A Tapestry Of Words: YA Reviews

Cross My Palm: Sci-fi/Dystopian YA

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:24:00 +0000

This is a series of posts I'm doing discussing current trends in YA genres and what might be in store for the future. This is just based on my own observations of books and what I've seen publishers/authors/other bloggers talking about.

Last week, I touched on current themes in contemporary YA. This week, it's sci-fi/dystopian:

Genre-blending is on the rise. Dystopian mixed with fantasy or paranormal elements (or vice versa) seems to becoming quite popular. Examples include: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Above by Leah Bobet, Glitch by Heather Anastasiu, Renegade by J.A. Souders, and Crewel by Gennifer Albin.

The dystopian premises keep getting weirder and weirder. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like the premises are becoming more far-fetched as writers desperately try to come up with scenarios that feel "fresh" and haven't been done before. Sometimes "thinking outside the box" leads to great creative pay-off, but it can also lend itself to "what were they thinking?" moments on the reader's side. (Not going to list examples here!)

Post-apocalyptic is coming into its own, with darker and grittier being the order of the day. We're talking Enclave by Ann Aguirre, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick, Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari, Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts, The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker, Pure by Julianna Baggott, and The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. I wouldn't say, though, that it is yet overshadowing dystopian, and I'm not sure it's going to get there. Right now I think this category needs to work on distinguishing itself from dystopian, in order for it to trend on its own somewhere down the line.

Space is the final frontier...and it's finally getting explored. Examples: Across the Universe by Beth Revis, Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans, and For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.

Artificial intelligence, genetic modification, bioengineering and the like seem to be getting more popular. I think sci-fi overall is getting a boost from the dystopian fascination, so while stories with these elements aren't new to YA, it's getting easier for them to sell. Upcoming books with these themes include Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza, Beta by Rachel Cohn, Cybernetic by Laura Riken, Altered by Jennifer Rush, Glitch by Heather Anastasiu, and False Memory by Dan Krokos.

Just generally, sci-fi/dystopian is "hot" right now in YA, and I don't think that trend is going to die anytime soon.

Interestingly, you might think that of all genres, sci-fi/dystopian would have the most appeal to boy readers...but take a look at those covers! *points up* Those are definitely being marketed to girls. I think most teenage boys wouldn't want to be caught dead holding a book with a butterfly on the cover. While I'm happy that this genre is no longer being viewed as a "boys only" domain, I find it pretty sad that teenage guys don't seem to be reading anymore...even what used to be considered a genre for their gender.

What do you think? Spot any trends in this genre I missed? Agree/disagree with the ones above?

In My Mailbox (45)

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

In this meme, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, we share the books we've received, bought or taken out from the library. This post covers the past few weeks.

For review:

Save the Pearls Part One: Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt — thanks to Sand Dollar Press!

Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin, illustrations by Lisa Brown (thanks Sourcebooks!)

Getting Somewhere by Beth Neff (from the author — thanks, Beth!) She also included a hardcover copy for me to give away, so be on the lookout for a giveaway of that!

And a couple e-books:

Thanks to Callie Kingston and Meredith Zeitlin's PR rep for these!

Bought:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green — This was a pre-order of mine, and I was dismayed to see that it came unsigned! All pre-orders were supposed to be signed, but I think Amazon.ca screwed up. Did anyone else have the same problem? Anyway, the author has promised to fix it with a signed bookplate if you e-mail him with your information, so I've done that. *crosses fingers*

Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares — got this as a library discard! I have the first two, so I thought it would be nice to continue the collection.

Gifted:

An awesome swag package for the book Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman! It came in this cute gauzy bag, and inside was...

...assorted swag, including a couple bookmarks, a sticker, and a button! Charlotte enclosed a nice card, too :) Thanks very much, Charlotte!

And a few books out from the library:

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Forget-Me-Nots: There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:35:00 +0000

Forget-Me-Nots is a feature on my blog for highlighting books I enjoyed in childhood and the teenage years that I don't see getting much attention nowadays.

There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar

This was the cover of the copy I owned.

Goodreads' description:

"Bradley Chalkers IS the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him—except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren’t afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world. . . ."

I re-read this book several times when I was younger. It's a story about friendship and growing up and changing, and yet it's not at all sappy. There's humour laced throughout, but it's all done with genuine emotion. I love the relationship that develops between Carla and Bradley, and I have to admit: this book made me cry. Actually, I've cried upon more than one reading of it.

Anyone remember this one?

Waiting on Wednesday: Wentworth Hall and The Glimpse

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:47:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

This week's picks:

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame

From Goodreads:

"A lush, historical novel about the secretive Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall! The prettiest people often have the ugliest secrets…

Eighteen-year-old Maggie Darlington has turned into an entirely different person. The once spirited teen is now passive and reserved. A change Lord and Lady Darlington can’t help but be grateful for.

It’s 1912, and the Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall have more than just the extensive grounds to maintain. As one of Britain’s most elite families, they need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been…even as their carefully constructed façade rapidly comes undone.

Maggie has a secret. And she’s not the only one…the handsome groom Michael, the beautiful new French nanny Therese, the Darlingtons’ teenage houseguests Teddy and Jessica, and even Maggie’s younger sister Lila are all hiding something. Passion, betrayal, heartache, and whispered declarations of love take place under the Darlingtons’ massive roof. And one of these secrets has the power to ruin the Darlingtons forever.

When scandalous satires start appearing in the newspaper with details that closely mirror the lives of the Darlingtons, everyone is looking over their shoulder, worrying their scandal will be next. Because at Wentworth Hall, nothing stays secret for long."

I think I saw a comparison to the TV show Downton Abbey somewhere, which I am a fan of, so that's a good start. Sounds like there's plenty of drama here! I just hope it doesn't succumb to the pitfall of the Luxe series, in having a bunch of characters who are only after wealth and power and aren't very endearing. In any case, it looks like it will qualify for my "New Adult" challenge!

The Glimpse by Claire Merle

From Goodreads:

"ONCE YOU'VE SEEN INTO THE FUTURE, CAN YOU CHANGE YOUR DESTINY?

In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not intefere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society and into the pits of the human soul. And as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper's abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe, but she also learns to love as she has never loved before.

A heart-pounding thriller."

I really like the sound of this premise — dystopian + mental health aspect? Sign me up! I'm a little skeptical about the scientific basis of it, but I'll have to wait and see how it's explained. This one's coming out in the UK in June, but I don't know if/when it's being released in North America.

What books are you waiting for?

Reader Reaction Survey: Please Fill This Out!

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:17:00 +0000

I've seen some other bloggers doing these kinds of surveys, and I thought it might be helpful to do one for my own blog. I'm wondering what direction to take things in this year and I'd love your input as to what you think I should keep/change/add to A Tapestry of Words! I'd appreciate it if you could take just a minute to fill out this survey.

