tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64021633651430177292024-02-07T11:21:11.707-06:00Books For Bears: Young Adult Book ReviewsYoung Adult Book ReviewsTiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-76023601950658148012011-11-07T07:13:00.000-06:002011-11-07T07:13:00.353-06:00I Love Him to Pieces by Evonne Tsang & Janina Gorrissen: Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEits3RwTMAYlgpWkB8riXv7skX0DTzd1SWjNaDLMyjkgM5hL-6wuf_dWQtGqJq04HBuPg4iNhS8xwv8rTLf6JSr46GPoVUPmqmMDNGKNgrCaOzAIb2oQIQi7ujsQfIylWPj865bMWgWqww/s1600/ilovehimtopieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEits3RwTMAYlgpWkB8riXv7skX0DTzd1SWjNaDLMyjkgM5hL-6wuf_dWQtGqJq04HBuPg4iNhS8xwv8rTLf6JSr46GPoVUPmqmMDNGKNgrCaOzAIb2oQIQi7ujsQfIylWPj865bMWgWqww/s320/ilovehimtopieces.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>T</b><b>it</b><b>le: </b>I Love Him to Pieces</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Writer: </b>Evonne Tsang (<a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/home/891541-312/evonne_tsang_spinning_monster_tales.html.csp">interview</a>)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Artist: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Janina Gorrissen (<a href="http://www.jgoerrissen.com/">site</a>)</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Published: </b>April 28th, 2011 by <a href="http://www.lernerbooks.com/about-lerner/Pages/Graphic-Universe.aspx">Graphic Universe</a></span><br />
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<b>Pages: </b>128</div>
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<b>Series: </b>My Boyfriend is a Monster #1</div>
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<b>Buy: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Boyfriend-Monster-Love-Pieces/dp/076137079X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320627706&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/I-Love-Him-Pieces-Evonne-Tsang/9780761370796" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a> /<a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780761370796-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a></div>
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<b>Rating: </b>80%</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Synopsis: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Can love survive the zombie apocalypse? Maybe Dicey's first chance at a real relationship was dead from the start. She's the star of her high school baseball team, and Jack's the star of the science program. Her idea of a study session includes sleeping in the sun, and his idea of a good game involves dungeons and dice. But opposites start attracting when they're assigned to be partners in a class project. Now an outbreak of a weird infection--it eats your brains and leaves you hungry for more--might not mean just the end of their first date. It might mean the end of everything. Will their relationship fall apart faster than zombies in the Florida sun, or can Dicey and Jack beat the odds and find a happy ending?</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i> (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9179493-i-love-him-to-pieces" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Goodreads</a>)</i></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><b>Story Review: 35/50 points</b></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This really felt like two stories. The first was about Dicey and Jack getting to know each other and falling in love. The second was about that love being immediately put to the test by a zombie plague. It was all very cute and fun, but it was just a bit too young for me. The pacing was a bit off: some parts were too slow and then suddenly it was weeks later and things were completely different. I'd recommend it to younger teens and preteens. There was nothing sexual or anything else to make it inappropriate for kids.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Graphics Review: 40/50</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am not a huge fan of black and white comics. It's harder for me to get really absorbed in them because after a while the pages all kind of blur together. However, this was cleanly drawn and very readable. My main complaint was about the facial expressions. Dicey especially kept making this incredibly stupid happy face that made me want to smack her. Other than that, the art was very clear and went well with the story. I would have loved to have seen it in color, though.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Bonus points: 5</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm adding bonus points here because this would be a great comic for younger readers. A lot of the big comics now have scanty costumes, tons of sex, and tons of cussing- and I'm not complaining about any of these things, but it does make me uncomfortable recommending them to younger readers. It's nice to find a comic that is cute, sweet, short, and fun that I could recommend to a gradeschooler or a teen.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total Score - 80 points out of 100 possible, or 80%</span></b></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-16747689006317282822011-11-05T20:48:00.001-05:002011-11-06T18:56:42.385-06:00The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood: Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVnaVnuyJnUEf1evv52qbX3UseCwiT1Hu4Y9Ygc00GLxgSboJzGaNyZ3VEdoZ07YV_GQ9fI0CKHv27KIcmAhlmC_7Rnt4gkPjL-MiFVMnPJ9ChVMZtbQKUspNo1EXLNC_3u22JXwHvsk/s1600/thefallenblade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVnaVnuyJnUEf1evv52qbX3UseCwiT1Hu4Y9Ygc00GLxgSboJzGaNyZ3VEdoZ07YV_GQ9fI0CKHv27KIcmAhlmC_7Rnt4gkPjL-MiFVMnPJ9ChVMZtbQKUspNo1EXLNC_3u22JXwHvsk/s320/thefallenblade.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><b>Title</b><b>:</b> The Fallen Blade</span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /><b>Author</b><b>:</b><b> </b>Jon Courtenay Grimwood (<a href="http://www.j-cg.co.uk/">site</a>)<br /><b>Published</b><b>:</b><b> </b>January 27, 2011 by </span></span></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.orbitbooks.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;">O</span>rbit</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /><b>Pages:</b><b> </b>432<br /><b>Series: </b></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Assassini</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> #1 </span></span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><b>Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Blade-Assassini-Vampire-Assassin/dp/031607439X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320543874&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Fallen-Blade-Jon-Courtenay-Grimwood/9780316074391" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a>/ <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780316074391-2">Powell's</a></b><b><br /></b><b>Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;"><b>Rating</b><b>:</b><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;">2.5/5</span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span></b></span></span><span id="freeText1097857786523188132" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In the depths of night, customs officers board a galley in a harbor and overpower its guards. In the hold they find oil and silver, and a naked boy chained to the bulkhead. Stunningly beautiful but half-starved, the boy has no name. The officers break the boy’s chains to rescue him, but he escapes. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Venice is at the height of its power. In theory Duke Marco commands. But Marco is a simpleton so his aunt and uncle rule in his stead. They command the seas, tax the colonies, and, like those in power before them, fear assassins better than their own. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">In a side chapel, Marco’s fifteen-year old cousin prays for deliverance from her forced marriage. It is her bad fortune to be there when Mamluk pirates break in to steal a chalice, but it is the Mamluks’ good luck—they kidnap her. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">In the gardens beside the chapel, Atilo, the Duke’s chief assassin, prepares to kill his latest victim. Having cut the man’s throat, he turns back, having heard a noise, and finds a boy crouched over the dying man, drinking blood from the wound. The speed with which the boy dodges a dagger and scales a wall stuns Atilo. And the assassin knows he has to find the boy. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Not to kill him, but because he’s finally found what he thought he would never find. Someone fit to be his apprentice.</span>.</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7976029-the-fallen-blade">Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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<b>Review: </b>One thing that Grimwood is very good at is setting the scene. I really felt like I was immersed in his alternate Venice. The descriptions ran a bit long sometimes, but they were so well done that I didn't mind. Unfortunately, all of this describing (no doubt the product of extensive research) left little room for character development. I had a good mental image of each character, but no real feel for them. The story was intriguing, I was caught up in all of the political plots and underground goings-on, but at times it dragged. There was some very graphic violence and some scary sexual stuff, but nothing that felt out of place, over the top, or added just for shock value. I'm sure a lot of people were upset by this, but it's not unrealistic for the times. Unfortunately, it felt like the author spent 10 years researching and planning out the plot and setting for the book, but then just threw in some so-so characters. They had so much potential, but the depth just wasn't there. Also, the way thing turned out between Tycho and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Giulietta was not very satisfying. You know, just as a side note. Would I read a sequel? Maybe. It might give me a chance to really love the characters. A lot of first books are a bit sparse on character development, especially when they have amazing and detailed plots. However, I'm not sure if there's enough pull there for me to give it another chance. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">PS- The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Blade-Assassini-Assassin-ebook/dp/B0047Y0ESS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320543874&sr=8-2">kindle version</a> is only $4.99 right now, check it out.</span>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-87710231072549968882011-10-22T17:18:00.005-05:002011-10-22T18:20:25.973-05:00Review: Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEY6U952jABv_MZUG-9XfijdW8Df4-1h5q6C-UVlgt1lzXqnE594ph0wUE1P-R7V-yp8YmnC8CXGbidaCFWIrpyaLV9XC_LZQ2p-oOvrq924WWefSss3KhGQ18AqNa688h84i60cn5Vgs/s1600/lockdown.