Squeaky Books

How badly do you hate Captcha?

2013-05-18T12:22:00.002-06:00

I've been getting a TON of spam comments since I took off captcha. Now, it's worth it to me if y'all really hate captcha. But... let me know how much you hate it, please. If don't want me to turn it back on, I won't. If you don't care, I'm bringing it back.

Seriously. I will do whatever you tell me.

(Also, I've had a really crazy last few weeks since school got out, but I've got a lot of stuff scheduled for next week and the weeks following. So FOR REAL, I'm coming back in full force soon.)

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2012

Something Strange and Deadly-- Susan Dennard

2013-05-09T15:47:00.002-06:00

Release Date: July 24th, 2013
Genre: Horror
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 388
Rating: +1/2
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Review: I'll admit, I'm a little zombie-crazed right now. I watch the Walking Dead, run using an app called "Zombies! Run!" and obsessively read zombie-related literature. That being said, Something Strange and Deadly was a zombie book that didn't quite fit into the zombie pop-culture genre and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

I think the main thing I wanted to point out is that the zombies were...normal? The book clearly takes place in a parallel universe where things are, for the most part, relatively the same. The only difference is that every now and again a corpse reanimates in a cemetery and no one bats an eye. Bells placed by graves (they used to do this in our world to avoid burying people alive- a 'deceased' person would ring the bell if they woke up in a coffin (which sounds absolutely horrific if you ask me)) alert the people in Eleanor's world that a corpse has woken up. The catch here is that beyond this occasional and normal reanimation, the zombie infestation that plagues the characters was not the result of some mysterious plague or disease. They were brought back to life by a necromancer, which definitely does not feature zombie pop-culture today.

Beyond the zombie commentary, I found the characters to be likable and interesting for the most part, but poorly written for the other part. I didn't feel like I knew any of the characters. This is completely random, so forgive me, but if the end of the book had revealed that every single character was a schizophrenic creation straight out of Eleanor's mind, I wouldn't have been surprised in the slightest, despite the fact that mental illness had no bearing in the story and such a revelation would have been akin to a "and then she woke up" type of ending. They just seemed like props to the story. Eleanor was a strong main character and the others were incredibly weak in comparison. The stark contrast here hampered the story.

As for the story itself, it was interesting enough. It was a weird mix of science and black magic, which was vaguely off-putting (I tend to like books that stay solidly in one camp or the other) but I still managed to finish the book and enjoy it just fine, even though it took me much longer to read. I've discovered that the rate at which I finish a book correlates quite strongly with how good it is. If it's good, I'll finish it within the day. If it's average, like this book, I'll finish it randomly over the course of a week. This was a book that took me about a week to read. The pace of the story was frenetic in some spots and slow and repetitive in others which meant that I would read through the fast spots and put it down during the slow spots. I like it when books have a steady, building crescendo. Also, you can completely predict where the plot is going (at least who the necromancer is) by the end of the second page.

Overall, it was a little better than average, but nothing superb.

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Reboot-- Amy Tintera

2013-05-06T21:34:00.001-06:00

Release Date: May 7th, 2013
Genre: Sci-fi, Romance, Action
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

Review: I LOVED this book's unique take on what it means to come back after death. At first I thought they would be zombies. NOPE! Turns out they're SUPER HEROES! Unfortunately, they're super heroes controlled by an evil militarized government. Bummer.

I really enjoyed the relationship that grew between the two main characters. It's progress seemed genuine, and I really believed that they cared for each other.

HOWEVER, I'm not sure WHY I believed that. Because the main character is always talking about how she is emotionless, and yet she's always talking about the emotions she feels. The book briefly addresses this by suggesting that she might just be ignorant of her own emotions, but... this seemed like a bit of a plot hole. I think it was only because I was able to overlook it that I liked the book so much.

What I most liked about this book, though, is that I felt like I really got a good look at the world and the characters, but it was also really fast paced. There was never a dull moment, but also never any moments of "one thing led to another" and skipping ahead.

There's one thing that I can't decide if it's a downside or not. The ending left me totally satisfied. I put it down and thought "that's a good story, what should I read next?" as opposed to "that's a good story, I NEED THE NEXT ONE RIGHT NOW!!" Usually when I get the "what should I read next" feeling, I often forget about the book before the sequel comes out. But at the same time... I feel satisfied, and so I'm not sure if that's a bad thing. It's quite the conundrum. Take from it what you will.

Other Reviews:

Ageless Pages (Loved it!)
Realm of Fiction (It was okay)
Book Brats (Didn't Like It)

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Be Back Soon

2013-04-15T11:32:00.002-06:00

So... it's okay if you haven't noticed, but I haven't been around very much. I have very big goals for being around this spring/summer, though. The semester ends tomorrow, and finals end on the next Wednesday (4/24). After that: I AM BACK, BABY!

Promise.

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2012

Which book character should I turn myself into?

2013-04-03T10:24:00.000-06:00

Ready for a random question?

This semester I’m in a makeup class. For our final project we have to turn ourselves into a character/creature from a book/play. It has to be from a book or play (as opposed to TV or film) because we have to interpret the textual description to create our own character. We cannot copy something that has already been done.

I have NO IDEA what to do! I would really rather avoid something that has a beard/hair (it’s gross). I can do wounds/scars really well. I could also do something like put a third eye in my forehead.

Can you think of any characters/creatures I could do? I need your collective brain power, squeakers! The two ideas I have right now are the guy who's turning to stone from Reckless or a special from the Uglies books. But I can't really remember the description of the specials...

Much love and appreciation!

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2012

*Asunder-- Jodi Meadows

2013-04-02T12:30:00.000-06:00

Release Date: January 29th, 2013
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 406
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Newsoul #2 (Review of #1)
Summary: (spoilers. Highlight to view)

DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

Blurb: Incarnate raised a lot of brilliant questions, and Asunder rose to the challenge. Buckle up. These answers will blow you away.