It's anonymous, of course, so please give me your honest opinion :) If you don't feel comfortable answering some of the questions, you are more than welcome to leave them blank.

Thanks!!

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Cross My Palm: Contemporary YA

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:46:00 +0000

I've taken a good hard look at what YA literature has looked like in the past, so I thought I'd spend a few posts now discussing current trends and what might be in store for the future. This is just based on my own observations of books and what I've seen publishers/authors/other bloggers talking about.

This first post focuses on contemporary YA. Check back in a week for the next post in this series!

Books about sisters, especially serious, complicated sister relationships. These seem to be popular at the moment and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. We're talking Without Tess by Marcella Pixley, Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott, The Space Between Us by Jessica Martinez, Losing Faith and Never Enough by Denise Jaden, and Irises by Francisco X. Stork. I enjoy a good complex sister story, but it would be neat to see some more brother/sister or brother/brother relationships.

Stories involving trips, road or otherwise. Books like Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern, The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour, Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard, Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole, Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John, Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson, and Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham. This looks like it's emerging as a trend in YA, and I'm glad, because it's a lot of fun to travel vicariously!

War/PTSD stories. These seem to have surged in number recently. Something Like Normal by Trish Doller, While He Was Away by Karen Schreck, In Honor by Jessi Kirby, Personal Effects by E. M. Kokie, and A Brighter Fear by Kerry Drewery all fit in this category. In fact, there's even been a Goodreads list started specifically for YA and New Adult books with characters in the military!

Amnesia. Amnesia seems to be super popular right now in YA. I can't really figure out why, since most teens don't suffer from amnesia as far as I know (I never did!). Recent and upcoming books include: Forget You by Jennifer Echols, Forgotten by Cat Patrick (admittedly this has a paranormal element as well), Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler, Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom, One Moment by Kristina McBride, and Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf.

Car accidents/crashes. These tend to go hand-in-hand with the amnesia, but not always. In addition to Forget You, Where It Began, and Breaking Beautiful, there's If I Stay by Gayle Forman, The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle, The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes, and My Life in Black and White by Natasha Friend. I'm kind of hoping that this trend will end soon, as it's getting overused. Surely you can introduce drama or tension into the characters' lives in another way?

Books about grief/death/the afterlife. Given all the accidents and war, I guess this makes sense! Think Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, Losing Faith by Denise Jaden, Saving June by Hannah Harrington, If I Stay by Gayle Forman, and The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle. And there are plenty more in store — Before You Go by James Preller, The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg, Devine Intervention by Martha Brockenbrough, and Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini — so it doesn't look like this angle will be fading anytime soon.

So, to sum up:

What you won't be seeing: books for boys and books with PoC characters.

What you will be seeing: misunderstood, grieving sisters who go on road trips, get in car crashes, and end up with amnesia and/or PTSD. You are in for a morbid ride. Enjoy! :D

So, what do you think: am I on the mark about this, or way off? What trends are you seeing in contemporary YA?

Vampire Academy: Outside My Comfort Zone Review

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Goodreads' description: "Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever..."

Technically I read this one last year, even if I didn't get around to reviewing it until now, so I'm counting it towards last year's "Read Outside Your Comfort Zone" Challenge. (I'm not hosting this challenge this year, but I will still be trying to broaden my comfort zone boundaries a bit, so you'll probably see a few reviews like this throughout the year.)

Why is it outside my comfort zone? Vampires...something about the whole sucking-your-blood gorefest has me more than a little wary of this sub-genre of paranormal YA.

Did it win me over? Why or why not? Okay, I have to admit: I was wrong about this series! It's dramatic, very addicting, and so much fun. The parallels/allusions to mental health issues (depression, schizophrenia, addiction) were really fascinating, providing a connection to the 'real world' despite the fact that this is a book all about vampires. For someone with a psychology background like me, this added an extra layer of interest.

The characterization and world-building were solid, but I took some issue with the plot. This is one of those books where dribs and drabs of information are handed out to the reader as the story goes along, but it's information that the protagonist knows and is just withholding from the reader for the moment. I'm sorry, but that always feels like a bit of a trick to me. It was executed quite well here, but the device itself I personally find kind of annoying.

Best aspect? Difficult to pick! I enjoyed both the characterization and the world Richelle Mead has created.

I liked seeing the bond that Rose and Lissa share, though I took issue with Rose purposefully using that connection without informing Lissa of it. I found Rose to be a complex character — immature in some ways, but I'm hoping to see her grow throughout the series. Her ethics are shaky, she uses guys and even her friends sometimes, she spreads rumours, and she's a tad too quick to judge people. She can be rude, abrasive, and dishonest when she wants to be. She acts (as she admits herself) recklessly and impulsively, and she often views the world in black and white...but she has some wonderful qualities too. She's extremely loyal and brave; she sticks up for what she thinks is right, but she'll admit when she's wrong (although it might take a bit.) She's tough, and very protective of Lissa.

Mead has laid out a solid foundation for the social strata of this world. Each group of beings has a clearly marked role in society to play — the Moroi to beget more Moroi, the dhampir guardians to defend the Moroi, the feeders to keep the Moroi sustained, the "blood whores" to be treated as deviant social pariahs, the Strigoi to threaten the Moroi. I think there's a lot of potential in the way the society is structured for interesting dynamics and interactions to occur between the different groups, and for the stereotypes of each group to be challenged.

If I could change something, I would... raise the stakes for the climactic scene — it wasn't exciting enough for me, and the villain reveal in particular was somewhat disappointing. The whole thing ended up being less "epic" than I had anticipated (although I suppose considering it's a series the author wanted to start small.)

Also, a couple of the tactics used by the villains were far-fetched and require a serious suspension of disbelief (spoilers, highlight to read: seriously, a *lust* charm? Couldn't Victor have incapacitated Rose and Dimitri in some less convoluted way, that didn't rely on Rose actually deciding to wear the necklace? It seems a bit obvious that this was an attempt by the author to get the chemistry between Rose and Dimitri happening. Also, Natalie rotting the bench...how could she have had any idea Rose would jump up on it? Unless she was spying on her? This is never properly explained.)

Just one more thing I want to mention: I wasn't entirely on board with the Dimitri/Rose dynamic. Perhaps it was the age thing, but it felt a little weird to me. However, I liked that she'd found someone she wanted to be with in a romantic way, that she actually connected with emotionally rather than just physically, someone that she respected.

Would I read more like this book? Yes! I'm definitely continuing on with this series.

Quote:

He let go of my arm, looking disappointed, and ran a hand through his bronze-colored hair. Yeah. Not being able to hang out with him was a damned shame. I really would have to fix that someday. "Can't you ever get off for good behavior?" he joked.

I gave him what I hoped was a seductive smile as I found my seat. "Sure," I called over my shoulder. "If I was ever good."

Final verdict: 4 shooting stars. I was really engrossed in this one!