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEY6U952jABv_MZUG-9XfijdW8Df4-1h5q6C-UVlgt1lzXqnE594ph0wUE1P-R7V-yp8YmnC8CXGbidaCFWIrpyaLV9XC_LZQ2p-oOvrq924WWefSss3KhGQ18AqNa688h84i60cn5Vgs/s320/lockdown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666459977089460434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><b style="color: #333333;">Title</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b> Lockdown</span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Author</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;color:#333333;" >Alexander Gordon Smith</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Published</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal;">October 27, 2009 by </span></span></span></b></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://us.macmillan.com/fsg.aspx">Farrar Straus Giroux</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;color:#333333;" ><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Pages:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;color:#333333;" >273</span><br /><b style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Series: </b></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Escape from Furnace</span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;" ><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;color:#333333;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;color:#333333;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;color:#333333;" > #1 </span></span></span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;color:#333333;" ><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;color:#333333;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;color:#333333;" ><b style="color: #333333;">Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lockdown-Furnace-Alexander-Gordon-Smith/dp/0374324913" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Lockdown-Alexander-Gordon-Smith/9780312611934" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a></b><b><br /></b><b style="color: #333333;">Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold;color:#333333;" > </span></span></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" >From the publisher through</span></span><span style="font:14.0px Helvetica;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.zeitghostmedia.com">Zeitghost Media</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Helvetica,FreeSans,sans-serif;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;color:#333333;" ><b style="color: #333333;">Rating</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;color:#333333;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;color:#333333;" >2.5/5</span></span><br /><b>Synopsis:</b></span></b></span></span><span id="freeText1097857786523188132" style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world. (Goodreads synopsis)<br /><br /></span><span id="freeText1097857786523188132" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Review: </span></span><span id="freeText1097857786523188132" style="font-size:100%;">There are tons of glowing reviews of Lockdown on Amazon and Goodreads. I hate to say it, but I don't really agree with most of them.<br /><br /><br />I don't think I'm really in the target audience for this book. </span><span id="freeText1097857786523188132"><span style="font-size:100%;">It would appeal much more to middle-school boys. The main focus points of the book were the movie-like action scenes (which is why it will probably make a good movie), which was a problem for me because I don't care much for books that get you through only based on action.<br /><br />The premise of the book was interesting - an underground prison for children? Yes, please! But the descriptions of Furnace (and yes, I say "descriptions" because there were about a thousand) were rambling. Halfway through the book, I nearly quit. Yes, I understand that it's a terrible place. Please move the story along.<br /><br />The characters felt a little one-dimensional to me. None of the characters really had any depth or motivation, except for escaping the prison. Character depth isn't always necessary in young adult books, but you have to have a VERY good plot for me to overlook it. And this book had a dragging and often boring plot. Some things were hard to believe (for instance, where were the guards during all their little adventures?) but I'm sure I would be more open to these if I were younger.<br /><br />All in all, I would still recommend this book to some of my friends. My younger brother would probably love it. I would like to know what happens next, but I don't want to waste my precious reading time pushing through tons of boring transition scenes.</span><br /></span>Michaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04909910082562583759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-39642372401053837012011-09-26T05:43:00.000-05:002011-09-26T05:43:00.184-05:00Darkness Falling by Peter Crowther: Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPV1mhfBwAk7CIcJ1Z8NOBlA0tgcJA12fERGcsLAxXFsxVGaxm2Pnr9epK-1R16aohQ0o6frpeSQxEfZvObGvZ_j-KXGgEmtL34o9XZnRtioFg8b0V0qYSv0o3E1clgn6Y-JUC57GUg8M/s1600/DarknessFalling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPV1mhfBwAk7CIcJ1Z8NOBlA0tgcJA12fERGcsLAxXFsxVGaxm2Pnr9epK-1R16aohQ0o6frpeSQxEfZvObGvZ_j-KXGgEmtL34o9XZnRtioFg8b0V0qYSv0o3E1clgn6Y-JUC57GUg8M/s320/DarknessFalling.jpg" width="211" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Title</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span style="color: #333333;">Darkness Falling</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Author</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">Peter Crowther </span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Published</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">September 27th, 2011 by <a href="http://angryrobotbooks.com/">Angry Robot</a></span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Pages:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">400</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Series: </b></span></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">Forever Twilight #1 </span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Falling-Twilight-Peter-Crowther/dp/0857661698/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316885871&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Darkness-Falling-Peter-Crowther/9780857661685" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780857661692-0" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b><br /></b><b style="color: #333333;">Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a></span></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Rating</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">4.5/5</span></span><br /><b>Synopsis: </b></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 16px;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It was a typical all-American backwater – until the night the monsters came.</strong></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><i>When four employees of KMRT Radio investigate an unearthly light that cuts off communication with the outside world, they discover that something has taken the place of their friends and fellow townfolk, and imbued them with malign intentions. Little do they know, the phenomenon is not unique to the town of Jesman’s Bend… (from Angry Robot's </i><a href="http://angryrobotbooks.com/our-authors/peter-crowther/darkness-falling-peter-crowther/" style="font-style: italic;">site</a><i>) </i><b>Goodreads synopsis gives stuff away, stay away from it!</b></span><br />
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<b>Review: </b>I knew the second that I read the praise from <a href="http://www.stevenerikson.com/">Steven Erikson</a> in the front of my egalley ("If I'm going to have anyone tell me about the end of the world, it will have to be Peter") that I was going to love this book. If you are a fan of fantasy, then you have probably read something by Erikson. There is nothing I love more than picking up a random book that looks like it has potential and finding the endorsement of an author that I already love. It's like confirmation of my good taste. This book definitely did not disappoint. I'll start off with a warning: <b>there are a few disturbing elements to this book.</b> One of the main characters is a serial killer (yes, the choice of characters is insane and wonderful) and there are allusions to sexual abuse in his past, by his mother. There are probably only a few sentences, no drawn-out graphic scenes, but it is disturbing. Other than that, I didn't really see anything that would make me label it as inappropriate for teens. Now, on to the good stuff! The book focuses on four different characters (one is a set of four characters, actually) and switches back and forth between them. The first is a middle-aged man who is fighting with his wife on a plane because he is ogling other women (and then the other survivors on the plane). The second is a young man who happens to be a serial killer, as he is in the process of killing another girl. The third is a group of people working at a radio station. The fourth is a woman who appears to be completely insane. We get a little bit window of what was going on for each of the people right before the "event" and then follow them as they try to figure out what the heck is going on. I love, love, loved the first third of the book. It was so tense, eerie, creepy. They are wondering around, trying to figure out what has happened, and there are no clues. In fact, there are no feasible theories at all. It's not like most apocalyptic stories where there are choices; nuclear bomb, EMP, germ warfare, invasion. The characters are completely baffled, and so was (am?) I. Just when you think you can't stand the tension anymore, that things can't get any creepier, they do. In fact, they get freaking <i>terrifying</i>. I was reading this in the middle of the day and I was <i>still</i> creeped out. I moved away from the windows, locked the doors, and wished I had a baseball bat. I haven't read a book that scared me this much in years. Probably not since I bought an adult horror anthology when I was about 10 and read through it. (I guess I thought that it would be about as scary as Fear Street. Couldn't sleep for <b>years</b>.) I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was fast-paced and absorbing, but there was one little downside. I didn't like the characters from the radio station. I don't know why, but I just never really connected with them. Maybe it's because they're the only group with nobody "odd"? However, there is plenty of room for character development (two more books, yay!) so maybe they'll grow on me. If you are a fan of apocalyptic stories, horror stories, or amazing combinations of characters stuck together then do yourself a favor and go get this book. I can't put words to how much I enjoyed it, and I can't wait for everyone I know to read it so that I have someone to talk to about it! Also- yes, I know that the cover is cheesy. Please disregard it.<br />
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P.S. If you've read this, what did you think? <b>How long will Virgil make it</b>?!<br />
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<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-26874621458815607402011-09-25T12:01:00.002-05:002011-09-25T12:01:24.416-05:00Dreamland Giveaway Winner<div style="text-align: center;">
The winner of our giveaway for Dreamland by Alyson Noel was...</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Samantha from Arizona!</span></div>
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Winner has been notified, prize should be on the way soon.</div>
