroying Seattle, Washington. Sixteen years since Dr. Blue unleashed his amazing Boneshaker underneath the city. Still, to this day, people don’t know if it was an accident or intentional, but the results are all the same. The Boneshaker, intended to dig through the ice of the Alaskan tundra for gold, instead, tore through the rock underneath Seattle itself – caving in much of the city and releasing a mysterious, slow-moving gas at the same time. The gas, eventually named blight, infected those who were unfortunate enough to take it into their lungs. The city attempted to stop the gas from spreading by constructing an enormous wall around the main devastation and eventually were able to stop it. Now most people live right outside the wall in what is called the Outskirts – including Dr. Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes, and the son he never even knew he had.

Briar and Zeke eke out a living in the Outskirts. Life isn’t easy since they always carry around the stigma of being related to the man who caused all the city’s problems. Zeke is determined to know more about what when on inside the city during the disaster, but Briar is reluctant to tell him everything about it. As his frustration grows, he beings to make plans to sneak under the wall and into the city to find out what he wants to know for himself.

When Briar realizes Zeke has gone into the most dangerous place possible, she immediately gathers supplies and goes to find him. Both come into contact with strange and dangerous characters – not to mention the Rotters.

Readers will be exposed to zombies, pirates, amazing contraptions, and the complicated systems necessary for survival inside the wall. Honestly, it is mind boggling. The imagination required to write such a book is amazing! Cherie Priest deserves kudos for crafting such a unique book. This, truly, is a great addition to the steampunk genre.


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

RAGE by Julie Anne Peters - REVIEW

Knopf – September 8, 2009

Johanna, a responsible and friendly girl, has admired the wild and dangerous Reeve from afar for a while. She spends a lot of her time daydreaming about her and Reeve in romantic situations in Joyland, a place that only exists in Johanna’s mind. Reeve doesn’t appear to know Johanna exists and one thing holding Johanna back from revealing her feelings for Reeve is the fact that she hasn’t “come out.”

Johanna doesn’t know when she agrees to tutor Robbie, a troubled and strange boy, that her world is about the enter Reeve’s atmosphere. Robbie is Reeve’s brother. She picks him up after the tutoring sessions so they can ride home together on the bus. Johanna attempts to get Reeve’s attention and slowly, but surely, Reeve begins to pay attention.

Johanna makes it clear she wants a relationship with Reeve and Reeve attempts to warn her away. Reeve’s life is dark and dangerous compared to what Johanna is used to, but her desire to be with Reeve borders on obsession. She is willing to do anything. No matter how many times Reeve pulls away, Johanna always goes after her.

Johanna’s life changes dramatically and she loses a lot in her attempt to be with Reeve. Why does she do it?

RAGE, a story of love, is also a story of abuse. Johanna displays the typical signs of a victim, “she didn’t mean to do it,” “it was my fault,” and must come to understand her own self worth in order to find a place where she can be both happy and healthy. While Joyland is a great place to visit, does she really want to live there forever?


Tuesday, January 12, 2010

SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers - REVIEW and GIVEAWAY

Regina hates being the designated driver. The parties aren't fun to begin with, but when she has to be there sober it is practically unbearable. When she is ready to go home, Regina tries to find her best friend so she can get her in the car and drive home. She finds Anna in the den with Donnie, passed out after a night off too much drinking. Unfortunately, Donnie, Anna's boyfriend, is just aware enough to force himself on Regina against her will. She barely gets away. Regina runs to the house of the only one of her friends that didn't attend the party and told her everything that happened. Together, Kara and Regina decide it's best to not say anything. Regina considers Anna important enough to keep quiet about the attempted rape in order to remain her best friend.

The problem is...Kara doesn't keep her mouth shut. She tells Anna what happened just as quick as she can in order to push Regina out of the second-in-command spot of the Fearsome Fivesome and by the time school rolls around on Monday, Regina finds herself frozen out of the group.

Life for Regina becomes a living nightmare. Her friends launch a systematic attack against her. She suffers physical and emotional abuse at the hands of the people that know her the best. Never has she felt so alone.

SOME GIRLS ARE is an important book to read. Bullying is such an important issue in today's society and Courtney Summers paints a very realistic picture for the reader.



Now for the GIVEAWAY!

Do you want to win a copy of SOME GIRLS ARE? If so, fill out the Google Form and you will be eligible to win. Extra entries are available. See the form for details. Be sure to enter by Sunday, January 17th at Midnight (CST)


Monday, January 11, 2010

LOCKDOWN by Walter Dean Myers - REVIEW


HarperCollins – February 1st, 2010

Reese is 13 and in lockdown at a place called Progress Center. In the grand scheme of things, Reese is a good guy. He landed in juvie jail because of one bad decision. Stealing a doctor’s prescription pads and selling them to the local drug dealer seemed like an easy way to get some fast cash, but when the drug dealer is collared, he gives up Reese’s name and before he knows it, he’s serving 2 1/2 years at the Progress Center.

Reese’s behavior earns him a spot in a new work-release program. For 10 days a month he will be spending time at a local nursing home helping out wherever he can. Nervous at first, he quickly begins to look forward to the time he gets to leave jail – even though they have him working with a tough old man with racist tendencies.