Note: this book contains some violence, mature language, and sexual content.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Opposite of Tidy and Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

This week's picks:

The Opposite of Tidy by Carrie Mac

From the publisher's website:

"How do you come clean when your life is a mess?

Fifteen-year-old Junie is barely coping. Her mother has started sleeping in the chair in front of the TV, and the house is so packed with junk, newspapers, cupboard organizers and other helpful items from the Shopping Channel that she can barely get in the front door. Her father is no help, since he’s always with That Woman. To top it off, she’s failing math.

So when Wade Jaffre, the hot new guy at school, offers her a ride home from school, it seems too good to be true. Junie surprises herself by accepting—and even talking! But as they approach her house, her parents are outside, screaming at each other. Junie doesn’t have to think twice about directing him on to her best friend Tabitha’s house, nor about continuing the charade of pretending she lives there.

Tabitha and her mother are understanding—and willing to go along, for the moment. But as the weeks go by, Junie’s lies start piling up and the opportunity to tell the truth seems to slip away. Until the day Junie’s world—and her mother’s—is literally turned inside out for the world to see, and Junie and her mother must face the consequences of her mother’s illness ... and the lies they both told to hide it."

The premise of this one reminds me a lot of Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu, so I'm interested to see how it compares. There aren't very many YA books involving hoarding so I think it's great to have a new addition!

Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn

Goodreads' description:

"Based on an actual crime in 1955, this YA novel is at once a mystery and a coming-of-age story. The brutal murder of two teenage girls on the last day of Nora Cunningham's junior year in high school throws Nora into turmoil. Her certainties, friendships, religion, her prudence, her resolve to find a boyfriend taller than she is - are shaken or cast off altogether.

Most people in Elmgrove, Maryland, share the comforting conviction that Buddy Novak, who had every reason to want his ex-girlfriend dead, is responsible for the killings. Nora agrees at first, then begins to doubt Buddy's guilt, and finally comes to believe him innocent - the lone dissenting voice in Elmgrove.

Told from several different perspectives, including that of the murderer, Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls is a suspenseful page-turner with a powerful human drama at its core."

This one does indeed sound like quite the drama! I'm thinking that the fact it's based on an actual crime will make it all the more emotionally resonant and genuine. And while books told from several different POVs can be a bit of a gamble, it sounds like the murderer's perspective will definitely add to the creepy, disturbing factor.

What books are you waiting for?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read YA Fantasy

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:45:00 +0000

This fabulous meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is books we'd recommend to someone who doesn't read "X". I picked YA fantasy — probably not a big surprise to those of you who know my reading tastes! :) Many of these books may look familiar, since they have all popped up on Top Ten lists in the past, LOL.

So, here we go...

1.) The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce — I absolutely cannot write this list without giving a nod to the author who sparked my love of YA fantasy. Before I read the first couple Alanna books, I was not a big fantasy fan. I kept to my "realistic fiction" and I couldn't seem to get into fantasy books like the Narnia series (I never got into those, really, although I have read a few of them.) Then along came Alanna: the First Adventure and I was hooked. Big thanks to my sister for bringing it along on that summer trip years ago, when I finished my own books and wanted something else to read!

2.) Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine — all right, all right, it's more MG than YA. But it's absolutely phenomenal so that shouldn't matter a bit! I've read this so many times over that my copy is showing the worse for wear for it. This was my favourite book around Grade 7/8 and it still claims a place amongst my other favourites in my bookcase.

3.) The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale — Shannon Hale really has a wonderful ear for the way words fit together and the beat of a line. The characters are well-sketched and the system of magic is simple but effective.

4.) The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede — if you like to laugh, you will LOVE this series. It's light-hearted, comedic fantasy at its finest, full of entertaining characters that sparkle with personality, and rollicking adventures.

5.) The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander —speaking of humour... this series has it in spades! But it's balanced well with a good deal of drama, and the cast of characters is fantastic. Epic good vs. evil battle FTW! This one's also more MG, at least in the first few books, but the characters grow up along the way.

6.) Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevemer — if historical fiction is more your cup of tea, then pick up this one. It's composed entirely of letters between two cousins, is set in Regency England, and is chock-full of secrets, magic, and a splash of romance.

7.) Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith — I would be remiss if I didn't put this one on the list! When I was younger I re-read this one countless times. It features a gutsy heroine, a villainous king, a secret admirer, and a whole lot of adventure.

8.) Archangel by Sharon Shinn —technically this is actually an adult sci-fi/fantasy, but I think it would be suitable for older teens. Sharon Shinn wrote this long before the paranormal angel trend, and it shows. This is no jumping-on-the-bandwagon kind of novel, but rather a carefully crafted world in which angels are considered the highest of the social strata, and the Archangel the very highest of them all. When it's his time to marry, he seeks out the bride he is told is his destiny, Rachel — and is shocked to discover she is a slave. For those of you who enjoy hate-turned-to-love romances: this one's for you.

9.) Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones— my favourite of all the Diana Wynne Jones I've read. The characters are so lively and Diana Wynne Jones is a real fount of creativity. (Be warned: if you've seen the movie, the book is really nothing like it. I happen to prefer the book, but then I did read it first.)

10.) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman —and now for something completely different... this one's more "urban fantasy" than traditional. It's kind of dark and gritty, but the protagonist Richard is so very likeable and his journey is so very strange that it makes for a really interesting read.

The Faerie Ring: A Panoramic Review

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:42:00 +0000

"The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…" (from Goodreads)

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

My reaction:

Overall, I found The Faerie Ring to be quite entertaining. While the first half is pretty slow and somewhat repetitive — it mostly consists of information-gathering, and various characters (particularly Tiki) making decisions and then changing their minds — the plot and pacing do pick up considerably in the second half. The storyline becomes a good deal more intricate, and some important revelations happen (spoiler, highlight to read: I really liked the twist of Rieker being Wills!)

The resolution of the story was too sappy for my taste, unfortunately, with an overly neat ending (although the last few lines were very cute, I have to admit.) The future of Tiki's family of orphans is decided without involvement by Tiki, really, but wholly reliant on another character instead. I would have liked to have seen Tiki actively helping to better their lifestyle herself, rather than depending on someone else's aid.

Much of the mythology in The Faerie Ring is standard stuff you'll have seen in other faerie YA books — the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, the nix on faerie-human relationships, the lack of empathy on the part of the fey. But the concept of the faerie ring (as it is detailed in this book) is pretty fresh as far as I know, and I'd like to see this fleshed out in the next in the series. I must say I found it strange that Tiki didn't ask more questions (particularly of Rieker) about the faeries and their connection to the British royalty, especially given the events that happen throughout. I suppose this was done to draw out the mystery, but it resulted in Tiki acting on limited information. Had Rieker been a bit more forthcoming or Tiki a bit more inquisitive, she could have made some smarter choices.