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Thanks, everyone, for reading and entering!</div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-25697031952974125662011-09-24T14:15:00.001-05:002011-09-24T14:15:44.083-05:00The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen: Comic Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-k8f-yohayc5rHIe_n_qDOhs-J0evYxROYuaenRvxg2q03rZoqaSXrX5H617j8oSVAoGhCDiPIHlGkikdNyGg_S1eOvH2f7MaC4nkqHOaOxzaVmzVlBtPyZEv4OjyQtfsVGYu0gxHr0/s1600/thelastdragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-k8f-yohayc5rHIe_n_qDOhs-J0evYxROYuaenRvxg2q03rZoqaSXrX5H617j8oSVAoGhCDiPIHlGkikdNyGg_S1eOvH2f7MaC4nkqHOaOxzaVmzVlBtPyZEv4OjyQtfsVGYu0gxHr0/s320/thelastdragon.jpg" width="229" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>T</b><b>it</b><b>le: </b>The Last Dragon</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Writer: </b>Jane Yolen (<a href="http://janeyolen.com/telling-the-true-a-writers-journal/">site</a>)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Artist: </b>Rebecca Guay (<a href="http://www.rebeccaguay.com/">site</a>)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Published: </b>August 31st, 2011 by <a href="http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/15-952/The-Last-Dragon-Hardcover">Dark Horse</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
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<b>Pages: </b>144</div>
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<b>Buy: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Dragon-Jane-Yolen/dp/1595827986/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316887165&sr=1-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a> / <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Last-Dragon-Jane-Yolen/9781595827982">Book Depo</a> / <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781595827982-0">Powell's</a></div>
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<b>Rating: </b>89%</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Synopsis: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Master storyteller Jane Yolen (Owl Moon, Sword of the Rightful King) and celebrated fantasy artist Rebecca Guay (Swamp Thing, Magic: The Gathering) weave a textured and lyrical tale of adventure, homelands, and heroism the hard way.Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew — with only a healer’s daughter and a kite-flying would-be hero standing in its way. (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11426110-the-last-dragon">Goodreads</a>)</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><b>Story Review:</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Plot - 23/25 points </b>This was very much in the style of classic fairy tales. I love Jane Yolen's writing, from her Dragon Pit series, which was a favorite of mine when I was growing up, to her kids books- which I love reading to my kids. Her style goes well with graphic novels, if a bit wordier than the usual comic. One thing that bothered me: she set if up with the history of the dragons, making me feel sorry for them, but then the dragon was the villain throughout the rest of the story. It seemed like a mixed message.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Voice - 18/25 points </b>The only problem with classic fairy tales is that the voice is a bit detached, flat. I liked the story, but the characters didn't really pop. I didn't get a feel for who was telling the story, or for the characters it focused on.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Graphics Review:</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Artwork - 24/25 points </b>This book is so beautiful! I LOVE Rebecca Guay's artwork. I would love to own a few of her prints. The settings were very detailed and gorgeous, putting you right in the story. The style went very well with the story. It looked almost like a series of old stained glass windows, a bit like the beginning scenes in Beauty and the Beast. The only thing that bothered me was the way faces were drawn. They seemed a bit too alien. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Coloring (or lack thereof) - 22/25 points </b>The kind of washed-out colors made for a beautfiul, antique-feeling setting, but they also made the whole thing kind of run together. I would have liked a few more brilliant colors thrown in.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bonus points:</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a great graphic novel for kids, teens, or adults. I'm awarding 2 bonus points because it would make an <i>amazing </i>book for an early reader.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total Score - 89 points out of 100 possible, or 89%</span></b></div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-81660142827863995612011-09-21T23:10:00.001-05:002011-09-21T23:10:32.490-05:00Sacrifice & Crave by Melinda Metz & Laura J. Burns: Reviews<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5NpaFt25sKpZt1yuYE7_A-UW6ZeTFTLxQkUN5Ta6Yo4SSdxz7zOA-QzvuY00bLJQzutFmPGhilIznx3XV47okNUnpMRISwUagL9LMr3VCaUn38fk97zJ278WSDx_2_OGVdTHyf4ZJGM/s1600/Crave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5NpaFt25sKpZt1yuYE7_A-UW6ZeTFTLxQkUN5Ta6Yo4SSdxz7zOA-QzvuY00bLJQzutFmPGhilIznx3XV47okNUnpMRISwUagL9LMr3VCaUn38fk97zJ278WSDx_2_OGVdTHyf4ZJGM/s320/Crave.jpg" width="214" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Title</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span style="color: #333333;">Crave</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Author</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">Laura J. Burns (<a href="http://authors.simonandschuster.ca/Laura-J-Burns/19378898">site</a>) & Melinda Metz (<a href="http://www.themelindametz.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">site</a>)</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Published</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">September 21st, 2010 by Simon & Schuster</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Pages:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">278</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crave-Melinda-Metz/dp/1442408162/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316664448&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Crave-Laura-Burns/9781442408166" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9781442408166-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b><br /></b><b style="color: #333333;">Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"> Bought</span></span></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Rating</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">4.5/5</span></span><br /><b>Synopsis: </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Shay could never do the things her friends could--never try out for sports, never go to parties, never fall in love. Because of the mysterious and incurable blood disorder she was born with, she can barely make it through three days of school a week.<br />But now, her doctor-turned-stepfather has a brand-new treatment that he thinks will change everything. And it does. As soon as the new blood starts pumping into Shay's veins, she has visions of a different life...Gabriel's life. She sees an orphanage, loss, fangs, blood, and lust that she can't explain.<br />Is Gabriel real? And if he is, could he really be what she thinks he is?</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7242757-crave" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Goodreads</a>)</i></span></span></b></span><br />
<b>Review</b>: This book was really hard to put down! It had been a long time since I had found a book that really drew me in like Crave. The main character is unique, too; she has a blood disease that makes her extremely weak. The other characters were kind of boring, however, and some of the dialogue was annoying. The plot line was more than enough to make up for that. 4.5/5 campers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SH2rmQeGEp1AohXApEc1yYFzfMgAJvo4HIpyr-vvc8GwJHulB9eExu3f0l93gZjGJiZbT7w5c89CGT8C58os_qaZSxUWjz6QAVQMUkVAiLSx8NdcKqYC19rBXQ8GcMqYYD_89bWnFX0/s1600/sacrifice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SH2rmQeGEp1AohXApEc1yYFzfMgAJvo4HIpyr-vvc8GwJHulB9eExu3f0l93gZjGJiZbT7w5c89CGT8C58os_qaZSxUWjz6QAVQMUkVAiLSx8NdcKqYC19rBXQ8GcMqYYD_89bWnFX0/s320/sacrifice.jpg" width="212" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Title</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span style="color: #333333;">Sacrifice</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;"> Published</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">September 20th, 2011 by Simon & Schuster</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Pages:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">256</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sacrifice-Crave-Quality-Laura-Burns/dp/1442408189/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316664448&sr=8-2" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Sacrifice-Laura-Burns/9781442408180" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781442408180-0" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b><br /></b><b style="color: #333333;">Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"> <a href="http://www.galleygrab.com/">GalleyGrab</a></span></span></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Rating</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">3/5</span></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><b>Synopsis: </b></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Gabriel and Shay are convinced that they can make their relationship work. Knowing that Shay is half-vampire, Gabriel thinks that his coven will embrace her as one of their own, but instead they view her as an abomination, a thing that doesn’t belong in either world. And they want her dead. Now Gabriel must make the ultimate decision - watch his love be killed by his coven or defy the people closest to him, the people he has spent centuries with to save her. (Goodreads)</i></span><br />
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<b>Review</b>: I was expecting tons from this book. I had already fallen in love with Crave and was expecting a similar adventure in Sacrifice. I was quite let down. It was a good book, but it wasn't as exciting as the first book. It was a slow read and I found myself easily distracted from the story. There wasn't a lot of action. And the silly characters seemed to stand out more, probably because I wasn't taken in by the plot. I would definitely read the sequel if you're dying to find out what happens (which I was!), but don't go in expecting perfection. 3/5 campers.<br />