Review: Woah. I'll keep this short to avoid being spoilery. But woah. I LOVED Incarnate and I was amazed at how Jodi was able to weave together so many (seemingly) unconnected plot elements. Asunder takes that weave and makes you step back to see the whole tapestry. Yup. That's right. This book deserves an analogy.

There were literally some moments where I gasped aloud. I will admit that the first bit went a little slow, but that was okay with me because we were meeting new people. The "slow"-ness made me feel like I was really connecting with them. And there's no sequel-phase! Hurrah!

I would still classify this as a "bridge-book" as it wasn't as action-packed as the first, and I can tell the third will have a lot more action. But it's probably the best bridge-book I've read in a long time.

Other Reviews (May contain spoilers!):

Step Into Fiction (Loved it!)
Enticed by Books (It was okay)
Just(ine)xorable (Didn't Like It)

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Are you missing a prize?!

2013-04-01T10:18:00.002-06:00

I am disclaimer-ing this post by saying that I HATE APRIL FOOL'S DAY. I hate that it's just a day that gives permission to lie. It's the gullible person (AKA me) nightmare.

Anyway...

Do I still owe you a prize? Someone contacted me on twitter that their prize that I THOUGHT had shipped in February still hadn't arrived. Turns out that a lot of important e-mails (like the fact that I hadn't filled out my information on that order correctly) have been going to my old Yahoo account, which I don't check anymore. It doesn't help that this has been the craziest semester EVER. But there's only 3 weeks left of school!!

If I owe you a prize PLEASE contact me!! The CORRECT e-mail address is Enna@SqueakyBooks.com. I will do all I can to get your book(s) to you ASAP.

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2012

The Madman's Daughter-- Megan Shepherd

2013-03-25T10:20:00.001-06:00

Release Date: January 29th, 2013
Genre: Thriller, Romance
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 420
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Review: Enna's been giving me some great books to read recently, because The Madman's Daughter is the third book in a row that I've given five water drops to. Before I started reading the book, I read the back cover and was informed that the rights to publish the trilogy went in a very competitive bidding war and that the film rights had already been sold as well. I was a bit surprised, but the second I started reading, I instantly saw it. I was completely sucked in. The writing was simple, but elegant and the characters intriguing. They weren't complex, but they weren't simple either. It was the perfect juxtaposition of interesting, but relatable. The main character, Juliet Moreau is a seemingly orphaned girl living in England. Her father, a famous but now disgraced scientist vanished when he was discovered to be experimenting with dark and taboo ideas. His work was more important than his wife and child.

Juliet's mother died, leaving her daughter to fend for herself. She works as a maid until she is forced to suddenly flee with her father's old assistant and family servant- a handsome man her age named Montgomery- shows up in England. Juliet discovers her father is alive and sets off in search of him, running into a shipwreck survivor named Edward. From there, the book gets dark. It was pretty gripping up until that point, but nothing was really revealed. I was dying to know just exactly what Juliet's father was doing and if he really was a madman or not (a question that plagues Juliet).

When they arrive on the island, you're immersed in a fascinatingly different world so carefully and intricately laid out that I could see it perfectly in my mind. The book toes a delicious line between black and dark, and leaves you guessing as to what terrible things are actually occurring there. There were several extremely tense scenes where I was actually getting really scared and anxious- the writing and setting of the mood were that good-- and one point where I was tempted to toss the book across the room in horror (Don't worry Enna, I didn't!). Frankly, I loved this book. When it ended, I set the book down calmly on my coffee table and bravely fought back tears. Nothing was expected at all. It's such a different genre for YA fiction and the way it plays out was just so intriguing to me.

The characters were interesting, but my one complaint is that I didn't feel like I was getting to know them really. I could sense that there was a wealth of information and history about them, but the author kept a tight lid on that so that when one semi-prominent character bit the dust, I didn't really feel anything, even though I should have. If I had felt that extra connection or pull to the characters, it would have made this story that much more powerful. Also, the plot revolves around scientific experiments-- experiments that really aren't super plausible. I was left with the occasional nagging question "But HOW did he do that?". Sometimes it just didn't make sense and it couldn't be explained, and despite the fact that it's fiction, it felt real and I wanted a real explanation to it. It ended up not being overly frustrating, because somehow those scientific questions melded into the mystery of the story.

I definitely recommend checking this out. I think this book and subsequent books will do very well.

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Pivot Point-- Kasie West

2013-03-18T11:45:00.000-06:00

Release Date: February 12th, 2013
Genre: Sci-fi
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Review: I am an emotional train wreck right now. Seriously, Pivot Point is brilliant. I don't even know how to cope with it right now, let alone really review it, but I finished it moments ago and I want to get my thoughts down while they're still fresh.

My very first impression of the book was a mix of "Wow, this is kind of a terrifying world" and "This book is obnoxiously cliche." However, neither of those original impressions really lingered for very long (well the first one did a bit). Addison is a girl with mental powers who lives in a secret city called the Compound. Beyond the fact that everyone who lives there has mental abilities, it's a fairly average place. Addie has the ability to Search, or view the consequences of each side of a choice placed before her. When her parents get a divorce, she Searches to decide whether or not to stay with her mother or go with her father into the normal world with the "Norms".

This is where the book evolves from average-ness into awesome-ness. Each subsequent chapter alternates between the story line of the two choices- but the choices play out as if Addie had actually made that decision. There's the story line where she stays with her mother and gets involved with the star quarterback and then there's the story line where she goes into the normal world, makes new friends and meets a normal guy who was mysteriously injured in a football game against Addie's old paranormal school.

