BIRTHMARKED by Caragh M. O'Brien - REVIEW

Gaia (Guy-ya) Stone is following in her mother’s footsteps.  She has been training to be a midwife for years and is ready to accept her role in the community. For as long as she can remember, life on the outside of the wall has been this way.  The first three babies of the month are advanced to the Enclave to be adopted and live their life inside the wall.  While the pain of losing a child is great, the mothers know their baby will be living in a community with conveniences not available to the people living in Wharfton like electricity and running water.

Gaia doesn’t know what to do when her parents are arrested and taken by the Guard of the Protectorat. She finds it hard to believe that her parents know anything the Enclave would want to know, but by the questions they ask her when she comes home to find them gone, they think her parents have important information.  Gaia is completely in the dark.  The only thing she has to go on is the long piece of ribbon with a strange code sewn in it that her mother’s assistant gave her and told her to keep secret at all cost.

Gaia’s life becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse as she attempts to get inside the wall, find her parents, and solve the mystery of the coded ribbon.

Caragh M. O’Brien has written a wonderful addition to the dystopian genre.  Readers get a glimpse of life in the 2400’s after a drastic weather change has drastically reduced the human population and even though the world is completely different than the one we live in, the problems Gaia encounters are very similar – she enjoys time with her family, likes socializing with friends, and is insecure when it comes to love.

BIRTH MARKED is fantastic.  I loved it and stayed up much too late because I couldn’t put it down.  It definitely deserves my Stay Awake Award.  The author leaves the ending open for a sequel and I for one can’t wait to see what happens.

The Chain 2010 Reading Challenge Reviews

Thanks to everyone who has signed up for The Chain 2010 Reading Challenge already.  As a way to keep up with everyone's progress and provide a way to award prizes, I'm providing a way to keep track of everyone's reviews.

Please use the Mr. Linky below to post your review for any book you used for one of your Links.  The link to this post will be in the sidebar with the button to the challenge.

Please format your entry like this:

THE LINE (Karin's Book Nook)
[the direct link to the review]

THE LINE by Teri Hall - REVIEW

Dial – March 4, 2010

Rachel has lived on The Property since before she can remember.  Her mother works for Ms. Moore, the owner, as a housekeeper of the large house.  Rachel enjoys living far from town and away from the strong governmental control most other people must suffer.  People living in towns deal with unfair and random taxes and when they can’t pay, are taken to jail.

Most people would hate living on The Property because it backs up to The Line, a small section of the National Border Defense System that separates the people of the Unified States from Away and the Others.  The Line is an invisible barrier that can only be crossed if the government grants permission and deactivates The Line.

Rachel doesn’t feel fear when she thinks of Away.  She even tried to cross it once, but simply bounced back from The Line and landed flat on her back.

Rachel’s quiet life is turned upside down when two things happen.  First, she finds a battered digital voice recorder with a partial message requesting help.  Then, during a trip to town with her mother for the weekly supplies, they witness the arrest of a woman her mother recognizes.  Rachel discovers she doesn’t know her mother as well as she thought she did, that Ms. Moore has some unbelievable secrets, and the Away and the Others are closer than she thinks.  She must use her wits and bravery to get through a dangerous and exciting time in order to save an important historical document and people she doesn’t even know.

THE LINE by Teri Hall is a fascinating dystopian novel full of strong female characters and a dark, creepy plot.  The end, while a bit abrupt, is satisfying.  Readers will definitely want to read more about the adventures Rachel is sure to find.  The author leaves the story completely open for a sequel and I for one can’t wait to read it.

The synopsis isn’t the only thing I found intriguing about THE LINE.  Just take a look at the cover and tell me you don’t want to read it! Fantastic art choice!

The New Year's Day Contest Winner

Congratulations to Mrs. DeRaps.  She is the winner of the three books:

DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley

GODS OF MANHATTAN by Scott Mebus

SPIRITS IN THE PARK by Scott Mebus

Thanks to everyone for entering.  Be looking for more contests in the future.

Welcome to Mrs. DeRaps's Online Class! via kwout

Bloggiesta On The Book Jacket

The Book Jacket is the new blog on the block, but there is plenty that needs to be done already.  Here are the things I'd like to do sometime on January 8th, 9th, and 10th.

1. Post reviews.

2. Create some rainy day posts and leave them in draft form until I want to publish them.

3. Work on a series post.

4. Compose the About Me section of the blog.

5. Create some business cards for the blog.

6. Create some contests for the future.

7. Write an elevator pitch for The Book Jacket.

8. Think of some Mini-Challenges and Prizes for The Chain 2010 Reading Challenge.

9. Start tagging/labeling.

New Year's Day Contest

Thank you for stopping by The Book Jacket on this wonderful New Year's Day.  In honor of the New Year and the launch of The Book Jacket, I'm hosting a contest.  You have until Sunday, January 3rd at Midnight (CST) to enter.  One winner will be chosen using Random.org and the winner will be announced on Monday, January 4th.

To be eligible, all you have to do is enter your name and email address in the Google Form below. You have the opportunity to earn 4 additional entries by doing the following things:
1.  Pass on the word about the contest using Twitter.
2.  Post about it on your blog.
3.  Put The Book Jacket in your Blogroll.
4.  Add The Book Jacket button to your sidebar.

Comments on this post will be turned off because the only way to enter is to use the Google Form.

So, what can you win?
DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley
GODS OF MANHATTAN by Scott Mebus
SPIRITS IN THE PARK by Scott Mebus

Welcome To The Book Jacket

Thanks for stopping by The Book Jacket.  After maintaining my blog, Karin's Book Nook, on Wordpress for over 2 years, I've decided to purchase a domain and start a website/blog on Blogger.  Eventually, I may merge the two sites, but for now, I'll keep them separate.  I will be cross-posting my reviews on both sites but I'll be sure to have unique posts on each as well. 


One of the reasons I'm using Blogger is it is easy to use and you can use a lot of the fun widgets and html code that Wordpress won't support.  Now I'll be able to highlight some of the Countdowns for the books I'm anxiously waiting for.


Add The Book Jacket to your Blogroll and RSS Reader or grab a button for your blog.  Contact me if you have any questions or if you want to work together on young adult book/author projects.