A Good Addiction

Cover Reveal + Contest: Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean

2012-01-27T08:14:00.000-06:00

Today, I've got something awesome and special for you guys: The cover for Carolee Dean's fall release Forget Me Not. I am so excited about this book. I adored Take Me There - it's definitely a book that will always stick with me and just happens to be a male POV, and you all know how much I adore those- and now I have another book of hers to drool for!

So before we get to the what's it about, what can you win, and other good stuff.... I give you the cover:

Is it not gorgeous and intriguing?

Now for what the book is actually about, so you can join me in yearning away for this one:

Ally is devastated when a scandalous photo of her is texted around school. With her reputation in shambles and her life essentially over, she hides out in a back hallway, trying to figure out where everything went wrong.

Elijah has spent time in that hallway too. He landed there after taking a whole bottle of sleeping pills. Now he can see ghosts, and he knows what Ally has yet to suspect—that she's already half dead, and one choice away from never coming back.

Elijah has loved Ally for years and would do anything to save her from her in-between place. But if she’s going to live, Ally must face her inner demons, and find the will to save herself.

Does that not sound utterly amazing? This one is set to be released October 2, 2012!

So if you're as eager as me for this one, then you're in luck! I have an ARC of Forget Me Not, along with a copy of Take Me There, up for grabs for one lucky winner!

To enter, just fill out THIS form!

This contest is US Only and ends February 10.

No entries will be accepted in the comments, but admit you should totally still tell me your thoughts!

Author Word Associations: Syrie and Ryan James

2012-01-26T08:17:00.000-06:00

Stopping in today is mother/son pair Syrie and Ryan James, author of Forbidden! To celebrate the release, I've thrown a list of random words/phrases at them, and they're telling us the first thing that comes to mind for each. So let's get to it!

RYAN

Elves: Tolkien

Snow: Eskimos

Hairball: Yuck

Policeman: Badge

Chips: Poker

Belly Button Lint: Innie

Okapi: Deer

Mad Hatter: Batman

Swiffer: Daily

Sprite: Coke

Care Bears: STARE!

Green: Blue

Hot Chocolate: Mint

Dentist: Again?

Guitar: Sexy

SYRIE

Elves: fairies

Snow: ball

Hairball: cat

Policeman: protect

Chips: potato

Belly Button Lint: gross

Okapi: animal

Mad Hatter: Alice

Swiffer: dust

Sprite: beverage

Care Bears: cute

Green: Giant

Hot Chocolate: yum

Dentist: ouch

Guitar: play

Thank you, Syrie and Ryan, and congrats on the release!

Character Interview + Contest: Lindsey from The Miseducation of Cameron Post

2012-01-25T08:22:00.004-06:00

Stopping in today is Lindsey, from Emily Danforth's The Miseducation of Cameron Post! She's Cameron's friend and confidant, and now she's answering some of my questions!

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Real; unafraid; riot-grrrrl.

What was the first thing you thought when you woke up this morning?

If the swelling from this tongue piercing doesn’t go down soon it’s going to be another week of just milkshakes for sustenance. This thought was followed closely by an intense craving for a bacon and cheddar omelet mashed between the two halves of an everything bagel, which I could not possibly eat with my tongue in this kind of pain.

What's the most important thing you look for in someone?

In a grrrl I’m dating or making out with it’s personality first, then sense of style. My tastes vary widely, but you have to have some sense of style—your own style—not the one the GAP is selling to you. In friends it’s loyalty, honesty, and interests. Oh, and taste in music. You bring your Tom Petty Greatest Hits tape into my car (I’m looking at you—Cam Post), and I’ll need to correct that poor decision but fast.

If you could tell Cameron one thing, what would it be?

Stop mooning over Queen Cowgirl or Princess Bovine or whatever the runner-up title your not-so-secret straight girl crush didn’t officially win, anyway. It’s not worth it and it’s going end in heartbreak. I mean it Cam: not worth it and going to end in heartbreak. Come out to Seattle and stay with us. My mom will let you squat here awhile. Hitchhike if you have to. Or I’ll send you bus fare for the Greyhound. Just leave now and answer to the consequences later. And write a grrrl back or pick up the phone, would you? What the hell’s going on out there in cowboy country, anyway?

What kind of reptile would you describe yourself as?

I never would do that. It’s not my style to compare myself to the reptilian. But if I must choose an animal I’ll go with tabby-orange alley cat, please.

Thank you, Lindsey, for stopping in and congrats, Emily, on the upcoming release!

This one hits shelves February 7, so be sure to check it out!

And in the meantime, Lindsey is bringing you guys a contest for some mixed book related swag, including an mixed tape of songs from the book era just like the ones Cameron and Lindsey make, a signed bookmark, stickers and pencils.

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

This contest is US Only, and ends February 1.

Book Review + Contest: The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

2012-01-24T08:24:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: It starts with an itch you just can't shake.

Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat.

A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.

And then you're dead.

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.

Because how will she go on if there isn't?

OPINION: 4 STARS

From a science aspect, this book is great. Crewe has done a fantastic job of creating her own virus, yet mirroring plenty of viruses that do exist and more importantly, keeping true to how quickly and unexpectedly they can spread. Right down to involuntary responses caused by the virus, and a surefire way for it to keep spreading, Crewe has clearly done her research.

Kaelyn is a great character, definitely a loner of sorts yet very kind and perceptive. Her growth and change are smoothly handled, and the way she branches out as the story progresses brings a great life into her. The story stays focused very much on her, written in letter form and therefore giving focus to some things that do feel a bit more mundane. The rest of the cast is well done, with some characters having bigger roles than others, and a sense of sorrow surrounded several of them who do become ill.

Plotwise, however, this one was a bit slow, with plenty of waiting around and wondering. While this is definitely a realistic aspect of something like this, it's also harder to read and stay interested with. Still, the overall plot has a great arc, with most everything tied up, although there was one aspect left open that this reader would have liked some closure on. Stopping otherwise at the perfect point, this is a book that will make readers think, and also creep them out just a bit.

Details:

Source: ARC received from Big Honcho Media in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Ages 12 and up

Hardcover: 320 pages

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Publication Date: January 24, 2012

Want more from Megan and The Way We Fall? Check out her website, and enter for your chance to win a copy of the book as well as a Minimergency Kit!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

This contest is US only, and ends January 31. No entries will be accepted through the comments, but you know you want to leave one still.

And check out the book trailer, to help get you excited for this book, which hits shelves today!

Author Interview: Brodi Ashton

2012-01-23T10:53:00.000-06:00

Hitting up today is debut author Brodi Ashton, who's awesome book Everneath is hitting shelves tomorrow. This one has some great characters, and a fun twist on the Persephone myths, so let's get to the interview!

Would you find it harder to never get back to say goodbye to everyone, or having to admit you got sucked in to the Everneath?

Definitely harder to never get to say goodbye.

What was your favorite part about building the Everneath and it's rules/confines?

Once I had the characters down, and their goals, so many of the rules and definitions fell into place. Book 2 is a different story, though.

Amongst your friends and closer readers, which boy seems to be getting more attention: Cole or Jack?

haha! My friends and closer readers are definitely vehement about which one they like! But if I were to poll them all, Jack would probably win. As a side note: I always wanted to write a human boy who people would root for, even though he didn't have any supernatural abilities. Jack is human, and yet he gets most of the votes.

If you could pair Nikki, Jack and Cole with any character from any book, who would you pick for each?

Can I pick from a television show? Because Cole should totally be with Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But Nikki and Jack... I feel like I would be betraying them to put them with anyone else. No one else would understand each like the other.

What kind of office supply would you describe yourself as?

Glue. At least, that's what I want to be. My husband would say I'm more like that one office supply that acts like a tornado, coming into a room, destroying everything, and leaving it for others to clean up. What office supply is that?

Thank you, Brodi, for stopping in and congrats on the release!

Make sure you guys go check it out tomorrow. You don't want to miss it, plus the cover is just gorgeous...

Book Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

2012-01-19T07:38:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

OPINION: 4 STARS

Though slow to start, once Everneath picks it up, it's gripping and imaginative. There is stellar characterization in this one, not just for Nikki but Jack and Cole as well. Nikki is a fantastic character to root for, someone who knows the mistakes she's made and is hit with several moments of rough realization about the choices she's made and what lays ahead for her. The way she has to pull herself back together after being returned to the Surface, and the steady strengthening of both her character and her body and emotions is a notable aspect of the book. Jack has a sweetness to him and despite the mistakes he seems to have made, he's endearing and memorable. Then there's Cole, one of the most well done 'bad guys' around, with an intensity and inherent charisma to him that will have readers torn between melting and kneeing him in the crotch. With hints of something possibly good lurking underneath a dark and dangerous exterior, Cole goes beyond the typical paranormal guy trying to seduce the girl. Genuinely believing in what he does, but also clearly fond of Nikki even if not always for the right reasons, he is definitely a favorite character for me.

I really like the concept behind this one, and the way it's executed. Though the ending is predictable, it is still potent and a bit breaking in all the right ways. With some mystery built in, but also a very heavy emotional element, and not just because Cole literally feeds on emotions, once I got into this one, I couldn't put it down. Perfectly tied up to work as a standalone, but having plenty of room for great stuff to come in the next installment, Everneath will leave readers in a good place while also ensuring they'll be drooling for more. Ashton does a fabulous job of bringing in the mythology and twisting it to something that is very clearly her own, without anything seeming wrong or too convenient. With a heavy character focus, yet story driven as well, this one is likely to appeal to even those readers who prefer an internal story as much as it is those who love the new worlds that paranormals offer.

Details:

Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Hardcover: 384 pages

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: January 24, 2012

Release Day Top Fives: Fracture and Tempest

2012-01-17T08:12:00.000-06:00

Two of my very favorite books ever are being released today: Fracture by Megan Miranda and Tempest by Julie Cross. These are both debuts, and man are they just amazing. I kind of want to be them when I grow up...

So, because I think EVERYONE needs to read these books, here are my top five reasons to get them:

Tempest by Julie Cross:

5. The plot is brilliant. And a bit of a mind meld. I think my brain broke a few times while reading.

4. There's romance, but not, yet it's also a big factor, yet it's in the background. No, that makes no sense. Yes, it's true.

3. Is there a dark side to time travel? I am going to go with yes, after reading this book, and the reasons why are kind of amazing.

2. Characters. Julie has some of the best characterization around, from the big characters to the smaller ones. And even better? It fits according to whatever year they are in, and shifts again as the time shifts. Holy wow.

1. There's a hot boy. And he just so happens to be the main character. And he is also in my Boy Closet.

Fracture by Megan Miranda:

5. Megan is awesome and I want more books from her, so if everyone buys her books, then the publisher will buy more and then I can read them. Help a girl out.

4. Cover. The cover is gorgeous, but it also fits SO well. You will appreciate it more after you read the book. How can you stand to miss out on THAT?

3. Decker. I mostly love him, but also harbor a little lingering anger towards him. He leaves me feeling twisty. But he is still in the Boy Closet. Mostly.

2. There is a lot of science stuff in this one, but it's twisted just right to be truthful, while still a little supernatural-ish. And it's brain science related, and my major was neuroscience, so I admit it. I am biased. And awed.

1. Brilliant story. Honestly, I picked this book up expecting to read one chapter, because of one little thing on the back of the cover that actually irked me, and I did not stop reading. I went in annoyed (for a personal reason), and came out stunned. Yeah. That.

Author Interview: A.C. Gaughen

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Stopping in today is Scarlet author A.C. Gaughen to talk about her debut... and boggarts.

Scarlet makes the front page headline! What does it say?

SUBVERSIVE THIEF MUST DIE!

What was the hardest aspect of writing a female character pretending to be a male, particularly in voice?

Scarlet has always had her own, very odd way of talking in my head. Her experiences played into it far more than her gender; her time as a thief in London and the secrets she’s hiding combined to form a voice that is consciously, constantly covering something up. She’s very cautious and suspicious even in the quiet of her own mind, and she sees the world in a very visual way. Honestly I love writing in her voice!

If you could pair Scarlet with any character from any book, who would you pick for her?

Heathcliff! Hands down. Didn’t even have to think about it. They would make broody, angsty babies together. Scarlet needs a guy with a few emotional scars. And Heathcliff has to realize the whole Cathy thing isn’t going to happen...

What form would a boggart take in front of you, and what would happen when you cast Riddkilus?

My boggart would clearly be a legion of gigantic, remarkably spry spiders. And when I cast Riddkilus, a huge fireman’s hose of water would spray them all away and create this blue, shimmery web of protection around me like you see in the Products that Kill Bugs commercials.

What single music lyric describes you the best?

“There is a darkness deep in you, a frightening magic I cling to”--Snow Patrol, “You’re All I Have”

So there you guys have it! A little sneak peek at Scarlet, and a look inside the author's head! This one hits shelves February 14, so keep it on your radar!

Thoughts on Reviews... and Some Changes

2012-01-15T14:46:00.000-06:00

This is a more personal post, something I don't often do around here. But lately, I've been thinking a lot about my review style. Yes, my reviews are long. When I get going on a book, I have a lot to say. My brain works in an analytic way, especially towards characters, so that's how I choose to do my reviews.

But those reviews do take awhile for me to write. I write and type fast, I can put the thoughts together usually pretty easily. But even still, it's a good twenty minutes on average for each of my reviews. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, but when I step back and look at it like that, wow is that a lot of time for each book.

And I am very, very behind in reviews. I have a ridiculous number of ones that need to be written. 2011 was a hard year for me, for reasons I won't go into. I let a lot of things slide, I didn't have the mental or physical energy to stay on top of things, then I hit that point where I felt so far behind catching up seemed impossible and it just kept building.

There are plenty of days I come home completely exhausted, at least mentally. It's one thing to wind down with a book, to to just go with the flow and let the story reveal. Tearing through an entire book in an evening work is not a big deal to me. Trying to revise SlackerBoy, write new words on a different manuscript of mine, work on a review, or anything that takes more mental focus... I just didn't have it in me, sometimes for weeks at a time.

So should I have just stopped blogging? I don't think so. I still read the books, and anyone who follows me on twitter knows I talk endlessly about the books I love. More often than not, I feel like I sway more people on twitter to buy a book because I loved it than I do on my blog, so my words are still getting out there. Should I just take a big hiatus, stop doing anything on my blog because my author related posts far outweigh my reviews? Again, I don't think so.

But the question I have been sitting on is do I just let those reviews go, never type them, or do I change my style?

And after a few weeks of debating, I'm going with the second one. Part of me feels like it's a hit to the authors who are going to get what is essentially a mini review, but then again, it seems like it's worse to have never posted a review of any kind. To help me catch up in my backlog, I will probably post 2-3 at a time, maybe even having the extra benefit of one book catching the eye of someone who came to read a review of the other book posted with it.

Also, because I am very close to querying SlackerBoy, as soon as I finish this last revision that I am just under halfway through on, there might be more changes around here, particularly with my review style. Even books sitting in my to read/review piles will start getting smaller reviews, rather than the same format for all of them.

Does it mean I didn't like a book, or didn't like it as much, if the review is shorter? No. It just means I am having to do a little something for myself, and I hope all of you, authors and readers, understand that.

Book Review: Beautiful by Amy Reed

2012-01-12T08:31:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: When Cassie moves from the tiny town where she has always lived to a suburb of Seattle, she is determined to leave her boring, good-girl existence behind. This is Cassie’s chance to stop being invisible and become the kind of girl who’s worth noticing.

Stepping into her new identity turns out to be easier than Cassie could have ever imagined…one moment, one choice, changes everything.

Cassie’s new existence both thrills and terrifies her. Swept into a world of illicit parties and social landmines, she sheds her virginity, embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs, and floats through it all, knowing that she is now called beautiful. She ignores the dangers of her fast-paced life…but she can’t sidestep the secrets and the cruelty.

Cassie is trapped in a swift downward spiral tinged with violence and abuse, and no one—not even the one person she thought she could trust—can help her now.

OPINION: 5 STARS

The Short Version:
Striking, raw, and enticing, Beautiful is an unflinchingly real spiral of pain and self destruction. Throwing readers right into the downfall, and holding nothing back throughout, Cassie is a stunningly done character with so much lurking underneath. Laced in steel yet holding a softness to it that will pull readers in, Beautiful is a book like no other.

The Extended Version:
Cassie is a perfectly done good girl turned bad, refusing to let her fears consume her even as she finds herself immersed in a completely new world. From her first hit of acid to her first time with a boy, Cassie is a rapid path to total destruction that is an impossible to ignore roller coaster. Harboring a depth to her that lurks throughout the entire book, and creative in some of her ploys to get herself into and out of various situations, she is a very smart girl with a pain etched far into her that drives much of her actions. Jaded in some ways, and still a little girl in others, the constant shift in her mindset is stunning and real.

While there is a range of characters Cassie interacts with, from in your face Alex to scared of the world Sarah, the story keeps a tight focus around Cassie. Still, each person has a specific and noticeable impact on her, be it good or bad. Ethan has a gentleness to him despite the situation, leaving readers to wonder just how much he does care for Cassie yet holding a barrier there as well because of the situation, and his character is easily one of the more stand out ones in an already memorable cast. Justin is another favorite, trying his best to fit in in a world that seems to want nothing to do with him, and taking his chances where he can when it comes to Cassie.

Launching straight into the action, and holding nothing back even in the most uncomfortable of situations, Reed has written a truly compelling story. With undercurrents of bigger things going on, and a gutting moment where everything will click for readers, there is a vehemence to this book that is impossible to describe, unsettling to feel, but worth it to endure. Seeped in a very heavy emotional air, readers will be so far invested into Cassie’s story there won’t be room for frustration or anger towards her or those around her beyond what she herself feels. Perfectly paced and beautifully scripted, this one is impossible to put down after page one.

The writing is engaging and vivid, giving life to Cassie and showing both the girl she used to be and the girl she is becoming. Hinting at something deeper lurking under the surface, but having a very in the moment constancy to it, Reed’s writing remarkable. Some of the descriptions are completely unique, and every single one is so clearly Cassie, and yet Reed has a way of letting readers know what is between the lines without blatantly including it.

Disastrous in so many ways, and decimating to read, Beautiful is potent, impacting and courageous. Cassie is a character readers will root for and love, and one they will remember long after the last page is done. Physically painful at times, and a book this reader couldn’t put down, Reed has crafted a compelling and raw story.

Details:

Source: Purchased

Reading Level: 14 and up

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: October 5, 2010

Book Review: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

2012-01-11T08:27:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy--or as difficult--as it seems.

Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about the many roads that can lead us home.

OPINION: 5 STARS

The Short Version:
Gutting and emotional, How to Save a Life is a beautifully woven tale of grief and new beginnings. With a dual perspective between two opposing characters, both stunningly done in their characterization and development, there is an alluring, engaging, and poignant narrative to this book. Holding some wrenching and heartbreaking moments, and with a fantastic story line, How to Save a Life is brilliant and striking.

The Extended Version:
Jill is the kind of character who has plenty of flaws, ones she is both aware of and blind to, but they are built into her character so seamlessly that the reason for each reaction is easy to understand, yet no single thing is easily pinpointed as a direct cause/effect. Her sorrow and anger over her father’s death is palpable and painful, and the effect it’s had on her both emotionally and personality wise are jarring. Pushing away the people close to her, and bitter towards things that she knows shouldn’t affect her, Jill is a poignantly done and highly relatable character. Her frustration even towards herself not only helps readers understand her side, but will make them want to root for her.

Mandy is somewhat of a mess, definitely a product of her upbringing and someone who has had a hard road in life. She is definitely a little off in some ways, and her views on things is different than not only Jill’s but what many readers might share as well. Regardless, she is just as easy to rally behind as Jill’s character, creating a fantastic dissociation and mixed feelings for the readers. With a bold determination in her, and a strong sense of trying to figure out her own way in this world, Mandy is a phenomenally well done character.

Adding to the amazing cast is Jill’s mother, a woman who is grieving in her own way but who is also resolute in moving forward and having someone to care for. Loyal to her daughter, but not necessarily at the expense of herself, and trusting and understanding of Mandy, she is also a character readers will sympathize with. Dylan, Jill’s boyfriend, is a gentle soul, who tries his best to be there for her and understand what she is going through, yet also is unable to just brush off the sometimes cruel way in which she treats him. Making a few choices of his own that will challenge readers, and having a strong presence throughout, Dylan is a great compliment to this cast. Rounding things out is Ravi, a guy a few years older than Jill who used to go to her school, now cropped back up in her life. Making her feel new things, and giving her something more to look forward to in her days, the changes he inspires not only in her but the choices she makes as well.

A very character driven book, made more in depth by the two, dueling perspectives, the plot is perfectly paced and engaging from the start. With both heavily emotional and humorous and fun scenes, there is a great mix of feelings and backdrops throughout this one. Though there are several subplots, Zarr keeps things on track for the main point without jumping off track for too long. Bringing in some thought-provoking elements, and unflinching in its honesty, this one pulls in as many internal, personal moments as bigger picture ones.

The writing is gorgeous, with two very distinct voices for Jill and Mandy and a smooth narrative style tying them together. Smoothly transitioned between chapters, and building both characters in a positive and negative light, Zarr’s talent and natural skill at writing shines. With beautiful descriptions and new ways to view things, there is a constant emotional air to this one.

Holding plenty of elements that will make readers think, and with a well developed, stellar cast of characters, How to Save a Life is a breathtaking must read of a novel. With characters who are fully fleshed, flawed but filled with hope and promise, and subtle intricacies and relationships between them, this one will engage and grip readers. With an addictive quality, and a strong emotional connection, How to Save a Life is impossible to put down or forget about even after the last page.

Details:

Source: ARC received at ALA

Reading Level: 14 and up

Hardcover: 352 pages

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 18, 2011

Book Review: Truth (XVI #2) by Julia Karr

2012-01-10T12:16:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Nina Oberon’s life has changed enormously in the last few months. When her mother was killed, Nina discovered the truth about her father, the leader of the Resistance. And now she sports the same Governing Council–ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist that all sixteen-year-old girls have. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey to predators. But Nina won’t be anyone’s stereotype. And when she joins an organization of girls working within the Resistance, she knows that they can put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever conceived. Because the truth always comes out...and the consequences can be deadly.

OPINION: 3 STARS

The Short Version:
Picking up smoothly where XVI left off, but admittedly lacking in a few areas, Truth delves deeper into not only everything Nina must deal with but the bigger picture of the world she lives in. Her development expands from thef irst book, and her relationships with the other characters is one of the best aspects of this novel. Though rushed in the ending, and leaving a few things hanging, there is still a great sense of accomplishment at the end of this book.

The Extended Version:
Nina continues to have the great inner strength seen in XVI, with a perceptive look on the world that takes her far. Intelligent and creative, she has a fierce determination in her even at the roughest of moments. Though faulted in a few ways, she is still a great character to get behind overall. Her love for her family is notable and beautifully done, driving many of her actions without being her only motivation.

The rest of the cast comes and goes as needed, giving both Nina and readers a kick into motion at times and a breather at others. From her sprightly little sister to her closest friends, Nina has a lot of great people in her life. The characters drive this book, making readers care about them throughout.

The overall flow of this one had a choppy feeling, with some scenes that almost seemed to be not needed due to how short and sometimes random feeling they were. More episodic in nature, Truth almost felt as though it had too many subplots going on and not enough space to flesh them out in. Nina has a lot thrown at her in this book, almost too much considering everything that happens by the end, and the bigger focus of the book is on how she deals with it. While there is an emphasis on the truth coming out, things in the end felt almost too easy for the build up. The final ending was not quite as satisfying as this reader would have liked, and the last thirty pages of the book felt way too rushed considering the slow pacing that sometimes led there. Taking a few detours as well, some that didn't seem to add too much to the book, Truth wasn't quite the follow up this reader had hoped for.