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Michaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04909910082562583759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-56933611167530252962011-09-20T21:23:00.000-05:002011-09-20T21:23:25.192-05:00Goliath by Scott Westerfeld: Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSXTIVgJQIM8GLKsUlii0Vn_SHu2yD7V4M3fRdcO5z_BRm2xAK0TUQSVBCeHjo0opdUSnyJJE3ZJ1N1eqtO85zFbiFOBi3C34u6_SO1cVDV2nnDPaUHsHo0avWQDZH_8w347aCn2WcZc/s1600/Goliath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSXTIVgJQIM8GLKsUlii0Vn_SHu2yD7V4M3fRdcO5z_BRm2xAK0TUQSVBCeHjo0opdUSnyJJE3ZJ1N1eqtO85zFbiFOBi3C34u6_SO1cVDV2nnDPaUHsHo0avWQDZH_8w347aCn2WcZc/s320/Goliath.jpg" width="201" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Title</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span style="color: #333333;">Goliath</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Author</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">Scott Westerfeld (<a href="http://scottwesterfeld.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">site</a>)</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Published</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">September 20th, 2011 by Simon & Schuster</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Pages:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">560</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Goliath-Leviathan-Scott-Westerfeld/dp/1416971777/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316571537&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Goliath-Scott-Westerfeld/9781416971771" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781416971771-0" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b><br /></b><b style="color: #333333;">Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a href="http://galleygrab.com/welcome" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;">G</span>alleyGrab</a></span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Rating</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">4.5/5</span></span><br /><b>Synopsis: </b></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Alek and Deryn are on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek’s throne as prince of Austria, and finally fall in love. The first two objectives are complicated by the fact that their ship, the Leviathan, continues to detour farther away from the heart of the war (and crown). And the love thing would be a lot easier if Alek knew Deryn was a girl. (She has to pose as a boy in order to serve in the British Air Service.) And if they weren’t technically enemies.<br />The tension thickens as the Leviathan steams toward New York City with a homicidal lunatic on board: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is at it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy.</i></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9918083-goliath">Goodreads</a>)</i></span></span></b><br />
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<b>Review: </b>I love Scott Westerfeld. Peeps was amazing (seriously, everyone, this series is tragically underappreciated), Uglies was wonderful, and his MG steampunk trilogy has been one of my favorite reads lately. The strange mix of history and crazy genetic mutations, steampunk, girls posing as boys to become bad-a airman, and princes who know a thing or two about mechanics (be still, my heart!) was so addictive that I'm sad to see the end of the trilogy. I LOVE this world. The story was great, the characters were great, but the world was amazing. It's World War 1- but the dividing issue is very different. Some countries believe in using genetic mutation, hybrid creature-airships (insane, right?) and basically biologically enhanced creatures in place of machinery. The other side thinks that those hybrids are an abomination, going for awesome steampunk machinery. The battles between these two types of aircraft (also between machine walkers and giant fighting animals) were so great- it's almost hard to wrap your mind around how very different this world is.<br />
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The only thing that kept me from putting this on my list of all-time favorites was the voice. It was (appropriately) a bit young for me. One of Westerfeld's strengths as a writer is being able to adapt his series perfectly for the intended age group. Some people make YA sound too adult, some people make it sound too young. He has managed to make three different series in three different age groups, all of them pitch-perfect. (Peeps may be older YA, but it feels like adult.) Yes, I know that he's got six series, but I've only read three (so far). I love his writing! This latest series had amazing illustrations by Keith Thompson. I am <i>dying </i> to get some of the prints available on his<a href="http://www.keiththompsonart.com/"> site</a>. It was so much easier to picture the crazy creatures and contraptions in this series after I got a look at some of Thompson's pictures.<br />
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The writing was fantastic, the world was unique and amazing, and the artwork was to die for. Go read this series!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-91340020685528353162011-09-19T09:01:00.004-05:002011-09-19T09:02:56.975-05:00All These Things I've Done: Giveaway Winner!<div style="text-align: center;">
The winner of our giveaway for All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin is....</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Patricia M from Tucson!</span></div>
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Congrats! Prize is being shipped out by the publisher.</div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-66603635745039762582011-09-15T12:50:00.000-05:002011-09-20T21:18:25.123-05:00Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFqGlCiS0LF8mCk2LMvz1Ad5yTPNnN-Ad_auamtYoaWHevIBZjTI8l-vKzg6s88_xpVlmEFZQqy5fwDXQiWWsZYuTjWSccDJGkQHjAXdQlLdD7iCEuF8q6tsxE9ysA511K02X7k70Cgw/s1600/drinkslaylove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFqGlCiS0LF8mCk2LMvz1Ad5yTPNnN-Ad_auamtYoaWHevIBZjTI8l-vKzg6s88_xpVlmEFZQqy5fwDXQiWWsZYuTjWSccDJGkQHjAXdQlLdD7iCEuF8q6tsxE9ysA511K02X7k70Cgw/s320/drinkslaylove.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Title</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span style="color: #333333;">Drink, Slay, Love</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Author</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">Sarah Beth Durst (<a href="http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/index.htm">site</a>)</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Published</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">September 13th, 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Pages:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">320</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drink-Slay-Love-Sarah-Durst/dp/1442423730/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316108679&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Drink-Slay-Love-Sarah-Beth-Durst/9781442423732" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781442423732-0" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b><br /></b><b style="color: #333333;">Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a href="http://galleygrab.com/welcome"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;">G</span>alleyGrab</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Rating</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">3.5/5</span></span><br />
<b>Synopsis: </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops. </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.<br /><br />The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do? (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9917957-drink-slay-love">Goodreads</a>)</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b>Review:</b> I didn't realize until I was looking at the author's site (to see if there was going to be a sequel to DSL) that this is not my first book by Durst. Last year I read a wonderful book called <u>Into the Wild</u> about a girl whose mother is a character who escaped from a fairy tale. This is trouble enough, but as the book begins we learn that the fairy tale wants its characters back. Julie has to try and rescue her mom and save the city while trying to keep from getting sucked into one of the fairy tales around her. I <b>loved</b> this book! I think I read it right before I started blogging and never got around to reviewing it. I would love to go on and on here, but my point is this- already a fan of Durst. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><u>Drink, Slay, Love</u> was very different from <u>Into the Wild.</u> However, one of my favorite aspects of Julie's tale was present in Pearl's as well- irreverence. This is a very fun story, a strange mix of scary and silly. The vampires are remorseless, murderous, and evil. Pearl's nonchalant attitude toward violence and the whole people are livestock was somehow funny and casual, although her family leaned more toward terrifying. Even after she begins to change, there is a detachment and moral ambiguity that were amusing. The story moves quickly, there aren't really any lulls. Some of the plot twists were just plain absurd, but it fit in well with the odd/crazy/silly vibe of the story. I liked the characters, but I can't say that I really came to love them. It was a fun ride and I'll definitely pick up whatever Durst puts out next, but I won't be up nights wondering what is going to become of Pearl.</span></span></div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-55335009867595263752011-09-15T05:50:00.000-05:002011-09-15T05:50:00.830-05:00Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout + Dark Territory by J. Gabriel Gates<div style="text-align: center;">
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I know The Tracks isn't getting a ton of buzz on the blogosphere, but I've definitely seen it at the local book store. I wish they would at least check to see if any books <i>in the same genre</i> or at the <b>very</b> least published <i>in the same summer</i> had used the same stock photo. Dark Territory just came out in July, for pete's sake! I commented on one blog, but when I realized that there were about 20 in my google reader who had posted the new cover, I decided to just post. Seriously, there have got to be enough stock photos out there to go around.</div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-85936762351887434302011-09-14T13:57:00.000-05:002011-09-25T11:59:47.332-05:00Dreamland by Alson Noel: Giveaway + Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDfmSva6lRieoFj_yr5RB9YglIftPIu8oiWwtSEQjv-RfcafiTHYwzGmdA48EeP175vVuVPdkf8QoXNS_CjmfigmWX_G9T40KeofqCAuJTDytjEekvOybmkyFKDBx1DfnJUnVa-2ndIY/s1600/dreamland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDfmSva6lRieoFj_yr5RB9YglIftPIu8oiWwtSEQjv-RfcafiTHYwzGmdA48EeP175vVuVPdkf8QoXNS_CjmfigmWX_G9T40KeofqCAuJTDytjEekvOybmkyFKDBx1DfnJUnVa-2ndIY/s1600/dreamland.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Title: </b>Dreamland<br />
<b>Author: </b>Alyson Noel (<a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/">site</a>) (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/OfficialAlysonNoel">FB</a>)<br />
<b>Publisher: </b><a href="http://us.macmillan.com/author/alysonnoel">Macmillan</a><br />
<b>Series: </b>Riley Bloom #3<br />
<b>Synopsis: </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Riley’s finding that the afterlife can be a lonely place when all you do is focus on work. So she goes to the place where dreams happen, hoping to find a way to contact her sister, Ever. She meets the director, who tells her about the two ways to send dreams. As a Dream Jumper, a person can jump into a dreamer’s dream, share a message, and participate. As a Dreamweaver, an entire dream can be created in a studio and sent to the dreamer. But Dreamweaving was outlawed decades ago, and the studio was boarded up. Thinking it’s her only way to reach out to her sister, Riley goes in search of the old studio. There she finds a ghost boy, who’s been creating and sending nightmares to people for years. In order to stop him and reach out to Ever, Riley is going to have to confront and overcome her own fears.</i></span><br />
