Juliet by Anne Fortier
August 24, 2010
Ballentine Books, 464 pages
ARC received from publisher–thank you!

3Q, 3P, A/YA

Unfortunately, I did not attend the annual ALA conference as I had planned. Circumstances did not line up for me, so I stayed home. I wish I could have attended, but that will have to wait for next year! From what I’ve seen on Twitter and the blogosphere, it was a spectacular time. I’m mainly sad I missed out on all the cool authors and loads of freebies (I love freebies!).

I think I’ll be blogging about some books soon. I’ve been checking out ebooks on my iPod touch lately, and that has worked well with my busy schedule. I’ve finished Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr recently and absolutely loved it. I wasn’t sure when I started it, but by the end I was dying for more. I’m also in the middle of My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares. If you’ve read her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books, you’ll be completely surprised by this one–except, then you’re not. The story is very different from her normal style, but the writing is still very her. I enjoy her low-key, simple and calm, yet lovely way of writing.

So that’s where I’m at. I’m still in school. Still working. Still reading when I can. What are you up to readers?

Insatiable by Meg Cabot
June 8, 2010
William Morrow, 464 pages
ARC received from author–thank you!

Meena Harper is a writer for the hit television show, Insatiable. She lives out her rather normal life in New York City with her brother, Jon, recently unemployed, and her dog, Jack Bauer. After Meena’s at-work nemesis is given a promotion over her, the company that owns her television network decides to go a different route with the show, bringing in several new characters, cast as vampires. Vampires are all the rage, and the network hopes that bringing in a vampire plotline will help boost ratings and the company’s bottom line. Meena hates the idea and hates the idea of vampires, especially as she believes they promote an agenda of female weakness and dependence on a male companion.

Her problems are only beginning when she finds out that the guy she just started seeing, Lucien, the dreamy, hot, intelligent, probably a real-life prince, cousin of her neighbor is most likely a vampire. A really bad, really ancient vampire. And then her life gets a lot more interesting. In all the wrong ways.

Insatiable is a book trying to be a different kind of vampire book in this day and age when everything is a vampire book. I enjoyed that about this story. I think we’ll get more of a taste of this in the sequel. The story was certainly very different than any other vampire book out there. Lucien is your typical vampire–super hot, super desirable–but he’s a little more badass and it’s nice that he’s not always lusting after Meena’s blood (her body–that’s another thing altogether!). Meena is a very strong female character, not quite turning into a weak little girl around her vampire boytoy–one of her greatest fears, but I still felt she was way too attached, way too quickly to Lucien. The connection between the two was pretty believable, but the quickness of the story felt, well, just a little too quick for me. That’s my largest complaint with the book, because in general, I really enjoyed it. I loved it in fact, and can’t wait for the sequel!

Meg Cabot is bringing to this genre a whole new playing field, updating the vampire story for adults, but making it still fun and full of adventure, as we like to see in our teen vampire stories. I’d definitely recommend this book for older teens, as well as adults that are fans of paranormal stories. Also, if you’re a fan of Cabot’s adult books, you’ll really enjoy the humor she creates throughout the book. She really has a way of working in the littlest details that add humor and fun to the story, but don’t feel forced or contrived.

3Q, 4P, A/YA

I know, I know, blasphemy! But this first episode was simply fantastic, to me, and I think Smith’s acting was spot on. I also enjoyed the new companion, Amy Pond. This first episode, entitled “The Eleventh Hour,” was exactly what I wanted and needed it to be. And I think this new season will be perfect for anyone wishing to jump on the Doctor Who bandwagon late in the game. I don’t see why having no previous knowledge of the series will affect this season, which I’m sure will be ripe with new characters. I’d love to see some of our old favorites, but as much as I love Rose and Martha, I’m glad to see their stories all wrapped up and taken care of. To be honest, I’d be happy to never see Donna again (so sorry to Donna fans, but I just don’t have any love for her!).