The only problem is, in order to remain in the work-release program, Reese must maintain his good behavior and it isn’t as easy as just staying out of everybody’s way. Will he be able to do his time and get out when he is supposed to or will he end up like a lot of the other boys at Progress Center and end up going to prison?

LOCKDOWN lacks the intensity of Walter Dean Myers’ MONSTER, but was enjoyable and will appeal to young adult readers.


Sunday, January 10, 2010

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I'LL BE DEAD by Julie Anne Peters - REVIEW


Daelyn has suffered major psychological damage from years of being bullied. The torment and embarrassment she received because of her weight started her downhill slide into despair. Daelyn has lost her desire to live and failed at several attempts to end her life. Her latest failure has left her unable to talk and on 24-hour suicide watch. Her parents barely trust her to go to school.

Daelyn is biding her time. She only has 23 days until her Date of Determination. She discovers the Through the Light website on accident, but finds it to be a welcome change of pace to the other suicide websites and discussion boards she’s visited in the past. Instead of preaching and warning her against her decision, the website provides rational and informational posts and discussions about ending her life.

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I’LL BE DEAD is a powerful and heart-wrenching story of one girl’s life as she makes the hardest decisions of her life. How will she end her life and what will she do with her last 23 days? Daelyn thinks she has it all figured out until she meets a strange boy while she waits for her parents to pick her up after school. Santana is persistent when it comes to making friends with Daelyn, but with only 23 days to live does she really have time?

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I’LL BE DEAD is a short book at only 198 pages. It is easily a one-sitting read and well worth the time. The author, Julie Anne Peters includes a lot of factual information at the back of the book. There are 19 Discussion Questions as well as sections about Bullying, Suicide, Warning Signs, and Prevention Hot Line Information. Your heart will break for Daelyn and the ending is thought-provoking.


Saturday, January 9, 2010

THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer Hubbard - REVIEW




Viking Juvenile - January 7, 2010

Julia died in a car accident on Labor Day on her way home from a party.

Colt heard about it through the grapevine.

Colt and Julia had been seeing each other secretly for a year. They'd met regularly most Friday nights and spent the time alone talking, laughing and making love. Even though he wanted Julia to break it off with her boyfriend, he never pushed her. He understood they couldn't be together - not really.

Julia lived up on Black Mountain Road where the houses were guarded by alarm systems and had servants to take care of the day-to-day business. Colt lives on the flats - far from the rich kids in town.

Colt has a difficult time dealing with the loss - especially since he doesn't have a way to express his feelings without giving their relationship away. He is extremely surprised when Julia's brother comes up to him at school one day and gives him a journal. Apparently, Julia had been writing letters to Cole ever since they started seeing each other - most likely never meaning to give them to him. Colt is both excited and anxious about reading the letters containing Julia's secret thoughts.

Watching Colt's progression through his grief is heartbreaking. He is a main character you can't help but love and won't be able to understand the reason Julia never broke it off with her boyfriend in order to give Colt her full attention. THE SECRET YEAR is a book you won't want to put down. Julia's letters provide wonderful insights into the pressures that come along with the life of the "privileged" kids. You'll want to know what she was thinking during her and Colt's secret year.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Read-a-Likes - IDENTITY

For my first Read-a-Like post I’m focusing on fantasy books that involve teens in situations where they don’t know their true identity and find out through the course of the story the about their true potential.
Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined–the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a prodigiously gifted musician. She’s about to find out she’s also a cloverhand – one who can see faeries.

Unexpectedly, Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy named Luke, who enters her ordinary life, seemingly out of thin air. But his interest in her might be something darker than summer romance. When a sinister faerie named Aodhan shows up with deadly orders from the Faerie Queen, it forces Dee right into the midst of Faerie. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend.

Deirdre had been wishing her summer weren’t so dull, but taking on a centuries-old Faerie Queen isn’t exactly what she had in mind.

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal.

Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick’s mother stole — a charm that keeps her alive — and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon’s mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase…and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians’ Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

Rue Silver’s mother has disappeared . . . and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it’s not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn’t kill her mother — instead, he broke a promise to Rue’s faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue’s mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her — and must also defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

In Pride & Joy, six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains! Finding strength in one another, the shocked teens run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives – vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy. In Teenage Wasteland, the Runaways find a kindred spirit in a daring young stranger and welcome him into their fold. But will this dashing young man help the teenagers defeat their villainous parents… or tear them apart? Plus: who do you send to catch a group of missing, runaway teenage super-heroes? Marvel’s original teen runaway crimefighters, Cloak and Dagger, make their first major appearance in years! In The Good Die Young, the world as we know it is about to end, and the Runaways are the only hope to prevent it! Our fledgling teenage heroes have learned how their parents’ criminal organization began, and now they must decide how it should end. As the Runaways’ epic battle against their evil parents reaches its shocking conclusion, the team’s mole stands revealed, and blood must be shed. Which kids will still be standing when the smoke finally clears?


Related Posts with Thumbnails
 
Designs by Barbara