The stories remain separate, but the same key plot points happen in both, and you get to see how Addie's choices play out in either story, from different viewpoints. I found it especially delightful as the reader because when a protagonist makes an important choice in a novel, I tend to spend the rest of the book wondering in the back of my mind about what would have happened if they had made a different choice. I got to see two completely different dimensions intertwined with a sinister and interesting plot and I loved it. I found myself comparing the different choices and really getting involved in the book.

I do have one small critique though, which was that there was some minor confusion in the middle chapters of the book when the plot events in the stories coincide really closely. It was vaguely tricky to remember which chapter I was in and which life Addie was living. I blame this partially on the speed at which I read, which is terribly fast (I started and finished this book today in between class and work). Sometimes I read so fast, I don't have the time to properly record the events that I'm reading in their right order and it gets a little tangled. So if you're a fast reader, keep in mind that you might have to pause for a moment to straighten things out, but it's definitely not a reason for you to avoid this book.

I could semi-predict what was going to happen before it happened, but I was just barely ahead of the book and it kept me on my toes. I wanted to know which choice Addie would pick when she was done searching, because I just couldn't decide ahead of time. And in the end, when she made her choice, I was amazed. Not because it was some huge break from what I expected or from the rest of the novel, but because it wasn't conventional and it was just...heartbreaking to me. The way the choices played out...it just...UGH. I really wish I could pick the plot events apart here, but I don't want to give anything anyway. I want you guys to read the book and be as surprised as I was, as engrossed as I was, and as impressed by this novel as I was.

And I just had to include what she wrote to me after the review: (Seriously Enna, I really liked this book. You should definitely read it. It was really interesting to me. I really wish it was longer.....)

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Seraphina-- Rachel Hartman

2013-03-14T10:12:00.001-06:00

Release Date: July 10th, 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 451
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Review: I can’t believe I let this book sit on my shelf for so long! I have to say, I loved this book. It was unique, it was thoughtful and it was creative. I’ve been in a book rut lately where I just haven’t been drawn into any book in a long time, but Seraphina reversed that. I was immediately drawn to Seraphina and to the world that she lives in. After reading the Eragon series as a kid, I've been completely disenchanted with YA dragon fiction and I was hesitant to read Seraphina, but it easily undid years of dragon-dislike.

The best thing the author did was create a functioning world. She planned it out, and she planned it well. It really seemed like a world that had experienced centuries of war between humans and dragons and then had come together to work it out- it wasn’t just something the author had mentioned. It was complete with strained relations, underground movements and years of precedent. It all flowed together to create a vibrant, multi-dimensional world. I actually felt like this was a legitimate world and that I was there with Seraphina.

In that same vein, Seraphina is a completely believable protagonist. She’s half dragon, half human (kind of a spoiler, but this becomes evident fairly early on) and this is dealt with in a realistic way. Seraphina has to take care of her scales and wear long sleeves. She’s realistic in her emotions and for once, I wasn’t completely disgusted by the inevitable young adult love triangle.

Seraphina falls in love with the prince, who is promised to the princess. The nice thing is that Seraphina is friends with both and the princess is a likeable character. I guess I just really liked this book because it did away with conventional YA fiction stereotypes. It stands marvelously on its own and really satisfied my craving for depth and creativity. The world-building was superb and for a dragon novel recommended by Christopher Paolini (I really mistrusted his review at first), it was excellent all-around.

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

**Transparent-- Natalie Whipple

2013-03-12T09:49:00.000-06:00

Release Date: May 21st, 2013
Genre: Bio-Punk (click here for details)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.

After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.

Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

Blurb: The awesomeness that is this book cannot be contained!

Review: I was planning waiting until closer to the review date to review this, but two months isn't that far, right? And I just can't hold back my feelings about this book!

This book grabs you from the first page. Seriously. I wasn't even 10 pages in before I knew that I needed to buckle up. I felt like I had stepped into a mix of the X-Men and Oceans 11 and it. was. awesome!

First of all, it was clear that Natalie had thought about this book in every way possible. Every single piece of this world was extremely well developed. One of my favorite parts was probably how Fiona thought of herself and how her childhood and development would have been so different since she was invisible. So often in books like this the characters have some kind of super-power and nothing is different in their lives. Not so in this book, each character not only had a power, but a clear way in which that power had affected their lives.

I also loved that the idea of having super-powers wasn't a secret. In every other super-hero show I've seen/book I've read the people with abilities have to remain a secret. Not in this world, nearly everyone has a power and everyone knows about it.

I also kinda... sorta... maybe... fell head over heels with one of the characters. There was a rough spot in which Fiona talked about her lame math teacher, but then HELLO cute math-tutor! He was so great. Again, a conflicted character because of his abilities and life, but he had overcome them to become awesome.

I thought this book was very well self-contained. It certainly works as a stand-alone. But I do wish that there was more. I would have loved to see what this super-ability world was like on a larger scale. This small piece of the world was so interesting that certainly the whole world must be even cooler. I want more!!

Other Reviews:

I couldn't find any yet. Hopefully I'll be able to link to some soon!

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Fox Forever Blog Tour!

2013-03-06T02:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so pleased to be participating in the Fox Forever blog tour! I have been a fan of these books since the very beginning. I have reviewed the first book not once, but twice. The Adoration of Jenna Fox was one of the first ARCs (if not THE first) that I ever received from a publisher. I even have it in French!

Today Mary is here to talk about a passage from Fox Forever. Although this will not be spoilery for Fox Forever, and not explicity spoilery for the first two books, just know that some things will be revealed here that might change how you see the first two books if you haven't read them yet. You've been warned!

With that said, here's Mary!

This passage is from Page 58.
Locke has just arrived at a dance—his first in this new future world but he has to keep his true origins a secret:

“Hi. I’m Locke Jenkins. New to Boston— and all of this.”

Raine doesn’t respond. She just looks down at the torn knees of my pants and then away.

The blond girl next to her smiles. “I heard there was a new guy in the Collective. We rarely get new blood. I’m Vina.”