Anyways, those are a few of my thoughts on the new season. Doctor Who airs in America on BBC America at 10pm on Saturdays. Newbies, check it out for sure, and you can always Netflix old seasons if you’re dying to see what you’ve missed!

That’s not to say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy the housekeepers in both of these stories, especially Amma in Beautiful Creatures! I wanted an Amma all of my own! Dorothea, the housekeeper in Hush, Hush wasn’t really around much, but she seemed like a great lady. But back to Amma, the coolest housekeeper of all time. I mean, the woman was some sort of tarot-card reading wisewoman. As I read, I pictured her as Dr. Miranda Bailey from Grey’s Anatomy. Short and adorable, but tough and powerful.

Amma?

I can’t remember if she was actually described in the novel, but she’ll always be Miranda Bailey to me! I’m anxiously awaiting Beautiful Darkness to see what’s up with Lena and Ethan after the events in the first book!

But back to Hush, Hush! I get that Patch is hot, bad-boy, super-muscular, dripping with desire, steamy hot. But then I see his name and it’s like someone popped the Elmo balloon I got for my birthday. Patch–what should be a cute nickname continuously reminds me of Patch Adams, that movie with Robin Williams as a doctor that liked to dress as a clown. Very un-hot. So I’m having trouble creating this mental image of Patch, but hopefully once we discover his real name I can rectify that situation.

So, those are a few random thoughts I had on those two books. I didn’t really feel like writing any more reviews this week, but I did want to share these two, as well as how awesome I thought they were!

Captivate by Carrie Jones

Zara and her friends knew they hadn’t solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it—the king’s control over his pixies gets weaker every day. So when a new, younger pixie king shows up, there is war in the air. The new king, Astley, claims he’s not evil. Zara believes him, but Nick—not so much. Then Astley tells Zara she is fated to be his queen, and suddenly the stakes get even higher. [Summary from the Need website]

I really enjoy this series! Probably because I absolutely adore the relationship between Zara and Nick and also their relationship with their best friends, Issie and Devyn. Pixies, werewolves, shape shifters, and more! This book combines all of my favorite types of supernatural creatures into one book. This type of a book makes sense to me–if you’re going to have pixies exist, why not shape shifters? I wouldn’t be surprised if vampires or zombies or something else show up in the next book! And yes, there will be more! This book ends on quite the cliffhanger. You’ll be anxiously awaiting the next one! Captivate is an exciting, quick read. At first glance, it seems similar to so many other fantasy novels out there (Wicked Lovely, Shiver, etc.) but Jones manages to make this story completely unique and her own, with a suspenseful plot that will keep you on edge. Each of the characters continue to grow in this book, as the reader discovers more and more about each character’s past, and as the character’s grow and change.

If you regularly read my blog, you’ll notice I often comment on characters, character development, realism, etc.–this is a particular area of interest to me, and I enjoy when an author can give me fun characters that are believable.

Anyways, for fans of fantasy, fans of pixies, fans of the supernatural, I recommend this series!

Purchased from Amazon.com!

For More: Check out Carrie Jones’ website!

Gone by Lisa McMann

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves–she has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life–and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out… [Summary from Lisa McMann's website]

Gone is the third book in the Wake trilogy by Lisa McMann. Janie is faced with the toughest choice she’ll ever have to make: give up walking in other people’s dreams and live a life of isolation, or continue her life as she is now, but lose her sight and use of her hands eventually.

Gone is written in the same way as the two previous books, short segments of time in Janie’s life. The format is unique, quick to read, but very realistic. It reminds me of the diary format that is sometimes common in YA lit. McMann doesn’t shy away from tough or awkward situations and realistic language. There are no happy endings but gritty, real events that happen. The characters in Gone feel very real and confront the situations in the book as real people would. All three of these books are quick to read, but they take awhile to absorb, to think about.

I’m sad to see this series end, but looking forward to whatever McMann comes up with next. You’ll definitely want to check out the first two books in the series, Wake and Fade before reading Gone.