Still, the world itself is well built and expanded, and the overall conspiracy type thing going on is delved into more. Pulling in plenty of elements from the world we know, and twisting things easily to fit her purposes, Karr doesn't stray from the world she created in XVI. While this book is called a companion rather than a sequel, readers would likely feel out of place if they didn't read the first one. With a deeper look into higher ups in the system Nina is ruled by, and coming up with new ways to get around things, there is a great sense of underground resistance throughout the book.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author/publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Puffin

Publication date: January 19, 2012

Book Review: Cracked by K.M. Walton

2012-01-09T13:30:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Sometimes there's no easy way out.

Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.

Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn't stop Bull's grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.

When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there's no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better…

OPINION: 4 STARS

The Short Version:
An intriguing blend of humor, grit and realism, Cracked puts a new twist on bullies without making blatant excuses. With two broken, beaten down narrators, and a well integrated dual story, readers will rally behind both boys while their hearts bled for them. Though lacking in depth in a few areas, the overall story is bold, engaging and one to be remembered and talked about.

The Extended Version:
Victor is more than just the stereotypical kid who's bullied, and has a certain softness about him that remains despite the numerous things that are hardening him to the world. With parents who are anything but supportive, and a strong desire for some kind of human interaction and affection, Victor's mind is an incredibly interesting place. Closed off yet perceptive, willing to try at least a little before his internal alarms fire and he retreats, Victor is the kind of beat down boy readers will inherently want to protect and stay behind until the final page. His development is fantastically done, with not one single point where he is suddenly strong, but rather several smaller triggers that add up in a great way. Allowing himself to finally something more, Victor goes through tremendous growth.

Bull, in a lot of ways, is the classic bully, the kind of guy who doesn't care if he hurts someone and who in some ways seems to get off on it. But then the reader will get a look not only at his home life but his childhood, and though Walton doesn't use this to excuse what he does, she masterfully integrates it into the boy he is. His dislike of Victor is palpable, with concrete reasons, rather than simply relying on the "I don't like him" kind of excuse often seen. Despite his upbringing, there is a goodness within Victor that is fueled as the story really kicks in, and readers will find themselves rooting for him. As in need of a human connection as Victor, Bull goes through his own strides of growth and development, changing his overall outlook not only life but towards other people.

The supporting cast is very strong, with several distinct personalities and changes seen even within those other characters. The way they interact with Bull versus Victor, too, comes through in a great way, and this reflects back to build and develop both boys as well. While the resolution with a few key characters was a little too easy and instant, overall, Walton has a knack for wonderful characters.

Though this one is very internally narrated, at least in the first several chapters, Walton does a great job of keeping readers gripped and into the story. Pulling in plenty of wit and gentle humor, there are plenty of breaks in the intensity and emotion without losing interest. The pacing stays steady, blending in hints of romance with the grief and self enlightenment aspect. Though a few scenes didn't go as in depth as this reader would have liked, and giving the book, overall, a little bit lighter of a feel, there are still some hefty moments and memorable elements.

The psych ward setting is well done, blending seamlessly into the book and keeping things simple enough for readers to imagine being there as well. Keeping it much more teen friendly than the typical structured prison feeling of many psych ward stories, Walton allows for great character development through this freedom and down time. Outside of the ward, the setting is just as vivid, particularly whe it comes to Bull's home.

While the two voices did sound similar in some ways, they are both still very clearly boy, with enough differences to let the reader know which boy is narrating without needing the chapter titles after a certain point. Without relying on simply using rough language to define the voices as male, and providing a realistic view on the world and new places, this is definitely a book for those who love male protagonists. While it is gritty, and holds nothing back in some aspects, thsi book will still find itself a spot within a female readership without being an instant turn off.

A well crafted plot and smoothly blended dual story lines, Cracked is gritty and engaging while still having plenty of humor along the way. Stellar character interactions and development drive this book, and pull the reader in easily. Delving deep into the hearts and minds of the two protagonists, and showing both sides of bullying without excusing either side, Walton's debut shows huge promise.

Details:
Source: ARC received from author/publisher in exchange for an honest review
Reading Level: 14 and up
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Author Interview with Haiku Answers + Contest: Janet Lee Carey

2012-01-09T08:11:00.000-06:00

Photo by Heidi Pettit

Here today is Dragonswood author Janet Lee Carey, but instead of answering my questions normally, I've challenged her to answer only in haiku form. So check out the interview, and then enter to win a copy of the book!

A little note in Haiku, Kari

All of these haikus
Were written while on Maui
Near the town – Haiku

Describe Tess.

Sees visions in fire
Desired she stirs a tempest
A thief’s stolen kiss

Would you rather be human, dragon or faerie in the world you’ve created for Dragonswood?

Fey dragon rider
Ember light, dark forest maid
Vanishing/Appear

If you could pair Tess with any character from any book, who would you pick?

Ranger Aragorn
Summoned armies from the dead
Heart of a true King

Which Death Eater, besides Voldemort, would you want to fight?

Bellatrix Lestrange
For killing Sirius Black
A curse to the heart

What kind of cookie would you describe yourself as?

Two to gobble, Kari:

Tasty pine nut treats
squirrel steals nuts in twilight wood
Wash down with moonlight

Coconut delights
Swim in warm Hawaiian sea
Summer wind on tongue

Something more about the book Dragonswood?

Enter this story
Magic forest Dragons Fey
Read to dream again

Thank you, Janet, for answering my questions and awesome job on taking up my challenge!

Dragonswood hit shelves last week, so check it out!

But if you can manage to wait, now is your chance to win a signed copy of Dragonswood and Dragon's Keep!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

This contest is US Only and ends January 16.

Author Interview: Caroline Starr Rose

2012-01-08T11:42:00.000-06:00

Stopping in today is 2012 debut author Caroline Starr Rose to talk about her book May B. which hits shelves this week! This is a middle grade historical novel in verse, so get ready for it!

If you found yourself in May’s position, what would be your hardest thing to overcome?

Despair. I don’t know I’d be able to pull myself out of the downward spiral she initially experiences.

What aspect of May’s character was the most fun for you to write?

Gosh, this is hard. Could I give you two? I love this girl’s bravery. Writing the scenes where May realizes she’s been abandoned, letting her hit bottom, and then watching her grow in confidence has been so satisfying. In many ways, she’s entirely separate from me, not a character I’ve created but a living girl, someone who has challenged me to be more brave.

I also loved writing scenes that involved May’s brother, Hiram. Because much of the book hinges on solitude and despair (with some hope thrown in), there aren’t a lot of light moments. The scenes with Hiram help add dimension to May’s character, give us a sense of their competitive, close bond, and ease some of the heaviness of her situation.

If you could pair any character from any book with May as her best friend, who would it be?

Francie Nolan from A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. They both feel deeply, face challenges at school, and are courageous souls.

You find Narnia in your closet! What do you do?

Enjoy a cozy tea with Mr. Tumnus.

What kind of cookie would you describe yourself as?

Anything peanut buttery and gooey would fit me pretty well.

Thanks, Caroline, for answering my questions and congrats on the release!

Want more of Caroline? Check out her website, blog, facebook and find her on Goodreads.

Character Interview: Linus from Love & Leftovers

2012-01-06T08:49:00.000-06:00

Yep, I've stolen another YA boy to interview! This time, it's Linus from Sarah Tregay's recent release Love & Leftovers. You know, the sweet rocker boy who breaks and melts your heart and leaves you warm and gushy on the inside? Yes. That one. So meet Linus, and then enter for your chance to win a L&L swag pack!

What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?

Before or after I hit snooze eight times? Well, before I hit snooze I was jamming with Ian and Katie—the sound, the lyrics and the beat were all coming together. After I hit snooze? I can’t remember a single chord. Dang it.

How therapeutic is songwriting for you, especially the ones you wrote for the talent show?

I don’t know what I’d do without music. It’s like that blue notebook that Marcie is always writing in—and guarding with her life—a way to express myself. But unlike Marcie’s notebook, I like to get my ideas out there—amplify the crap out of them and rock the auditorium.

It’s weird, but I thought that playing those songs at the talent show would set me free, get all that emotion off my chest and into the air—but it didn’t work. Now I didn’t just feel like—insert four-letter word here—because I’d lost Marcie, I felt even worse because I really hurt her.

What's your favorite memory with Marcie?

We had this sleepover in Katie’s back yard like we were little kids in scouts. We set up a tent, had a campfire—the whole kumbaya. (Our friend, Olive, is a girl scout. It was her idea.) And us guys were supposed to go home at midnight. But we didn’t. It was pretty crowded in the tent (um, sleeping bag) and that was okay with me.

What's it like to kiss Marcie?

Kissing Marcie is like closing my eyes and having the world disappear. It’s just me and her alone with the sweet press of her lips. And she has this ticklish spot on the inside of her upper lip… touch it and she’ll totally melt.

Boxers or briefs?

You think any guy would admit to wearing briefs? No. But really, boxers and skinny jeans are a pain in the… never mind. You know what I’m saying.

What kind of office supply would you describe yourself as?

Apparently, I’m recyclable—maybe like a sheet of scrap paper. Like, use me once and toss me in the recycling bin. But then, when you realize I’m still good for something, you’ll pull me out again. Jot down a few more notes, a to-do list, a love letter, a sad song, then you’ll put me in your pocket and love me once again.

Thank you, Linus, for stopping in, and congrats, Sarah on the release!

Love & Leftovers is out now, and it is a fantastic book so make sure you guys all pick it up.

To enter to win a swag pack, including a bookmark with a guitar pick charm and some postcards, just leave a comment and a way to contact you. US addresses only.

Author Interview: Robin Bridges

2012-01-05T08:26:00.000-06:00

Hitting up the blog today is debut author Robin Bridges, here to talk a little about herself, her book The Gathering Storm, and shoes. For you historical lovers, this is definitely a book you want to know about!

Describe your book in four words.

Spooky, romantic, bloody, chilly

What aspect of writing this historical setting did you enjoy the most?

Looking at old paintings and photos for research- I loved all of the dresses and the elegant palaces!

What god/goddess would be your nemesis?

Gozer from Ghostbusters

If you could pair Katerina with any character from any book, who would you pick for her?

The wizard Howl, I think. He’s just the type of guy Katerina would fall for.

What kind of shoe would you describe yourself as?

Killer bunny slippers!

Buy Them!

Thank you, Robin, for stopping in, and now I totally want those slippers...

The Gathering Storm hits shelves January 10, so keep it on your radar!

Book Review: Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

2012-01-04T08:26:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances… a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life…and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last….

OPINION: 5 STARS

The Short Version:
Both emotional and hilarious, Bittersweet is a gentle romance that perfectly weaves in several stunning elements. With a main character who is a little broken, but also very witty and fun, and a small but well rounded cast, readers will fall in love with their stories fast. Vivid and noticeable in voice without coming across as trying too hard, and boldly built in setting and playout, Bittersweet will warm hearts.

The Extended Version:
Hudson is an amazingly done character, a bit of a mess and harboring a lot of guilt over everything that’s happened. Taking on everything that’s thrown at her, and not so much resentful as just downtrodden and aware that it’s not quite normal or fair to have so much responsibility, she is an easy to like character. As things progress, Hudson’s behavior is sometimes less than stellar, morphing into selfish and even jerk territory, yet every time, her reasons for it and emotional reactions that incite it come across clearly and poignantly. Her overall development is absolutely stunning, taking dips here and there while still working towards something different in the end as well. From her awkwardness around guys, to her pain over one friend and her growing troubles with another, there is a very teenage and beautiful element to Hudson, yet a range of readers of different ages will love her.

Josh is sweet and gentle, perceptive and caring. There when she needs him, but also not completely willing to be a doormat, Josh is both endearing and quietly charming. Thinking things through, and biding his time, more than rushing into things, Josh’s feelings are clear even in the most easy of moments. With a rawness to his character that adds to the story without being overdone, and a clear attraction between himself and Hudson without either rushing towards it, Josh is the kind of boy every girl wants.

Rounding out her family is Hudson’s mom, a woman who certainly has her faults but who clearly loves her daughter intensely, and her little brother, called the Bug, who is easily one of the best little brother characters ever. Her best friend Dani is also a great character, having a strength to her that doesn’t her crumple in the face of Hudson’s rough moments yet also doesn’t have her being done entirely over small things. Then there’s Will, another charming hockey boy who has his own sort of twists to throw into things.

The pacing of this one is fantastic, absolutely gripping and intriguing from start to finish. With several story lines weaved together and merged by the end, yet none of them taking too prevalent a role at the expense of the others, Ockler’s timing and plotting is amazing. Adding in some original elements in terms of the chapter titles, and blending several elements to make a warm but heartrending story, this one is definitely a must read for fans of both romance and the rougher stuff.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author in exchange for an honest review

Reading Level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 384 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick is Revive by Cat Patrick, coming May 8, 2012 from Little, Brown.

Summary: As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger — and more sinister — than she ever imagined.

My Thoughts: I absolutely love this concept. A drug that can bring people back, set basically in our otherwise normal world? Yes. Please. The implications of this are fantastic, and I love that even in the summary, it's clear Cat is going there with it. I cannot wait to see how far she goes into all this, just how much trouble Daisy might find herself in, and the bigger picture going on that she doesn't even know about. Also, I love this cover. It's enticing, and pretty, and a little mysterious.

Character Book Picks: Nate from Unraveling Isobel

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000-06:00

Stopping in today is Nate, the hot, broody boy from Eileen Cook's newest Unraveling Isobel... but instead of answering some of my (face it) really random questions, Nate's going to be talking about books! Fitting, yes?

My favorite room in the house is our library. It’s in the wing that we’ve shut off because we can’t afford to fix and heat it. (This is one of the downsides of living in a house the size of a hotel.) The library has floor to ceiling bookcases and one of those ladders that hangs off a rail on the wall so you can reach the books at the very top. I like to hang out in there, build a fire in the fireplace, light some candles and read.

Most of the books are really old, dating back to when the house was built in the 1800’s. I know it’s weird, but I actually like reading all those old classics, The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island, and pretty much anything by Dickens. Don’t get me wrong, I love new books too, the Hunger Games and spy thrillers, stuff like that. My mom also used to love the library. Her favorite book was Alice in Wonderland. When my sister and I were little she would read us a chapter a night out loud.

My current favorite stuff is by Edgar Allan Poe. I like his short stories like the Tell Tale Heart. Poe writes creepy stuff, but that doesn’t mean I believe in ghosts. Given everything that’s been happening around here I felt I should point that out.

So there you guys have it! A little look at Nate and his reading preferences. Unraveling Isobel is out today, so don't wait to get to know him!

New Release Top Fives: Under the Never Sky, Bittersweet, Unraveling Isobel, Don't Breathe a Word, Cracked

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

So, today is a seriously epic and amazing and awesome release day. Get your wallets ready, because you don't want to miss any of these titles... and to convince you, here's my top 5 reasons why you want each of these awesome books.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi:
5. The air can kill you. Yeah. That would majorly suck.
4. Kick butt female character. No, seriously. Aria rocks. Yeah she's naive in some ways, and she gets scared, but she is a little firecracker.
3. Brilliant story. There are so many unique elements, and such an awesome blend of past and future, and just... so much detail and intricacy. It makes me a little jealous because I'm not sure it's something I could ever do and Veronica NAILS it.
2. Amazing worldbuilding. Its two worlds, built into one and clashed against each other and it sort of makes my brain hurt to really think about it but it's just. Wow.
1. Perry is seriously hot. And sweet. And badass. And awesome. And hot.

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler:
5. It's by Sarah Ockler. Do you actually need more reasons?
4. Beautiful writing, so full of voice, with a ton of intensity and depth and fun and awesomeness.
3. Cupcakes. Every chapter title is a cupcake and its description. Sure, it'll make you crave anything with sugar. But it's also fantastically creative.
2. Hot hockey boys. Yes. Boys. As in plural. As in more than one of them. As in that is a lot of sweat and sticks and awesomeness.
1.Winter time romance! There is plenty of emotion and depth to this one, but it's also a seriously cute romance. That takes place in the wintertime. And in places other than Texas right now, it's wintery. So it fits.

Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook:
5. There's ghosts. Or insanity. Either way, it's a grab the popcorn kind of show.
4. Huge creepy mansion. Welcome home.
3. There's mystery. And drama. And bad things could happen. And it's all put together just so incredibly well.
2. Broody hot boy. In boxers. Who might also be a great kisser.
1. Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious in such a smooth, not over the top, not forced way. Eileen writes humor like I can only wish I ever could.

Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala:
5. This is not a teenage girl just throwing a tantrum and running away from home. Not by a long shot. You can't even begin to guess the full story.
4. Detailed. From life on the streets, to the search for Joy, to, well, everything... Holly does not skip out on the realism and specifics.
3. Creed. Oh my god this boy. Such a gentle soul, so soft and sweet, but also a bit rough around the edges. Just. Him. Yeah.
2. Emotional. Seriously, Holly always makes me HATE characters of hers with the burning intensity of a million suns. She also makes me love others. Want to hug them. Want to fight for them. All of it.
1. It's just amazing, and breathtaking, and stunning, and plenty of other similar words.

Cracked by K.M. Walton:
5. There's romance, sort of. More like hints of that good feeling, without it taking over. Mostly it's just cute.
4. Perfectly timed humor, even in some rough situations.
3. Male POV. Times two.
2. It's a bullying book, but it sort of shows both sides, without just ignoring the fact that it's still bullying.
1.Two very different characters, and you will side with both. At the same time. Talk about conflicted.

Yeah... 2012 is just beginning and it's already off to an amazing start! Now make sure you guys pick these titles up!

Character Interview: Decker from Fracture

2012-01-02T11:19:00.000-06:00

So stopping in today is a character who I seriously do love, but who also made me pretty stinking angry in the book. And even now, months after having read Megan Miranda's (amazing) debut Fracture, I still am very conflicted towards this guy. Sometimes I want to hug him, other times I want to smack him. But when given the chance to ask him some questions, I jumped all over it because face it, he's still pretty awesome. He's punchably awesome. Yes. That.

So with that, I bring you guys Decker! Best friend to Delaney, and the boy who pulled her from under the ice.

When Delaney fell through the ice, what was your first reaction?

For a split second, I thought that it was all some sick joke. That the universe was like, See, jackass? You leave her there because of pride? Watch what happens next. And then I realized it wasn’t about me. At all. So I ran.

So, I'm pretty sure there are a few scenes where readers just might hate you, or, you know, strongly dislike at the moment. What do you have to say in response to that, especially since we only get Delaney's view of things?

Pretty sure I don’t have the answers you’re looking for. I mean, I have answers, but they’re not going to absolve me of anything. I don’t want to relive it all. It won’t change anything that happened, and life…can be short. All that stuff is between me and her. Nobody’s perfect. God knows I’m far from it. The people who it impacted were able to forgive me, and that’s all that matters to me.

Which would be harder, never talking to her again but knowing Delaney is alive, or her having never come out of the coma?

Um, I really don’t want to think about either. But if you’re making me choose (you are, aren’t you?), it would be much worse if she never came out of the coma. No contest.

What was the best kiss you ever had like?

I don’t kiss and tell. But if I did… she’d kill me.

What is your best memory?

It was this day, a few years ago, back when we were all together. All of us. Before anything. Before everything. We were at a birthday party. And we were all jumping off this high diving board, and Delaney looked terrified—she held out her hand and asked me to jump with her, so I did. We were all making fun of each other—it was all so light and fun and nobody was thinking about dying and nobody was guilty of anything. It was just... us.

Boxers or briefs?

Part of me wants to skip this question, but a bigger part of me knows you’re already pissed at me, and I don’t want you to be pissed. So…boxers. Yeah. Moving on…

What kind of dinosaur would you describe yourself as?

A T. Rex, obviously. Wait, Delaney says velociraptor. Hmm, that doesn’t seem like a compliment. I think she’s just watched Jurassic Park a few too many times…

So there you guys have it. A little look into Decker!

Fracture hits shelves January 17, in just 2 short weeks, so make sure you preorder it or run out release day to buy it because you do NOT want to miss this one. Seriously. It's so brilliant and amazing and emotional and addicting. Plus then you can join me in the mixed feelings towards Decker thing. It's a good place to be.

In My Mailbox

2011-12-31T10:53:00.000-06:00

I didn't post an IMM since I was out of town last weekend, and in my cleaning up before I left, I think I moved some review books without realizing it. I am quite sure I'm missing a few in this, but here's two weeks worth that I can remember.

And shockingly, I didn't get any books for the holidays. But, I did get a new camera, and gift cards to get a new DVD player, so I consider that quite a win.

Now on with the goodness!

For Review:

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins (Holy crap this book was amazing! And HOT boy alert!)

One Moment by Kristina McBride

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Won from Beth Revis:

Across the Universe (Signed)

A poster, bracelet, and some other swag I didn't include in the picture

So that was my weeks! When I figure out what books I left out, they will go in the next IMM.

And because what do you do when you get a new camera? Take tons of pictures of your dog, of course. So here's some of the ones I like best, in my week of random photo snapping of poor Toby.

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Best of 2011: Characters

2011-12-30T09:11:00.000-06:00

Continuing on with the best of 2011, today I've got my favorite characters, both male and female!

Favorite Males:

5. Noah Shaw from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin: Hot, sexy, cocky playboy... with a heart of gold. There is something so undeniably droolworthy about Noah, but he's also just this inherently great guy who will steal your heart because of it.

4. Kaleb from Hourglass by Myra McEntire: What's not to like when your first introduction to a guy is him naked and passed out on the couch at your boyfriend's? Oh, wait, there should be negative reasons in there... well, I missed them, because from the first time we meet Kaleb, I loved this guy. The sometimes ridiculous things he would say, the softness to him, the way he'll fight for the girl he likes without being too overboard with it. Yeah. Kaleb is just. Wow.

3. Will from Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton: All sword jokes aside, I adore Will. He's awkward and kind of missing some social skills and doesn't really get pop culture. But he's intense, and fierce, and loyal, and caring. There is an incredible depth to Will. Also, he gets impaled enough to just make you want to hug him.

2. Harlin from A Need so Beautiful by Suzanne Young: He's a high school drop out. He drives a motorcycle. He doesn't live at home with his parents. Delinquent? Maybe. Hot and sexy? Absolutely. But Harlin is such a gentle soul, a pacifist more than anything and he feels so, so much. His love for Charlotte is almost shocking in it's intensity, and everything about Harlin is just... awesome.

1. Adam from Where She Went by Gayle Forman: Broken boys always have and always will do me in, and Adam is one of the most broken boys in YA, at least to me. So watching him try to figure it out, watching him see what he can fix, watching his constant suffering... wow. He had one of the single most well done character developments, and he's also a really great guy, attitude and sleeping around and everything else that comes with being a rock star aside. I love this boy, inside and out.

Favorite Females:

5. Hartley Grace from Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday: Witty, sarcastic and fiery. Hartley has a flair to her that is easy to see on the first page, and even in her times of weakness, she's still pretty much an all around awesome chick. I loved watching her grow, and watching her try to figure everything else.

4. Jasmine from Amplified by Tara Kelly: Jasmine doesn't take people's crap, and I love her for it. She speaks her mind, goes after what she wants, and doesn't really let fear stand in her way. She is unbelievable realistic, and has so much depth and heart to her.

3. Jill MacSweeney from How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr: In terms of character development, this is one of my favorite girls ever. Jill can see her own flaws, but trying to fix them is another story. There is something absolutely stunning about the way Jill sees the world and herself, and the way that shifts and changes in this book. She is protective of her mom, pained over the loss of her dad, and pushes away those who care about her. I loved this girl from start to finish.