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<b>Giveaway! </b>Same as usual: open to anyone that Book Depo ships to. If an int'l entrant wins, I will ship them a book and select a second (US) winner to receive the copy from the publisher. This giveaway ends on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>September 26th</b> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">and winners will be emailed/ announced the next day. Just fill out the form to enter!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">GIVEAWAY CLOSED</span></span></div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-3061644697113773162011-09-14T13:46:00.001-05:002011-09-14T13:46:59.631-05:00The Shadowing: The Hunted by Adam Slater: Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Title</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> </b><span style="color: #333333;">The Shadowing: Hunted</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Author</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">Adam Slater </span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Published</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">September 13th, 2011 by <a href="http://www.egmontusa.com/">EgmontUSA</a></span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Pages:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">208</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadowing-Hunted-Adam-Slater/dp/1606842617/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1316025757&sr=8-3" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Shadowing-Hunted-Adam-Slater/9781606842614" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781606842614-0" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><b></b></span><b style="color: #333333;">Series</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">The Shadowing #1</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a href="http://www.netgalley.com/" style="font-weight: normal;">NetGalley</a><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Rating</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">4.75/5</span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><b>Synopsis:</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Once every century, the barrier between the human world and the demon realm begins to break down. Creatures gather, anxiously waiting to cross the divide, to bring death and destruction from their world to ours. This time is called The Shadowing. </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />Callum Scott has always known that there is a supernatural world out there—he’s seen ghosts for as long as he can remember. Lately, he’s had visions of children being brutally murdered by a terrifying creature. Then the visions start coming true, and Callum realizes that he’s being hunted, too.<br />Driven by a dark destiny, he must stand against the demons that threaten our world.<br />And The Shadowing is almost here. . . . (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10066376-the-shadowing">Goodreads</a>)</i></span><b><br /></b><br />
<b>Review: </b>I have to admit that I went into this one with low expectations. Teen who can see ghosts- it's been done to death. However, I knew from the first page that <u>The Shadowing</u> was bringing something new to the table. For starters: Callum is a very different king of character, a modern take on the classic Good Guy/Hero. He is a fairly serious boy who lives in a tiny cottage with his grandmother and tends to avoid relationships, ever since he was ostracized as a child for seeing ghosts. He doesn't try to help the ghosts cross over and they don't stare at him longingly. These ghosts seem to be completely unaware of his existence. We get glimpses of these ghosts throughout the story, but they aren't the main feature. Something is hunting children across the UK, killing them and devouring their eyes. Callum begins to have terrifying visions and senses something dark coming his way. The way these monsters are described is wonderfully creepy. I was genuinely scared (silly me, reading a story like this at night) by the thing stalking Callum and the descriptions of the killings and the ghosts around town were equally gruesome and scary. This was, overall, a very scary book. There isn't a lot of comedic relief or a romance blossoming to take your mind off of it, either. I loved this book! It was impossible to put down, short enough to read in one day, and full of action. The covers (especially the older one) are a bit cheesy and the Title:Subtitle format is a bit 90s, but don't be put off by that. This is a great story, with plenty of potential to be a great series. I can't wait to read the second book!<br />
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P.S. This is the second amazing book I've read by Egmont USA lately (<a href="http://booksforbears.blogspot.com/2011/08/ashes-by-ilsa-j-bick-review.html">Ashes</a> was so good!), definitely going to see what else they have going on.<br />
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<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-28945892429503998652011-09-12T10:04:00.001-05:002011-09-12T10:04:06.667-05:00Hades Giveaway Winners!Using Random.org, the winner of Hades by Alexandra Adornetto was....<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Carol T. of South Africa!</span></div>
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Since the winner was international, I'll be sending her a copy and the publisher will be sending a copy to....<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Donna S. of St Louis, MO!</span></div>
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Congrats, guys! Emails have been sent and prizes should be on their way soon. Thanks for reading!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-1964547801870170602011-09-11T20:51:00.001-05:002011-09-11T20:51:32.315-05:00Shelter by Harlan Coben: Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtaOi4udDl4_rGzaA1KZG2hW5WMQFfG8KTnOtZh62AxYMOS-Jd1JtaTVND3XvxeZ7kpBagxSYXZZYmKhVvTmjB6d_SJWSJSNumLHfSYVSH0YvyM3YZ6a7iVuHRbhf_FflMLSh-LTdya0/s1600/Shelter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtaOi4udDl4_rGzaA1KZG2hW5WMQFfG8KTnOtZh62AxYMOS-Jd1JtaTVND3XvxeZ7kpBagxSYXZZYmKhVvTmjB6d_SJWSJSNumLHfSYVSH0YvyM3YZ6a7iVuHRbhf_FflMLSh-LTdya0/s320/Shelter.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Title:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> Shelter</b><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Author:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">Harlan Coben (</span><a href="http://www.harlancoben.com/" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">site</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">)</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Published:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">September 6th, 2011 by </span><a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/yr/putnam.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;">P</span>utnam Juvenile</a><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Pages:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">288</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Mickey-Bolitar-Harlan-Coben/dp/0399256504/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315792077&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Shelter-Harlan-Coben/9780399256509" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780399256509-0" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><b></b></span><b style="color: #333333;">Series</b><b style="color: #333333;">:</b><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">Mickey Bolitar #1</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Source:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">ARC from publisher</span><br /><b style="color: #333333;">Rating:</b><b style="color: #333333;"> </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">4/5</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<b>Synopsis: </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Mickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />A new school comes with new friends and new enemies, and lucky for Mickey, it also comes with a great new girlfriend, Ashley. For a while, it seems like Mickey's train-wreck of a life is finally improving - until Ashley vanishes without a trace. Unwilling to let another person walk out of his life, Mickey follows Ashley's trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that this seemingly sweet, shy girl isn't who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. Soon, Mickey learns about a conspiracy so shocking that it makes high school drama seem like a luxury - and leaves him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew.<br /><br />First introduced to readers in Harlan Coben's latest adult novel, Live Wire, Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, and eager to go to any length to save the people he cares about. With this new series, Coben introduces an entirely new generation of fans to the masterful plotting and wry humor that have made him an award-winning, internationally bestselling, and beloved author.(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9838800-shelter">Goodreads</a>)</i></span><b><br /></b><br />
<b>Review: </b>I want to preface this review with one statement: I am not a fan of thrillers or mysteries. In fact, I avoid them like the plague. This could be because they all seem to have old ladies or aging detectives for main characters. I'm really not sure where my aversion to them originated. I looked askance at the ads for <u>Shelter</u> for a long time before I broke down and requested it. I have no idea what made me decide to try it- maybe because it's a famous author trying out YA? Maybe because the main character seemed pretty bad-a? I'm not sure why, but I<i> am </i> sure that I made the right decision. <u>Shelter</u> was a great book- exciting, impossible to figure out, and full of great characters. It's been a long time since I've read anything with a plot that stumped me to this degree. I would get vague ideas about what might be going on, but it wasn't until the very end that things were explained- and definitely not <i>everything</i>. The best part? The explanation is crazy. It opens up a whole new world of questions and possibilities. I can't wait to see where things go. This was one of those books that is impossible to put down. There is no down time. Things are always happening. Every time I stepped away from the book (was forced to take a break), I spent the whole time wondering about what would happen next. It really got into my head. Even now, I can't quite shake Mickey and his world from my thoughts. I'm even thinking about picking up one of Coben's adult books- and that would be a pretty big step for me. You would think that a thriller would be entirely plot-driven, but the characters weren't just there to be swept away by what was going on. They were fully fleshed-out and just as important as the story itself. Mickey is one of my favorite YA male characters to date. He's very realistic, more of a guy's guy than a lot of the male characters out there. I loved his refusal to put up with nonsense and drama. I'm really hoping that this series goes on for a long time. There is so much potential for character development, so many different directions the story could go in.<br />