She holds out her hand, the backside of it up, like I’m supposed to kiss it. I’m caught off guard. I missed this lesson on social graces, but since I don’t know what else to do I take her hand in mine and lightly kiss it. “A pleasure, Vina.”

The group’s eyes widen and I know I’ve missed the mark, but Vina giggles and seems pleased.

“And you are?” I say to Raine.

“Bored,” she replies. She begins to look away again but I don’t give her a chance to disengage.

“Not having fun?”

She’s a piece of work. She blinks her eyes at glacial speed. “This is a requirement of the Collective. Do I look like I’m having fun?”

“Dance?” I grab her hand and pull.

She doesn’t budge, but there’s a brief moment of surprise on her face. It’s a relief to see any expression there at all, but just as quickly she gives me a very firm and deadly, “No,” and shakes my hand loose.

From behind her shoulder I see a large Bot rapidly approaching us. He’s taller than me and his skin is rigid metallic gold. Even his eyes are gold and he has no pupils at all. He looks like he’s been extruded from one solid chunk of metal. He steps around her and grabs me by the throat, lifting me off the ground so we’re eye to eye. “Never lay a hand on the Secretary's daughter unless you would like your hand permanently removed. Do you comprehend?"

Mary: Social situations can be so awkward! Ha! That's a bit of an understatement I guess, but I think we’ve all been there done that—like being at some fancy schmancy dinner with 500 forks and trying to figure out which one to use!

But Locke’s situation is even worse. It’s 260 years in the future and it’s his first time at a real social gathering. He has to wing it! Not only wing it but not make the others suspicious about who he really is. When he makes gaffs he has to roll right past them and improvise. Of course, some gaffs incur the wrath of big gold Bots, and have bigger consequences like losing a hand. Suffice it to say, Locke made it through the dance with his hand intact, but just barely!

Besides exploring the technological advances in the future world of Fox Forever, I had a lot of fun thinking about how our social world might change. But some things—like Vina flirting with Locke—are timeless.

Thanks for hosting this leg of the tour, Enna!

Giveaway time!

Macmillan has been kind enough to provide a great prize pack! Enter the rafflecopter to be entered to win paperback copies of The Adoration of Jenna Fox, The Fox Inheritance, and a hardcover copy of Fox Forever!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

**Shadowlands-- Kate Brian

2013-03-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Release Date: January 8th, 2013
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 336
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

I hope y'all don't mind, but I'm going to ease myself back into reviewing with this shorter-ish review (not that my reviews are ever very long...)

Review: Wow. I was NOT expecting to like this book this much. I mean, I love serial killers and all, but it seemed like a pretty contemporary read. And to be honest, it was. The majority of this book reads like a standard contemporary novel, but that 20% that ISN'T contemporary... woah. That blew me away.

That's all I can really say without giving major spoilers. This book really messes with your head. It was SOOOOO good. However, it would have been 100 times better if the last line of the novel wasn't included. I don't like that the author doesn't think I'm smart enough to realize what's going on. (DO NOT READ THE LAST LINE BEFORE READING THE BOOK. IT WILL GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY!) And I wish this was a stand-alone.

Other than that, though. AH-MAZING!

Other Reviews:

Emily's Reading Room (Loved it!)
(It was okay) I couldn't really find people who thought it was just okay. They either loved it or hated it. If YOU thought it was "just okay," leave a link to your review!
Wendy Darling (Didn't Like It)

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Thoughts on Doctor Who Posters

2013-02-21T11:20:00.003-07:00

What? Reviews? Am I supposed to write those? Phht. Sorry guys. My play ends in exactly one week. Starting March 1st I am free as a bird! It's been fun, but way too time-consuming.

Anyway, to stop myself from going completely insane (and because who needs sleep, right?) I've been spending my free time looking up some River Song stuff. I wanted some posters that I could hang in my new room. But I was sorely disappointed with all the River Song posters I found. Solution? MAKE MY OWN!

Here are the two I've made so far. I hope to make a series of these from both Doctor Who, Sherlock, etc. and then sell them on Etsy.

I'd really like to know your opinions! I love the River one, I'm less confident in the Doctor one. These two are meant to be in a set, which is why all of the doctor quotes are about River. I'll probably make different versions of the Doctor that fit with other characters. And one that just his greatest hits.

River's Poster. Click to embiggen. Original image by Gosselin

This is the one I made where I actually own the image. It'll probably be the one I end up selling if I can't get copyright permission.

The Doctor's poster. Click to embiggen.

What they look like together (after being framed). Click to embiggen.

If you would share your opinions, I would be most grateful. And if you would be interested in being a proof reader for my future posters, let me know!

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2012

Signings this Weekend

2013-02-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Sorry for the radio silence this last week. I actually HAVE read some books, I just haven't had time to flush out whole reviews. Hopefully I'll have time over the long weekend.

Speaking of long weekend, there are two HUGE signings going on this weekend, and I wanted to make sure you were aware of them:

Friday, February 15th

8:00pm

Provo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.

There will be DOZENS of authors signing here as part of LTUE. Including Megan Whalen Turner!

Click here for the full list!

Saturday, February 16th

4:00pm

Orem Barnes and Noble

The Breathless Reads tour is back in Utah! So many great authors all in one place! How can you NOT come to this?

So who's coming to either of these? We should meet up and have a party!

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2012

Marissa Meyer on Fan-Fiction vs. Retellings

2013-02-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here's the fourth and final post in my series of posts on authors on fan-fiction vs. retelling. Today's author is Marissa Meyer, author of the fairy tale retellings Cinder and Scarlet. I was UBER excited that Marissa decided to participate. Did you know that she actually got her start writing fan-fiction? Read on, squeakers!

What do you consider fan-fiction?