2. Ruby from Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma: I don't even really know how to explain why love of Ruby. She has an inexplicable prowess, can command an entire room without doing a thing, and she is undeniable protective of her sister. She is just an awesome character, even through the eyes of her sister.

1. Mandarin from Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard: Easily one of the most multifaceted, layered characters out there, Mandarin had me just as intrigued as Grace had been. Flaunting in some ways, and closed off in others, Mandarin is a bit of a mess, a bit adventurous, and a lot of amazing.

So who are your favorite boys and girls of YA?

Don't Breathe a Word Tour: Tell Me a Secret Cameos

2011-12-29T13:00:00.000-06:00

When I read Don't Breathe a Word by the seriously talented and amazing Holly Cupala, I emailed with her as I blazed through the book. I don't do this often, but this is a book I HAD to talk about, even as I read it. Since I already had spent time emailing with Holly and talking to her, I didn't feel weird. But I admit, my emails when I am on a reading high are... spastic. I filled her inbox anyway, giving her basically every thought I had, good or bad or angry or hopeful.

Then came time to plan the tour, and Holly still had those emails... so this post today, featuring the characters from Tell Me a Secret who have cameos in Don't Breathe a Word... is sparked by those emails of mine, with Holly's responses mixed in.

So here you have it, not only Holly's secrets but a look at unfiltered (but slightly censored) fangirl Kari. Oh snap.

Kari: We’ve heard there are a few cameos of characters from Tell Me a Secret in Don’t Breathe a Word. Are the rumors true? What can you tell us about them? Does Delaney really show up in DBAW? I wanna know about that chick.

Holly: Oh yes, there is more about Delaney’s secret in DBAW…

Kari: WHAT?!! There was?? Asher didn't knock her up before he met Joy, did he?

Holly: The clues are subtle, very subtle. Delaney makes a cameo at the zoo party, then there’s a hint about her secret in Joy’s flashback about Asher and his family in Chapter 11. You know Miranda and Lexi make a cameo appearance, right?

Kari: AH! I wondered if that was Miranda. AWWWWWWW. Awesome cameo there. Aw. Lexi... And OH the chick with Asher WAS Delaney? And hmm...Asher’s dad got involved with the prep school…?? Soooooo Asher was together with her??

Holly: =D

Kari: I’m going to take that as a yes to my Asher question. GOD I HATE HIM.

Holly: Who knows, I might write more about that one of these days. ;-)

Kari: ....Damn. Okay well that's the conclusion I'm drawing then. Asher [spoiler]. Then when that burned out, [spoiler]. GOD he is a disgusting pig. How does his dad even... LET him [spoiler]?! How old is Asher anyhow? growl...

Holly: That was the conclusion I meant for readers to draw, although I wouldn’t say Delaney was the victim in the situation (at least, not for most of it). I have been thinking about how it would play out in a story…

I think he’s 19 or 20 at this point. He would have been in high school junior year with Delaney. I know, growl! You’re cracking me up.

Kari: So did you know before you wrote DBAW that Asher was the guy in Delaney's past? Is that part of what sparked some of him? Man I wanna know SO MUCH about those two now! Is she part of what pushed him to be the [bleep] he is?

Holly: She just kind of showed up there, and it made sense. I see them as a hot mix of sparring and attraction that eventually goes off a dangerous cliff. (Ooh. Could that be a novel? Maybe…we’ll see… ;) The movie premiere thing came later when I realized I could slip in that info about her secret. A lot of the events, btw, are/were real events—the zoo party, etc. I really did see the Black Eyed Peas guy at the Avatar re-release world premiere, and he really had a safety-pin man-purse.

Kari: Dude. Does your new novel idea have cameos from this book in it????

Holly: YES of course there will be cameos. Remember Bach from Starbucks in DBAW? He was actually supposed to be in TMAS, but my editor didn’t want me to introduce such a vivid character so late in the book (he would have been the one to give Miranda the Cornish tour in the last chapter). Anyway, his little brother is going to be a major character in this third novel, and Bach might just be dating a certain someone from TMAS…more connections to be determined…

Thank you, Kari, for inviting me to A Good Addiction and putting together this incredible blog tour for DON’T BREATHE A WORD! If you hear one girl cheering and clapping for you all the way from Seattle, that’s me.<3

So now that you guys know a few of the characters who show up in Don't Breathe a Word, I bet you're dying to read it! Trust me, even without those cameos, this book is utterly breathtaking and amazing and you want it!

To celebrate, Holly is giving away a book each day of the blog tour!

Read the rules carefully, so you don't miss anything:
1. You get one automatic entry.
2. For every tour post (click the banner below to be taken to the tour details page) you comment on, you get another entry. You must include the link to the specific tour post you commented on.
3. You get one extra entry each for tweeting, facebooking, or including on your blog.
4. You must fill out the form for each individual entry, ie every time you comment, you fill the form in again.

To start racking up your entries, just fill out THIS form.

Winners will be drawn each week, and your points do accumulate through the final drawing.

There will be one international winner a week, and those books will come from The Book Depository. All others will be signed copies, mailed to US/Canada addresses from Holly.

The final deadline to get your entries in is 11:59 pm CST Saturday, January 14.

Can't wait to read the book? Check out this sneak preview! You know you want to.

Want more from Holly? Check out her website, the official DBaW website, and find her on twitter and facebook.

Top 12 for 2012

2011-12-29T09:36:00.001-06:00

I admit, making this list was a little easier since I've been lucky enough to already read several of the 2012s I was drooling over, but that's only a tiny dent in the huge amount of books I am eager for, so here is, as of right now, the top 12 for 2012 that I am dying for!

12. Perception by Kim Harrington: I loved Clarity, from the feisty main character to the seriously hot boys to the story. I'm so excited there is a sequel, especially since the first is very much a stand alone so it's just another chapter in these character's lives.

11. Hidden by Sophie Jordan: Who the crap does Jacinda end up with?! Will I hope! Although I admit this is one where I could (possibly) be okay with her ending up with Cassian but still. Plus the wash Vanish ended?! Yeah. Want.

10. Insurgent by Veronica Roth: Four. That should be enough said. But I also am still, a year from when I first read Divergent, in awe of Veronica's world building and writing.

9. Endlessly by Kiersten White: This is one of my favorite series ever. The books are so fun, yet have so much depth and darker stuff to them. Not to mention, they really are some of the most original books to me. And there's a (very minor) character named after me in Supernaturally, who I think is back in Endlessly, and I want to read more about myself.

8. Golden Lily by Richelle Mead: Adrian! There is so much Adrian in this series. Also, I am really loving being in Sydney's head. And Richelle Mead is one of my favorite authors ever. So.

7. Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins: What the crap was the ending to Demonglass? I don't think I've ever felt more thrown off a cliff (in a good way). Rachel is an evil, evil, brilliant and talented woman and holy wow can I not wait to see how this series ends.

6. Queen of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: Assassin. Outlawed magic. Yes please. Not to mention, I just think Sarah is one of the nicest people ever but dang does this book sound AWESOME.

5. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry: I am a sucker for romance where you don't expect it, especially with a background of something very unpleasant, such as court ordered therapy. This one sounds like it will be totally emotional. Plus I love this cover.

4. False Memory by Dan Krokos: Main character who's a weapon? Things she can't remember? Dark truths? Um. Yes, yes and yes. Seriously, this one just. Wow. It sounds so brilliant and original, but also so crushing and gripping. Someone should steal this for me.

3. If I Lie by Corrine Jackson: A book about that dark space between protecting yourself and protecting someone else? Holy heck yes please. I love the inherent emotion that will come with this one, and honestly, I can't wait to see just how dark and deep it's taken. I love twisty books! Also, this is one of my favorite covers. It's so sweet and soft, yet also a little sexy, a little broken, and a little dark.

2. Velveteen by Daniel Marks: I don't even know where to begin to describe all the things that have me drooling over this one. Maybe it's the probably twisted romance. Maybe it's the fact that the main character wants to do some serious post-mortem haunting and kind of can't. Or maybe it's just that there is mention of ritual abuse even in the summary. I don't know. But I want this book, so. Freaking. Bad.

1. Something Like Normal by Trish Doller: I've been drooling for this book since last year, and talked about it plenty between then and now. I am expecting so much awesome from this book... a little romance, a little hurt, a lot of broken, and hopefully just the right amount of putting things back together. I love male POV books, and I love rough characters.

So there you guys have it.... the 2012s that I am drooling for. I so cannot wait to get all of them, and will admittedly be a bit shameless in my attempts to get some of these.

Book Review: Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

2011-12-28T10:52:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Joy delamere is suffocating.

From asthma, from her parents, and from her boyfriend, Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out. She can take his cruel words, his tender words . . . until the night they go too far.

To escape, Joy sacrifices her suburban life to find the one who offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. He introduces her to a world of fierce loyalty, to its rules of survival, and to love—a world she won’t easily let go.

Set against the backdrop of the streets of Seattle, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the secrets we keep, and the ways to redemption. But above all, it is an unflinching story about the extraordinary lengths one girl will go to discover her own strength.

OPINION: 5 STARS

The Short Version:
Emotional, gripping, and superbly written, Don’t Breathe a Word not only forces the reader to see things in a new light but weaves a tale of both hope and survival. With a protagonist whose motivations are strong, understandable, and relatable, and a supporting cast that is incredibly well developed, Cupala’s skills at both building a story and unique, multifaceted characters shines. Hitting on some incredibly hard concepts with an unflinching poignancy, Don’t Breathe a Word holds everything an amazing book should, and more.

The Extended Version:
Joy is a character who seems potentially weak at the start, yet has this huge internal drive and strength that shines even amidst the weakness. Truly caught between a rock and a hard place, and forced into a silence of sorts, Joy runs away from home, choosing the streets over the life she’s known. Early on, Cupala lets the reader know the full scope of reasons, far beyond simply a teenager throwing some tantrum. Though Joy has a lot to learn once on her own, and even her preconceptions about street life are challenged, she faces it all head on despite the fear and worries that lurk. Her entire character development is astoundingly well done, building at a steady rate and in response to the multitude of things she faces. Joy is truly an exceptional character, one who even teens not in her specific situation can relate to and identify with.

Creed is a charmer in a soft way, with a bit of a hero complex but which comes across in a way that isn’t simply a show or trying to win girls over. An incredibly talented musician, and the exception to the rule about street kids to some extent, he’s someone who is fiercely loyal yet not defined by it. Though there is a rough side of him that is shown in a few key scenes, Creed is the epitome of gentle soul that every girl wants in her life. Swoonworthy in the subtlest of ways, his overall character is completely memorable, completely well developed, and completely amazing.

May and Santos close out the small group Joy finds herself in, as lively, distinct and unique in personality as Joy and Creed. The interactions between the four range from light and fun to heavy, heartbreaking, and wrenching, and Cupala navigates each one perfectly. Through flashbacks and memories, Joy’s life before leaving is revealed, giving strong characterization to her family and friends. The differences in how Joy acts with those she knew before, and those she meets on the streets, is understandably different and written in a fantastic manner to smooth it out for readers.

The plot has a very steady pace, relying not only on the perfectly planned reveals and building mystery about a few key points for why Joy left, but also on Joy herself and everything she goes through. The way she views things changes in some huge ways, both through the things she goes through and what she learns about the other’s pasts, and this interlinks with the plot progression easily. Lifting in some parts, but with the idea that there is no guarantee for things to stay good constantly hanging overhead, this plot is driven as much by the characters as the world around them.

The setting is as much a character as Joy herself, vivid in its portrayal and absolutely realistic. Cupala has captured the atmosphere of street life in a way that readers who’ve never experienced can understand, and even imagine themselves in it. The writing is infused with emotion in a way that cannot be faked, and is a true testament to Cupala’s inherent skills. Absolutely gripping from the start, gutting more than once, and engaging in a way that keeps the reader turning the pages start to finish without stopping, Don’t Breathe a Word is a masterfully done contemporary.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author/publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Best of 2011: Debuts

2011-12-27T13:00:00.000-06:00

While you guys saw my overall top picks of 2011 not long ago during Best I've Read, I'm not done with my favorites of the year. For the rest of the week, I'll be featuring a different category a day, and telling you my best picks for each. So today, we've got The Debuts.

5. Eve by Anna Carey: I love the world building in this one, the way it's written, and the characters. This is a book that really made me think, and had an ending that left me aching and breathless.

4. Saving June by Hannah Harrington: Completely emotional, with stunning characterization, and plenty of fun mixed into it. This is a book that definitely stayed with me for days after I finished it.

3. Divergent by Veronica Roth: This is one of those books where at any one moment, there isn't necessarily a lot happening and yet, when it's all pieced together, it's stunning in its complexity and scope. With amazing world building, and an awesome protagonist, this one left me drooling for more.

2. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin: This wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was amazing all the same. This one had me obsessed for days. Not to mention it has one of the hottest guys ever in it...

1. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard: Kirsten is the kind of author I only wish I could ever write like. She has a completely smooth ability to make her settings vivid and almost their own character, without bogging you down with descriptive details. Also the characters of this one are so multifaceted and so well done. I adore this book to no end.

So what are your favorite 2011 debuts?

Book Review: Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

2011-12-27T08:53:00.001-06:00

SUMMARY:
My wish
is to fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy, daydream-worthy
love.

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you've lost it?

Love and Leftovers is a beautifully written story of one girl’s journey navigating family, friends, and love, and a compelling and sexy read that teens will gobble up whole

OPINION: 5 STARS
The Short Version:
Lyrical and tender, Love & Leftovers packs a huge punch in a moving way. With a central character that definitely makes some mistakes but is likeable all the same, and a beautifully scripted story, there is a very personal component to this one. Smoothly written and easy to fall into, Love & Leftovers is a tale of want, heartbreak, and friendship.

The Extended Version:
Marcie has a boldness to her that is hidden under her view of being a leftover, an outcast that she was okay with in her original group of friends but she finds uncomfortable after moving. Wanting some kind of compassion and affection, desperate even for just a hug, Marcie finds herself facing some complicated decisions, and the pain that comes with them. When no choice feels completely right, she definitely makes a few mistakes, and her responses to everything are realistic and heartfelt. Torn not so much between two boys but between two places, and having valid reasons behind both sides, her characterization is spot on, poignant and genuine.

JD is charming, bold in his affections and sure of himself in a way that isn't too cocky. In the face of what she’s struggling with, he’s an especially good fit for Marcie, and certainly the kind of guy a girl could get head over feels for without realizing it. The chemistry between the two is explosive and realistic, and the incoming slew of questions and decisions she’s faced with adds a great element not only to her character but to their relationship.

Linus is a gentle and sweet guy, on the more emotional side of things and the kind of guy who you almost feel like you’re going to break even with the smallest thing. Despite that, he’s wildly romantic, forgiving, and just an all around amazing guy. Sure, he has his own way of dealing with everything, and makes some rough choices of his own, but there is still an incredibly endearing element to him that will have readers rooting whole heartedly for him.

The plot of this one is, in a lot of ways, a slow burn. From Marcie’s feelings for JD and then back to Linus, to the way everything happens, there is a build up for a big explosion, then tapering off before burn begins. Taking place in three main parts, and incorporating a huge amount of emotion and plot into each one, while also weaving them together overall, Tregay has built a stunning and addicting plot. Even when some of the characters make mistakes, the reasons and motivations are so solidly infused into the book readers will understand them.

With great connections between the characters, Tregay has built something readers will fall into from the start. Bringing in several bigger elements, particularly both love and lust, as well family issues and touching on sexuality, this one weaves multiple layers together in a beautiful, seamless way. Watching Marcie deal with her lust for not only Linus, but JD as well, and trying to make sense of the physical, emotional and mental relationships with the two is one of the most poignant and memorable aspects of this book. More than just trying to get some, but not always pure unfiltered love, Tregay tests the waters perfectly.

Written in free verse, this one has a very easy flow, using few words to tell a huge story. Holding a very heavy emotional component, and almost oppressive in it’s intensity at times, this one is vivid and real. Unflinching in it’s honesty, but noticeable in voice, there is something undeniably Marcie about this one while still having an easy to get into element to it.

This book is almost beyond words, something so perfectly done and potent in impact that the only recommendation is to read it. It’s a quick read, both from how thoroughly Tregay grabs her readers but also due to the free verse style. Marcie is a character that makes some mistakes, and causes more problems for herself on the way, but she also faces the consequences, and tries to figure things out in the best way she can. With a stellar cast, scenes both hot and painful, and an overall amazingly done plot, Love & Leftovers is a commanding and affecting must read.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author/publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (December 27, 2011)

Character Interview: Perry from Under the Never Sky

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

I always love getting the chance to ask questions to characters from my favorite books... so when the opportunity to fire off at Perry from Veronica Rossi's (absolutely amazing) debut Under the Never Sky arose... well, I jumped all over it. So meet Perry, one of my absolute favorite boys, from one of my all time favorite books.

If you could move to the pods, would you?

No chance. I wouldn't last a week in there.

So… about the rocks thing… just how many rocks would you carry for Aria?

As many as I could hold. So... a lot.

What’s it like to kiss Aria?

Really, really good. She's amazing. I don't know what else to say. It's kind of private.

Boxers or briefs?

What? (Explains terminology) Oh... Boxers probably. Nothing tight.

What kind of dinosaur would you describe yourself as?

A hungry one. Big. And dangerous. (grins) Maybe one with a crooked nose.

Any hints for what’s to come that you can share with us?

I wish I knew.

Thank you, Perry, for stopping in and sharing those answers, and congrats Veronica on the debut!

Under the Never Sky hits shelves January 3, so make sure you pick it up! Trust me, you do not at all want to miss this one. Not to mention, Perry is utterly lickable and swoonworthy... *shoves him in the closet*

Book Review: Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos

2011-12-22T10:15:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: On the day after Halloween, Nan wakes up in a subway car. She is not dreaming. She doesn’t know where she’s been or what she’s done. She’s missing a whole day from her life. And she’s wearing skeleton makeup and a too-small Halloween costume that she doesn't remember putting on.

Nan is not supposed to wake up in places like this anymore. She’s different now, so far from that dangerously drunk girl who hit bottom in the Nanapocalypse. She needs to find out what happened to her, and fast. As she tries to put together the pieces of the last twenty-four hours, she flashes back to memories of her previous life. But she would never go back to her old friends and her old ways. Would she?

The deeper Nan digs, the more disturbing things get. This time, she may have gone one step too far. This time, she may be a walking ghost.

OPINION: 3 STARS

The Short Version:
Mysterious and toeing the line between spinning out of control and cleaning up, Burnout is both rough and hopeful. Though a few key points aren’t fully explained, and this reader would have preferred for some scenes to be more fleshed out, the overall concept is well versed and engaging. Alternating between the past and present, and bridging the gap between the two, Burnout takes readers for a ride.

The Extended Version:
Nan is an easy character to get behind, one who has made mistakes in the past but who has a solid determination to stay clean now. Scared of what her forgotten night could mean, but even more set on fixing the mess herself, she has a strength in her that will pull in readers. With two layers of development to her, both her past and present are told and collide. Readers not only see how she spiraled out of control before the book ever started but also see the changes she further goes through as she tries to unravel the truth of what happened. This mix allows for a sympathetic character with a strong narrative.

Though there is a small cast of characters, the story stays focused almost entirely on Nan. With much of the present happening only around her, and a few people cropping in now and then, readers get a straight and vivid look into Nan’s head and the world through her eyes. With a mom who clearly loves her but can’t immediately forget Nan’s night of binge drinking, and a little brother who brings a new sort of life to the book, Nan’s home life is far from horrible. With a best friend who is the root of her troubles, but a lasting loyalty all the same, Nan’s struggle between ‘right and wrong’ is a driving force for the book.

While the plot is steady, and the shift between the past and present are smooth, there are several scenes that feel too rushed, without enough depth put into them. With a few bigger points left unexplained, and an ending that happened too immediately, there were a few areas this reader felt could have been improved. Still, the sense of confusion and worry Nan goes through comes through strongly, and the concept itself is a well done one.

The writing is strong in voice and easy to get into. Alternating between past and present tense, there is only a little confusion at the start in regards to this before adjusting. With some great descriptions, and a soft emotional air throughout, readers will fall instep beside Nan.

Realistic in what happens, though missing a few explanations that are needed, Burnout is a good blend of the past and present and when they collide. Nan is a great character, one who has made some mistakes and wants to keep them in the past, yet who harbors a constant set of worry and fears. Hitting on some rough points, and open in it’s scope, there is a raw edge to this one.

Details:

Source: ALA

Reading Level: 14 and up

Hardcover: 208 pages

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication Date: September 13, 2011

Author Interview: Kimberly Reid

2011-12-21T13:00:00.000-06:00

Also stopping in today, to celebrate her release My Own Worst Frenemy, is Kimberly Reid, with an author interview!

What would be the hardest thing about being the daughter of a private investigator for you?

I really am the daughter of a retired police officer and private investigator so I can tell you without a doubt the hardest thing was being worried whether my mom would come home each night. She became a police officer for the Atlanta Police when I was young enough to think it was a cool job without fully understanding the danger involved. Back then, Atlanta was called the crime capital of the country. It wasn’t until I was ten or eleven that I realized just how dangerous the job was and I worried about her all the time after that. I was in grad school when she left law enforcement, so that was her job pretty much my whole childhood and early adulthood. When my mom began doing private investigation work, I was actually relieved.

What was the biggest mystery you had to solve when you were a teen?

The biggest mystery I wanted to solve was one of my mom’s cases. When I was thirteen, she was assigned to a task force created to track down a serial killer who terrorized metro Atlanta for nearly two years. I was always snooping on that case, asking questions, sneaking into my mother’s work. I was obsessed, so much so I wrote a non-fiction book about it called No Place Safe.

If you could pair Chanti and Marco with any character from any book, who would you pick for each?

This question is hard because I can only imagine them with each other!

I would pair Chanti with Bobby from The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. The book is very different from mine in tone and subject matter, but I really like that character, the way he evolves to meet his changing circumstances. Bobby is a sixteen-year-old boy who becomes a father and eventually accepts that responsibility. Chanti’s parents became pregnant with her when they were still in high school, but the outcome was very different. Her non-existent relationship with her father will impact her over the course of the Langdon Prep series. With Bobby, Chanti would have a chance to see a different version of young fatherhood than what she experienced.

For Marco, I’d pick Emma, the title character from Jane Austen’s book. Emma’s three years older, but she’s kind of an immature twenty-year-old by today’s standards, so it might work. Chanti and Emma have some of the same challenging personality quirks that drive Marco crazy: often in other people’s business, overanalyzing situations, sometimes reading too much meaning into events or actions. Emma displays these quirks while playing matchmaker, Chanti while playing detective, but Chanti is better at sleuthing than Emma was at matching. Marco won’t accept Chanti’s quirks, but Mr. Knightley falls for Emma in spite of them. Maybe Emma knows something Chanti doesn’t about getting a guy to love you, flaws and all. I’d like to see if she could work her magic on Marco.

You’re lost in the jungle with Chanti. What happens?

We both grew up city girls so it would have to be a Lost or Castaway situation for us to ever be in a jungle. But now that I think of it, I have been in a couple of jungles – well, rain forests – so I suppose it could happen. First we’d both freak out for a second, then realize we’re former Girl Scouts and I was once a project manager, so we did a risk analysis before leaving for the jungle and created a contingency plan. We’d each have cell phones (possibly a satellite phone), GPS tracker, backpacks with food, tent, water, flares, first aid kit, potable water pills, heat source, etc. We’d have let several people know where we were going—including map and GPS coordinates—and when they should expect our return. There would be people looking for us soon, once they got over the shock that we went into a jungle in the first place. So we’d find some good shelter, devise some type of weapon in defense of wild boar/ The Predator /Freddy Krueger (we’re daughters of cops, you know) and hang out until we were found. I imagine we wouldn’t be lost for very long. Seriously—ask anyone who knows me well and they’ll tell you I go a little overboard with the prepare-for-any-catastrophe thinking.