Purchased from Amazon.com!

For More: Check out Lisa McMann’s website!

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Anna Covey is a ‘Surplus’. She should not have been born. In a society in which ageing is no longer feared, and death is no longer an inevitability, children are an abomination.

Like all Surpluses, Anna is living in a Surplus Hall and learning how to make amends for the selfish act her parents committed in having her. She is quietly accepting of her fate until, one day, a new inmate arrives. Anna’s life is thrown into chaos. But is she brave enough to believe this mysterious boy?

A tense and utterly compelling story about a society behind a wall, and the way in which two young people seize the chance to break free. [Summary from Gemma Malley's website]

I can’t believe that I haven’t read this book until now–and it has a sequel, The Resistance already out, and a third book to complete the trilogy, The Legacy, out this fall. Dystopian futuristic novels are my favorites, especially when elements of science fiction are involved. In The Declaration, adults take Longevity drugs to prolong their lives forever–and if they choose to take these drugs, they are not allowed to have any children. Thus, surpluses–these forbidden children are taught that they don’t belong in this world, and are brought into slavery to serve the “Legals.”

The Declaration had a grip on me from the very beginning, from disbelief that Anna could think that her parents were to blame for her being a Surplus, to surprise and suspense when Peter arrives and challenges all that she had ever held to be true. This book had quite a few twists to it that were unexpected, yet very intriguing, setting the stage for the next novels to come. Fans of Neal Schusterman’s Unwind or Collins’ The Hunger Games will be particularly drawn to this trilogy!

Borrowed from the library!

For More: Visit Gemma Malley’s website to check out her blog and other books!

The Heart Is Not a Size by Beth Kephart

Georgia knows what it means to keep secrets. She knows how to ignore things. She knows that some things are better left unsaid. . . . Or are they?

When Georgia and her best friend, Riley, travel along with nine other suburban Pennsylvania kids to Anapra, a squatters’ village in the heat-flattened border city of Juarez, Mexico, secrets seem to percolate and threaten both a friendship and a life. Certainties unravel. Reality changes. And Georgia is left to figure out who she is outside the world she’s always known. [Summary from HarperTeen]

You may have noticed that I’ve been blogging more lately–hurray! I’ve had time to catch up on my reading. Honestly, my to be read bookcase is filled–4 shelves and counting, over 30 books. I finally was able to pick up and read this book by one of my favorite authors, Beth Kephart. With every novel that she writes, I am amazed by the beauty of her words. Her books are filled with gorgeous descriptions of everything–setting, emotions, etc. The Heart Is Not a Size is no exception! In this short novel so much happens, but the story never feels fast or forced. Georgia is a character that many can relate to: uncomfortable in her own skin, yearning for some sort of change that will bring more meaning into her life. And she cares deeply about her best friend, Riley, who is hiding a dangerous secret. The whole novel the reader wonders: why doesn’t Georgia do something about Riley? If she cares so much, why is she silent? I ask that, if you read this book, think about yourself and what you would do as a teenage girl. What can you do? How can you speak yet save your friendship? Are there things worth losing a friendship over, if only to protect someone?

The Heart Is Not a Size asks all of these questions and many more. I encourage fans of Kephart’s other works to read this, as well as fans of Laura Resau and Laurie Halse Anderson. I hope that everyone who reads this will be encouraged to speak up, even when that’s the hardest thing to do.

It’s interesting to me that I just finished this book last night, as today in church our minister told the story of Joseph, and how because one of his brothers spoke up, he was saved from being murdered (granted, he was still sold into slavery, but at least, alive). He encouraged us all to learn to recognize the times in our lives when we should speak up, when doing so may make all the difference. All it takes is one person to speak up to create change.

Purchased from Amazon.com!

For More: Check out Beth Kephart’s blog, including an excerpt from the book! And, if interested in the story of Joseph, check out my church, Momentum Christian Church, and subscribe to the podcast to hear his story!