Best aspect: the relationship between Tiki and Rieker was really enjoyable. I wanted to shake Tiki for making things difficult for the two of them! Rieker's snarky and teasing personality made him my favourite character. Just generally, actually, most of the characters were well-done. Tiki was a mix of annoying and admirable qualities: stubborn (to a fault), mistrusting of others, determined to believe she knows best, gutsy, incredibly loyal and protective of her "family," and street-tough. Sometimes I wanted to knock some sense into the girl, but I was still rooting for things to work out for her.

Larkin was a particularly interesting, complex character, and I'm very interested to find out more about her as the series goes on. Of all the characters introduced in The Faerie Ring, I think she may well have the most depth and shades of grey exhibited. There was one thing she did, though, that I thought was unbelievable given her apparent intelligence (spoiler: she "hid" Clara back at Tiki's place? How is that hiding?)

If I could change something... it often felt, particularly in the first half, that I was missing information. I don't know if it's the reader who's not privy to the information, or the characters themselves, but it made things frustrating and confusing to try to puzzle out. The reasoning of characters in making some decisions seemed absurd. I think a couple of the later revelations might shed some light on this, but at the time I know I was re-reading sections in an effort to figure out why characters were doing what they were doing.

And I wish Tiki's "siblings" had had more of a role to play in the story. There are several of them, but with the exception of Clara (and hers is a passive, unintentional involvement) none of them really take part in the plot!

Read if: you like traditional faerie mythology, the streets of Victorian England, and adventure. Fans of The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope and Mairelon the Magician/Magician's Ward by Patricia C. Wrede might enjoy this one.

Quote:

Satisfied the ring was safely hidden, Tiki swung down from the branch and landed in the thicket. She brushed off her trousers and smiled to herself before turning to gaze back across the lake toward the grand mansion. Though the trees eclipsed part of her view, from this distance she could see the building lit up like Big Ben. Her smile faded as cold fingers wrapped around her heart. She recognized that familiar silhouette.

It was Buckingham Palace.

She recalled the names of the young men in the library. Leo...Prince Leopold? And Prince Arthur? And the older woman...Mother...

Oh, bloody hell. She'd just stolen the queen's ring.

Hopes for the sequel? I think there's potential here, and I'd like to see Tiki mature and the world-building grow stronger. I'm also hoping that the romantic resolution of this book won't result in terribly cheesy dialogue in the next one. The Faerie Ring already had a bit of that towards the end, and I much prefer the "witty banter" type of dialogue to the oh-so-romantic-we're-in-love type.

Final verdict: 3.5 shooting stars. It's clear from the writing this is a debut novel; it's pretty basic style-wise and falls prey to some amateur mistakes (for instance, the repetition of "smoky eyes" whenever Rieker is described.) While it doesn't add much new to the genre, and unfortunately does use some clichés and well-known tropes, The Faerie Ring does a fine job of providing an entertaining story with fun characters.

Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher.

Waiting on Wednesday: Between the Lines and Kill Me Softly

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:55:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

It's been over a month since I've done this meme and I'm excited to be joining in again! This week's picks have a fairy tale theme, as you can see...

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Goodreads' description:

"Between the Lines is a clever, funny, romantic teen novel about a fairy tale prince who wants to break free of the constraints of his storybook existence, and the girl who falls in love with him.

In this story-within-a-story, Delilah, a loner who feels happiest with her head in a book, is obsessed with a fairy tale about Prince Oliver at her library. And then one day, Oliver actually speaks to her. It turns out that Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince and is in fact a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence.

Once Delilah and Oliver connect, she decides to help him break out of the book and they begin to fall head over heels for each other."

This sounds really different from Jodi Picoult's usual fare! I'm interested to see how well she can do a lighter YA story, especially one with some fantastical elements, and how well the co-authoring with her daughter works. But the premise sounds like a lot of fun!

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Description from the author's website:

"True love’s kiss just may prove deadly....

Mirabelle’s past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents’ tragic deaths to her guardians’ half-truths about why she can’t return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.
In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who’s a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren’t pretty things, and they don’t always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy-tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy-tale curses of their own ... brothers who share a dark secret. And she’ll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns."

Wow, the cover of this one is striking! It has more of an adult vibe than YA to me, but it's very effective. Love the thorns/vines with the title font. And plus the premise sounds a bit like the TV show Once Upon A Time, which I've been enjoying (anybody else watch that one? And if you do, can you explain WHY they killed off an important character recently? *is still mad*). I'm a sucker for books involving fairy tales so I'll definitely be on the lookout for this one!

What books are you waiting for?

In My Mailbox (44)

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:51:00 +0000

First IMM of the new year! In this meme, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, we share the books we've received, bought or taken out from the library. This post covers the past few weeks.

Gifted:

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James — this was a belated Christmas gift from my parents!

Wanderlove and Like Mandarin bookmarks — thanks very much to the author Kirsten Hubbard for these! I'll be using them for giveaway prizes :)

For review:

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran — thanks to Broadway Books!

The 58th Keeper by R. G. Bullet — thanks to SilverHouse Books!

From the library:

Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher
Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley
Sandman: The Dreamhunters (graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman, illustrations by P. Craig Russell
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
Blankets (graphic novel) by Craig Thompson

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
Deadly by Julie Chibbaro
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Heads-Up: Essay Contest for Aspiring Writers of YA/MG!

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:30:00 +0000

I was contacted recently by Book Wish Foundation, asking if I would spread the word on my blog about a contest they're holding for amateur writers of YA/MG. Since Book Wish Foundation is a charitable organization (all proceeds from their book What You Wish For go to the UN Refugee Agency to support libraries in Darfuri refugee camps, by the way), I thought I'd help out and post about it!

Here's the information, taken from the e-mail I received:

"Win a literary agent or acclaimed author's feedback on your unpublished manuscript for young adult or middle grade readers. This rare opportunity is being offered to the six winners of an essay contest recently announced by the literacy charity Book Wish Foundation. See http://bookwish.org/contest for full details.

You could win a manuscript critique from:

Laura Langlie, literary agent for Meg Cabot
Nancy Gallt, literary agent for Jeanne DuPrau
Brenda Bowen, literary agent and editor of Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust
Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe
Francisco X. Stork, winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for The Last Summer of the Death Warriors
Cynthia Voigt, winner of the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor for A Solitary Blue

All that separates you from this prize is a 500-word essay about a short story in Book Wish Foundation's new anthology, What You Wish For. Essays are due Feb. 1, 2012 and winners will be announced around Mar. 1, 2012. If you win, you will have six months to submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript for critique (which means you can enter the contest even if you haven't finished, or started, your manuscript). You can even enter multiple times, with essays about more than one of the contest stories, for a chance to win up to six critiques.

If you dream of being a published author, this is an opportunity you should not miss. To enter, follow the instructions at http://bookwish.org/contest."