What kind of cookie would you describe yourself as?

I’ll go with chocolate chip made with Godiva chocolate and macadamias. I think I’m mostly a regular Joe-ette—nothing fancy—like chocolate chip cookies. But I’ll admit to having my high-maintenance moments.

Thank you, Kimberly, and congrats on the release!

Character Guest Post: Samara from Living Violet

2011-12-21T08:27:00.000-06:00

Instead of Living Violet author Jaime Reed stopping in today, I've asked the main character, Samara, to share some of her favorite books! So check it out, and see if you agree.

Okay, I’m a bit of a bookworm. I work at a bookstore, so who can really blame me. I mean, what else am I gonna do during my break… or while I’m on duty? There are so many books that I love one week and then hate a year later, it’s not even funny, but there are three constants so far. Most of these titles are pretty familiar and if you don’t know what these are, then my god, read a book!

THE HUNGER GAMES by Susanne Collins

In short: It’s gladiators with kids. A survival guide for the Dystopian warrior in all of us. A girl volunteers to a fight to the death with eleven other children to earn food for her home region. Cameras roll as each kid is slaughtered in totally messed up events designed solely for entertainment. It has a deeper message on how reality TV is the devil and it has a strong female character that doesn’t mope and whine. She does what she has to do to survive. I can relate. Really.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

I know, I know, this is on everyone’s list, but it’s there for a reason. A young girl is pressured by her family to marry, but she refuses to follow the trends of her society, no matter how broke she is. First impressions are the worst ways to characterize someone, but we all do it. This book teaches you not to let family and friends force you into something you don’t want, that looks aren’t everything, and that that guy who gets on your nerves might not be all that bad.

MATILDA by Roald Dahl

I love this book. It’s one of the first books I’ve read. A little girl uses her love of books to escape her dysfunctional home life and soon learns she has telekinetic powers. She uses her awesome gifts to bring order back to her school, which quite frankly, resembles a prison camp. What can I say? Welcome to public school. But I can totally relate to Matilda. She’s super smart, different, and she has to fight for what is right, just like I do. I’ve also had really mean and ugly teachers that looked like dudes, including the full mustache. This book has gotten me through a few tough times in elementary school, and I secretly wished I had a super power. Hell, I still do.

So there you have it. Now that I think of it, I kinda want to read them again.

Thank you, Samara, for stopping in and congrats, Jaime on the release!

Author Interview + Contest: Helen Landalf

2011-12-20T08:15:00.000-06:00

Hitting shelves today is Helen Landalf's debut, Flyaway, and to celebrate, I've got an author interview and a contest here for you guys!

Of all the animals you could have used, why birds?

Actually, I didn’t choose birds; they chose me. Before I began the novel, I knew I wanted to write about Stevie and her mom and her aunt, but I also knew that something was missing. One day as I was walking down the street, brainstorming, I noticed a baby bird lying on the sidewalk. It must have fallen out of its nest. It looked so helpless, and my urge to rescue it was so strong, that I knew at that moment that working with injured and orphaned birds would be the perfect way for Stevie to learn about survival without a mother’s care, about the limitations of rescue, and about letting go.

Which character surprised you the most as you were writing this?

I would have to say The Professor, because he didn’t show up until my final revision with my agent, just before we began to shop the book. It was my agent’s idea to add a male character who would act as a decoy for Stevie’s relationship with Alan, but The Professor also ended up serving, along with Stevie’s friend Tonya, as a bridge between Stevie’s old life with Mom and her new life with her Aunt Mindy.

If you could pair Stevie and Alan with any character from any book, who would you pick for each?

Wow, that’s a tough one! I think Stevie needs someone smart, but a little bit wild, who has an offbeat sense of humor, so I’m going to pair her with Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. Alan, on the other hand, needs someone strong, yet sensitive enough to see the vulnerability underneath his armor. I think Hermione from the Harry Potter series would be a great match for him (sorry, Ron!).

What god/goddess would be your nemesis?

My nemesis would probably be Hestia, the goddess of the hearth. Don’t get me wrong: I love my home and family. But I’ve always been a bit of a restless spirit, never content to stay in one place. I’m excited about so many things; I want to go out and conquer the world!

What kind of cookie would you describe yourself as?

I once tried this cookie that looked like a regular chocolate cookie, but when you bit into it, you tasted a dash of cayenne. It was sweet, but with a surprising kick. That would be me.

Thank you, Helen, and that is the first time I've heard that answer for my cookie question! Those do sound good though...

Anyhow. Now is your chance to win a copy of Flyaway!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

This contest is US Only and ends December 27.

Mistwood/Nightspell Blog Tour: Delete Scene (+ Contest!)

2011-12-19T08:20:00.001-06:00

This is the final stop in Leah Cypess' Mistwood/Nightspell blog tour. You know, the awesome one where you get an entry for every post you comment on into a chance to win a one of a kind, totally marked up, doodled up, secreted up copy of Mistwood? Yes. That one.

And to go out with a bang, I have a never been seen deleted scene from Mistwood for you guys!

This is the final post in the Nightspell blog tour, and your last chance to enter to win an annotated copy of Mistwood – so I thought I’d end off with a peek at a deleted scene from Mistwood.

Many, many things changed during my revision of Mistwood – scenes were added, removed, shortened, lengthened, and changed. The book was much improved as a result, but there was one scene in particular that both my editor and I regretted removing – a dream scene in which Isabel recalls an episode from the Shifter’s past. We agreed that the scene didn’t advance the story and had to go – but of course, with the internet, nothing is gone forever. And since it was early in the book, it’s not very spoilery. So here it is…

That night she dreamed she was hunting.

The night was dark and humid around her, warm wet air settling heavily on her skin. She was dressed for speed and stealth, silk trousers and a long tunic, her waist-length hair bound in a braid that slapped against her back as she ran. The only real weight on her was the sword belted to her left hip. The short-bladed knife in her right hand weighed almost nothing. She held it low as she ran.

The man she was hunting waited in a small clearing surrounded by tall dark trees. He had not been foolish enough to light a fire, but that made no difference to her pursuit. She could smell where he had gone; scents as clear as footprints led her straight down a near-invisible trail, up a steep incline and through patches of ferns to the tiny clear space hidden among the trees.

There were four of them, three men and a woman. Isabel’s lips pulled up in a grin as she stepped into the clearing and threw the knife.

It was a good, clean throw; she felt her muscles clench and unclench, her fingers open smoothly, and watched with a thrill of pleasure as the knife sliced through the night air. It hit the woman in the throat. Her hood fell back as she staggered, raising pale hands to her neck. A wealth of dark hair spilled out, revealing a slightly horsey face already going slack. She made a gurgling sound as she fell.

Isabel didn’t bother to watch her die. Her attention was on the other men, particularly one of them: a tall youth of about twenty, with dark red hair and a similarly horsey face. He, too, was watching her instead of his sister. As their eyes locked, the dark-haired woman’s body hit the ground with a thump, and one of the other men made a strangled sound

“Thallene,” the boy said. His eyes flickered to her sword, then to her empty right hand. “It was foolish to let the knife go. She was no threat to you.”

“It seemed like an appropriate way to announce my presence.” Isabel’s voice was low and husky, almost gravelly; not her voice at all. The voice of someone named Thallene. In the dream, this seemed natural. “And it will save us some trouble later. Treason means death for all the traitor’s kin. Did you not know that?”

“Just living under your father’s rule means death for everyone, eventually.” The other two men were silent, watching. “At least she died clean. Better than living under a mad king.”

“How fortunate for you that you think so.” Isabel/Thallene drew her sword.

He laughed at her. “Put that toy away, girl. No matter how many lessons you’ve sneaked from the master-at-arms, I’ve been training since I was a toddler. And I have never been defeated.”

It was true. It was the reason she had come after him with a sword. The plotters were too numerous and dedicated for his death to stop them; she needed him humiliated.

She stalked toward him, and he sighed loudly as his blade scraped against his scabbard. “I’ll do my best not to hurt you.”

“I appreciate that,” Isabel said, and darted forward.

She could have killed him right then; he wasn’t expecting a thrust, not that soon and not that fast. But if she had, her success would have been attributed to luck, and she might as well have poisoned him and saved herself the trouble. She wanted him to take her seriously. So she left a scratch below his collarbone, just deep enough to sting, and danced back.

“I make no such promises,” she said.

There was still no hint of doubt in his eyes. He leveled his sword at her and lunged.

She kept pace with him for a while, even letting him get close to her skin a few times. They lunged back and forth, struck and parried, circled, occasionally met in a swift flurry of thrusts and parries before breaking apart. Slowly the smugness faded from his eyes, though it was not yet replaced by concern. He had realized that he was going to have to work. He had not yet realized that he was going to lose.

She made herself match his heavy breathing, and willed a sheen of sweat onto her face. Her victory had to believable. She let her foot twist under her, fell backward, and painted panic on her face as he lunged down at her. She waited until the last possible second before she twisted to the side and parried.

He had been aiming to kill. His thrust drove his sword straight into the ground, throwing him off balance for a split second that was all she needed. Her sword hissed as it slid along his; and finally, when her sword point ripped his tunic, she saw dismay slide onto his face. He knew now that he was going to lose. He knew now that he was going to die. She smiled.

And in that second, her sword shimmered and disappeared.

The loss of weight threw her completely off balance, and she fell backward for real, landing flat on her back. She was on her feet in a second, before her opponent could even pull his sword from the ground. Her heart was pounding, more in fury than in fear, as she whipped her head around to stare at the other two men in the clearing.

But they both seemed as startled as she was, one gaping so widely she could see his teeth, the other making high-pitched gurgling noises. There was a sound in the woods behind her -- barely a sound, more like a whisper of wind. Isabel whirled just as the sorcerer stepped out from between the trees and leveled a staff at her. Blue fire erupted from it and hit her full in the face.

It tingled. It also obscured her view of the clearing. Isabel shook her head irritably, and the fire faded and dissipated, feathery tendrils of blue smoke writhing away from her and fading into the darkness. She raised her eyebrows at the sorcerer.

“Did you think I would come here unprotected?”

He stared at her from dark eyes sunken into stretched-out skin. He knew as well as she did what spell he had just used, and what it would have taken to protect herself from it. She carried no staff, wore no bespelled cloth, and had not uttered a single syllable of the protection spell. Several long seconds, and then she saw realization dawn in those hollowed-out eyes. His mouth opened to reveal crooked yellow teeth. “You’re -- ”

She had no way to kill him before he finished the sentence, so she interrupted him instead. “ -- wearing the Stone of Tarnath. Yes. Nothing you do can touch me.”

That confused him long enough for her to locate her sword. He couldn’t have translocated it far and still had enough energy left for the death spell; and indeed, it lay hidden in a bed of ferns a few yards from his feet. She couldn’t see the steel itself, but she could see the way the ferns were bent by its weight. She took a second to judge the angles, then leapt at him.

It took him by surprise, which disappointed her. She had expected him to call her sword into his own hand and try to impale her on it. Rapidly revising her plans, she shifted her weight as she struck so that the two of them tumbled sideways to the ground, a few feet closer to where her sword lay. He fell beneath her, and she distinctly heard a bone crack.

She considered killing him then... but no, it wouldn’t serve the story she was weaving to have the princess kill a man with her bare hands. It was too bestial. She wanted the traitors’ fear, but she also wanted their respect. She let him roll her over, cried out, and let him wrap his hands around her throat as she reached with one arm into the ferns.

The sword was farther away than she had thought. If he had squeezed his hands together then, he would have known the truth beyond a doubt. And she would have had no choice but to kill him without steel. But he only tightened them slightly, and growled, “What is the Stone of Tarnath?”

Her arm stretched out, impossibly far, and her fingers closed around the leather hilt. She smiled up at the sorcerer.

“There is no such thing as the Stone of Tarnath,” she said, and drove the sword into his side.

He screamed as he died, and for just a second he did squeeze his hands together. She rolled him off her and got to her feet, yanking the sword out in a spray of blood. Her attack had taken less than a minute; the other three men still stood there, gaping at her. She made her arm shake slightly as she took one step toward them.

“Idiot,” she said to the horse-faced boy. “No one who truly cared about the realm would hire a rogue sorcerer to aid him in his treason. You might as well hire a band of wolves to take care of your fox problem.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the mouth of one of the men tighten, and knew that he agreed with her. Had argued the point, probably, and been overruled. Excellent. She kept one eye on him as she spoke, molding her words to his facial expressions.

“You are lying to yourself if you truly believe you’re doing this for the realm. Or is it only your fellow traitors you’re lying to?”

“I’m not lying to anyone,” the boy said, throwing his head back. “I have no wish to be king. I won’t even allow myself to be considered, when the dukes choose the new ruler.”

Could he possibly still think it was when? Even if would have been a sign of dangerous overconfidence, now that he had seen her fight.

“Oh, I don’t say you’re doing it for power,” Isabel said. The tight-mouthed man blinked; this had been the sticking point for him, the reason he had followed this traitor. Because he had known the boy wasn’t power-mad. Isabel had to hide a smile as she continued. “But your personal need for vengeance will not benefit the realm either.”

The traitor’s mouth tightened. “It’s not my personal need. Any king who would execute a man in front of his family, without any proof -- ”

“There was proof,” Isabel lied. “And you know what it was.”

“There was nothing!” he shouted, but he was too angry to sound honest. Next to her cool composure, his truth sounded like the lie. The second man, too, was beginning to look uncertain.

Time to finish this, then; there wasn’t much more she could gain by talking. She sorted swiftly through her options, judged the expressions on the men’s faces again, weighed the anger in the boy’s eyes, and lowered her sword.

“You are a son trying to avenge his father. You’ve dishonored yourself, but I can understand why. I’ll grant you exile, if you want it.” He just looked at her, and she was suddenly afraid that he was truly considering it. She chose her next words with care, and loaded them with sincerity. “I love my father too.”

Like a charm, rage rippled across his face. “Your father is a coward and a murderer not fit to sweep out the stables, much less sit on a throne. He won’t continue his cruelty while I live.”

“Then you give me no choice,” she said sadly, and lifted her sword.

She wanted to end it now, as soon as possible, but it still had to be believable. She breathed loudly as she fought, even stumbled once, while slowly leading him where she wanted him. There was a hollow in the ground just the size of a foot, not deep enough to throw a man off balance unless he stepped into it just right. It took a few attempts to maneuver him into exactly the right spot, but finally, after a series of parries where she barely watched his sword because she was concentrating so hard on his feet, she had him arranged correctly. She let his next parry knock her blade a bit too far off center, and leapt back with a whimper. He grinned fiercely and lunged.

His foot hit the hollow just as her sword parried his thrust. She put more strength than she should have possessed into that parry, enough to insure he would lose his balance. He felt it, and she saw his eyes widen with horror as his fall carried him straight onto the point of her sword.

To his credit, he died soundlessly.

Isabel let the sword go, and the corpse thudded heavily to the ground. She had nothing to fear from the other two, though she was sure they both carried blades. They were backing away even before she turned to face them. She stood and looked at them for a long moment, well aware of how she must look: slim and fierce, with dirt and blood smeared on her hair and skin. Someone would make a tapestry of it, no doubt. Although tapestries took time; the minstrels would be faster with the songs.

But only if these two told the tale. She inclined her head toward them. “Thank you.”

The first man, the one she was counting on, stammered, “Your Highness?”

“You could have killed me for him. I could not have fought off two of you.” A laughable statement, but they wouldn’t know that. “I know he is your kin, and I know my father has hurt your House. But I want all this to end. He would have torn the realm apart.” She turned to look down at the corpse, lying on its side with eyes open and her sword protruding from its chest. Blood still dripped slowly from the sword hilt to the grass. Regret shaded her voice. “You should go.”

One of them cleared his throat, but said nothing. Twigs crackled beneath their feet as they went. Into exile, eventually, but first they would spread the tale. The brave and beautiful princess, the fight she had won against all odds, her noble words. She had not just killed a single rebel tonight. She had killed his rebellion.

Isabel smiled, the fierce proud smile of a hunter standing over her prey.

She woke up with that smile still on her lips, the scent of blood and fear in her nostrils, the taste of victory in her mouth. She was surprised, after a moment, to feel blankets weighing down her legs, and a tangle of hair sticking to her neck instead of hanging down her back in a single long braid. Just a moment, and then Thallene and her enemies and the dark clearing faded into the mist of dreams and memories, leaving only a new confidence and a long-overdue, intensely satisfying certainty. Her smile widened as she tilted her head back and stretched, then rolled out of bed and onto the floor in one smooth motion. Her body was taut with anticipation of the coming day. She still didn’t know exactly why she was here, but the dream confirmed for her what she was here to do. To protect her king, against all odds, no matter what.

It was time to hunt again.

Well, if that doesn't make a girl want to read these books again! So what do you guys think? Should it have stayed in? Is it a nice addition later on?

And don't forget to catch up on any posts you might have missed (full list here!) and leave your comments/entries by December 22!

Book Trailer Premiere: Flyaway by Helen Landalf

2011-12-18T13:33:00.000-06:00

Hitting shelves this week is a Helen Handalf's debut Flyaway, and I'm premiering the trailer to you guys right now! So check it out, then make sure you pick up the book on Tuesday!

Does this not make you guys even more excited to grab up this book? Let me know your thoughts on this trailer too, I love it!

In My Mailbox

2011-12-17T12:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a few weeks since I did an IMM, so this is all the books since the last time I posted one.

For Review:

A Want so Wicked by Suzanne Young (LOVE this book)

A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford (Also amazing!)

Fall From Grace by Charles Benoit (So makes you think!)

Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts (A BIR2011 pick!)

The Knife and the Butterfly by Ashley Hope Perez

Catch & Release by Blythe Woolston

Wicked Sweet by Mar'ce Merrell

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Holding on to Zoe by George Ella Lyon

(Huge thanks to Suzanne Young, HarperTeen, Charles Benoit, Lerner Publishing, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan)

For Review:

Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Before You Go by James Preller

The Downside to Being Charlie by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes

Living Violet by Jaime Reed

The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield

Just Flirt by Laura Bowers

(Huge thanks to SimonPulse, Macmillan, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Penguin, KensingtonTeen, and WestSide Books!)

I have quite a few books signed to me from signings, etc... but I have to admit, the inscription Suzanne put in my ARC of A Want so Wicked is one of my absolute favorites... and because it made me smile on a day when I really needed it, I'm sharing it with you guys now. And while I have gotten a lot of awesome books these past few weeks, this one is definitely one of my favorites... and I am excited to read it in ARC form and fall in love with the book and characters all over again.

So that was my last few weeks! Let me know what you guys got this week!

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

#BIR2011: Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen

2011-12-17T07:00:00.002-06:00

Today is the last day of BIR2011. Kind of sad, but kind of awesome too. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed my favorites of the year, and maybe even found some new favorites of your own! But before we say goodbye, I have one more book to gush about.

Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen

I love, love, LOVE male POV books. I love gritty, raw, intense and painful ones. I love ones that aren't afraid to go no holds barred. And this one did all of that. Actually, it did it twice. It's dual POV, between a football player and a gymnast, two guys who find an odd friendship in a seriously rough situation.

This book is definitely one that won't be for everyone, but I still think everyone needs to give it a chance. Yeah, it's rather male and testosterone driven. Yes, there's plenty of swearing and crudeness. But this book is poignant and gutting and gripping. I could not put this book down, nor could I get it out of my head. Even books that are heavily emotional do not always make me physically ache. This one did.

Don't let the cover scare you away, or turn you off. This book pulls in bullying in a big way, friendship, trust, and coming of age. Realistic and utterly genuine, this is a book that will stick with me for years to come.

And if all that isn't enough to convince you to give this one a try, then check out this interview with Joshua, who, by the way, is one of the nicest people I've ever had the chance to talk with.

Describe Kurt and Danny in 3 words each.

Kurt = Hulking, Disfigured, Tender: Danny = Tiny, Anxious, Driven.

If you could pair Kurt and Danny with any character from any book, who would you pick for each?

I'd pair Kurt with Ponyboy from "The Outsiders" because I think they're kindred spirits and I'd pair Danny with Lisbeth Salander from "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" so she could protect him.

Which character was more challenging for you to write: Kurt or Danny?

Kurt. His character's background and physicality were the exact opposite of mine growing up so I really had to dig a long time and root around in his head before I felt confident enough to speak in his voice

What god/goddess would be your nemesis?

I'm going with the Greek God Ares (Aries) for this one. He's the god of war and he's pretty much a d*ck. I mean, come on! He's the god of war and murder! How much more do I have to say? I would love to stamp out war and murder but it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. So, yeah, Ares is my nemesis.

What kind of dinosaur would you describe yourself as?

I've been doing some Discovery Channel surfing on the internet and based on the following description of the Triceratops, I have to say I'm feeling a bit of a love connection with this triple-horned brute. "Triceratops' brain was about the same size as a human fist, suggesting the dinosaur did not have very acute senses and wasn’t the brightest of beasts. Nevertheless, it was adept at fending for itself, using its scissorlike teeth to slice through vegetation." Okay, so minus the scissorlike teeth, I'm thinking he sounds like the Homer Simpson of the dinosaur world and that's how I kind of feel on a day to day basis. Triceratops, you're my dino!

If you haven't yet read this book, now's your chance! I have one copy up for grabs to one lucky winner!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

This contest is US Only (No PO Boxes) and ends December 24.

And don't forget to stop by the BIR2011 blog for the last day of awesomeness over there, featuring Delirium and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer!

#BIR2011: A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

2011-12-16T08:21:00.000-06:00

BIR2011 is almost finished, but that doesn't mean things are slowing down. Today's pick is a book that I read in two sittings, only because I started it at about 9 at night. It was more of a forced to go to sleep than wanting to put the book down kind of thing. Then I did much fangirling to the author. Well, while I read too. The book?

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford.

I have always gravitated towards the darker stuff, and this one was perfect for me. A new take on suicide? I loved it. I loved the characters, and the writing. I loved the story. I might have hated the ending just a little, because it sort of punches you in the face, but still. So much love for this book. Add in the fact that Leah really and truly is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and it's the icing on the already awesome cake.

But in so many ways, this book blew me away. Flaws that other people saw in it just weren't there for me. The reasons I loved it outshined everything else. Not to mention, there is more than one seriously hot boy in this one... a little something for everyone.

One of those supposed flaws, though, that I know people have disliked about this book is how fast Az and Eden fall for each other. Did that bother me when I read? No. If she had the option to go back and change it, would I want her to? No. And I am thinking maybe she wouldn't either, because instead of an interview today (which, I've already done one with her anyhow... and one with Luke...), Leah's giving her own little bit of: In Defense of Insta-Love.

Boy meets girl, girl meets boy. There’s a look exchanged and a single smile later, they’re ready to follow each other to the ends of the earth. It’s so cliché right? I mean, this never happens right? So why did I use it in A Touch Mortal?

In the first few pages of A Touch Mortal, we meet Eden. She’s alone, isolated from friends and family who are starting to forget her because of what she’s about to become—but she doesn’t know that. All she knows is that at her lowest, she’s alone on a beach. She has nothing. And then walking toward her is this gorgeous boy whose first action upon seeing her is to try to make her laugh. He even bets her a dinner date that he can get her to smile. Eden and the guy she meets—Az—catch each other off guard. They make each other feel good, feel different, feel NOT SAD. If you’ve ever been in a deep depression, one you’re fighting to escape, a single smile can be a lifeline.