To me, fanfiction is when a work takes specific characters or settings from an original work and re-uses them. For example, setting a story in Hogwarts, or taking Bilbo Baggins and dropping him into the middle of Manhattan, would both constitute fanfiction.

Alternatively, a story about a boy who discovers that he's a wizard or a band of magical beings who go on an epic journey to destroy a dangerous artifact - while they may have very direct and obvious influences - wouldn't be considered fanfiction in my opinion, because they aren't making use of the world and characters from the original.

Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?

I, personally, don't consider most retellings, like "Cinder," to be fanfiction - although this could vary on a case-by-case basis. While the influences of the Cinderella fairy tale are evident throughout "Cinder," the world and characters are my own creation. Hence, I don't think of it as fanfic.

To give another example: "West Side Story" is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet and, in my mind, not fanfiction, as the characters and setting are brand new. Alternatively, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," which gives a spin on two minor characters from the play, I would consider fanfiction because those characters were Shakespeare's creation.

Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

'm going to start my response by stating that I am by no means an expert on copyright law and anyone concerned with the LEGAL implications of fanfiction and how it relates to concerns of copyright and plagiarism should look elsewhere. My response is based solely on the personal opinions of a writer who has been on both sides of the fanfiction equation.

I am in favor of writers creating the stories that inspire them, whether originals or retellings or fanfiction, and publishing them, whether for profit or not for profit, so long as they pose no harm to the original work or creator.

This is where it gets tricky, as people have different ideas of what poses harm to the original work. There are writers who have requested that no fanworks of their books be posted on the internet, and I feel that desire should be respected. For me, personally, I encourage fanworks of The Lunar Chronicles. Not only because it would be hypocritical of me not to (I did write fanfic myself for years), but also because I see it as a means of connecting the fans of the series and keeping the story and characters at the forefront of their thoughts in between book releases. I feel that the existence of Lunar Chronicles fanworks benefits the series, my fans, and myself.

Regarding publishing fanfictions for profit, I feel that it should be stopped, again, if it harms the original work or creator, such as a derivative work that is so similar to the original that it could create confusion in the market between the two.

Example: If E.L. James had published her book as a continuation or alternate reality version of Twilight, some readers who were looking for Stephenie Meyer's book may have grabbed E.L. James's instead. I would consider this to be harmful to the original.

However, "Fifty Shades of Gray," while it may have begun life as a Twilight fanfiction, has been revised into an original work with original characters, and I don't feel would ever be confused with the original works. Therefore, I am perfectly okay with it being published and doing well in the marketplace.

(Note: This entire issue is further complicated by parodies like "Nightlight," but I won't go into all that.)

So in summary, I recommend that people write what they want to write, read what they want to read, and be respectful toward the authors of both original works and fanfiction.

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

Audio Review: Incarnate

2013-02-05T11:13:00.002-07:00

Author: Jodi Meadows
Narrator: Katherine Taub
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Producer: HarperCollins Audio

Story Rating:

Audio Rating:

Goodreads | Amazon

Story Review: Originally posted here (11/14/11)

This book is AMAZING! First of all, the premise is so interesting. A world where there are no new people? You're just reincarnated over and over? How cool is that?! Well... cool for a premise. After reading the book I don't think I'd want to live in that world.

But it brings up so many interesting ideas! What would the world be like if it was just made up of the SAME one million people forever? Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is born with the skills they need to survive (if not the physical strength). Would you ever have wars? The people you killed would just come right back. How would you love? Would you love life-by-life, or through lifetimes? And then there's the interesting bit about not always coming back the same gender.

Imagine being tossed into this world. Everyone knows everything, and you know nothing. TERRIFYING, right? I loved watching Ana struggle through this exact issue. How is she supposed to fit in? Everyone thinks in terms of lifetimes, but she might only have one! So how is she supposed to live her one life? Jodi does an amazing job of making both Ana and the reincarnates REAL people. I believed everything they thought, said, and did.

And on top of that THERE ARE DRAGONS. Dragons and sylphs and centaurs and who knows what else! Just when you thought this story couldn't get more interesting! Now, sometimes when books put so much into their storyline you feel like some of it is underdeveloped or just shoved in there for "wow" factor, not with Incarnate. Jumping from reincarnation to dragons was smooth and made perfect sense. By the end I was saying "Of COURSE there would be dragons in this world!"

All in all, an amazingly powerful book that will keep your brain spinning through all 400 pages!

Audio Review: The sequel to this book, Asunder, just came out at the end of January. So in preparation I decided to listen to the audiobook. I do think this was a good choice because there was quite a bit I had forgotten, but... I didn't love the audiobook. I adore this book, which maybe made me a bit overly critical of the narrator. Actually... I don't think so. I think she's just an annoying narrator.

She feels the need to draaaw out ceertain worrds. It always sounds like she's sneering. I don't know why everyone in this world was so sneery. It was like listening to a stereotypical Cali girl try to imitate a snobby British noble. Sound crazy? Yup. It was.

So while I would definitely recommend that you READ this book, I would skip the audio. I think it might ruin the story for you.

All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2013

British Television (be still my heart!)

2013-02-01T10:48:00.003-07:00

All right, people, I have discovered something recently. I'm behind the times, but I'm fully invested now. There's no going back. Technically I have discovered two things:

Doctor Who & Sherlock

Please let me know who my fellow Wholockians are so that we can have a massive squee-party together, mmkay?

Some things to know:

I have seen every episode of Sherlock. I'm very frustrated that it'll be at least a year before new episodes.
I have seen up to 7.2 of Doctor Who.
I did not watch seasons 1 or 2 of Doctor Who. I don't love Rose and I wanted David Tennant and Matt Smith.
I have come to the conclusion that Matt Smith is my favorite doctor, but it took me a while to get there.
River Song is my favorite television character OF ALL TIME (I know some people hate her. And I understand why they do. But most of the reasons people hate her are the reasons why I love her. She is literally my hero)

And... I think I've hit all the important parts. Now TALK TO ME! What thinkest thou? Let's start talking!