Good luck!

Busting the Newbie Blues!

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:18:00 +0000

I participated in this event hosted by Small Review last time, and I'm joining in again! Basically it's an event to help newbie bloggers spread the word about their blogs, make connections in the blogosphere, and get some of their questions answered. Both new and old bloggers are welcome to participate! You can find all the info HERE. There's also a separate Busting the Big Blogger Blues event, hosted by Ruby's Reads, geared towards oldie bloggers :)

So, how it works is: you pick a questionnaire to answer, post your answers, and then hop around to the other participants' blogs. It's held during all of January, so come join in!

I chose the "established blogger" questionnaire:

When did you start your blog?

May 2010, officially...but I only started actually letting people other than my family know about my blog in July of that year. Wow, can't believe it's been 1 and a half years! O_O

     2. Do you ever still feel like a newbie?

Sure do! Whenever I participate in a new kind of event or something's getting discussed in the blogosphere that I have no idea about, then I get that "what's going on? I don't understand..." feeling again. But generally I do feel a lot more confident about my blogging than I did a year and a half ago!

      3. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far? Did you make any mistakes new bloggers can learn from?

Well, I found organizing and running an entire event last year (Psychtember) to be pretty stressful and daunting. But in the end I think it was quite successful, so I'm pleased about that! My mistake in terms of Psychtember may have been trying too hard to do too much in too little time, LOL. But hey, better too much than too little, I think!

      4. What did you find most discouraging about being a new blogger? How did you deal with this?

The follower count and getting comments. I would get super excited whenever my follower number increased (okay, who am I kidding, I'm still happy when that happens!) But now I've got some very loyal followers who comment regularly (*waves* hey everyone!) and I'd much rather have that than a bunch of followers I feel I don't really know at all. In terms of comments, basically, you'll get them if you comment on other blogs. Also, you may get them when you least expect them...it's a bit of a "watched pot never boils" thing.

Another thing I found discouraging was seeing all these other bloggers getting tons of ARCs, back when I didn't receive any at all. This is more just a matter of time — getting your blog established — than anything else. But it's also sometimes a matter of making the effort to contact a publisher and request a review copy.

5. What do you find most encouraging?

I always love it when I hear from authors I admire! I'm thrilled if they tweet at me or e-mail me...the novelty of this hasn't worn off yet and I hope it never does :)

Also, the comments. Comments are what makes the blogosphere go round. Especially thoughtful, substantive ones.

6. If you could go back in time and speak with your newbie self, what five bits of wisdom would you tell yourself?

Good question! Hmmmm....

a) Do NOT stress so much about followers and comments. They are not a reflection of the quality of your blog. Instead, concentrate on doing what YOU'D like to do with your blog.

b) Participate in blogging events, but try not to bite off more than you can chew. Consider how much time and energy you have to devote to a particular project.

c) Don't be afraid to try new things with your blog. It'll help get you out of any blogging slumps you find yourself in.

d) HTML code isn't as scary as it looks. You can figure it out! (...at least to some degree...)

e) Be patient. Publisher contacts and ARCs will come eventually.

7. What do you like best about the blogs you read? Have you tried to replicate this in your blog?

In terms of appearance, I like blogs with clean, uncluttered layouts (but not sparse or drained of colour), with colours that aren't too hard on the eyes. Often I'm envious of the blogs with the fancy, themed layouts that you can pay for, but since I don't have the money to spend on those right now, I've made do with my own limited design skills.

In terms of content, I appreciate reviews that are thoughtfully written, with minimal grammar and spelling errors. I like reviews that give me a sense of the book and the reader's opinion without giving away major spoilers! Also, spoiler warnings are excellent. I value bloggers who do not shy away from giving honest but negative ratings and critical comments in their reviews, but who accomplish this eloquently, without bashing the author.

Blogs that have a variety of posts — memes, reviews, discussions, event posts — are appreciated. And I enjoy blog posts that make me smile :)

Overall, I hope that I've managed to replicate some of these aspects in my own blog!

8. What do you dislike about blogs you’ve seen? Do you try to avoid this?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: light font on a dark background doesn't work well. Really cluttered blogs can be difficult to navigate, and music that starts playing as soon as I get there? PLEASE, NO. Even those countdown widgets with sound drive me crazy.

Bloggers who gush equally about every single book make me skeptical, and reviews riddled with spelling/grammar mistakes make me wince. I do try to avoid most of these things in my blog.

9. How did you bring your blog to the attention of so many people?

Originally, the Book Blogger Hop (hosted by Jennifer at Crazy For Books) was probably the number one way I gained followers — it was a wonderful way to increase blog traffic! Since then, participation in various events around the blogosphere (including co-hosting one, and hosting another) and memes like Waiting on Wednesday have been quite helpful. Twitter, too, has been useful in this regard. I'm still trying to work on this aspect, though :)

10. When and how did you get your first ARC (or first few ARCs)?

I believe my very first ARC was for the A Cornucopia of Dystopia event I co-hosted with Casey from The Bookish Type. We contacted publishers about our event and the books we were hoping to highlight, and several of them sent us review copies. I remember being SO EXCITED that it said "advance reader's copy" (or words to that effect) on the book :D

Hope my answers have been at least somewhat helpful to newbie bloggers reading this post! Oldie bloggers, how would you respond to these questions?

Fever: A Close-Up Review

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:53:00 +0000

"Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever." (from Goodreads)

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

I had very mixed feelings about Wither, so I was a bit hesitant approaching its sequel, Fever. However, I ended up liking this one more than its predecessor (although not without some reservations still.)

Characters:

Rhine: I'd had trouble connecting with her in the first book, but I suppose I must have acclimatized to her voice, because in Fever it didn't cause me the same difficulty. She's still distant in a way, and overly dramatic at times, but by then I was used to it and just recognized it as Rhine's unique tone. Rhine's impulsivity and acting without thinking haven't changed from the first book either, and it lands her in some pretty sticky situations.

Gabriel: he still didn't do much for me in this one. Sure, he's a nice guy and very devoted to Rhine (kind of blindly, actually), but he just doesn't impress me. In the end, I can basically take him or leave him and not really care either way.

Cecily: in contrast to Gabriel, I find her character fascinating. She presents an innocent facade, but she's very crafty and entirely underestimated by everyone. Cecily's trying to help both sides and most of all make sure that she and her baby are safe and taken care of. I think she does care about Rhine, but she wants to help in a way that doesn't jeopardize her own relationship with Linden. Make no doubt about this: Cecily is looking out for number one. I enjoyed seeing Rhine realize that she can't count on Cecily's loyalty.