Eden and Az fall for each other fast. They’re a summer whirlwind courtship and if they were a normal mortal couple, they might have even had a real shot at being happy. Of course, being a dark urban fantasy, that’s not exactly in the cards. A few weeks after they meet, they’re both dead (well…Eden’s more trapped between life and death) and their love is put to harder tests than it should ever have to endure.

So why am I such a fan of love at first sight? *g* Well, I can remember the exact place the guy I fell for was standing when I met him. Literally, my first thought when I set eyes on him was “Fuck, I’m in love with him.” Not that I was going to fall in love with him, that I WAS in love with him. The instant unexpected love wasn’t anything I wanted, that’s for sure. I was single and had just come home from traveling all summer. But once I saw him, it felt like everything clicked into place. Little did I know, he was feeling the same about me. I write about insta-love because it happened to me. I know it’s real. It led me to adventures and places I never dreamed of, and I hope one day it happens to you. Just try to make sure when it does, you’re not smitten with a half-Fallen angel. Then again, you can’t help who you love, right?

So there you guys have it, straight from the writer herself. And this really just makes me want to pull down my copy of A Touch Mortal and reread... and fall in love with these characters from page one all over again.

And in case you haven't yet read this one, now is your chance! I have one copy of the book for one lucky winner!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

This contest is US only (No PO Boxes) and ends December 23.

And for even more 2011 awesomeness, head over to the BIR blog, where we are featuring the next up in our group picks of amazing books: Hereafter by Tara Hudson (man, I so love that book!)

#BIR2011: Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

2011-12-15T08:17:00.001-06:00

I admit it. More often than not, description in books can make me crazy. It's really easy to go too far, at least for me... too easy for me to skip a paragraph that is purely description. The real trick is writing it in a way that I don't notice, in any one moment, that it's there. Definitely something that is hard to do. But when it's done right, it blows me away, every time.

And one of the single best people who can do this, who has such amazing talent as a writer on top of her ability for this, is Kirsten Hubbard.

I read Like Mandarin last November. It was one of those books I could not wait to get my hands on, that I was a bit shameless in trying to get. That I read basically straight through the day I got it, and then sent Kirsten this huge gushing email because I adored the book that much. The characters were so fabulously well done, absolutely multifaceted and complex, yet endearing, relatable, and fun. I loved the story, the development of it... and honestly? Despite my very well known love of all things hot boys, there is no romance in this one. And I did not notice it. At least, not until a few days later when this book was still in my head.

Everything about Like Mandarin is done so stunningly, and it's the perfect example of why I find contemporary YA so amazing. And while my gushing over this book has never stopped, and my gushing of Kirsten's talent has progressed into 2012 with Wanderlust (which is also amazing, might I add), I'm going to reign myself in here to let you guys get to know Kirsten a little better with this interview!

You write in a way that brings your setting to life, as vivid as the characters. What's the hardest part about this for you?

I have so much fun writing setting -- the balance of evocative details, including just the right amount so it doesn't bore my readers. I think the hardest part, especially when I'm writing about places like the Guatemalan rainforest, is NOT being there. In more ways than one. First, because the travel bug fills me with longing. Second, because the very best details from my settings are jotted down during my travels. There's this scene in Wanderlove where Bria stands outside in the rainforest and describes every sound she hears. I actually did that -- they're the exact sounds I heard. I was in the forests of Pico Bonito, Honduras.

Without spoilers, which scene in Like Mandarin is your favorite?

I love the sweeping, epic scenes like the trophy liberation and the cottonwood dance, but there's this tiny scene between Grace and Taffeta I think I love the most, when Taffeta (Grace's little sister, who rocks the pageant world by singing in Italian) brings Grace an old tape deck to listen to. Somebody quoted it on Goodreads, if you'd like to take a look. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/363605

Did you have someone as a teenager who was your equivalent of Mandarin, or someone who was your Grace?

There were a few girls I looked up to throughout high school, though I didn't have one specific Mandarin. As for Grace, I might have -- I wouldn't necessarily know. Though there was one girl, a seventh grader when I was an eighth grader, who looked up to me quite a bit. She emulated how I dressed and the music I liked (Smashing Pumpkins ftw) and I took her in. We didn't speak the year I left for high school; when she started high school a year later, we'd totally grown apart. No real reason, though I know now I should have reached out. Not long after that, she passed away very suddenly from a brain tumor. It shocked the school. I almost felt like I couldn't grieve, like it wasn't allowed for me, since I hadn't been the best friend.

If you could pair Grace and Mandarin with any character from any book, who would you pick for each?

You know, that's a very good question, and not one I think I can answer. This post might explain my reasons: http://kirstenhubbard.blogspot.com/2011/10/are-grace-and-mandarin-gay.html
But I would love to know what YOU think.

If you were a demigod, what god/goddess would be your nemesis?

I'd probably take on Zeus, that arrogant misogynistic swanrapist son of a rhea.

So there you guys have it! A little glimpse at Kirsten, the setting, and the characters (I love her characters!).

And because I think this cover is awesome, I have signed Like Mandarin bookmarks for two lucky winners!

To enter, just leave a comment and a way to contact you. This contest is US only, and ends December 22.

And now head over to the BIR2011 Blog, where another one of my absolutely favorites of the year is being feature, this one with two very, very hot boys: Vanish by Sophie Jordan!

#BIR2011: A Need so Beautiful by Suzanne Young

2011-12-14T08:14:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another day of Best I've Read 2011! My favorites pick today is one that I've read a few times, one that I couldn't talk about enough, and one that has a sequel coming out in 2012 that is just as amazing (if not even more so?) than this one. The book?

A Need so Beautiful by Suzanne Young.

Aside from the fact that Suzanne is a seriously talented writer, so full of voice and tone and emotion, but the story of this one is completely unique, and it will make you think. It's heartbreaking and hopeful and endearing and engaging. Plus, there's a seriously hot boy. Like, one of all my all time fave YA boys hot boy.

To celebrate my love of this book, instead of doing an author interview, Suzanne has been kind enough to share a deleted scene from the book! Don't worry, if you haven't read the book, this won't give you any spoilers. And if you have read the book, well, you know exactly what's really going on here:

Sara continues to gag, her body convulsing. I know I have to get her out of here, and yet the Need is tugging at my guts—ripping at my insides as it pulls me back toward the building.

“I wish I could help you, love,” Onika says, leaning against the stone façade of the museum.

I jump, startled, and turn to her. “What are you doing here?”

“Observing.” She picks at the fingers of her black gloves, a small smirk on her red lips. “Your friend looks awfully sick,” she says. “Too bad you can’t help her.”

“Can you help?”

Still from the trailer!

“No. But I’ll bet money that if you leave her now and she dies, you’ll never forgive yourself.” When she lifts her blue eyes to meet mine, they’re filled with determination. “Go with her, Charlotte,” she whispers. “The Need will wait for you, right?”

“I can’t,” I say, clutching my stomach. “It’s too painful if I resist.”

“Don’t you think you’re strong enough?”

And it’s then that I wonder if I am.

Now that just makes me want to reread the book, even if that scene isn't in it...

Ahem. So for those of you who haven't yet read this one, you're in luck. I've got one copy of the book up for grabs!

To enter, just fill out THIS form!

This contest is US only (No PO Boxes) and ends December 21.

Want even more BIR2011 fun? Then check out the group blog, where we are featuring Wolfsbane by the always lovely Andrea Cremer!

#BIR2011: Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

2011-12-13T07:00:00.002-06:00

There are a lot of books I love and adore... and picking the top seven for this event was hard enough. But what about picking The One... your very favorite absolute number one book in a year? Harder to do, right?

Well, as huge of a challenge as that might be... I do have one number one favorite of 2011. And yep, it's the book listed up there in the title, and the one who's cover is pictured over there to the side... you know, with that gorgeous cover?

And let me say, the inside of this book is as gorgeous and awing as the cover. This is the kind of book that challenges you, gets in your head, makes you think, yet lures you along for the ride that is full of thrills and enjoyment as well. The writing is breathtaking, the characterization stunning, and the story so intricately woven.

But what made me love it even more is the tone of it, the constant feeling of something being off, of something being weird...and maybe you piece it together on your own because of the clues Nova gives you along the way, or maybe you just go with it and wait for the answers to be revealed. But the tone is constantly eerie and creepy, disturbing in a soft and inexplicable way. That is what made this book stand out so completely for me, because take away that element, and it is a far, far different story, with a far less potent impact.

So to celebrate not only this being The One for me for 2011, but to kick off Day 3 of BIR2011, Nova has written a guest post that is, fittingly, all about writing that creepy air. Trust me, this is a post you do NOT want to miss.

Sometimes people tell me that my novel Imaginary Girls creeped them out. Maybe it kept them from falling asleep at night. Maybe it slipped in and rattled up their dreams. There are those local to the area I wrote about who say they now prefer not to drive the roads around the reservoir at night. I even creeped out members of my own family. Now, I’m very flattered to give some of my readers the shivers, but my first reaction when people told me this was absolute surprise.

I wrote something creepy? Creepy enough that someone might have trouble sleeping at night? Really? …I honestly had no idea I had that in me.

Of course, my mother (who’s known me, well, every single second of my life) has since helped me see the error of my ways. She reminded me that, in fact, the kind of creepiness that I found myself writing in Imaginary Girls—the slippery kind, not outright horror to make you jump and scream, but the unsettling and eerie kind of scare you’d finding yourself mulling over after, questioning from every angle—well, I’ve been fascinated with that since I was a girl. That’s the kind of thing that truly scares me, the inkling that there’s something very wrong, but you don’t know exactly what. Not-knowing means you can’t just battle it and win—so long as you’re the one left in the dark, it will always have power over you. (I wrote a bit about that on my blog this Halloween.)

I guess I was meant to write shivery, creepy stories. I mean, you could say it all started with a Ouija board. No, no, it started before that. It started with the houses where we lived, with their dark basements and creaky attics, with the silent nowhereland of trees all around. It was where we lived—in the Catskills, just like in Imaginary Girls—and it was places like the mountains, the dark roads, or the Ashokan Reservoir, where I really did sneak to take swims in the middle of the night.

My mom is right. I think I’m writing about what scares me because there are no answers. That’s what sets my imagination running.

It makes me think of a creepy, never-explained event that happened to me in the house we lived in when I was a teenager. I still tell myself I must have made it up, or I was half-asleep, or something, and yet there’s that inkling, the shivery voice whispering at the edge of my ear, that says it may have been real.

I was in my bedroom in the furnished basement of the house—and I should probably pause here to paint you a picture of this bedroom. Imagine a mess. Imagine clothes strewn everywhere and papers and shoes and books on the floor and, on this night, a garbage bag I’d grabbed from under the kitchen sink half full of junk and dropped by the door. I’d been attempting to “clean” my room that night so you could see the floor. Of course I got bored, and distracted, and at some point I shut off the lights and went to bed.

Sometime later, in the dark of the room, I became aware that someone was in there with me. I sat up, but the light switch was across the room by the door, so I stared into the fuzzy darkness, trying to see who was there. My door appeared to be closed, but I could have sworn there was a dark shape near it, a very tall shape with two distinct shoulders.

The plastic garbage bag on the floor crinkled and rustled, as if someone were walking over it. The shape—darkness on darkness—seemed to come closer, until it was just beside my bed. I couldn’t move. I felt the kind of fear that paralyzes you—the kind that makes it so you don’t think to scream, you don’t think to run, you don’t think at all.

I had this awareness in the dark. I felt like the shape bent over me and put a hand on my face. But here, here is where this occurrence became more odd. All the fear left me. I felt but at the same time didn’t feel that someone was touching my face. And I felt… protected. The presence was kind, fatherly, something I’d never felt before.

Then it was gone. All at once I felt overwhelmed by sadness, a great wave of it, like I’d lost someone I knew.

I seem to remember getting out of bed and flinging myself toward the door and the light switch. When I turned on the light, no one was in the room with me. Of course not. The garbage bag was there, crumpled, which could have happened when I ran over it to reach the light. The door was closed. If anyone had been in the room with me, they would have had to walk straight through it to get out.

My memory could be distorting this, I really don’t know. Fiction writers can’t be trusted with memories, can we? But this simple event has stayed with me for a long time only because I’ve never found an explanation for it. I’ve mulled it over. I’ve wrung it through. I’ve wondered… I’ve told myself I dreamed it. And yet.

Later, I think it was years later, my mom and her friend happened to mention that there was the story of a ghost that traveled the area of Maverick Road, near where we lived. He was a doctor, said to be tall and thin, who used to live there. They’d found mention of him in this book of history on the town where we lived. My mom and her friend used to say that they’d see a “Thing”—a tall, black line—that would pass quickly by the windows in a house where they worked nearby. But were the “Thing” and the shape that visited me at night one and the same—were they the doctor of Maverick Road?

I will never know.

And I don’t want to know. It’s better—creepier—that I don’t know.

Maybe this is partly why I write what I write, and why the creepiness crept its way into Imaginary Girls. What’s scary to me is the eerie and the shivery and the unknown. That’s the kind of story that haunts me. And that’s the kind of story I want to write.

So there you guys have it, straight from the talented Nova Ren Suma herself!

Nova Ren Suma is the author of the YA novel Imaginary Girls, which was published in 2011 by Dutton, and will be out in paperback June 2012 from Speak. Her tween novel Dani Noir will be reissued for a YA audience in a newly updated trade paperback edition as Fade Out from Simon Pulse in June 2012. 17 & Gone, her next YA novel, is forthcoming from Dutton in 2013.

She blogs about writing at distraction99.com.

Visit her online at novaren.com

Are you dying to get your hands on this book now? Good. Because I have one signed copy up for grabs to one lucky winner!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

This contest is US Only (No PO Boxes) and ends December 21. But since there is only one winner here, you really should just go ahead and add this book to your holiday wishlist, because you do not at all want to miss it.

Eager for more BIR2011 action? Check out the blog today, where our group pick of Julie Kagawa's The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight are being featured!

#BIR2011: Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

2011-12-12T07:00:00.002-06:00

Today's book pick from me is one that I couldn't talk about enough the first time I read it. It's one that I have recommended throughout the year to every person I possibly could (and now I am doing it again!). This is a book that literally made me cry, and I do not cry easily. The book?

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz.

This is a book that is completely amazing in so many ways... emotionally, mentally, the writing, the voice, the characters. I stayed up until 2 am finishing, even though I had to be at work at 8 am the next morning, then I stayed awake in bed for at least another hour just thinking about this book. It captivated me in ways I couldn't explain.

And now I'm here to give you guys not the only the chance to win a copy of it, but to check out this interview with Hannah. So let's get it started for Day 2 of Best I've Read 2011!

What's been the best part about having more than one book published, with a few still coming down the pipeline?

I think it's natural to love your most recent book the most, because you always want to believe that you're improving, but also because your book that isn't out yet doesn't have any bad reviews, you know? So in my mind, the newest book, the one you haven't seen yet, is always the best. That's why it was so funny tome the first time I heard from a reader who liked Break more than IS, and that was really this revelation to me; readers can like some of my books and hate others, or like one of the ones that isn't my favorite over the one that is. It's like having a bunch of different personalities available, and people can pick from whichever one they wanted. It's so, so excellent.

Without spoilers, which scene in Invincible Summer is your personal favorite?

There's a scene in the 3rd summer, I think, where Noah and Chase are just standing on the balcony talking and eating ice cream, though my favorite line comes from the bit where they're filling out paperwork at the speech therapist's office.

What's your favorite part about writing contemporary YA?

Getting to write the kind of books I love more than any other. And to be shelved with my favorite authors. That part's ridiculous. You know I'm next to Jaclyn Moriarty? That's just insane.

If you could pair Chase and Noah with any character from any book, who would you pick for each?

Chase would be great with Lydia from The Year of Secret Assignments by the aforementioned Jaclyn Moriarty. Noah I'd love to see with Frankie from The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.

If you could visit any time period for a day, which would you pick?

The 1920s, absolutely. Hang out at a Gatsby party.

There you guys have it, and thank you Hannah for answering some of my questions!

And now is your chance to win a copy of your own of Invincible Summer, because this is a book that I think everyone needs to read.

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

Contest is US Only (No PO Boxes) and ends December 19.

But this isn't all for today for Best I've Read! Our group pick of the day is another of my absolute favorites: Divergent by Veronica Roth! So make sure you go check out the Best I've Read Blog!

#BIR2011: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

2011-12-11T08:00:00.001-06:00

Best I Read 2011 is officially in motion! All week long, I will be featuring 7 of my absolute favorite books of the year!

Kicking things off on my blog is Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts and guys... this book seriously blew my away. It is so fundamentally dark, and really just... psychologically terrifying. This is one of those books I couldn't put down, and that just got into my head in a really weird way. I absolutely recommend it, and to celebrate, Jeyn has agreed to answer a few questions for me! So let's get right to it!

What was the hardest part about blending in human evil as a factor and motivator into the overall plot?

I didn’t find it hard at all. When I was a teenager and into zombie movies, my Mom once gave me a good piece of wisdom—it’s not the dead you need to fear, it’s the living. There’s a lot of truth in that statement. Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a lot of beauty in the world, but I also think there’s a lot of darkness just beneath the surface. For me, bringing it out was just the beginning.

As the story progresses, it's easy to see how each of the four central characters are flawed in their own ways. Did you go into the book knowing their weak points, or did it develop as you went?

Some of them I knew ahead of time while others completely took me by surprise.

Which of the four central characters do you see yourself as being the most alike?

There’s a bit of me in every character but if I had to pick, I guess it would be Aries. I’m really the type who will constantly try and make sure everyone around me is happy before I consider my own feelings.

Of the world you've created, which aspect is the most terrifying for you?

I guess it would be the whole ‘run but can’t hide’ aspect. It’s one thing to be completely isolated; it’s another to be unable to go outside.

What was the very first scene you imagined for this book?

There were a couple. Some of the scenes are based on dreams I had as a teenager. But the very first scene that I pictured clearly in my mind was Nothing’s opening chapter. I had this thought about someone standing on the edge of a cliff and there was nothing but empty space around them. So when I started writing, the words “I’m standing on the edge of existence” came out of that.

If you were a demigod, what god/goddess would be your parent?

If we’re taking Norse mythology, I’d want to have Loki as a parent. Greek would be Hecate.

What kind of cupcake would you describe yourself as?

Probably one of the weird ones with bacon on it.

I admit, just reading this interview makes me want to reread the book. And now is YOUR chance to win a copy of the book!

To enter, just fill out THIS form! Contest is US Only (No PO Boxes) and ends November 18.

And for even more Best I Read awesomeness, check out the BIR blog today where Haven author Kristi Cook is being feature!

Book Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

2011-12-09T09:19:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Everyone's sorry. But no one can explain why.

Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going—California.

Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession…and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except…Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down—again.

OPINION: 5 STARS

The Short Version:
Gutting, hopeful and invigorating, Saving June blends not only grief and recovery but romance and coming of age in a beautifully handled way. The cast of characters is small but well developed, giving each one unique life and voice even through Harper’s perspective. With a fun and well described road trip element, and plenty of mishaps along the way, Saving June is both fun and purposeful.

The Extended Version:
Harper is an easy character to like, well grounded and strong yet still holding enough insecurity and weakness to soften readers towards her. Her pain and confusion over her sister’s death is palpable, coming through in a relatable rather than whiny way. From the way she views herself in comparison to her sister, to the things she has to face and accept as the story progresses, Harper is a fantastic internal drive and strength that builds her character in the best of ways. Determined to do right by her sister, yet scared of what’s to come at the same time, Harper’s battles both internal and external weave together to keep her the focus of the story without solely staying inside her issues.

Jake is rough around the edges, but as instantly intriguing as he is frustrating. Holding plenty of his own secrets, and inciting some visceral responses from both Harper and readers, Jake has his own journey and roadblocks to figure out even as things between him and Harper start to heat up. With an ease about him that lures readers in, Jake is a charming love interest who is far from perfect in the best of ways.

Rounding out the cast is Harper’s best friend, NAME, who not only helps Harper heal but drives the plot in her own unique ways. Sprightly and full of life, it’s easy to see how the two became such strong friends. Though she, too, makes her share of mistakes, the way she and Harper act together is something readers will gravitate towards and appreciate.

The plot is simple in concept, but beautifully scripted in play out. With a steady pacing, readers not only are pulled along for the ride with the road trip but watch each character grow and change, focused on Harper yet getting plenty of Jake and NAME. Internal more than external, this one holds a fantastic realism and authenticity without being a turn off to those who like the more world driven books.

Harrington’s writing is gorgeous, spunky in it’s voice yet with a constant emotion to it that keeps readers feeling the near constant pain that Harper does. Even in the happier moments, the grief lurks, adding to the realistic aspect of this fantastic book. Describing the various stops and places in a way that doesn’t kick readers out of the book, the setting is as much a character as Harper.

There are some rough truths faced in this one, with some truly gutting and wrenching scenes that will pull readers in and refuse to let go. Harper’s journey is an easy one to get into, even without personal experience towards it, and the way she changes and grows is one of the most notable and striking aspects of this book. Rapt with bold characterization, and not only pitting this book as a grief novel, Harrington’s debut is intelligent and appealing.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author/publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Harlequin

Publication Date: November 22, 2011

Book Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

2011-12-08T13:00:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

OPINION: 4 STARS

The Short Version:

Fun and sexy, Catching Jordan does a remarkable job mixing a coming of age type story with raw lust in an explosive way. Though very sports focused, Jordan is the kind of character plenty of readers can get behind and understand, and the full scope of her journey is an enjoyable, grin inducing one. Hitting on some rough moments but staying light overall, and with some very droolworthy guys to round out the cast, Catching Jordan is a solid debut from a promising author.

The Extended Version:

Jordan is determined and talented, a tomboy in almost every sense of the word yet without being a cliché or stereotype. Her love of football is well portrayed, but the depth to her comes through as the story progresses. Caught in some ways in a battle of the sexes, so to speak, as a female quarterback, Jordan definitely goes through some trying times. Her view of the world is easy to follow, and her motivations in many ways is, overall, understandable and believable. The way she responds to certain situations, and her choices however swift or not, bring this character to life and her development has a steady course.

Ty is, first and foremost, hot eye candy, and while his development wasn’t as well scripted and honed as Jordan’s, his role in the plot was strong and clear. Carrying his own baggage and with a perspective that adds spark to the story, Ty seems like a great match for Jordan and will taunt readers. Definitely a lustworthy character, and reactive to Jordan in all the best ways, Ty leaves the readers with a lasting impression.

The remaining cast consists of three of the football team members, guys who Jordan considers her best friends. Though stereotypical jock in many ways, Henry, JJ and Carter are great guys, and have enough depth to bring them to life. Fiercely loyal and protective of Jordan, and bringing plenty of laughs to the table, the antics of these three are just as strong and enjoyable as any other part of the book. Henry, especially, has a fantastic role, and his emotions and motivations come through in a bold, mesmerizing way.

The plot of this one has a steady pace overall, balancing easily between an emotional and internal aspect, the hot romance, and the football angle. Front heavy on football technicalities, the book quickly shifts into something that will engage and entice readers. Though some parts aren’t as fleshed out as they could have been, the story itself has strong underlying tones without encroaching on the meat and fun of the book. The full ramifications of being a female in the football world are shown, and Kenneally weaves this element in perfectly.