(Warning, there's a chance that these comments could get spoilery. Stay away if you are afraid of spoilers, and you should be!!)

Zoe Marriott on Fan-Fiction vs. Retellings

2013-01-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here's the third post in my series of posts on authors on fan-fiction vs. retelling. Today's authors is one of my favorite fairy-tale retellers: Zoe Marriott!

What do you consider fan-fiction?

I've always understood fanfiction to be any piece of writing which utilises a world or characters that already exist (in whatever form) under copyright to the original author. So, for example, if I were to feel a sudden passionate need to write a new version of Twilight from Jasper's point of view, in which Jasper actually does bite Bella at the birthday party and then the two of them fall in love and Edward goes insane and joins up with Victoria to bring a newborn army to forks, that would be fanfiction. What makes it fanfic is that you're playing with fictional elements which legally and morally belong to another person. That other person may not mind - I certainly don't! - but you're still only borrowing, because no matter what you do, the author is the only one who has the right to change the 'canon' or profit from those creations.

Something is not fanfic if the world and characters that you use are out of copyright - if they no longer belong to someone else. If I decide to write a new take on Pride and Prejudice in which Darcy is an emotionless cyborg and Lizzie is the brilliant mechanic who installs his Heart Chip, that would be a retelling rather than fanfic, because Lizzie and Darcy, and the plot that binds them together, and their fictionalised Regency universe, are all out of copyright and no longer belong to anyone. As a reteller, I still can't change the canon of the original story. But since the author isn't able to profit anymore from that world and characters, it's OK if I do.

Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?

I don't think that fairytale retellings count as fanfic, no. Firstly, folklore and fairytales are not only not under copyright - they've never been under copyright to anyone (not even the brothers Grimm, or H.C. Andersen, although they of course owned their personal takes on those stories) because they're part of a tradition of oral storytelling that stretches back hundreds of years, and those stories have already been told and retold more times than any human could count. In a very real way, the folklore and myths of each individual culture form a part of the identity of its people, and those stories are a birthright, to be dipped into at will. Fairytales and folklore form archetypes, and there's a part of the human brain which is hardwired to seek out and respond to those elemental archetypes. We see the same story shapes and the same kinds of characters crop up over and over again because of that. Cinderella, for instance. There's a Cinderella element in Twilight and one in Pride and Prejudice. That doesn't even make those stories retellings, let alone fanfic. People have been retelling and re-imagining folklore and myths and fairytales in their own ways since we started painting on cave walls. The term fanfic has only existed for about fifty years. I think it's a bit presumptuous to come along and slap that label on stuff which has been a natural part of our cultural evolution for millenia.

Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

This is a tougher one. It's in the nature of creative work that you take inspiration from all kinds of sources. There are books of mine which couldn't exist if I hadn't taken inspiration from other books (ME: Argh, I can't believe the author did that to her strong girl warrior! I'm going to write a strong girl warrior of my OWN and mine won't turn into a wimp!) or films, or music, or pieces of art. There's nothing mortally wrong with this process. West Side Story wouldn't exist without Romeo and Juliet. Some of Shakespeare's plays wouldn't exist without the work of Marlowe. My The Name of the Blade Trilogy wouldn't exist without the Robert Graves poem 'The Bedpost'. Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series might not exist without A Tale of Two Cities. And I've read fanfic which diverged so wildly from its source material that it felt exactly the same - like original fiction which had merely taken a spark of inspiration from something else.

Any work of original fiction which started life as fanfiction can't legally be published unless someone comes along and 'files off the serial number' so to speak. If that's merely a case of (for example!) removing the names Edward and Bella from your all-human, zany, college comedy, and if no one would ever guess that the book was originally inspired by Twilight unless you told them, then I think it's OK. You're not profiting from someone else's work there, but from your own original creations - creations which were merely sparked to life by your reaction to the source material. But I think if your characters are exactly the same as the source characters, and anyone reading your work could see exactly where those serial numbers have been filed off - and most especially if your new book is *promoted* using the fact that it used to be fanfic, and benefits from that - well, then morally you may be on thin ice, even if you can get away with it legally.

The true test, I think, is that fanfiction relies on the reader having familiarity with the original material. It falls flat or feels nonsensical to readers that don't. Original fiction, even fiction that was inspired by another work, can stand alone. It's strong enough - it's characters and world and plot are strong enough - to mesmerise a reader who has never read the story from which the inspiration was drawn.

Don't Turn Around-- Michelle Gagnon

2013-01-29T09:38:00.001-07:00

(NOTE FROM ENNA: River is going to be helping me a lot with reviews for a little while. I'm doing my senior project this semester, and it's kind of consuming my life. I'm in class/work/rehearsal from about 9-9 every day until March. Hopefully I can get my act together on the weekends and schedule some stuff. Until then, enjoy another River Review!)

Release Date: August 28th, 2012
Genre: Dystopia, Sci-fi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 320
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa's talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation called AMRF threatens his life in no uncertain terms.

But what Noa and Peter don't realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who'd stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Review: I wasn't blown away by this book, but it was still fairly good. I had really high expectations for it at the beginning when the first chapter was so action-packed, but they slowly slipped away as the protagonist seemed to spend a fair amount of time perched on her Apple laptop (This is a complete exaggeration, but I feel like the words "macbook" or "apple" were used more than the main character's name, which was annoying- there were just way too many references to her computer!) in coffee shops, wondering where she was going to sleep for the night. In all fairness, considering Noa's circumstances and her history as a computer hacker, it made sense that she would be rotating coffee shops and that she would be fairly obsessed with her laptop, but it still made for boring reading for me at times.