Linden: where are you in this one??? The brief glimpses we get just aren't enough. Yet the few interactions we do see between Rhine and him are certainly illuminating, exposing truths that need to be aired. Linden is right on the mark when he states that the relationship he has with each wife is completely different in nature, demonstrating an insightful grasp of the situation. All in all, I think Rhine could stand to learn a thing or two from Linden, rather than dismissing him as a puppet controlled by his father. It's true, he has been rather wilfully blind, choosing to believe whatever Vaughn tells him, but I think the next book will provide the opportunity for him to prove himself (should he rise to the challenge). In some ways he's still like a child; I think he has the potential to do a lot of good if he can gather up the courage to stand against his father and society's expectations.

New characters: many of the new characters we're introduced to are distinctly drawn, and I enjoyed meeting some fresh faces. Madame was horrid, very unlikeable but certainly more interesting than Vaughn. She's extremely selfish, mercenary and ruthless, and her brand of "evil" feels a bit more real than Vaughn's does. Madame is just in it for herself, to make money, and that simple motivation gives rise to a character who really makes herself present on the page.

Maddie, in complete contrast to Madame, provided a younger, "child" character which gave Rhine a chance for her motherly instincts to develop, and a chance for her to care for someone. Maddie's smart but wary and timid, her personality and reactions really reflecting the dystopian world DeStefano has created.

Plot/premise:

While I didn't feel like Rhine really made significant advances in this book (in terms of getting closer to reaching her goals), at least she moved around more than in Wither. I enjoyed being exposed to some different settings in this world and meeting new characters. The abandoned carnival was a really interesting backdrop for part of the story — sort of like a microcosm of society. I'm hoping the characters from the carnival appear again in book 3.

I really enjoyed the twist involving Rhine's symptoms of illness (spoiler, highlight to read: I liked that the June beans from book 1 were tied in). However, overall I had difficulty swallowing some of the scientific explanations for what's happening. They come across as lacking a solid knowledge foundation about concepts of illness, with words like "chemical dependency" and "bacterial resistance" getting thrown around haphazardly and without making much sense. (What do bacteria have to do with, anyway? The whole premise of this world is founded on a VIRUS.) I still have a lot of questions about Vaughn's reasoning behind his experiments as well as the specific methods he uses. More spoilers: I still don't fully understand how the June beans were being used by Vaughn. To build up Rhine's immunity to the virus? If so, why would they be addictive? And how can you administer replicated symptoms of a virus to someone anyhow?? Symptoms are external signs of disease. You can inject someone with something that causes symptoms, but not with the signs themselves.

Also, there's one revelation towards the end which, while in line with standard dystopian fiction, is rather unoriginal and convenient. Furthermore, it makes the reader question the events of Fever in retrospect and wonder how they could possibly have happened given this new piece of information. (Spoiler: if Vaughn had implanted Rhine with a tracker, why did it take him SO LONG to capture her again?)

The action is concentrated more in the first part of the book, and then slows down in the second. Unfortunately I think Fever does suffer from "middle book syndrome" a bit, in lacking direction and a internal story arc that hangs together. By the end you may feel like most of what happened was pointless, and that the book is merely serving as a stepping stone to the final one in the trilogy. But the very last page is a good one, providing a hook that sets up perfectly for the third book.

Writing style: If you liked the writing style in Wither, you'll probably like it in Fever as well. Even if you didn't particularly like the writing style of Wither, you might find, as I did, that you become used to it. Rhine maintains the same voice, and the carnival setting in particular comes to life with DeStefano's description.

Final verdict: 3.5 shooting stars. Intriguing characters, but the scientific impracticalities annoyed me. Although I still have too many criticisms to bump it to 4 stars, I did prefer it to Wither.

Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC from the publisher for review.

A Few More 2012 Challenges

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:42:00 +0000

In addition to the "New Adult" reading challenge I'm hosting, and the Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, I'm joining a few more challenges for 2012! Last year's end results for my challenges were pretty pitiful, so I'm hoping to make a better showing this year.

Below are some more 2012 challenges I'm signing up for and books I think I may read for them:

Sophomore Reading Challenge:

This challenge, hosted by Shanyn of Chick Loves Lit, is to read 10 second (sophomore) YA or MG books by authors, released in 2012. They can be either in a series or a standalone, and Shanyn has created a Goodreads list with plenty of suggestions for the challenge. I think there are quite a few second YA novels being published in 2012 that I'd be reading anyway, so why not complete a challenge at the same time?!

Books I'm considering:

- Insurgent by Veronica Roth
- Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
- Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
- In Honor by Jessi Kirby
- Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
- The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton
- Never Enough by Denise Jaden
- Outpost by Ann Aguirre
- The Forgetting Curve by Angie Smibert
- Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard
- Ferocity Summer by Alissa Grosso
- First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

All the information and sign-ups are here.

TBR Pile Reading Challenge:

Let's face it, I keep buying, winning or receiving books as gifts and then they sit on my shelf and collect dust...this needs to change! I'm hoping to make inroads on the nice finished copies that have been languishing on my shelves. Hence why I'm signing up for this challenge! It's hosted by several different bloggers, and there are mini-challenges and giveaways involved along the way :) You can read all the details and sign up here.

These are the challenge guidelines, taken directly from Evie's blog Bookish:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!
Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!)
You can move up levels, but no moving down.
Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you will get +1 entry.
If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;)
December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL.
You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Here is the host list:

Evie from Bookish - http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home - http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea -http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com @mermaidvisions

And these are the levels:

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children

I'm signing up for the easiest level (A Firm Handshake, 1-10 books), but we'll see how it goes.

Books I'm considering:

- Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton
- Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar
- Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
- What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
- Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
- Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
- Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce
- The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
- Ingo by Helen Dunmore
- Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Just Contemporary Reading Challenge:

Ashley from Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing co-hosted the Just Contemporary event last year, and this year she's hosting a challenge, too! I'm going with the first option (just generally reading more contemporary, versus the "mix it up" option) since contemporary isn't my favourite genre, but I really should read it more often. After all, a couple of my top books read in 2011 (Anna and the French Kiss and Forbidden) are contemporary :)

Books I'm considering:

- The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
- The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
- Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
- Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
- Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

A bunch from my lists for the Sophomore and TBR Pile challenges would count for this one, too. *points up* Details and sign-ups are here.

Have you signed up for any of these challenges?

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:07:00 +0000

Just wanted to wish all my fellow book bloggers a very happy new year! I'm looking forward to all the reading and blogging I'll be doing in 2012, and sharing it with all of you :D It looks like 2012 is going to be a fantastic year for YA!

2011 End of Year Survey: The Books

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:15:00 +0000

Jamie at The Perpetual Page-turner is once again hosting an end of the year survey of the books we read this year! I love making these kinds of lists so I am joining in the merriment. (Links go to my reviews.)

1.) Best book you read in 2011?

Of course, I can't pick just one, so here's a few to battle it out:

For an epic reading experience and a psychologically intriguing premise: The Host

For being the most emotionally wrenching: Forbidden

For being the kind of YA fantasy I just adore: Mistwood

For a relatable heroine and a swoon-inducing romance: Anna and the French Kiss

2.) Most disappointing book/book you wish you loved more than you did?