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In short, this was a great book! If you're not a big fan of thrillers (or even a thriller newbie like me), this is a great place to start. Beware- you won't be able to put it down. Start it when you can afford to spend the entire day absorbed in Mickey's world.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-74775089404554931832011-09-11T11:08:00.001-05:002011-09-11T11:10:46.883-05:00All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin: Giveaway + Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsT34vZ2TxonV9PZBJsLQGVjT8uOCRkmpq1OPNZoj3MqcRKd0iUTTby6MImLLXafnTNMOPqNxk-Cb9HDf9xrBYIReUQbJVWhcP05wIpm-WPCKbIKHb_nHQm4-Zl4vLlysXPeKwt5G8kHc/s1600/allthesethingsivedone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsT34vZ2TxonV9PZBJsLQGVjT8uOCRkmpq1OPNZoj3MqcRKd0iUTTby6MImLLXafnTNMOPqNxk-Cb9HDf9xrBYIReUQbJVWhcP05wIpm-WPCKbIKHb_nHQm4-Zl4vLlysXPeKwt5G8kHc/s1600/allthesethingsivedone.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Title: </b>All These Things I've Done<br />
<b>Author: </b>Gabrielle Zevin (<a href="http://www.memoirsofa.com/">site</a>)(<a href="http://www.facebook.com/gabriellezevinfanpage">FB</a>)<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Macmillan (<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/allthesethingsivedone">book site</a>)<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family. (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9858517-all-these-things-i-ve-done">goodreads</a>)</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I have heard nothing but great things about this book and I can't wait to read it! Scroll down for a chance to win a copy.</span></span><br />
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<b>Giveaway!</b></div>
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This giveaway is open to anyone that Book Depo ships to. The publisher is offering a copy to people with US addresses only, so if Random.org picks an Int'l winner, I will send them a copy and the publisher will send a second US winner a copy. No need to follow, although I'll love you forever if you do! <b>GIVEAWAY ENDS SEPTMEBER 18TH. </b>Form below:</div>
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Thanks to Tara at <a href="http://www.zeitghostmedia.com/">Zeitghost Media</a> and <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/">Macmillan</a> for providing the giveaway copy.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br /></i></span>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-52687669805990013102011-09-07T11:29:00.000-05:002011-09-07T11:29:44.704-05:00The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell: Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ39eDTw9WvcTD7JNKFYeVG1OWa41azsoVoFVaSxbiXnCkY5SmPzxiessxr_A-zvzg6wfu63gemmlWednFtacJThdEC19PwiJq25ur-agSsv35I0SjvcukBZYSwRKVsvcNrQkXbdK-KzM/s1600/thevespertine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ39eDTw9WvcTD7JNKFYeVG1OWa41azsoVoFVaSxbiXnCkY5SmPzxiessxr_A-zvzg6wfu63gemmlWednFtacJThdEC19PwiJq25ur-agSsv35I0SjvcukBZYSwRKVsvcNrQkXbdK-KzM/s320/thevespertine.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Title:</b><b> </b>The Vespertine<br /><b>Author:</b><b> </b>Saundra Mitchell (<a href="http://saundramitchell.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">site</a>)<br /><b>Published: </b>March 7th, 2011 by <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/">Harcourt</a><br /><b>Pages:</b><b> </b>304<br /><b>Buy:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vespertine-Saundra-Mitchell/dp/0547482477/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315412654&sr=1-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Vespertine-Saundra-Mitchell/9780547482477" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780547482477-1">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><br /><b></b><b>Series</b><b>: </b>Vespertine #1<br /><b>Source:</b><b> </b><a href="http://www.netgalley.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;">N</span>etGalley</a><br /><b>Rating:</b><b> </b>4/5<br /><b>Synopsis</b><b>: </b></span></span></span></b></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7497552-the-vespertine" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Goodreads</a>)</i></span></span></b></span></span></b></span></b><br />
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<b>Review: </b> <u>The Vespertine</u> was a great mix of two of my favorite genres; Historical Fiction and Paranormal YA. Amelia is sent to stay with family in Baltimore to "meet the right people" which basically means find a suitable husband. Her cousin Zora was probably my favorite character. She was daring and independent (but not the point of being unbelievable for the time period). She and the somewhat meek Amelia balanced each other out nicely- and egged each other on nicely as well. Their escapades were fun, but nothing too modern for the period. Overall, Mitchell did a great job of setting the scene. Her 19th century Baltimore was believable, if a bit watered down for younger readers. There was enough period detail to flesh out the setting without overwhelming the story (face it, a lot of YA readers have short attention spans). Mitchell's writing style is fantastic- reading her work is a pleasure. Economical but not bare, her words made the novel move quickly (and kept me from taking a break). Amelia's powers emerged suddenly and were never explained, which was a bit annoying, but not a big deal (after all, it is a bit unbelievable that all of these characters manage to run into just the right person or book to explain things all the time). The romantic interest, Nathaniel the Artist, was another great character. The romance was a bit sudden for my tastes, but I suppose couples didn't really get to know each other that well before they were married back then (kissing could get you labelled as loose, after all). I did really like them together. Amelia's downfall, though foreshadowed, was sudden and brutal. The ending was really more of a beginning, so I'm hoping for a sequel (or a spin-off; their children maybe?), but I'm at peace with where the story ended if there isn't one in the works. I would recommend this to fans of Libba Bray's<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/gemmadoyle/"> Gemma Doyle</a> series.<br />
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<b>Update: </b>A sequel is out in 2012, about Zora in Oklahoma Territory! Check out the page for Springsweet <a href="http://saundramitchell.com/my-work/novels/the-springsweet/">here</a>.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-33238890059670655792011-09-06T20:30:00.000-05:002011-09-06T20:30:05.022-05:00Hades by Alexandra Adornetto: Giveaway + Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kdBddxPJ_4UsaWQmutFbe9YzbKwfL4zgTIKg7l1SMMjNiP2m9sYg9Fk9lGfC_LqzVTx4f8y_lwcHrivpX6aaaJG9IWAkU-Xmr21Euo90gymIpA6aW4JgQdKMJVyBwAN_Xao5HEwywc8/s1600/hades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kdBddxPJ_4UsaWQmutFbe9YzbKwfL4zgTIKg7l1SMMjNiP2m9sYg9Fk9lGfC_LqzVTx4f8y_lwcHrivpX6aaaJG9IWAkU-Xmr21Euo90gymIpA6aW4JgQdKMJVyBwAN_Xao5HEwywc8/s320/hades.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Title: </b>Hades (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraAdornetto">Facebook</a>)<br />
<b>Author: </b>Alexandra Adornetto<br />
<b>Publisher: </b><a href="http://us.macmillan.com/author/alexandergordonsmith">Macmillan</a><br />
<b>Synopsis: </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Heaven Help Her.</i></span><br />
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Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.</div>
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The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times-bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test. (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9666812-hades">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Giveaway!</span></b></div>
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<b>This giveaway will end on September 12th. It is open to US & International (as long as Book Depo delivers to you). The publisher will only ship to the US and Canada, so if an international reader wins I'll be sending them a copy from Book Depo, meaning that a US winner will still get a copy from the publisher. You don't have to follow, just have an email address. Good luck!</b></div>
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</span>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-58069822470566464372011-09-05T18:59:00.001-05:002011-09-05T18:59:56.207-05:00<br />
Our giveaway for Lockdown has officially ended and the winner is....<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Lindsay of Lindsay Writes!</span><br />
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Also, I forgot to announce the winner of Dreadfully Ever After was....<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Audrey S!</span><br />
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Winners have been emailed and prizes are on their way!<br />
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-74725213110184222942011-09-01T14:32:00.000-05:002011-09-01T14:32:08.256-05:00Witchlanders by Lena Coakley: Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Title:</b><b> </b>Witchlanders<br /><b>Author:</b><b> </b>Lena Coakley (<a href="http://lenacoakley.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">site</a>)<br /><b>Published: </b>August 30th, 2011 by Atheneum<br /><b>Pages:</b><b> </b>416<br /><b>Buy:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Witchlanders-Lena-Coakley/dp/1442420049" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Witchlanders-Lena-Coakley/9781442420045" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781442420045-0" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><br /><b></b><b>Series</b><b>: </b>Witchlanders #1<br /><b>Source:</b><b> </b><a href="http://www.galleygrab.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">GalleyGrab</a><br /><b>Rating:</b><b> </b>4.5/5<br /><b>Synopsis</b><b>: </b></span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.</i></span><br />
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<i>It’s all a fake.</i></div>
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<i>At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?</i></div>
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<i>But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—</i></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Are about him</i>.</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9917925-witchlanders" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Goodreads</a>)</i></span></span></b></span></span></b><br />