However, it wasn't all boring, and in retrospect, most of the book was lively and fast-paced. When I first discovered what had happened to Noa, I admit I was fairly unimpressed, but the author managed to turn it into something interesting and curious, dropping mysterious hints about future sequels as I read. Noa herself was a likable protagonist, even if she wasn't the usual kick-butt, hard-edged heroine that I like. She was still smart and the other main characters were equally well-written.

Michelle Gagnon vanquished most of my doubts about the novel in the last few pages when she completely turned the tables on me, which frustrated the snot out of me. Things were finally looking for the main characters and for humanity as a whole, and she viciously squelched my rising hopes with a crusher of an ending that, of course, made me feel obligated to read the next book to find out what happens. Overall, I guess my final description for the book is that it was pretty good, and I ended up liking it for a book that really didn't seem like my type from the get-go.

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Interview with Kirsten Miller!

2013-01-24T09:54:00.002-07:00

I have a treat for you guys today! To celebrate the release of the NEW KIKI STRIKE BOOK(!!!!!) Kirsten Miller is going on a blog tour and I get to participate! Check out this awesome interview from her and then enter the giveaway for the first two books in the Kiki Strike series!

You have two series that are quite different from each other (THE ETERNAL ONES and KIKI STRIKE). Can you write two such different stories simultaneously, or do you only write one story at a time?

I don’t think The Eternal Ones series really represents me as a writer. (Writing romances does not come naturally to me.) If I had to choose two books in order to demonstrate my true breadth, I’d pick the latest Kiki book, The Darkness Dwellers and my new teen novel (out in February), How to Lead a Life of Crime.

I wrote them back to back. (Sometimes I’ll edit one book while writing another, but I never write two at once.) And while the two books are VERY different (How to Lead a Life of Crime is extremely dark and violent), they share many similarities. They’re thrillers/adventure stories with kick-butt characters and a weird sense of humor. That’s what I do best. I honestly believe that my two latest books are by far the best novels I’ve written.

What were your worst and best subjects in high school?

Best: English
The One I Loved Most: Chemistry
The One I Despised Most: Gym
Worst: Staying Out of Trouble

Do you read your books after they've been published? On a similar vein, do you read reviews? Why or why not?

I will occasionally ready my own books. But only the good parts—and I know just where they are.

I try to avoid reviews, although I’m not always successful. Writing books is one of the most difficult things a person can do for a living. (At least it is for me.) In order to keep going, I need to believe that people will enjoy the results of my labor. From what I’ve gathered, most readers have been quite happy with my novels. But there are always a few folks out there whose reviews seem to be designed to make me miserable. And you know what? They can—at least for a little while. So I do my best to stay away.

Are you a Vespa riding dare-devil like Kiki, or do you prefer transportation with four wheels?

It’s so funny you ask! I live in New York, where you don’t really need personal transportation. But I did have a cherry red Vespa for years. Just yesterday, I mentioned to a friend that I’m thinking about getting another one. (And yes, I am an AMAZING driver. Watch out, pedestrians. Ha.)

What's the single greatest piece of advice you've received since you sold your first book?

Here’s the piece of advice I wish I’d received . . . Always stay true to who you are as a writer.

Do you read the same kind of books that you write? Do you ever worry about accidentally "copying" another author's voice?

I read mostly non-fiction these days. (I’m always on the look-out for weird facts that can provide fodder for my books.)

No, I never worry about copying another author’s voice. Every writer has his/her own set of insecurities, and I don’t possess that particular one. My biggest problem is a lack of patience. I expect everything to be perfect the second it spills out of my brain. (Something that almost never happens.)

If you could jump into the world of Kiki Strike and join her team, would you do it? What if you had a guarantee that you would live?

I would LOVE TO. I don’t need a guarantee, either.

And finally, can we do a mad-lib? Please provide 3 random nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Reptile
Cadaver
Wig

Excavate
Lick
Tangle

Hidden
Sassy
Fiendish

I haven't had time to get my hands on one of Kirsten's book to fill out her mad-lib. But I will soon, and it will be AWESOME!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

I have a copy of the first two Kiki Strike books to give away! Enter via the rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amanda Grange on Fan-Fiction vs. Retellings

2013-01-23T11:13:00.003-07:00

Here's the second post in my series of posts on authors on fan-fiction vs. retelling. The second author is the Jane Austen master re-teller: Amanda Grange!

What do you consider fan-fiction?

I think everyone has their own definiton of fan fiction. I've never thought about it in any great depth but I suppose to me fan fiction is something based on other people's creations, written solely for the pleasure of the fan fiction author or possibly the pleasure of the fan fiction author's family and friends as well ,and then posted online. It doesn't have to meet any standards so it can be good, bad or anywhere in between.

Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?

I think my books are different for a number of reasons. Although I get a lot of pleasure writing them and they are based on someone else's creations, I was a published author before I started my retellings (I'd had about ten Regency romances published), so I'd already spent years honing my skills, whereas a lot of fan fiction is often the author's first experience of writing. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact it gives a lot of people a taste for writing and they go on to become professional authors, but it means that for the most part the fan fiction authors don't have a control of their writing skills and so the results can be uneven. My books can't afford to be uneven. They have to meet professional standards and they also have to meet publishers' requirements. I have to deal with a whole variety of things like accuracy, length, deadlines and consistency, as well as adding something new while being true to the original. I have to do a lot of research to make sure all my historical details are correct, the language is suitable for the Regency period etc. and my book has to pass muster with an experienced editor before it sees the light of day. If I'd written the diaries as my first attempts at writing a novel, they wouldn't have been anything like the published novels they are today. They would have had problems with pacing, style, characterisation, narrative flow and everything else, so I'm glad the idea didn't occur to me until I'd already been through the process of writing my own books.

Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

I really can't say. Some fan fiction authors don't want to be published, some publish themselves and some are picked up by mainstream publishers. But it's an interesting topic. I think anything that gets people writing and reading is a good thing!