Descriptive at all the right moments, but playing on the reader’s own imagination to add things in, the writing has a smooth flow to it that drives the book. Jordan’s voice does carry through, rounding out her character without letting the author flit in too often. Able to navigate both rough and emotional situations, as well as easy, fun ones, and throwing in plenty of lust-filled, make a reader squirm moments, Kenneally’s writing definitely shows her talent.

Sexier more often than not, with plenty of worth rereading passages, Catching Jordan is a new twist on the coming of age story. Well scripted and steadily paced, Catching Jordan will engage readers early on and keep them grasped with its good overall character development. Touching on some rough subjects but letting the fun and lust drive most things, this one will definitely work for readers who love romantic contemporary.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Ages 13 and up

Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: December 1, 2011

Shattered Souls Release Day Scavenger Hunt!

2011-12-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

Hitting shelves today is Mary Lindsey's awesome, fun and creepy debut Shattered Souls! I read this one back in January, and have been looking forward to its official release all year. And it is finally here!!!

This book is seriously great, so well written with a fun voice. And there's hot boys. Yes. Boys. As in two. As in Alden and Zak. As in lickable and huggable and other -ables. And there's ghosts, and a creeptastic opening scene that sets the stage for the rest of the book. Also, Lenzi is pretty darn awesome too.

(And it is worth noting, that this book is Toby endorsed. See photo to right for evidence.)

So to celebrate, I've teamed up with some other awesome bloggers to bring you guys a scavenger hunt for a chance to win a copy of the book, and trust me, you want this book!

What do you have to do? Simple!

Just hit up the participating blogs (listed below), collect the words, and then unscramble them.

Once you've gotten the sentence, just enter it in THIS form and voila! Done!
(Note: This is the same form on all the blogs, so please only enter once, no matter which blog it is through. Multiple entries will be deleted.)

Even better? This contest IS international, wherever The Book Depository delivers and ends December 18.

So your word for THIS stop is: Second.

Find the rest of the words at these blogs:
Mundie Moms
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Reading Teen
IB Book Blogging

Want more from Mary and her characters? Then check out the full blog tour stops while you wait to get your hands on this book! Click on the banner below to get to the list.

Author Word Associations + Contest: Joan Holub + Suzanne Williams

2011-12-07T13:00:00.001-06:00

Stopping in today are the authors of the Goddess Girls series Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams! We're doing the interview a little differently though. I've given these ladies a list of random words/phrases, and they had to give me back the first thing that came to mind.

Hairball: Joan’s cats.

Firefighter: Calendars? (tee-hee)

Lemur: Zoos

Fuzzy: Towels

Coke: Pepsi

Mr. Know It All: Our husbands! (But in a good way most of the time.)

Elvis: Sadly, he’d dead.

Baseball: Mariners

Snake: Medusa’s hair

Goddess: Strong woman

Thank you, Joan and Suzanne, and congrats on another release.

Now for your chance to win a Goddess Girls Prize Pack, just fill out THIS form!

Pack includes a signed book, a bookmark and a Goddess Girls beaded necklace.

This contest is US Only and ends December 14.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-12-07T00:00:00.002-06:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick is Trish Doller's Something Like Normal, coming June 19, 2012 from Bloomsbury.

Summary: A powerful debut novel about a young Marine's return home from Afghanistan and the new life and love he finds while fending off the ghosts of war.

When Travis Stephenson returns home from Afghanistan, his parents are on the brink of divorce, his brother has stolen his girlfriend and his car, and nightmares of his best friend getting killed keep him completely spooked. But when he runs into Harper Gray, a girl who despises him for trashing her reputation with a middle school lie, life actually starts looking up. As Travis and Harper see more of each other, he starts falling for her and a way through the family meltdown, the post-traumatic stress, and the possibility of an interesting future begins to emerge.

His sense of humor, sense of his own strength, and incredible sense of honor make Travis an irresistible and eminently lovable hero in this fantastic and timely debut novel.

My Thoughts: Okay, I have been excited about this book since last year. Yes. Last year as in 2010. And I was thinking crap, 2012 is SO far away. I am STILL thinking that it is SO far away. But. Male POV... obviously going to hit on some tear your heart out rough stuff... a little romance... some anger, pain and frustration thrown in... oh yes. Perfect Kari book. This is one of those books that I don't read any excerpts, etc for because it will only drive me crazy wanting it. Like, Belltrix Lestrange level crazy. And no one wants that. But seriously. I absolutely cannot wait for this book, and will drop everything to read it, probably straight through, the day I get it. I have no doubt I am going to fall in love with Travis, even if I might want to hit him a few times along the way. Broken boys are my weakness, so bring it on,Travis and Trish. Too bad I've now set off the high level of yearning agony again...

Guest Post: A Dog Day of Summer by W. Bruce Cameron

2011-12-06T08:28:00.000-06:00

Doing this a little differently around here today! W. Bruce Cameron of A Dog's Purpose and Emory's Gift, is stopping in... but instead of an interview, I've asked him to share a favorite dog story. This should not surprise any of you who regularly hit up my blog and know how much I love *my* dog, so let's get right to it! And really, I see so much of Toby in this story....

Dear Dog,

This is what happened.

You woke up this morning at 7:00am. It being a Saturday, I was still asleep. You became concerned that I might be getting too much rest, so you came over and shoved your wet nose in my face.

When I rolled over with a groan, you realized your intentions had been misunderstood. You watched me lie there, my breathing slowing, for a full minute before you barked in frustration.

“No barking,” I muttered. “Lie down. Sleep.”

You sifted carefully through this statement, completely comprehending that I had not used the word “bacon.” You barked again, and then again.

I rolled over and looked at you. “What? What is it?”, I asked you.

You wagged excitedly. Yes!, you thought. Let’s get up! Now your barking and yipping took on a frantic note. Time to get up! Time to get up!

“Okay, okay!” I said. I got out of bed and got dressed. You watched attentively. I went into the kitchen and started the coffee. You raced over to your favorite spot in front of the fireplace, stretched out on your dog bed, and fell asleep. I suppose you thought that as long as one of us was awake, the house was secure and the other member of the team should use the opportunity to catch up on some badly needed rest.

Me. I needed the rest. But you were the one who slept.

You roused yourself, of course, when I brought breakfast to the table. You sat alertly and obediently at my side, watching every spoonful of oatmeal as I raised it to my lips. My attention was riveted by the newspaper because I have several excellent ideas for fixing all the world’s problems and want to be prepared for when the President telephones. You put a paw on my leg.

I looked down at you and realized you had not been informed of recent developments concerning my bloodstream and the amount of cholesterol that’s floating around in it like an oil slick. “It’s oatmeal,” I said to you.

You swallowed, nearly swooning with food lust.

“You wouldn’t like it. Get your paw off my leg. No. I will not feed you.”

You heard a firmness in my tone and dropped your eyes in a wounded fashion. Okay, I guess I’ll just die of starvation but I’m willing if it will make you happy, your expression said. You fell to the floor dramatically, your face a study in tragedy. You took a long, shuddering sigh, then glanced up at me to see if I was buying it. I was back to reading about world events.

Well, this was intolerable. You jumped to your feet and walked over to your empty food bowl, which you pointedly licked, your dog tags clanging against the metal rim. Your whole life, the rule is you don’t get to eat until I do, but that doesn’t prevent you from staging your regularly scheduled protest demonstration each and every morning.

I ate as much oatmeal as I could swallow, which wasn’t much. The doctor says replacing bacon and eggs with this stuff will help me live longer. My response: Why would I want to?

When I stood up from the table you began doing your dance, a dervish’s whirl, whipping yourself around in circles while still keeping your eyes on my face. I don’t understand why your head doesn’t twist off when you do this.

“There is no bacon,” I warned you. “You really don’t want my leftovers.”

You nearly passed out at the word “bacon.” You were panting and trembling and drooling as I picked up your bowl and put in dog food. I turned to look at you and you froze, your gaze intent.

“You really want oatmeal?”

Yes! You danced some more. Yes! Yes! Yes!

I shrugged and shoveled some of the vile stuff into your bowl. Maybe you’ll live longer, too.

I put the bowl on the floor and you lunged for it, inhaling your meal, choking your food down as if I were about to take it away from you in mid-meal, which just for the record I have never, ever done. And then you froze. You pulled your head back a little, sniffing. Then you turned and stared at me.

Hey, your look said, what the hell is this?

“I told you. It’s oatmeal.”

You went back to eating, but now, instead of great gulps, you ate daintily, chewing with just the front teeth, as if you were trying to skin a tomato. With every swallow you shot me a searing, accusatory glance.

When you were finished I peered into your bowl: A slimy pile of oatmeal lay at the bottom. You watched grumpily as I cleaned it out.

Normally when I go back to brush my teeth and get ready to face the day you follow me and tangle yourself in my legs, but normally there’d been a tiny piece of bacon for you in your breakfast bowl. Without the bacon, life just seemed to have lost its purpose. This particular morning you went back to lie in front of the fireplace, sighing mournfully.

You didn’t rouse yourself until the next-door neighbor went out into his back yard, and then you hurled yourself against the back window, barking ferociously.

“Hey,” I said, “cut it out. You know Mr. Morton, you like Mr. Morton. It’s his yard, for heaven’s sake.”

You wouldn’t listen to my treasonous suggestion that we leave the invader alone. Then Mr. Morton started trimming his hedges, which so offended you that you nearly strangled on your own barking. You banged your face against the window, drooling and snapping your teeth.

“Okay! Okay!” I shouted. I went to the front door and opened it and you pushed me out of the way, your face set in a lethal snarl, your legs scrabbling for purchase. You rocketed out into the yard, a dog on a mission of death, straight for Mr. Morton, who looked up at your murderous approach.

Then you seemed to have second thoughts. Maybe I was right, maybe Mr. Morton was a nice guy. Maybe he should be allowed to trim his own hedges in his own yard without being killed by a dog attack. And hey, wasn’t there something interesting to sniff at the bottom of this one tree, here? Can’t we all get along?

Mr. Morton patted his thighs and you went over to him, wagging your tail, and then flopped over for a belly rub. I watched your complete submission with an ironic expression that was completely lost on you when you came bouncing back into the yard. It’s Mr. Morton!, your expression said. We love him!

“Okay, come on in,” I said, holding the door open.

You started to obey, and then you stopped, a thought flitting into your brain with such clarity I could actually see it register. It was a beautiful July day. I was probably going to sit at the computer all day long. There were scents to follow and bushes to mark, and, most important of all, there had been no bacon.

Your ears flattened themselves on either side of your head, a sure sign that you were thinking of being a bad dog. You glanced down the road, toward freedom.

“Come here,” I said sternly. We’ve practiced this command over and over—when I use that tone of voice, you know from experience that I am asserting my alpha authority over you, and that also, if you do as you are told, I will give you a treat. The powerful combination of dominance and reward are as compelling to you as a T-bone; it’s as if I’d turned on my Star-Trek tractor beam and was pulling you with inexorable force back into the house.

You took off.

“Come! Stay! Heel!” I shouted. These are all words in your limited vocabulary, and they all mean you are supposed to do what I say, so you increased your speed, until you were galloping like a greyhound after a rabbit.

You know that you are superior to me, physically. I may be able to throw a Frisbee, but you can chew one up. I can hurl a tennis ball down the street, but you can catch it in mid-air and then soak it in saliva so that I won’t want to touch it. And you can run faster. I will never catch you.

Your favorite playmate in the world is a black Labrador named Napoleon. Once you felt you had traveled far enough that I would never be able to find you, you veered through some back yards over to Napoleon’s kennel. He greeted you joyously through the fence, and his owner went out to let you in to wrestle with your playmate.

Caller ID told me who was phoning me. I picked up the phone. “I know,” I said.

My neighbor told me you were welcome to stay as long as you wanted. I sighed and said that no, I felt that would only reïnforce the behavior. I got in my car and drove over there.

You looked up, startled, when my car’s familiar sounds told you I had arrived in Napoleon’s driveway. Despite the fact that every single time you have ever run away you have gone straight to Napoleon’s house, you are dumbfounded that I have tracked you down.

I got out of my car and stood with my hands on my hips, which is the posture I adopt whenever you get into the garbage or chew one of my shoes or do anything that I know you know is bad. You lowered your head. Napoleon used the distraction to jump on you and put his mouth on your neck. You whirled and put your mouth on his neck. The wrestling recommenced.

“Hey!” I called out sternly.

You regarded me, puzzled, not sure why I sounded so mad. Then you remembered, and you dropped your head again. Oh yeah, the running-away thing.

I let you out of the kennel, pushing Napoleon’s eager head back so he didn’t get out too. You were slinking, now, your belly close to the ground. “You were a bad dog,” I told you.

Yes, a very, very bad dog. So bad, your expression said as I led you to the car. I opened the passenger door and you slipped inside, hanging your head. A bad, bad dog.

I went around and got in my side. You greeted me as if you’d been locked in the car for an hour, licking me and wagging your tail so hard it sent ripples of energy up and down your whole body. Car ride? Your expression said. We going for a car ride?

I spoke sternly to you, delivering my lecture on Expected Dog Behavior, but it was such a grand day you were too happy to pay much attention. You stuck your nose into the wind through the open window, took in several deep sniffs, then brought your head inside and sprayed me with a wet sneeze.

“Yuck!” I said.

We pulled in our driveway and you spotted Mr. Morton and began barking ferociously. Let me at him, I’ll kill the bastard!

“Stop it,” I told you. I clicked the leash onto your collar and you gave me a wounded look. What’s that for?

You continued to growl and bark at Mr. Morton while I went around to let you out. I snagged the end of the leash and you strained against it, begging for an opportunity to attack our neighbor. He waved at me and I waved back.

Struggling, I pulled you back into the house and shut the door. I removed the leash and you went to the window, still snarling, as Mr. Morton put away his hedge clippers and disappeared through his back door. The fur was up on your back, but you gradually began to stand down from full alert. You’d scared the guy back into his house, thus saving all of us from his mad hedge clipping. You had protected our property.

“Okay,” I said. “You are not supposed to run away, do you understand me? You come when I call.”

You responded to the one word you recognized, “come,” by trotting obediently over to me and sitting alertly at my feet. See what a good dog I am? Want me to heel? Stay? You name it.

“I have to work on a column. We’ll go for a walk this afternoon, okay?”

Walk? You liked the sound of that, but then you groaned when I went over to the computer and sat down at the keyboard. Not again!

I began to peck away. You sniffed around a little, and then an inspiration hit you and you went to your food bowl. You dipped your face into it, inhaling deeply. Then you raised your head and gave me a look of pure, stunned, disbelief.

What?, your eyes seemed to say. No bacon?

I looked away, concentrating on my column. It was due the day before, which meant I really needed to finish it in the next day or two. My editor and I have an agreement that it’s not really, really late until it is three days late, so I try to adhere to a strict schedule of only being two days late though usually I’m four days late.

You came over and put your head in my lap. I looked down at your sad eyes and realized that I had never been so hungry—whatever they put in oatmeal, apparently they leave out food. You whimpered.

You’re starving, you seemed to be saying to me. I don’t want you to starve.

You’re my best friend in the world—if you were worried about me, didn’t that mean something?

I made BLT’s for lunch, reasoning the doctor had only warned me about bacon for breakfast. You were really happy when I slipped a piece of it to you under the table.

And I was happy too.

Author Interview + Contest: Kathryn Miller Haines

2011-12-05T08:20:00.000-06:00

Stopping in today is Kathryn Miller Haines, author of The Girl is Murder, to answer some questions and give you guys the chance to win a copy of her book, so let's get to it!

Iris is dumped into the present day. What’s the hardest part of that for her?

The fashion. She stuck out like a sore thumb in 1942, she doesn’t stand a chance in 2011.

What part of writing in 1942 was the hardest for you? The most fun?

Trying to pretend I didn’t know how things were going to turn out with regard to the war was definitely the hardest. The most fun? The lingo. I love slang (perhaps too much at times) and I love how teenagers of every era come up with their own language.

If you could pair Iris and Benny with any character from any book, who would you pick for her?

Probably Nancy Drew. I think both of them would get a kick out the real girl detective, and enjoy showing her up at every turn.

If you could live in a historical era for a while, which one would you want?

That’s tough. You’d think I’d say 1940s, right? But I don’t know if I could stomach witnessing the misogyny and racism firsthand. On the other hand, anytime earlier than the 20th century, and I’d have to deal with misogyny, racism, poor personal hygiene, and arcane ways of disposing of sewage, and I just don’t have the stomach for that either. So I guess…um…I’ll go with the ‘40s, provided that I can leave anytime I want.

Thank you, Kathryn, for stopping in!

Now for your chance to find out about Iris and what happens, just fill out THIS form!

This contest IS International, and ends December 12.

Book Review: The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams

2011-12-02T12:27:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. And they've always agreed on one goal: to get out of tiny Paris, Texas, and see the world. The school's foreign exchange program seems like the perfect escape: Piper will go to the original Paris; Mei will go to China; Cassidy will go to Australia; and Izzy, unable to afford the program, will stay at home. To add spice to their semester away, and to stay connected to their best friends, the girls start The International Kissing Club, a Facebook page where they can anonymously update one another and brag about all the amazing guys they're meeting. After all, these girls are traveling abroad: amazing guys abound at every turn! But sometimes fun, flirty vacation flings turn into more serious romances, and sometimes you don't return from abroad the same person you were. Will the girls' relationships-and their friendships-be able to survive?

OPINION: 4 STARS
The Short Version:
Flirty with a good amount of depth as well, The International Kissing Club blends both close friendships with learning to do things your own way. With four well developed protagonists, and four different settings that help add a lot of life to the book, this one builds each story line in a smooth way without confusing readers. Filled with voice, and hitting on plenty of emotional elements, this one is a great mix of feel good romance and coming of age.

The Extended Version:
Most notable about this book is the friendship and bond between the four girls. They are all truly best friends, each with their own unique aspects they bring to the table, without much needless cattiness between them. Though they certainly have their differences and occasional battles, from start to finish they are close. Even still, the trials their friendships go through, and the stark differences between who they are as a group and who they start to become on their own is a great aspect of this book.

While it may seem ridiculous for the girls to make an entire Facebook page just to air their kissing to the world, the fun nature of it, and the way their friendships are when they decide to it help ease the blow of it. The anonymous element goes far to make it seem less vindictive and more of a fun way for them to interact because in truth, the way each girl handles their individual situations and the kisses they may or may not go after helps build their personalities. Even as things start to grow tense, there is an underlying element of deep friendship in everything these girls do, making them highly likeable characters.

Written in third person, there is a somewhat similar voice element even though the chapters shift focus between the girls. Despite this, there is a flirty and fun note to the writing. Adams does a fantastic job of building each different setting in a way that will pull readers in, make them feel as though they are there, without it overshadowing the events of the book. While the various dialects don't come through quite as strongly, the differences between each girl and their chosen country goes far to build who they are, and their individual mentalities.

With a great blend of fun and emotion, friendship, trials and romance, The International Kissing Club puts a nice twist on kissing and telling. Despite the four different story lines, the chapter switches are smoothly transitioned, and each story line is easy to follow. Centered around four characters who are as much a unit as they are individuals, and without hitting onto stereotypes for any of them, this book is cute and enjoyable.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Ages 12 and up

Paperback: 400 pages

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Around the World in 80 Kisses: Smooch Stop #5

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams is the story of four best friends: Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy--the misfits of Paris, Texas. Their whole lives, they’ve dreamed of escaping small-town life and seeing the world. So when Piper is the victim of an embarrassing prank that goes viral online, she gets the idea that the girls should escape via the school’s international exchange program, in search of fun, love and internet redemption.

Ivy Adams is the psuedonym for three friends and writing partners: Emily McKay, Shellee Roberts and Tracy Deebs. They shop, gossip and watch movies in Austin, Texas.

Leave a comment (with your email so we can contact you) to be entered to win the Around the World In 80 Kisses daily and weekly prize and also become eligible to win the Grand Prize, a Kindle Fire. For a list of all our Smooch Posts you can visit and earn more entries to win, visit us here.

Next Smooch Stop: Saturday, December 3rd at The Readiacs.

Character Interview + Contest: Henry from Catching Jordan

2011-12-01T08:15:00.000-06:00

Hitting shelves today is Miranda Kenneally's debut Catching Jordan, and hitting the blog is one of the hottie football boys from the book, Henry. Trust me when I say, you want to get to know Henry. And he is absolutely in my Boy Closet!

But that's not all. Because he's so darn charming, Henry's smiled his way into convincing Miranda to give away a totally marked up, author annotated copy of the book! So let's meet Henry, and then you can find out how to win!

Describe yourself in four words.

Loyal.
Passionate.
Fast (in terms of running speed)
Smart.

So, the title of this book was changed from Score to Catching Jordan. Which did you like best?

SCORE. Obviously.

When Ty first showed up on the scene, what did you think?

How could this guy waltz in and flick a switch in Jordan that I have never been able to flick?

What was your first real kiss like?

When I was 12, I went to a family reunion up in Louisville. No, no, of course my first kiss wasn’t with a distant cousin or anything. You have a naughty mind! Anyhow, my cousin, Tara, invited a few of her friends from school to hang out after the reunion. Tara’s friend Julie and I walked out to my uncle’s barn, to see the new foal, and while we were oohing and ahhing over the baby horse I guess Julie was overcome with emotion because of all the cuteness and attacked me from the side. We fumbled through the first kisses but they were warm and soft and soon I figured it all out, let me tell you. We kissed until my uncle caught us when he came to check on the foal. And then after Julie went home, my uncle proceeded to give me “the talk” right there and then by explaining how the foal was created and came to be born.

Boxers or briefs?

Both. I wear briefs while playing football and baseball but I have a thing for wearing flashy boxers. Read Miranda’s next book if you want to find out more about my adventures in underwear.

Who’s your celebrity crush?

Can I tell you about my man crush? I’m comfortable with myself and my sexuality, so I have no problem telling you that I have a crush on George Clooney. He’s smooth, he’s rich and he reads the paper every day. I want to hang out with him, in hope that his suaveness will rub off on me.

If you were a dinosaur, what kind would you be?

A Velociraptor. I’m fast, I’m smart, and some people are scared of me, but even if they’re scared of me, they can’t look away because I’m just that cool.

Thank you, Henry, for stopping by and sharing your answers.

Now for your chance to win a completely marked up, one of a kind copy of Catching Jordan, just fill out THIS form.

Miranda's only going to do this once (she's on to Henry and his ploys...), so if you want the chance for this.... get to entering!

You get one automatic entry. Then for every post throughout the blog tour you comment on, you get an additional entry. Check out the full lineup here so you don't miss any of the awesome posts! And don't worry, I ask for your username you comment with in the form, so I can count your comments, that way you can enter now!

This contest is US only, and ends December 23.

And since this contest isn't over for awhile, make sure you go pick up Catching Jordan, hitting shelves today! Trust me. You want to meet Henry, Jordan and the rest of the hottie football boys sooner rather than later.

Book Review: A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

2011-11-29T08:20:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog’s search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog’s Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?

Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey’s search for his new life’s meaning leads him into the loving arms of 8-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog.

But this life as a beloved family pet is not the end of Bailey’s journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders—will he ever find his purpose?

Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.

OPINION: 4 STARS

The Short Version:
Heartwarming and innovative, A Dog's Purpose does a wonderful job of giving human thoughts and cognition to our most loyal friends. While potentially stereotypical in some aspects, but hilarious and well meaning all around, readers will fall in love with Bailey. With a tight narrative and an interesting sort of description, this one will have readers hooked from page one.

The Extended Version:
Starting out, Bailey is a pup born to a feral mom, learning how to scavenge and fed for himself in a lot of ways. Frustrated with his siblings, and having plenty of reminders to readers of the way dog's seem to see the world, he's voicy and fun from the start. Invigorated by the world around him, and eager for new things, there is simple joy in even just reading Bailey's adventures.