Sunshine was painful. (And plus I love Robin McKinley's book Beauty so I kind of hate that I found Sunshine so awful!) Also, Forgotten was quite the disappointment -- the execution just did not live up to the cool-sounding premise.

3.) Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?

Popular — I had originally dismissed it as one of those light, "chick lit" YA books about a bunch of snotty girls in cliques. Then I was told there was a mental health aspect, and so I included it in my Psychtember event, only to be wowed over by its clever twist.

Vampire Academy — yes, I finally caved and read it and was most pleasantly surprised!

4.) Book you recommended to people most in 2011?

Probably still the Hunger Games series! I think I recommended The Host a few times too (emphasizing that it was better than the Twilight series, LOL.)

5.) Best series you discovered in 2011?

I don't think I read more than one book in a series this year. But I have the feeling I may get totally sucked into the Vampire Academy series... O_O

Other first-in-a-series books that I think are a promising start: Ruby Red, Divergent, Enclave, Heist Society, Unearthly, Memento Nora, Birthmarked.

6.) Favourite new authors you discovered in 2011?

Tabitha Suzuma, Leah Cypess, Stephanie Perkins, Caragh O'Brien, Kerstin Gier, Ann Aguirre, Alissa Grosso, Veronica Roth, Richelle Mead.

7.) Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

I don't normally read many novels in verse, but I did quite like Song of the Sparrow. Vampire Academy, The Host and Enclave also make appearances here.

8.) Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?

Divergent, The Host, Enclave, Birthmarked and Vampire Academy.

9.) Book you most anticipated in 2011?

Probably some of the dystopian books, particularly Delirium, Divergent, and Wither. Unfortunately, though, both Delirium and Wither fell short of my expectations.

10.) Favourite cover of a book you read in 2011?

I adore the rich vibrancy of the Ruby Red cover.

11.) Most memorable character in 2011?

Argh, I always have the most impossible time answering this question! The characters from most of the books I read earlier in the year have faded somewhat in my memory, so I don't think I can answer this fairly. I'm refusing to pick a favourite! :D

12.) Most beautifully written book read in 2011?

Mistwood by Leah Cypess and Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell.

13.) Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. So. Intense.

14.) Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to finally read?

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I waited all year to read this one! I kept putting it off even though everyone told me it was fabulous. And they were right, it was awesome. Vampire books are generally outside my comfort zone (hence why I read it for my challenge) but I really enjoyed this one! Hopefully a review of this one will be up soon :)

15.) Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2011?

I have a tough time remembering book quotes, but here's one I liked from Birthmarked, which I read just the other day:

"Leon slowly closed his fingers over the watch and slid it back into his pocket.

'Gaia,' he began. 'You told me once to be good, if I knew how. I wish—'

She waited, unwilling to meet his eyes, hoping he would go on. When he didn't, the silence stretched between them like invisible cobwebs. In the dimmest part of her, she realized she might have wishes, too, elusive wishes that belonged more to a girl in a garden than they did to a captive."

Also, I still have a soft spot for this quote from Mistwood:

"She had learned to pay attention to the variations in Rokan's smiles. There was the sideways half-smile when he found something amusing; the slow, contented smile that appeared only rarely these days; and the wide, dazzling, unrestrained smile she had so far seen only twice, when he first came for her in the Mistwood and when they watched the hawk soar against the sky. And then there was this one, the reason for her watchfulness: the impish grin that meant he wanted to do something he knew was stupid and was going to do it anyhow."

16.) Book that you read in 2011 that you would be most likely to re-read in 2012?

Hmmm, good question. Probably some of the books that have sequels being released in 2012! Enclave, Ruby Red, Divergent, Unearthly, and Memento Nora all spring to mind as series I might need a refresher for before I read the next book. In terms of a re-read purely for fun, Anna and the French Kiss :)

17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Tighter by Adele Griffin and Popular by Alissa Grosso...watch out for big revelations in both of these! Also, I had to tell my parents all about Forbidden after I'd finished it because it was so darn sad I had to share :(

If you'd like to join in the fun, head on over to Jamie's post here to see all the details and link your own post up!

Guest Posting At Esther's Ever After!

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:55:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

Just a quick heads-up that today I'm guest posting over at Esther's Ever After, as part of her holiday blog event! I'm sharing some of my most anticipated 2012 releases, and I'd love it if you'd drop on by and share which books of next year you're most looking forward to. Head on over to Brenna's blog here to join the discussion :)

What I Got For Christmas Was...

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:04:00 +0000

It's time to wrap up this little holiday feature of mine...with showing you guys which books I actually received for Christmas! It was a very bookish Christmas this year (yay!!) and I was given a lot of the books on my wishlist :D

So, without further ado...on to the books!

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott
Dear Jane Austen: A Heroine's Guide to Life and Love by Patrice Hannon
Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien (I've already read this one, got totally sucked into it!)

Nightspell by Leah Cypess
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (I read this one at the beginning of this year but wanted a copy of my own!)
Legend by Marie Lu
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by P. B. Kerr
Ecstasia by Francesca Lia Block

Crossed by Ally Condie
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

And then there was a big surprise from my dad...

...he bought my mom, my sister, and me all Sony e-readers! I admit I have been resisting e-books because I love physical books so much — but now that I have an e-reader I really have no excuse. I suppose I shall have to give in and accept the inevitable!

Anyway, between all these books from Christmas and books I have for review, I now have an absolutely massive (and kind of overwhelming) number of books sitting in my room, dying to be read! So I am going to be very busy over the next little while...

What books did you receive over the holidays? If you'd like to share, feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments!

All I Want For Christmas (8)

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:18:00 +0000

This is a feature/meme where I choose a book each week leading up to Christmas and say why it's made it onto my wishlist. I'd love to see what books everyone else is hoping to get (maybe I'll add a few of them to my own list!) I'll be posting my pick each Monday, but feel free to link up and visit other people's posts all through the week.

It's the last one of these before Christmas!! Just a few more days now...anyway, my final pick is:

Crossed by Ally Condie

From Goodreads: "The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever."

I really enjoyed the first in this series (read my review of Matched here) and am looking forward to seeing how Cassia's tale continues in Crossed! I've been avoiding reviews of this one for fear of getting spoiled, so I hope it lives up to the hype :D

Faves of TwentyEleven: the Characters

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:21:00 +0000

You may recall Nomes from Inkcrush created several lists of her favourite 2011 books halfway through this year, and invited everyone to join her. I did so here, and since the time has come now for the final end-of-the-year lists, I'm participating once more! I love the categories she's created.

1. Favourite female main character

Wanderer of The Host by Stephenie Meyer, for her transformation from detached "soul" to emotive being with a distinct identity.