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<b>Review: </b>I was pleasantly surprised to start this book and realize that the main characters are guys. I love good books with male leads, you just don't see that many of them in YA these days. These guys aren't the overdone, romantically brooding or sensitive type of guy that you see a lot in books aimed at teen girls. They felt like real guys: stubborn, intolerant of drama, and a bit slow to catch on to the machinations of the fairer sex. (At least, that's the way my three brothers have always been.) There isn't any romance in this one, either- and I'm not pointing out a flaw. This book is perfectly whole without any romance. In fact, it didn't even occur to me until I'd finished it that there was a lack of love interests for the boys. I feel like a lot of the YA books I've read lately are all about the romance. If you take out the romance, you don't have a lot left. I'm not complaining, I love a good romance, but sometimes I feel like there needs to be a bit more to the story. I want the romance to be more of a side plot, no the thing that the whole book revolves around. A girl can get along just fine without a guy in here life and I'm starting to feel like that message needs to be reinforced a bit in YA literature today. Then again, I keep devouring those sappy love stories so I guess I'll get off my soapbox. Witchlanders was a fantastic read....literally. It feels more like the older fantasy authors that I used to love, which is funny because her list of influences (on her website) is almost an exact copy of my reading list in the 90s. The world is richly imagined, there is much more going on outside of the main character's corner of it. They may play a big part in the story, but overall they're just pawns. The Witchlanders and the Baen went to war and their countries ended up severing all ties. Anyone with Baen blood was ejected by the Witchlanders, leaving both sides bitter and angry. Falpian is sent by his father to the border between the two lands for a reason he's not privy to and Ryder, on the other side of the border, is beginning to discover that The Covens who rule the land are not what they seem. I loved the way the two main characters interacted. There was bickering, mistrust, and plenty of standoffishness, but they came through for each other when things got tough. All in all, a very good book and an author I'll be keeping an eye on. I would definitely recommend this to fans of fantasy, especially guys. I'll be adding it to the pile of books I've been sending my brother's way.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-45701492440031535992011-08-30T16:04:00.001-05:002011-09-06T20:31:23.254-05:00Lockdown by Alxexander Gordon Smith: Giveaway and Trailer (CLOSED)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Author: </b>Alexander Gordon Smith (<a href="http://www.alexandergordonsmith.com/">site</a>)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Series: </b>Escape From Furnace #1</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Publisher: </b><a href="http://us.macmillan.com/author/alexandergordonsmith">Macmillan</a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Synopsis: </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world. (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6420846-lockdown">Goodreads</a>)</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">How amazing does this series sound?! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Lockdown! I've never read anything by this author, but I'm liking the blurbs. The one for this new series, out in 2012, sounds AMAZING. Blurb from his site: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><i>"Cal, Brick and Daisy are three ordinary teenagers whose lives suddenly take a terrifying turn for the worst. They begin to trigger a reaction in everybody they meet, one that makes friends and strangers alike turn rabid whenever they are close. One that makes people want to tear them to pieces</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Cal and the other victims of the Fury – the ones that survive – manage to locate each other. But just when they think they have found a safe haven, a place to hide from the world, things get worse.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">They must fight to uncover the truth about the Fury before it is too late.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">But it is a truth that will destroy everything they know about life and death."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">It's like a zombie plague- except that only <i>you</i> trigger the crazy brain-eating monsters. So scary! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Fill out the form below to enter to win a copy of Lockdown, provided and shipped by the publisher. Extra entry for following, open to everyone. (If someone international wins, I'll buy them a copy and pick a domestic winner for the publisher-provided copy.) Good luck! <b>Giveaway ends September 4th!</b></span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-31011669665999864152011-08-29T12:01:00.000-05:002011-09-01T14:24:21.438-05:00Fury by Elizabeth Miles: Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Title:</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b>Fury<br />
<b>Author:</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b>Elizabeth Miles (<a href="http://www.elizabethmilesbooks.com/" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">site</a>)<br />
<b>Published: </b>August 30th, 2011 by <a href="http://teen.simonandschuster.com/" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Simon and Schuster</a><br />
<b>Pages:</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b>352<br />
<b>Buy:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fury-Hardcover-Trilogy-Elizabeth-Miles/dp/1442422246/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314637155&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Fury-Elizabeth-Miles/9781442422247" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Book Depo</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">/ </span><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9781442422247-0" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Powell's</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><br />
<b></b><b>Series</b><b style="font-weight: normal;">: </b>Furies #1<br />
<b>Source:</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b><a href="http://www.galleygrab.com/" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">GalleyGrab</a><br />
<b>Rating:</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b>2.5/5<br />
<b>Synopsis</b><b style="font-weight: normal;">: </b></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span></i><br />
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<i>Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend. </i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.</span></i></div>
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On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.</div>
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</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Em and Chase have been chosen</i>.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9918133-fury" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Goodreads</a>)</i></span></span></b></span><br />
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<b>Review:</b> I have been looking forward to reading this book since I first saw the cover and blurb. The Furies come to town and make some teens pay for their misdeeds- sounds like a very creepy and exciting story. I love the new greek mythology trend in YA and was looking forward to reading about The Furies. The book starts out with Em, who has a thing for her best friend's boyfriend. I hated Em pretty quickly. She's is selfish and stupid. I have no idea why she likes the guy, he's nothing special. I'm not a big fan of cheaters in general, but she was ridiculous. She goes on and on about how they're best friends, have known each other since childhood, inseparable, etc. Then she just jumps right up and goes after her best friend's boyfriend the day after her friend leaves for vacation. I felt no sympathy for her whatsoever. In fact, I was looking forward to her punishment. She thinks that they're "in love" when he's never said anything meaningful to her at all. He's obviously in it for the action, doesn't care about her <i>or </i> his girlfriend. The other main character, Chase, is a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who is best friends with Cheater Boy and is only popular because he's good at football. He is pretty shallow and a bit cruel, but I liked him at first. In fact, he's the main reason I kept reading. However, he turns out to be a complete jerk as well, so there are basically zero sympathetic main characters. Em's neighbor who is obviously in love with her was great, but he wasn't really a big presence. The best friend whose boyfriend she was stealing seemed pretty selfish and empty-headed, too. All of the guys that the two popular boys hung out with were annoying. The characters that I really wanted to get to know, The Furies, only made cameos here and there. (Except Ty and her actions didn't really make any sense at all.) Overall, I'd have to say that I'm pretty disappointed. If you have unsympathetic characters, I can live with it- just make them suffer. Chase suffered plenty, but Em got off scot-free for most of the book. They only came after her for a bit at the end. I was very surprised to see that this would be a trilogy. Things felt so disjointed and vague that there is certainly a lot of explaining left to do, but I don't really want to see what happens to Em. I wanted her to be punished at the end and then be done with the series. I'll keep an eye on the reviews for the second book and give it a chance if it looks good, but I'm not going to put it on my pre-order list.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-35908183962146950292011-08-27T07:30:00.003-05:002011-08-27T07:30:01.563-05:00Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry: Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6i7j_c6huI24jmn0gV2oVXrh9-YqDCRU6QllHbiTWBq4pv0QsMkF2-XhKmI3s-qItVA_eR7_CG6gH_j-0idSTc14nJfD1Dd0GRB_kI_pBQlMBH7ppruUjecAZv4ZxEpu_znvRC9KJOc/s1600/dustanddecay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6i7j_c6huI24jmn0gV2oVXrh9-YqDCRU6QllHbiTWBq4pv0QsMkF2-XhKmI3s-qItVA_eR7_CG6gH_j-0idSTc14nJfD1Dd0GRB_kI_pBQlMBH7ppruUjecAZv4ZxEpu_znvRC9KJOc/s1600/dustanddecay.jpg" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><b>Title: </b>Dust and Decay<br />
<b>Author: </b>Jonathan Maberry (<a href="http://jonathanmaberry.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">site</a>)<br />
<b>Published: </b>August 30th, 2010 by <a href="http://teen.simonandschuster.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Simon & Schuster</a><br />
<b>Pages: </b>528<br />
<b>Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dust-Decay-Jonathan-Maberry/dp/1442402350/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314406035&sr=8-1">Amazon</a>/ <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Dust-Decay-Jonathan-Maberry/9781442402355">Book Depo</a>/ <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781442402355-0">Powell's</a> </b><br />
<b></b><b>Series: </b>Benny Imura #2<br />
<b>Source: </b><a href="http://www.galleygrab.com/">GalleyGrab</a><br />
<b>Rating: </b>3.5/5<br />
<b>Synopsis: </b></span></b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It’s also six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny’s zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny’s best friend Lou Chong are going with them. </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In the great Rot & Ruin everything wants to kill you. Everything…and not everyone in Benny’s small band of travelers will make it out alive.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span></i><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>Sounds easy. Sounds wonderful. Except that everything that can go wrong does. Before they can even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town. But as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of Gameland –where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all…could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive? </i></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9917998-dust-decay" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Goodreads</a>)</i></span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