While the summary makes it clear Bailey dies, more than once, those parts are still wrenching, a cold splash in a warm setting. Regardless, Cameron weaves them in easily, without lingering too long on that aspect, before plunging the reader back into everything. With smooth transitions between the different lives, and an always constant reminder that our narrator is, in fact, a dog, there is something boldly unique and wonderfully handled about this book.

With a humor that is natural and easily folded into the story, this book is as amusing as it is warming and inspiring. Though a few areas were a reminder that we don't really know what goes on in a dog's head, and some stereotypical aspects we perceive in dogs cropped up, the narrative style is still smooth and easy to follow, giving a vivid voice and life to not only Bailey but dogs everywhere.

The pacing is steady, keeping readers as invested in the story as Bailey is. Giving readers a look at our every day world through new eyes, A Dog's Purpose is as fun as it is enlightening. With plenty of excitement and adventure along the way, and some truly sentimental moments as well, this one is a fast, enjoyable, and endearing read.

Details:

Source: Paperback received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: Forge Books

Publication Date: May 24, 2011

Book Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

2011-11-28T16:35:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....

OPINION: 5 STARS

The Short Version:
Inspired and affecting, Virtuosity is a stunning blend of romance and determination. With a protagonist who is obviously unique and different, yet easy to get behind and understand, and a love interest that is both charming and awkward, the characters absolutely shine. Beautifully written and smoothly executed, Martinez’s debut is both stellar and memorable.

The Extended Version:
Carmen is anything but normal, not only because of how talented she is with the violin but from her upbringing and day to day norms as a result of her talent. Having few friends, and a certain shyness in social situations, she is both enjoyable and empathetic. Struggling both with stage fright and the full impact of her dreams, and what it would mean to either win this competition or not, she faces some rough situations. Her development and growth is fabulously handled, with her motivations and defining points both obvious and subtle throughout.

Jeremy is the kind of cocky that is anything but, both charismatic and uncomfortable. Holding his own secrets and reasons for competing, yet having a certain raw truth about him that will grasp readers, Jeremy is not only a perfect opponent for Carmen but a great love interest as well. While his loyalties certainly come into play, and readers cannot always guess exactly what is going on with him, Jeremy’s overall characterization is as fleshed out as Carmen’s.

Though a simple plot in nature, Martinez ratchets up both the adrenaline factor and the questions as well, throwing in plenty of twists throughout to keep readers guessing. With some poignant and arresting scenes mixed in with more lighthearted, fun and even softly romantic ones, the pacing has a smooth and easy flow to it, never letting readers get bored. Though more open ended in nature at the conclusion of the book, Martinez leaves both her characters and her readers in a good place, letting them imagine their own final endings for both Jeremy and Carmen.

Beautifully written, almost lyrical in nature, with an edge infused throughout the writing, Martinez’s talent shines in both the descriptions and the voice. Thrusting readers into the life of competitive and career orchestra, without making it overbearing, she not only builds her settings but the specific world as well. Keeping an authentic and easy to mesh with note to everything, the realism of this book is both vivid and kept in the background, in the perfect blending of the two.

Different from many books in its genre, and a fantastic blend of competition and romance, Virtuosity is a stellar and gripping debut. Showing readers a specific world that is likely new to them, while still keeping a teenage and fun element to everything, Martinez will engage readers from page one without any problem. Her characters are fabulously done, and both endearing and memorable, making Virtuosity a must read.

Details:

Source: ARC received for review from publisher

Reading Level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: October 18, 2011

Mini Reviews: In Honor, Bittersweet and Someone Else's Life

2011-11-27T15:04:00.000-06:00

It's mini review time again, in which I gush about some books I've read and loved, but that don't come out for awhile... you'll get the full review closer to release but for now, let the gushfest commence!

In Honor by Jessi Kirby: I loved Jessi's debut, Moonglass, and let me say, In Honor does not disappoint. Once again, she's got absolutely stellar characters that you will fall in love with. With the perfect blend of grief and fun, this book is one of those that is emotional without being a constant kick in the gut, yet gets all the points across. I loved Honor's character, from the rough truths she has to face to watching her try to figure out what to do now that her brother, and the main person to really be there for and take care for her, is gone. And then there's Rusty, who is, in a lot of ways, your typical cocky playboy jock, yet he's got this softer side that peeks through at the right moment to make. A girl. Melt. He's that boy who's broken and a mess, who you want to fix, yet you can tell he's got some of his crap together, and when he finally gets it all together, he'll be amazing, even if crude and maybe even cruel sometimes. I loved the banter between Rusty and Honor, and their shared pain over losing Finn. Then there's the roadtrip aspect, which was fun and well done, without stealing too much of the focus of the book. Seriously. This book is awesome, so make sure you add it to your must read list.

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler: Hockey boys! Cupcakes! Wintertime romance! This book is so fun in so many ways, yet has plenty of rougher elements to it too. And every chapter title is the name and description of some kind of cupcake, which are so original and sound absolutely delicious. I am pretty sure Sarah has a fallback in cupcakery if writing somehow goes south for her, but considering how awesome this book is, I just don't see that happening. But seriously, I loved Hudson, loved seeing all the crap she was dealing with and really, even if she was maybe bratty at times, it made sense, and I got it, and I understood her. Then there's Josh, who is charming and sweet and just the right amount of gushy softness despite being a hockey boy... yeah, he will make you swoon, trust me. So whether you're a Sarah Ockler fangirl or not, you do not want to miss this book. And even better? Now that the pub date has been moved up, instead of waiting till August 2012, you just gotta last till January 3.

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale: This is one of those books that you just can't put down, even when it seems almost like a soap opera. And okay, so a few of the characters were brats in their own way and yet, when I try to imagine myself in their situations, I think a little selfishness and frustration is allowed. There are a few story lines twisted together in this one, and some hard truth questions thrust into the limelight, and overall, Katie does it very well. I loved the blending of England and America, seeing Rosie's first visit to the States, yet also getting plenty of her life and culture from England in there too. And the writing of this one is so great, very easy to read and understand even for an American, despite the English MC, yet holding plenty of obvious notes to remind you that Rosie is, in fact, British. Add in the emotional air that is palpable throughout, and Katie has definitely nailed it with this one.

In My Mailbox

2011-11-26T21:16:00.000-06:00

Books! I got them. Let's talk about them.

For Review:

In Honor by Jessi Kirby (Started - love it so far!)

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (Note: Formerly called The Language of Impossible Dreams, so it's got the old cover on the ARCs. The book is awesome though!)

Chained by Lynne Kelly

Double Clutch by Liz Reinhardt

The River of Time Series by Lisa Bergren (Waterfall, Torrent and Cascade)

(Huge thanks to Jessi Kirby + Simon & Schuster, Sarah Ockler, Lynne Kelly + Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Liz Reinhardt and Lisa Bergren)

So that was my week in books! Let me know what you got, and belated Happy Thanksgiving, since I know I didn't post after Monday of this week till now.

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Character Interview: Jake from Saving June

2011-11-22T08:26:00.000-06:00

Stopping in today is Jake, one of the characters from Hannah Harrington's (awesome) debut Saving June. I definitely loved getting to know this boy in the book, and I bet you will too.

When you heard the news about June, what was your first thought?

I think it took a few days before I had any coherent thoughts. I can’t really describe what I was thinking and feeling—it was too much and all at once to sort out.

Would you have preferred the road trip to be only you and Harper, or were you glad Laney came along?

At first I was... less than thrilled to be trapped in a vehicle with both of them. But even though Laney got on my nerves sometimes, I was glad to have her there. She knew how to handle Harper. I don't think Harper could've done it at all without Laney, to be honest. Plus, Laney... she's an all right girl. Or whatever.

If you could have met Harper while June was still alive, do you think you still would have fallen for her?

I don't really believe in the whole fate thing, but yeah. I think it would've happened no matter what. It's just one of those things.

What's it like to kiss Harper?

Like listening to your favorite song in the world for the first time, every time. And by that I mean: beyond words.

Boxers or briefs?

I'm a boxers guy. Especially ones with cartoons on them.

What kind of cookie would you describe yourself as?

Something with coconut in it. People love me or hate me. Sometimes both at the same time.

Thank you, Jake, and congrats to Hannah on the release! Make sure you guys check out Saving June, hitting shelves TODAY! You do not want to miss this book!

Mini Reviews: The Disenchantments and Wanted

2011-11-21T13:00:00.000-06:00

Oh yes, it is indeed that time again... when I gush over some books I've recently read and loved that won't be coming out for awhile. So while you won't get my full review till closer to their release, you will get some of my thoughts now.

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour: This is one that I would have read in one sitting, if I didn't start it at bedtime and have to actually force myself to put it down so I could get at least four hours of sleep. I truly loved basically everything about this book, but especially Colby. He is such a stellar protagonist, that kind of boy who is soft and emotional, who you overlook more often than not but when you realize he's there, holy heck you realize it. Sure, he's a bit of a mess, and he might seem sort of whiny sometimes, but really? He's not. It fits the situation, it fits him, and he's just... an awesome guy. The story has a great mix of things directly focused on and related to Colby, and plenty of pulled back things to focus on the band, on Bev, on them figuring everything out. The road trip angle was a great addition without being a prime factor in the book. There was just such an intensity and emotional air to this entire book, and the writing is fantastic. The voice is absolutely spot on, especially for the kind of boy Colby is and that is actually, in my opinion, a style that is incredibly hard to write and yet Nina nails it. So whether you are a die hard contemp fan or not, whether you aren't so big into male POV or not, read. This. Book.

Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe: I am a total Heidi Ayarbe fangirl, and this book reminds me yet again why. Life is far from perfect. It isn't always cut and dry, tied up in a pretty bow, and Heidi sticks to that in her books, this one being no exception. Honestly, this book got to me in ways I can't explain without giving spoilers, but I was shell shocked and uncomfortable and a host of other emotions. But on top of all that, it's just... an awesome story. A modern day Bonnie and Clyde, while holding on to some elements of how old time Westerns are and just... so very different from so much out there. There is an underlying grit to this book that doesn't drive it, just adds to it, and I think Heidi did a perfect job with the connection between Michal and Josh, and the budding romance between them. And as always, the writing is fantastic, and pulled me in right from the start.

Author Interview + Contest: Mary O'Connell

2011-11-21T08:19:00.001-06:00

Hitting up the blog today is Mary O'Connell, author of The Sharp Time, but instead of answering my questions normally, I've challenged her to answer using only music lyrics... and let me tell you, Mary rocked it. No pun intended.

Describe The Sharp Time.

“If you’re after getting the honey, then you don’t go killing all the bees.” Johnny Appleseed, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.

Describe yourself.

“From the séance where you first betrayed your open heart on a darkened stage…a celebration of your teenage station.” Supernatural Superserious, REM

Emotionally, what was writing this book like?

“I went down, down, down, and the flames got higher. “ Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire

What is the best part about writing for teens? “

“I want to make something beautiful for you and from you.” Something Beautiful, Sinead O’Connor

What was your first kiss like?

“William, it was really nothing.” The Smiths, William, it was really nothing.

What season would you describe yourself as?

“Such was my need on a chronic Christmas eve.” Sinead O’Connor, Something Beautiful

Thank you, Mary, for answering my questions and taking the challenge to use the lyrics!

Now if you're eager for this book, then you're in luck! Now's your chance to win a signed copy!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

Contest is US Only and ends November 28.

In My Mailbox

2011-11-19T12:02:00.000-06:00

Books! I got them! So let's get right to it, shall we?

For Review:

Rush by Jeremy Iversen

Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan James

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

(Huge thanks to Simon & Schuster and HarperTeen)

Borrowed (Thank you Pam!)

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Won:

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Bought:

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Love this book!)

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Book Review: Love Story by Jennifer Echols

2011-11-17T08:27:00.000-06:00

SUMMARY: She's writing about him. he's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines..

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

OPINION: 4 STARS

The Short Version:
Comical and sexy, Love Story is intriguing and will most definitely live up to expectations for a lusty read. With two central characters who hold a thick tension between them, and a well developed supporting cast, this one easily sees sparks fly in more ways than one. Though abrupt in the end, this one is strongly written and well scripted, making Love Story a fun and engaging tale.

The Extended Version:
Erin has a fierce determination in her, the kind that often pushes into stubborn and frustrating territory. Despite this, she is an easy character to appreciate and understand, and her resolve to figure things out and manage on her own, no longer receiving any support from her wealthy grandmother, drives much of her characterization. Though clearly still holding plenty of “rich girl” qualities to her, the changes she goes through as the story progresses are endearing and well developed.

Hunter is cocky and self-assured in a classical kind of way, the type of love interest who is hiding plenty of deeper, more emotional layers with a rough exterior to mask it. Holding plenty of his own secrets, and leaving readers questioning much of about him, Hunter is a mystery to figure out. The times where he eases up and softens, though, will have readers melting, and the challenge of breaking him is an alluring one.

Notable about this book is how smoothly Echols weaves the stories Hunter and Erin write for their class into the story, reflecting it back against the overall plot. From the character’s reactions to the stories to the way each one progresses the plot in its own way, the stories add a unique and very well done element.

While admittedly some parts of this book lagged in pacing, and the stubbornness between Erin and Hunter sometimes pushed into frustrating and hard to rally behind, this book is still intriguing and addicting. The overall air is both comical and lustful, giving readers the fix they look for in Echols’ books. With some unexpected twists, and fantastically timed reveals, there is plenty to keep readers wanting to turn the pages while still giving plenty of time for the tension and lust to build almost to an exploding point. Though the ending felt too rushed for the road that led the characters there, Echols still delivers a great story.

The writing is filled with voice and easy to fall into, giving even more life to Erin’s character while also managing to get much of Hunter into it as well. There is an obvious shift in tone when both Erin and Hunter's written pieces are put in, giving an even better look into each. With just the right amount of steam and tension added in, and an undercurrent of sorrow despite humor overall, this one has the perfect blend of emotions.

Fun overall, lusty and challenging, Love Story is easy to fall into and addicting to finish. Despite the feeling of an abrupt ending, and a few pacing lags, the questions about characters that come up and the twists that Echols throws in keep things interesting and engaging.

Details:

Source: ARC received from author in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Young Adult

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: MTV
Publication Date: July 19, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-11-15T23:59:00.000-06:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick is Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Hoole, coming April 28, 2012 from Marshall Cavendish.

Summary: The summer after high-school graduation, a year after her mother’s tragic death, Anna has no plans – beyond her need to put a lot of miles between herself and the past. With forever friend Kat, a battered copy of Kerouac’s DHARMA BUMS, and a car with a dodgy oil filter, the girls set out on an epic road trip across the USA. Maybe somewhere along the way they’ll prove or disprove the existence of God. Maybe they’ll even get laid . . .

It’s a journey both outward and inward. Through the Badlands and encounters with predatory men and buffalo. A crazy bus ride to Mexico with a bunch of hymn-singing missionaries. Facing death, naked in the forest with an enraged grizzly bear . . . Gradually, Anna realizes that this is a voyage of discovery into her own self, her own silent pain – and into the tangled history that she and Kat share. What is love? What is sexual identity? And how do you find a way forward into a new future – a way to declare openly and without fear all that lies within you?

My Thoughts: I am always game for a road trip book. And then books that really question love and sexuality and all that? Yep. Count me in. I suspect this book will be filled with both laughter and tears, and many, many shenanigans. I mean, really, naked in the woods and facing death by grizzly? Yes please. I love watching characters face their past and figure things out, and this one sounds like a great character driven book with plenty of outside stuff going on to push things along the way. Also, this cover? I love it. It's simple yet elegant, but also holds a lot of fun and promise in it.

Character Interview + Contest: Max from The Pledge

2011-11-15T12:20:00.000-06:00

Hitting shelves today is Kimberly Derting's awesome dystopian The Pledge, which just so happens to feature another hot boy who is indeed in my Boy Closet. And, lucky for you guys, said hottie has not only agreed to answer some questions but is bringing you the chance to win a The Pledge prize pack! So let's get to it!

So, you definitely have a few secrets of your own. What was the hardest part about keeping them, especially from Charlie?

The hardest part was that, even before I was sure about who she was, she intrigued me and I wanted to get to know her better. That’s tough to do, though, especially when classes (and not the school ones) get in the way.

What is your opinion of the classes being separated by language?

For the longest time, I never really thought about it because that was just the way of things. It’s like asking someone how they feel about kids being separated in school based on their ages. It wasn’t until I got older, and started seeing the injustices of our class system, that I realized it was wrong. People should be allowed to choose what, and who, they want to be.

What's it like to kiss Charlie?

I don’t know, it just felt…right.

If you could be in any other book, what would it be?

I’d say The Hunger Games, but that whole fight-to-the-death thing is kind of a turn off. Maybe White Cat by Holly Black, because in my world boys don’t have any magic. Besides, who wouldn’t want to do a little curse working once in a while?

Boxers or briefs?

I’m definitely a boxer kind of guy.

What kind of cookie would you describe yourself as?

Chocolate chip. Not for any symbolic reason or anything, just because they’re delicious.

Thank you, Max, for stopping in and congrats, Kim, on the release! Make sure you guys go pick up The Pledge - you do not want to miss it!

But, if you can manage to wait, you also have the chance to win a signed copy of the book and a swag pack!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

Contest is US Only and ends November 22.

In My Mailbox

2011-11-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

I had an unexpectedly and awesomely good week, so let's just get right to it all!

For Review:

Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe (Already read - fantastic book!)

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Truth by Julia Karr

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff

Radiant Days by Elizabeth Hand

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard

Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

The Right and the Real by Joelle Anthony

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

(Huge thanks to Heidi Ayarbe + Balzer & Bray, Penguin, HarperTeen and Kathryn Miller Haines + Roaring Book Press)

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton:

So, I beta read this one last summer, and sure, Courtney and I talked extensively about it and I probably asked her just about every possible questions about her characters, and we often debated motivations, etc, but honestly, I hadn't realized how much I was helping her with this book. Even with the late night texts of encouragement during all the revising. So when I found out that THIS is the dedication.... Yeah. (And dedication aside, Wings is seriously awesome, and kicks everything up several notches from Angelfire!)

Bought

(Remember that B&N gift card I had? Yep. Happy Birthday to Me...)

The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton (Romance, and yes I bought it for the cover)

Changing the Game by Jaci Burton

Switch by Tish Cohen

The Cardturner: A Novel About a King, a Queen and a Joker by Louis Sachar

Skyship Academy by Nick James

Borrowed from Melina:

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

Won from Loni:

Possess by Gretchen McNeil (This book is awesome! And the cover is shiny!)

This or That + Contest: Heather Davis

2011-11-11T13:00:00.000-06:00

Hitting up the blog this lovely afternoon is Heather Davis, author of Wherever You Go. If you haven't picked this book up yet, make sure you do, because seriously, it's awesome. And while there is definitely a sad and emotional element to her book, this post is all fun... because I threw a list of random pairings at Heather, and she's let us know what her preference is for each!

Peanuts or Cashews: Peanuts. (And I love peanut butter!)

Toucans or Macaws: Toucans? I used to love Froot Loops

Zebra or Okapi: Zebra

Chinese Food or Italian Food: Always Italian. I’ve been studying Italian for a year and went to Rome last spring. I love it.

Curtains open or Shut: Open during day, shut at night.

Belly Button Ring or Cartilage Pierced: Decorate yourself however you like, people.

Zoo or Museum: Museum

Boxers or Briefs: Boxers

White or Dark Chocolate: Normal chocolate = brown.

Country or Rock: Rock

Barefoot or Socks: Barefoot!

Policeman or Firefighter: Policeman

Sharpie or Gel Pen: Sharpie

Thank you, Heather, for stopping in and congrats on another release!

And to celebrate the book release, Heather is also giving you guys the chance to win a signed copy of Wherever You go!

To enter, just fill out THIS form.

Contest is US/Canada only and ends November 18.

Cover Reval + Contest: Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe

2011-11-11T07:55:00.000-06:00

So, yesterday you found out what was wanted around my apartment (and for the record, the white faced bandit has struck yet again. This time at a towel...). Today, you get to not only tell me what YOU want, but you can finally check out the cover for Heidi Ayarbe's 2012 release WANTED. So before we get to everything else... I bring you guys...

I love it. It's so simple, and very different from a lot of other covers out there. Not to mention, I think it really does fit so well with the book itself.

So congrats, Heidi, on the cover and on another fantastic release!

Eager to get your hands on an ARC of Wanted? Or one of Heidi's other books? I thought so, and you're in luck!

Not only do you have the chance to win a signed ARC of Wanted and some swag, but you also have the chance for a signed copy of Freeze Frame or Compromised!

So what do you have to do? Just fill out THIS form!

You are automatically entered to win Wanted.

Want a chance at the other stuff? Then just upload your own Wanted poster, like what we did yesterday, and you're entered for a chance to win a copy of Freeze Frame! There's a spot on the form above for your entry link.

And what about a signed copy of Compromised? Easy. Just tell us in the entry form what NEW Bonnie & Clyde pairing you'd make out of YA characters, and you're automatically entered.

These contests are all international, and end November 20, so make sure you get to it!

WANTED: A Cover, A Contest, And More

2011-11-10T07:16:00.000-06:00

Coming tomorrow is the cover reveal for Heidi Ayarbe's 2012 book WANTED, a great book with a little Bonnie & Clyde element to it. But instead of just throwing the cover up, we're making this one a bit more interesting. Today you find out what Heidi, Girls in the Stacks and I all want. Tomorrow, you get the cover and tell us what YOU want.

And so... now:

Yep. Toby was caught red handed in his destruction. My shoe. A review book. An envelope with another review book. So with that.... WANTED: A Good Dog. Or, my stuff back. Either one. Don't let that face fool you, either. Nope. This criminal is totally devious.

So come back tomorrow, because you'll have the chance to upload your own Wanted poster, enter for a chance to win a signed ARC, and more!

Author Interview: Megan Miranda

2011-11-09T07:19:00.000-06:00

So, there's this book coming out in January which is easily one of my favorite books of 2012 already, called Fracture. And it's by Megan Miranda. And you need to make sure you put it on your want and get the day it comes out list. This is just the perfect Kari book, so intense and emotional, with great characters and an awesome story line. And now, Megan has been kind enough to answer some questions for me!

Without spoilers, of course, which scene in the book was the most emotional and intense for you to write?

So, without spoilers… there’s this scene in Fracture that takes place in a car, and then just outside of it. No, not that one. Not that one, either. The one with Delaney driving. You’ll know it when you get to it. I promise.

If you were Decker, watching your best friend go under the ice, how would you react? Would you be able to wait eleven minutes?

I like to think I would be the hero—but, just like in Fracture, people don’t always react like they think they will. There are different types of bravery and different elements to heroism. And sometimes the bravest thing you can do is wait—wait for the way that won’t get anyone else killed. I honestly don’t know which person I am. It’s one of those things that I don’t think you can really know until you’re in the situation. Fight or Flight, right?

What was the hardest part about the science aspect of the book for you?

There’s a fine line between what science can and cannot explain, and I was definitely walking that line. So deciding when to adhere to nothing but the facts and when it was okay to step over that line was difficult—when to delve into the what-ifs, the maybes. I’ve had several people ask if I considered Fracture science or paranormal, and truthfully, I consider it both. I came at it from the science angle, but paranormal really means anything that cannot be explained by science… yet. And I think that’s exactly where Fracture falls.

If you could pair Decker and Delaney with any character from any book, who would your pick be for each and why?