2. Favourite male main character

Oh, I really loved Lochan of Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. Admirable, honourable, and struggling under the weight of burdens he shouldn't have had to carry.

3. Best couple <3

Loved Clara and Tucker from Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, and Anna and Étienne from Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Clara and Tucker are just plain adorable, and as a reader it was both frustrating and wonderful to watch Anna and Étienne's journey to being together.

4. Who I so want to be best friends with

I think it'd be fun to be friends with Kat from Heist Society by Ally Carter! She's totally different from me in personality, and while I think it would take a while for her to let her guard down and trust me with anything, once we were friends I think she'd be extremely loyal.

5. Who I fell completely in love with (new literary crush)

Étienne St. Clair! (Seriously, who *didn't* fall for him?!)

Also, Ian from The Host and Tod from If I Die by Rachel Vincent are both pretty swoon-worthy :D

6. Worst (best & baddest) villain

Cole from Bitter End by Jennifer Brown....I really loathed him, he was despicable. Grrrrrrrrr.

7. Best character twist (who you loved then hated or vice versa)

Isabel from Mistwood by Leah Cypess — While I certainly never hated her, I did find her difficult to understand and connect with at the beginning. It was very enjoyable to see her develop her emotional side and I ended up really liking the character she came to be.

Also, honourable mention to Cecily from Wither and Fever by Lauren DeStefano, for being a character much more complex than she appears on the surface.

8. Best kick-arse female

Deuce from Enclave by Ann Aguirre! She was totally awesome, very tough physically and mentally but still learning to be vulnerable emotionally.

9. Best kick-arse male

Gideon from Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, for his mad fencing skillz. (Okay, Fade from Enclave could take him down in a fight in a minute, but I wanted Ruby Red to get a mention, LOL.)

10. Broke your heart the most

Lochan... :(

11. Favourite pet/animal character award

I don't have a really strong contender for this one, but I guess I'll go with the horse Midnight from Jackie Morse Kessler's Hunger. Honourable mention to the unusually conscientious wolf in "The Little Red Headache" story from Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde.

12. Best YA parents award

Many of the YA books I read this year have the parents conspicuously absent or causing problems for the protagonist. If it were the WORST YA parents award, I'd definitely have some nominees, but as it is I'll have to leave this one a blank.

13. Favourite sibling relationship

Frankie and her younger brother from Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. I just wish we'd seen more of them together!

Also, for extremely complicated relationships: Lizzie and Tess from Without Tess by Marcella Pixley, and Lochan and Maya from Forbidden.

14. Favourite best friends/friendship award

The quartet of Frankie, Tara, Justine, and Siobhan from Saving Francesca. I loved watching them bond!

15. Best/worst character names

Terrible character names always strike me much more than excellent ones, so I'm just going to list the worst: "Four" from Divergent by Veronica Roth (okay, so it's more of a nickname...but still), "Nordica" from Popular by Alissa Grosso, and "Sandinista" from The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell. "Deuce," "Fade," and "Lochan" are also questionable.

Bonus: Best love triangle

It's more of a love rectangle or something, but the Jared-Melanie-Ian-Wanderer conundrum in The Host. In a love triangle competition, one involving two personalities sharing a body can't be beat.

What are some of your choices for these character categories from the books you've read this year? And if you would like to join in the merriment (and why wouldn't you?!) head on over to Nomes' blog here for the details.

In My Mailbox (43)

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:52:00 +0000

In this meme, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, we share the books we've received, bought or taken out from the library.

This post covers all the books I received back at my BC address while I was in the Toronto area. So while it looks like an epic post, this spans a few months!

For review:

Friendship on Fire by Danielle Weiler — from the author (thanks, Danielle!). This one came all the way from Australia!

Unaccounted For by Nan Willard Cappo — from the author (thanks, Nan!). This one is "New Adult" so I'll be reading it for my challenge next year!

Fever by Lauren DeStefano — thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for this one! I have now have 2 ARCs of Fever so expect a giveaway sometime in the future...

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton — thanks, Tor Teen!

And lastly, I received an awesome package from Macmillan the other day, with these books:

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody
All These Lives by Sarah Wylie
Before You Go by James Preller
Holding On to Zoe by George Ella Lyon
Wicked Sweet by Mar'ce Merrell

Huge thanks to Macmillan for these!! It made my day :)

Won:

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin — thanks to Bonnie at A Backwards Story! I love the sound of this one and can't wait to get started :)

Mistwood by Leah Cypess and Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John — thanks to Cait at Escape Through the Pages! I'd already read and thoroughly enjoyed Mistwood, so I wanted a copy for my own shelf. And I've heard great things about Five Flavors of Dumb!

The Rules of the Tunnel: My Brief Period of Madness by Ned Zeman — thanks to Heather at The Broke & The Bookish! It sounds like a really interesting look at clinical depression, and I haven't read many memoirs so it'll be something new for me.

Bought:

You all know I can't resist library discards...

The Ballad of Sir Dinadan by Gerald Morris
3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares
Village of the Vampire Cat by Lensey Namioka

From the library:

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

So, I've got a LOT to read over Christmas break! O_O

2012 Debut Author Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 07:26:00 +0000

Once again I'm signing up for the Debut Author Challenge, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren! In case you're unfamiliar with it (where have you been?!), this is a challenge to read debut YA or MG novels published in 2012. For all the details, see Kristi's post here.

Here are some of the debuts I'm looking forward to getting my hands on:

- Tempest by Julie Cross —can't wait for this one: time travel! new adult! male protag!
- The Selection by Kiera Cass — unlike a lot of bloggers, I am actually not a fan of the dress (too pouffy!) but the premise is a different story. Sounds fabulous!
- A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont — I've been excited about this one since I first heard of it. Travelling to the world of Jane Eyre = win.
- Grave Mercy by R. L. LaFevers — everything I've heard about this book makes me think I will love it.
- Counting Backwards by Laura Lascarso — this one sounds totally intense.
- Incarnate by Jodi Meadows — I've been hearing good things!
- Queen of Glass by Sarah J. Maass — I hope this one is actually published in 2012, as I think it was originally supposed to be released in 2011. I know I've been anticipating it for quite a while in any case! Cinderella as an assassin sounds amazing.

Have you signed up for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge? Which books are you looking forward to? If you haven't yet, here's where you can sign up.

All I Want for Christmas (7)

noreply@blogger.com (danya) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:41:00 +0000

I leave tomorrow to go back home to Vancouver (for any of you who don't know, I've been in the Toronto area doing an editorial internship for the past few months) so I've been busy preparing for heading back and haven't had much time for blogging, unfortunately. This will probably be the case for the next little while as well since there will be lots of preparations for Christmas at my house! But here's this week's "All I Want for Christmas" pick:

From Goodreads: "Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance."

I don't know about you, but I love a good story about princesses, secrets, intrigue, and dangerous magic. Sounds like just my kind of traditional fantasy read!