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<b>Review:</b> Dust and Decay starts off half a year after Rot & Ruin. Tom Imura has been training his brother and his brother's friends so that they can go look for the jet they saw in the first book. They start off on their cross-country trip, but then everything goes NUTS. I'm going to warn you now that the mystery of the plane is not solved in this book. Instead, old enemies come back to cause more trouble and not everyone makes it out alive. Once again, the characters in this book felt so <i>young</i>. I would think that growing up in a world where zombies have taken over most of the planet would make the teens a little less naive, a little less whiny, but that is not the case. The book also had a really slow start (like the first one). The magic of Maberry's zombie series is that you start out thinking "are these kids ever going to shut up?" and then suddenly everything goes crazy and you can't fly through the pages fast enough. Things started to get interesting halfway through and, by the last third, I could not tear myself away. There's something about this series that makes me reluctant to give it a 5 star rating. I think it's the fact that the younger characters are a bit annoying. They step up to the plate when things get tough, but that didn't quite redeem them in my eyes. For plot and action scenes, I'd definitely give this five stars. Characters would be more like 2.5 or 3. This evens out nicely to a 3.5. I'm wondering if maybe he's just dumbing down the characters a bit too much because it's YA, so I'm going to give his adult book, <a href="http://jonathanmaberry.com/joe-ledger-series">Patient Zero</a>, a try and see if it has all of the good and none of the bad that I've seen in the Rot & Ruin series. Read my review of Rot and Ruin <a href="http://booksforbears.blogspot.com/2011/03/rot-ruin-by-jonathan-maberry-review.html">here</a>.<br />
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P.S. How amazing are these covers?!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-31099112484742644382011-08-26T19:21:00.000-05:002011-08-26T19:21:36.066-05:00Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen: Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUKltMpd__PGAv69ixrJ8oCpwvqOIlEcHViZDUfwdxm9qBBgzZ-JUHJV77kavgLSqfKWuVR24Obj4AJGotEDGmzyvSVBFchTROZgAg1ouBSkqtvNAWDnwBSD928Firdovpgc9rLGNX_g/s1600/BeyondtheGrave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUKltMpd__PGAv69ixrJ8oCpwvqOIlEcHViZDUfwdxm9qBBgzZ-JUHJV77kavgLSqfKWuVR24Obj4AJGotEDGmzyvSVBFchTROZgAg1ouBSkqtvNAWDnwBSD928Firdovpgc9rLGNX_g/s320/BeyondtheGrave.jpg" width="199" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Title: </b>Beyond the Grave</div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Author: </b>Mara Purnhagen (<a href="http://www.marapurnhagen.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">site</a>)</div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b style="color: #333333;">Published: </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">August 30th, 2011 by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;"><a href="https://www.harlequinteenpanel.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Harlequin Teen</a></span></div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Pages: </b>256</div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Buy:<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Grave-Harlequin-Teen-Purnhagen/dp/0373210310/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1314404293&sr=8-12" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;">Amazon</span></a> / <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Beyond-Grave-Mara-Purnhagen/9780373210312" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Book Depository</a>/ <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780373210312-0">Powell's</a></span> </b></div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Rating: </b>4/5</div></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Source: </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.netgalley.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">NetGalley</a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><b>Synopsis: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Being Charlotte Silver, the daughter of famous paranormal investigators, means my life isn’t like that of other teenage girls. Especially after what happened to my parents. Things changed. I missed prom and deferred my big college plans. But I still have my boyfriend, Noah. He’s everything I could want—if I can figure out what’s up with him. Suddenly Noah is secretive.<br />
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I fear it has something to do with what happened to us three months ago. The bruise Noah suffered during a paranormal attack has never completely faded. Now I’ve learned Noah is researching demons. And when he disappears, it’s up to me to find him—before something else does. (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9132487-beyond-the-grave">Goodreads</a>)</i></span><br />
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<b>Review: </b>The third book in Purnhagen's Past Midnight series is by far the best. There was a lot more going on here and none of it dull. If you've read my reviews of <a href="http://booksforbears.blogspot.com/2011/07/past-midnight-by-mara-purnhagen-review.html">Past Midnight</a> and <a href="http://booksforbears.blogspot.com/2011/07/one-hundred-candles-by-mara-purnhagen.html">One Hundred Candles</a>, you'll know that I wasn't too very impressed. They were quick, fun books. However, there wasn't really anything memorable. This book, on the other hand, was intense. I stayed up all night (which was a mistake, so tired now) to finish it. After I finished it, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking of a demon crawling through my window to murder me. Maybe part of it was the fact that I was reading it at night, but this book really creeped me out. Things don't get any easier for poor Charlotte. Her mother is still in a coma, she can't count on her dad for any support, and something very evil is coming after her. I was a bit annoyed that she made the same mistake as last time- Tell No One, See What Happens. And don't worry about things getting too domestic and dull with Noah- they are anything but! There are a few weak spots. The Climax is resolved a bit too suddenly and the sudden addition of the Protector felt a bit awkward at first, but I really enjoyed this book and I'm very grateful to the publisher for putting it on NetGalley. I don't know if I would have stuck with this series after reading the first two, but now I'm excited for the next installment.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402163365143017729.post-53967970932539178122011-08-25T22:23:00.000-05:002011-08-25T22:23:13.164-05:00Stay by Deb Caletti: Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzONpeOX8xsutgYqCGyIL7TKwBG-p3UcoVGzwf77KYII1ctL-7yEGV3UHh190thAmR242xD7KgjNsB0N4QvERudgjYeUZIyCL1ATtkYrKW-Qim7nQ5KN58C6_I7x-DNn9o3dT-BhNXH8/s1600/Stay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzONpeOX8xsutgYqCGyIL7TKwBG-p3UcoVGzwf77KYII1ctL-7yEGV3UHh190thAmR242xD7KgjNsB0N4QvERudgjYeUZIyCL1ATtkYrKW-Qim7nQ5KN58C6_I7x-DNn9o3dT-BhNXH8/s320/Stay.jpg" width="209" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Title: </b>Stay</div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Author: </b>Deb Caletti<b style="font-weight: bold;"> (<a href="http://debcaletti.com/" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">site</a>)</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;">Published: </b><span style="color: #333333;">April 5</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal;">th, 2011 by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span><a href="http://www.egmontusa.com/" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">S</a>imon Pulse</div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Pages: </b>313</div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><b>Buy: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stay-Deb-Caletti/dp/144240373X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314328748&sr=8-1" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span> /</b> <b><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Stay-Deb-Caletti/9781442403734" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;">Book Depository</span> </a></b></b></div></div></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Rating: </b>5/5</div></div></div><span style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Source: </b><a href="http://www.galleygrab.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699;">G</span>alleyGrab</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><b>Synopsis: </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Clara's relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it's almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he's willing to do to make her stay.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won't let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough.... (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8527904-stay">Goodreads</a>)</i></div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></div></span><b>Review: </b>Contemporary Fiction isn't usually my cup of tea, but this book really blew me away. Caletti's writing style is beautiful. So lovely, in fact, that I kept stopping to re-read a particularly perfect section. I almost <i>never</i> do this when I'm reading YA. The writing would have been enough to hook me, there were also perfectly real characters and the added element of suspense; you know the ex is going to show up, but <i>when</i>?! The story is what initially drew me to <u>Stay</u>. A girl and her father go into hiding after her boyfriend (ex now) turns out to be obsessive and violent, which sounds like a <i>very</i> creepy tale. I was expecting a thriller about a girl on the run. When it turned out to be more about Clara learning to trust herself again after falling in love with a psycho. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved this story even more than I would have an exciting (but not nearly so touching) story about a girl confronting a love-crazed maniac. There is a second romance, but it's handled very well. There is no rushing into things, no questionable teen Love at First Sight. Instead, she meets a guy who is exactly what she needs at the time; easy-going, patient, and kind. Finn is practically the polar opposite of her ex, Christian. Things move very slowly and she is just beginning to relax and get to know Finn when IT happens. That's right; the dreaded Return of The Ex. The story of how she became involved with Christian is shown in flashbacks. As we watch the relationship develop, it's scary how very easy it is for a normal girl to find herself involved with a seriously insecure, possessive jerk. Clara isn't damaged goods; she isn't secretly looking for someone to mimic abuse she suffered when she was young. She is just a normal girl who doesn't realize what she's getting herself into. If I hadn't already known how things turned out, I'm not sure that I would have known about him from the beginning. <u>Stay</u> is a beautifully written book about a girl trying to learn to trust herself again after she falls for a boy who turns out to be unstable in the worst kind of way. The characters are realistic and the story is believable and chilling. Deb Caletti is an amazing author and I can't wait to pick up more of her work.<br />
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06413455837610452585noreply@blogger.com0