Like just to hang out? I’m going with that. I’d stick Decker in a room with Adam from Where She Went. I think they’d find that they had a lot in common. Not that they’d talk about it or anything…

I’d love for Delaney to meet Ed Kennedy from I Am The Messenger (and if you haven’t read that book, for the love of everything, DO IT) – they both kind of wonder what they are supposed to do with what they have. What they can do, what they should do. They both think a lot about the meaning of it all, you know? I think they would have an easy understanding of each other. A comforting one.

You, Delaney and Decker are dropped into a room full of Death Eaters. What happens?

Truth: I just Googled Death Eaters. I think that’s a pretty fair sign that I die first.

If you were a demigod, what god/goddess would be your parent?

Um (watch as I evade the question), I am definitely not demigod material.

What kind of cupcake would you describe yourself as?

One with caffeine. Or bacon. Possibly both. Do they make those? Because they should. They really, really should.

Thank you, Megan, for answering my questions!

Fracture is out January 17, so make sure you get it. Seriously. You want it. It's awesome. And Decker is Boy Closet material for sure. Which means you can't actually have him, because he's already in my Boy Closet, but you can still look at him and such. He's worth it. Yep.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick is The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes, coming May 8, 2012 from Candlewick.

Summary: Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She's pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash , everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot is her creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves. But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can't fix, and choose between living the privileged life of a princess, or owning up to her mistakes and giving up everything she once held dear.

My Thoughts: I admit it, I am a sucker for a "fall from grace" kind of story, and the girl who has it all suddenly not having it... well. There ya go. I want to know why her friends all treat her how they do, and I want to see how she gets past everything. I want to know what she has to own up to... and how it all turns out. This book sounds like the perfect mix of fun and intense, and I so cannot wait! Not to mention, the cover is so simple and appealing, with quite a bit of hope inherently in it. Now to get my hands on this book...

Author Book Picks: Megan Bostic

2011-11-08T08:14:00.000-06:00

Stopping by today is Never Eighteen author Megan Bostic to talk about some of her favorite books. Yeah, a hard topic to narrow down for, but it's always interesting to see what authors love!

Favorite books? How much time do you have? I’ll name a few: To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Beet Queen, The Crucible, and Fahrenheit 451. I could go on and on, so I’ll stop there.

As far as recommendations, reading time is scarce these days, so I’m going to just mention a couple books I’ve read the last few years that have impacted me greatly.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This book stayed with me for a long while. I always describe it as tragic beauty. After I read it, I knew I wanted to write contemporary realistic fiction. That’s when I wrote Never Eighteen. I can’t wait for the movie.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher. I read this because it seemed similar in theme to Never Eighteen. Admittedly, it was the first Chris Crutcher book I’d read and I loved it. The characters were all very real to me. I can’t wait to read more of his books.

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach. This was a 2011 debut. I was blown away. Geoff’s protagonist, Felton, has a voice so unique and well written; I fell in love with him instantly. The supporting characters were quirky and funny, but thoughtful as well. It’s one of my favorites from this year.

Popular by Alissa Grosso. Another 2011 debut, this one surprised me. Do not judge the book by its name. This is a story with many layers and Alissa wrote it well. So many unique characters, but they’re all people we’ve probably met along our journeys. The ending will knock your socks off.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. Can I just say “Oh my god!?” This is one of those books you don’t want to read, but can’t put down. My daughter and I both read it in a day. It’s a disturbing story that had to be told.

My personal library is eclectic. Aside from all the books I’ve mentioned above, on my shelf you’ll find a lot of Stephen King, probably my favorite writer ever. I love mysteries from Dennis Lehane and Harlan Coben. The Harry Potter series is a given, as well as Twilight.

I’ve got a shelf of classic poetry, Dickinson, Whitman, Blake, Wordworth, Keats, etc. I’ve got some random contemporary novels that include Kite Runner, Lovely Bones, Wicked, Life of Pi, and so many more.

I have three or four shelves dedicated to YA, one of those shelves solely Class of 2k11 books. I also have a shelf of books from people I met through the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest, a couple I’d highly recommend are Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan, Greyhound, by Steffan Piper, and Bloodroot by Bill Loehfelm.

Once again, I could go on and on. I don’t think you can ever have too many books. Maybe someday I’ll have the time to read them all.

In My Mailbox

2011-11-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

Most of this week's books were surprises, so let's just get right to it, shall we?

For Review:

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham

Immortal City by Scott Speer

Cracking the Ice by Dave Hendrickson

Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep

(Huge thanks to Hilary Weisman Graham, Razorbill, WestSide Books, and KensingtonTeen)

Gifted from Leah Cypess

Nightspell (Signed - thank you, Leah!!)

Bought:

Reckoning by Lili St. Crow

(One of my favorite series, finally coming to an end!)

Won:

The Death Catchers by Jennifer Anne Kogler

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Author Interview: Estevan Vega

2011-11-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

Stopping in tonight is Estevan Vega, author of Arson and the recently released sequel Ashes. If you love dark and twisted books, then be sure to get these ones!

If you found out your son was going to be born like Arson, burning from the inside, how would you react?

Um...freaked out. I think most of us...no, all of us would be freaked in a way. I mean, how messed up is that, to have your child, whom you view as this beautiful new creation of life, what is supposed to be, in essence, you, coming out of your wife or girlfriend as a monster on fire. It's pretty crazy. And creepy. And terrifying, and that's the effect I was aiming for when I wrote chapter 1 of ASHES. You see pregnancy scenes so often in movies. You've seen the frantic ones and the somewhat calm ones, and I remember wanting to write the birth scene of Arson long before I even started writing the sequel, but I thought it would have more potency opening the sequel with it. I remember seeing the birth scene in Orphan a few years ago, and I'm like, "I gotta top that."

What was the hardest part about writing ASHES, versus writing ARSON?

I think a lot of people think writing a sequel is easy, because you know the characters already and how they'd react and whatever, but I was terrified going into this writing process. First off, I'd never written a sequel before. Second, I wasn't sure if I could. And C...how was I supposed to follow up what I, and a lot of readers, considered my best work? I got this pressure that I wasn't used to now swimming in my veins. I wasn't sure where the story would go. I had ideas, sure, but not a definitive ending, and I even wrestled with a lot of the plot lines. But eventually, I was able to just focus on telling the story and upping the ante...which, you know, is kinda one of the rules. If I were to identify the most challenging process of all, after facing my fear of screwing up my favorite character, I'd have to say writing Joel and Aimee. I knew I wanted them in the story, but they were becoming this mammoth complication. I was writing chapter after chapter and for some reason, it just wasn't going anywhere or it just didn't come off "real" enough to me. And if I wasn't buying it, my audience wouldn't buy it either. So I ended up scrapping about 40 or so pages of Joel and Aimee scenes and rewriting them all, going in an entirely new direction. Thankfully, that new direction was found, because it allowed me to discover, with the suggestion of my dad, Kyro, one of the most unique characters in ASHES.

If you could pair Arson and Emery with any character from any book, who would you pick for each?

My publisher is also an author, and he's written a book called AIREL. It's about a teenager who hasn't found out she's an angel yet, and a sick group of other fallen creatures who are after her. Story line is pretty tight. I think Emery would be a cool side character in that book. She'd be that cool chick in the corner nobody pays attention to except to stare at her creepy mask. Fits with the whole theme of AIREL also, of feeling like you don't belong. For Arson, I'd put him in I am Legend. For those who haven't read it, it's much better than the Will Smith version, and it's actually about vamps. Creepy, gross vamps. Robert Neville is this vampire hunter, and I think he could use a sidekick, one who could create fire. I mean, how much easier would it be to nuke a bunch of vampires instead of having to stake em or constantly be using garlic? It'd be so sick.

It's just you and Arson, and a room full of Death Eaters. What happens?

A lot of violence. Probably some name-calling. A minor flesh wound would most likely occur as well. The second the outbreak starts and the weird, British baddies arrive, I'm, of course, looking for the nearest machine gun, praying, or rummaging through my pockets searching for Harry Potter's cell phone number. (Why am I always misplacing that frickin' thing?) Arson, on the contrary, is telling me to chill out while raging up for a lot of butt-whooping. Wands or no wands, those pansies, and that weirdo without a nose, are going down.

What kind of dinosaur would you describe yourself as?

Pachycephalosaurus. Google that ish.

Book Review: Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi

2011-11-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

SUMMARY: Adonis is a jock. He's on the football team and he's dating one of the prettiest girls in school. Alan is the new kid. He wears lipstick and joins the Fashion Club. Soon enough the football team is out to get him. Adonis is glad to go along with his teammates . . . until they come up with a dangerous plan to humiliate Alan. Now Adonis must decide whether he wants to be a guy who follows the herd or a man who does what's right.

From critically acclaimed author Paul Volponi comes this discussable and finely wrought story of bullies, victims, and the bystanders caught in between.

OPINION: 3 STARS

The Short Version:
Overall, Crossing Lines does a pretty good job of blending sexuality, bullying and coming of age. Though admittedly lacking in character depth, and an overall campy feeling to the characters, this one is harder to really get into but still an enjoyable enough read. With some great points made, a stable realism, Crossing Lines is a quick but useful read.

The Extended Version:
Adonis was, admittedly, a character that was hard to really relate to. He seemed too much of a stereotypical jock, going with the team in everything and having no real interests other than football and girls. When the team takes an obvious disgust to Alan, Adonis goes right along with it. His biggest drive, however, for siding with his team even while they make Alan miserable is that he wants the girl he's interested in to think he's great, and because he simply doesn't have the gall to stand on his own. While there is a realistic element to that, the motivations for this specific character didn't mesh quite well enough to pull it off. That being said, his inner struggle about letting Alan suffer, and what finally make him go against his team have a strong impact both on him and the reader.

The rest of the cast is, unfortunately, just as lackluster, overall, as Adonis. Fitting too neatly into stereotypes, with a strong campy feeling, no single character really stood out. With pretty much all the girls seeming to back Alan with no questions asked, and the guys having an outward dislike for him, the lines, so to speak, seemed too obviously drawn. With a father who had an obvious dislike towards Alan as well, and who seemed to back his son in it, it is understandable why Adonis struggled like he did and yet, his mother sided easily with the sister, who did all she could for Alan. While Alan did have a great and clear cut inner strength, his overall role seemed to simply be the catalyst to changing Adonis in a way that overshadowed who he actually is.

The plot itself, however, had an easy pace. Straightforward in execution, working towards the bullying event that really tests Adonis, but with a too easy and quick fall out afterwards, this one is a fast read that gets its points across. Though hitting too hard into stereotypical football jock, the battle of self versus team and trying to find your own way is the driving element of this story.

The writing is smooth, having a simplicity to it. Though it's hard to say whether that simplicity is simply the writing or truly the mindset of Adonis, it still does a good job of bringing out the confusion in him. With a few rougher and more poignant scenes, and some great banter and dialogue, the writing serves its purpose without pulling the reader out of the story.

Overall, this one didn't have the potency to it that it could have, but still provided a good read with some great points. Lacking in characterization most of all, it was hard to really side with and get behind any specific character. While the ending felt too easy and rushed, the bigger points of the book had an easy flow and connection between them. Despite it's faults, Crossing Lines does a great job of battling inner turmoil and individualism against a group, particularly when faced with something uncomfortable.

Details:

Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reading level: Ages 12 and up

Hardcover: 240 pages

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Publication Date: June 9, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick is Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwing, coming March 12, 2012 from Katherine Tegan.

Summary: Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her: evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

My Thoughts: I love the Robin Hood aspect of this, but also that it's in a contemporary and fun setting. This one sounds like it will be mostly cute and hilarious, but with some heavier stuff mixed in to it. I want to see not only the trouble Willa gets herself into, but what ends up happening... and okay, so I want to see some romance with Aiden. And then there's the cover, which is eye catching and flirty. So. Yeah. Want.

Character Interview: Hattie from Finding Somewhere

2011-10-31T21:00:00.006-05:00

Stopping in today is Hattie, the central character of Joseph Monninger's Finding Somewhere! I really enjoyed this book, so make sure you guys check it out!

What was the hardest part about deciding to rescue Speed?

Working up to stealing him.

If you hadn't had Delores along with you for the trip, do you think you still would have tried to save Speed?

Absolutely. But I wouldn’t have gone on the road without her.

What's your favorite thing now about a cowboy?

They have to take off their hats to kiss you.

Who's your celebrity crush?

Scooby Do.

What kind of horse would you describe yourself as?

A good saddle horse. A quarter horse.

In My Mailbox

2011-10-29T22:38:00.000-05:00

I got a $40 B&N gift card in the mail this week, as a thank you. I haven't spent it yet, but have a blogger meet up at B&N next weekend, so expect it to be used then. Excitement. But now on to this week's stuff!

For Review:

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Havoc by Jeff Sampson

Betrayal by Lee Nichols

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

(Huge thanks to HarperCollins, Lee Nichols, Sourcebooks, and Zeitghost Media)

Bought:

Faking Faith by Josie Bloss

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Character Interview + Swag Contest: Remington from Audition

2011-10-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

Hitting up the blog today is Remington from Stasia Kehoe's debut Audition!

From the author: Doing a character interview for Remington was so much fun. One interesting thing I can share is that, when I saw the cover for the book, the Remington character was much hotter than I'd imagined. As I wrote AUDITION, I saw Rem as less, well, perfect--with his hair not thinning but threatening-to-thin and his nose a tad more turned-up. Just a little fyi!

What was your first thought when you saw Sara?

I didn’t so much notice Sara as notice her noticing me. Sometimes I’d feel her eyes on my back even though she’d look away when I tried to catch her at it. After a while I started to get this sense of her as both a young naïf and a very old soul. She made me want to work on dances. It was a wild feeling.

What's it like to kiss Sara?

She’s a follower. I put my arms around her, draw her in. I do everything first. Don’t get me wrong, though, she gets into it eventually.

What's the hardest thing about being a guy in the ballet world?

Well, on stage, the hardest thing is probably spending so much time as furniture for the girls’ big moves. Especially if you’re in the corps—most of the time you’re pretty much just a kickstand and a poser. Off stage, it’s just another world with its own set of rules. Same as being on a football team or working in a bank. I mean, sure people make assumptions about your sexuality and whatever but why should I care about that? People make assumptions about accountants and jocks, too. My mom was involved in theater so, before starting ballet, I did musicals. I’ve never found the ballet world to be much more difficult than that. And, I certainly don’t have any problems meeting girls.

For the readers who are left with a not so great impression of you, what would you say to them?

I would tell them to look at my dances—my creations. It takes a lot of sacrifice, a lot of courage, to get ahead as a choreographer—especially if you’re not also a technical virtuoso, which I’m not. I’ve got dances I want to put on stage and anyone who knows me, including Sara, should be able to see that that’s my focus. I am always thinking about dances, always struggling for my art. Besides, I didn’t force Sara into anything, so I’m not sure why readers’ judgments should be against me.

Do you regret things with Sara?

It’s never good when things end messily. But, no, I don’t regret being with her. She is an amazing girl. I made a great dance with her. I might have liked to have made a few more dances before we split. Then again, she had no right to expect to perform that dance. I mean, I had to put my dance on the best ballerina I could get and, right now, that’s Lisette. So, I guess things had to go the way they did. I hope when she looks back on this, years from now, she’ll like the dance, though. I mean that thing is pretty spectacular.

Thank you, Remington, for stopping in!

To help celebrate the book's release, I've also got a swag packs up for grabs, which includes bookmarks and sticky pads, to two commenters (US Only)!

Giveaway: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

2011-10-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

Just released last week, Beautiful Chaos is the third book in the Beautiful Darkness series. You know, the one with Ethan and Lena... and then one of my all time favorite females in YA, Ridley? Yeah. That series. So to celebrate the next installment, I've got two copies up for grabs! Yes. Two.

About The Book:

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending. Ethan and Lena’s mesmerizing romance continues in the highly anticipated new Beautiful Creatures novel, coming October 18^th.

Want more, check out the Beautiful Creatures website!

To Enter, just fill out THIS form.

Contest is US Only, and ends November 4.

Book Review: Stick by Andrew Smith

2011-10-26T10:04:00.000-05:00

SUMMARY: Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he’s tall and thin) is bullied for being “deformed” – he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is always there to defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend one another from their abusive parents.

When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love – and his brother.

OPINION: 5 STARS

The Short Version:
Emotional, aching and gritty, Stick is compelling and powerful. With stellar characterization, both for the protagonist and those around him, and an intricately scripted plot, this novel will suck readers in and not let go. Unflinching in its honesty, and arresting in its development, Stick is an astounding and must read novel.

The Extended Version:
Stick is an astoundingly well done character, naturally awkward and unsure, but also beat down, both figuratively and literally, from all that’s been thrown at him. Lacking confidence, and easily embarrassed, Stick is an endearing and charming character. He has an interesting view on the world, one bred from years of abuse and rigid rules, and the way he sees himself is heartbreaking, positive he is ugly because of his missing ear. Perceptive and loyal to those who are close to him, though, Stick has a tremendous internal strength that grows and shines as the book progresses. Stunned but not bothered by his brother’s secrets, and able to take things as they come, even when he’s terrified, Stick’s characterization is genuine and realistic.

Bosten’s characterization rivals Stick, with the reader getting a fantastic look at him despite being stuck in Stick’s head. Though he certainly makes mistakes, and might even disappoint some readers, there is a gutting truth to his character and decisions, and the relationship between the two brothers is a beautiful element of the book. Funny and the kind of guy you’d want to be friends with, but hurt and broken as well, Bosten has his own part of the story that will resonate and stay with readers.

The remaining cast is fantastically scripted and developed, from the infuriating parents to Emily, Stick’s only friend and the girl who sees him more clearly than anyone else. Each with an impact of their own on Stick, and a beautiful compassionate component to many of them, Smith doesn’t slack in any way on his characters, no matter how big or small their role. Emily, especially, is an amazing character, unafraid of things and determined to help Stick in the best ways she can, no matter what that means.

This one has a stellar plot, with numerous of twists and turns. Picked apart, some of the events could be seen as unbelievable and over the top, but set into the overall storyline, they are believable, real, and engaging. Holding plenty of darker elements, and unafraid to push the limits even if it makes readers uncomfortable, Stick is both aching and hopeful. With a heavy focus on how Stick handles everything, but pulling back enough to give a bigger world view, the internal and external components of this book are perfectly woven.

One of the most notable elements of this book is how unafraid Smith is to “go there.” With a thirteen/fourteen year old male protagonist, Smith incorporates all the natural and hormonal elements that come with the age, but never in a way that is crass or overly brash. Toeing the line and dancing in the gray areas, Stick expands the boundaries of coming of age YA in the best possible way. Bringing in both humor and sorrow with it, and holding a poignant and endearing note throughout, this book will test a reader’s way of thinking without forcing anything.

The writing is fantastic, perfect in voice and authenticity. Though there is an emotional air, the biggest palpable feeling at any given moment is exactly what Stick is feeling. Be it embarrassment at the way his body reacts to the most mundane of things, like a look from his friend’s mom, simple enjoyment at spending a day at the beach, or pure and unadulterated fear and confusion, every single motion is perfectly woven into the words without ever pulling the reader out of the story. With an easy writing style that fits with Stick, and a noticeable change in it as Stick’s character grows and develops, Smith’s talent for writing is clear and concise.

Gritty and affecting, Stick is both dark and hopeful in all the right ways. With stunning characterization and a well scripted plot, this one will lure readers in and not relent. Refusing to keep things wrapped in pretty boxes, and having flawed but very likable characters, Stick is a must read.

Details:

Source: ARC from ALA

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (October 11, 2011)

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick is All These Lives by Sarah Wylie, coming June 5, 2012 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away.

To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.

My Thoughts: I don't even know what to really say about this concept and premise, besides wow. Love the nine lives elimination thing, then being faced with what is maybe quite obvious- there is really only one. This one sounds absolutely intense and emotional and amazing, and I so cannot wait. I want to see the relationship between Dani and Jena, see the family dynamic, and see how Dani handles everything that is obviously being thrown at her. And I love this cover, it's so simple and gorgeous, and totally appealing, and I think it will end up being even more amazing after reading the book. Um. I want. Now.

Character Interview + Contest: Sean from Amplified

2011-10-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

Stopping in this afternoon is Sean, the seriously hot love interest from Tara Kelly's (awesome) novel Amplified. So check it out, meet Sean, learn about his underwear and some kissing, and then enter for your chance to win a copy of the book!

You make the front page! What does the headline say?

I hope this doesn’t happen to me. But hypothetically… “Shark Biologist discovers new species or ‘insert something awesome’.

If you could have been less of a jerk to Jasmine the first time you met her, would you redo it?

Yes, but I’d still call her a princess.

What made you start playing bass, instead of another instrument?

I’ve always had this innate sense of rhythm, but the drums never did anything for me. There’s just something about the bass that calls to me. It’s subtler than the guitar, but there’s so much you can do with it to make a song better. Stuff people don’t even notice unless they really listen.

So... Amy? Tell us a little about that.

Do I have to? Because it’ll sound a lot like a bad country song…

What's it like to kiss Jasmine?

Um…intense. But Jasmine is intense.

Boxers or briefs?

Boxers.

What kind of dinosaur would you describe yourself as?

Pterodactyl. Because they can fly.

Thank you, Sean, for answering my questions and congrats, Tara, on the release!

Amplified is out today, and is seriously awesome, so make sure you guys check it out!

You can also enter to win a copy of the book. Just fill out THIS form!

Contest is US Only and ends November 1.

Prized Blog Tour: Will Character Interview

2011-10-25T11:06:00.000-05:00

Today's post features a new character in the Birthmarked series by Caragh M. O'Brien, a guy you don't meet until book 2, Prized, but who kind of stole my heart a little. So meet Will, and then check out how to collect the letters and enter a code for an awesome giveaway!

Thanks, Kari, for your interest in talking to Will. He’s an elusive character, hard to track down when he’s off-screen from the novel, so to speak, but I found him one evening working on the addition to his barn, and he came down from the ladder to talk to you. Crickets are starting up in the pasture behind you, and the air is soft with slanting light. He’s having a little trouble suspending reality to accept that you’ve appeared in Sylum, but here goes.

Kari: Describe yourself in four words.

Will: I’m the morteur, Mlass.

Kari: When you first saw Gaia, what was your reaction?

Will (turns his hammer slowly in his hands before speaking): Mlass Gaia surprised me. My brother had told me she’d arrived in the village, but it never occurred to me that she might come to my barn. She was different. Interesting. Mind your step, there.

Kari: Ah! Thank you. What's the hardest part about knowing there are not nearly enough women to go around for the men?

Will: You get used to it. It takes a while, but you do. What’s hard are the times when you start hoping a mlass will take an interest in you. You know, if she starts coming around, or if she laughs a certain way with you. Part of you can’t help imagining. That’s what’s hardest. I don’t know what it’s like for the other men, but I try to do the best I can with my work. I focus on that. It’s better that way.

Kari: If you had to choose between Gaia and your brother, who would it be?

Will: I have no claim on Mlass Gaia. I have no right to “choose” her in any way. If you’ll forgive me, I need to return to my work.

Kari: What kind of cake would you describe yourself as?

Will (starting up the ladder, laughing): Cake, huh? That’s an odd one. I’d be more of a pie than a cake, anyway. Pumpkin pie, straight up. Watch your step on your way out, Mlass.

Prized Code #2: S

Kari, thanks again for having me by! I had no idea a blog tour was going to be such a challenge, but it’s fun. Tomorrow I’m heading over to The Bookmonsters. I hope I’ll see you at the Goodreads chat at the end of the tour. Take care! Caragh

For full information about not only all the blog tour stops, but the Goodreads chat and collecting the codes, check out the MacTeen Books Post Here!