Diana Peterfreund on Fan-fiction vs. Retellings

2013-01-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the first post in my series of posts on authors on fan-fiction vs. retelling. The first author is the amazing Diana Peterfreund!

What do you consider fan-fiction?

Fanfiction is unlicensed derivative work. Derivative work is a legal term, which is why you get workarounds like "filing the serial numbers off" something that might have once been fanfic and then selling it. So that's the legal POV. Here's the personal one. I used to read and write fanfiction when I was a teenager, and to me, the essence of fanfic was sending established characters in established worlds out on new adventures that the creators didn't or wouldn't or hadn't or had only hinted at. The important part of the term is it's being produced by "fans", for fun.

There are currently things being called "fanfic" and posted on fanfic sites that I personally wouldn't consider fanfic. For instance: someone who types up the words of a published novel and then changes the names of the characters in that novel into the names of the characters in the "fandom" -- that is not fanfiction. That is not "crossover fanfic." That's not "AU fanfic." That's just plagiarism. (It's happened to me and it's just baffling -- they're missing the whole point!)

I suppose there were genuine "AU" (alternate universe) fanfics around when I read and wrote them, but they never interested me at all. I was in that fandom for those characters and that story. Why would I want something totally different with the same names? Like why would i want to read Buffy fanfic where Buffy wasn't a vampire slayer, but just a high school student named Buffy? I'm not sure why people would even call it fanfic, except they want the established fandom. I've read that's how 50 Shades started. Had I not been told that, I probably would not have seen the connection between the stories. There is almost no similarity in plot and only vague and generic similarity in characters. (this is how they got away with publishing it with the names changed).

Finally, I wouldn't call the people writing fantasies about meeting and dating rockstars or other real people fanfiction either. They are fans, and it's fiction, but that doesn't make it fanfic.

Do you consider your book to be fan-fiction? If not, what sets it apart from your definition?

It is not unlicensed derivative work because there is no license. All of Jane Austen's works are out of copyright. But beyond the legal perspective, I think it's different because of the "essence" I talked about above. When I personally think of Jane Austen "fanfic", I actually think of books like Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife or Lost in Austen any of the other sequels or books that feature the actual Jane Austen characters in the actual Jane Austen stories and put them on new or different adventures. But I think we all have a lot in common, in the sense that we are all fans writing fiction inspired by Austen's works. So you can call it fanfic if you want. I don't have any moral feelings about that term. I'm in the same boat as "fanfic" like West Side Story... and that's a very happy place to be!

Based on your definition, should fan-fiction ever be published?

It's not a "should" question. If one attempts to publish and profit from unlicensed derivative work, the owners have the right to come down on you. But it's important to recognize that there is plenty of LICENSED derivative work going on. When you see a Star Wars novel, it's because Lucas (or I guess, Disney now) has hired someone to write it. (Just like Lucas hired someone to write the scripts of the original Star Wars movies.) When you have something like a movie or TV show, there are dozens of creators who have already gone into that production, and novelists working with Lucas to bring forth a particular vision (I know a few Star Wars novelists) are doing the same thing a scriptwriter or a production designer are.

Same thing with the new Bane Chronicles where other writers are writing in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series.

Safekeeping-- Karen Hesse

2013-01-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

Release Date: September 18th, 2012
Genre: Dystopia
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 304
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Radley just wants to get home to her parents in Vermont. While she was volunteering abroad, the American People's Party took power; the new president was assassinated; and the government cracked down on citizens. Travel restrictions are worse than ever, and when her plane finally lands in New Hampshire, Radley’s parents aren’t there.

Exhausted; her phone dead; her credit cards worthless: Radley starts walking

Blurb: The quickest and most simplistic way I can sum this book up is to say that it's a slightly less depressing, more feminine version of "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy-- with the added bonus of pictures.

Review: I didn't dislike the book. In fact, I kind of liked it. But it wasn't a "wow" book-- it wasn't different. Hesse seemed to recognize this while writing it, and decided to try and differentiate it from all the other post-apocalypse novels by supplementing the simple plot line with pictures she'd taken herself. The thing was, the pictures didn't always fit the story. At first, the pictures were pretty, artsy and in some places, invoked a moment of deeper consideration when they actually seemed to juxtapose nicely with the story. After the first few chapters though, the pictures only served as a reminder that the book was actually several dozen pages shorter than I originally thought. It took me a solid hour to sit down and read a 300-something page novel due to the full page pictures.

Even if I hadn't read it through in one sitting, the book was short enough that it didn't allow me time to get into the characters, or the setting. I was merely an emotionless observer in a story that had the potential to grip me. However, although my review is pointing towards failure, the book did redeem itself in the last twenty or so pages when it made me bawl. Up until the end of the book, the feel had been off. It had been relatively calm and for the most part, everything that happened to the two main characters was pretty lucky. Let me just tell you though, that book got REAL in the last twenty pages in a way I should have expected, but didn't. And I cried hard. I curled up in bed and cried, mostly because I felt like the author had betrayed me in setting up a nice, cozy little world, but had then bashed it all in the head in the last chapter.

Few books make me cry, and the ones that do nearly always earn a spot on my bookshelf, however, I passed the book onto my little sister instead. In the end, despite a few adult circumstances the main characters deal with, the book was somewhat juvenile in it's length and content. When my twelve year old sister read it, her only comment was that the pictures were distracting to her. She also has the emotional capacity of roadkill, so I doubt she did much crying at the end, either. If you're looking for a short, easy and interesting enough book for a road trip to Grandma's house for Christmas dinner, you probably couldn't go terribly wrong with this book. And when you get car sick and throw up all over it and render it unreadable, you won't even be that upset.

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Unfinished Friday (6)

2013-01-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a special edition of Unfinished Friday! Today I'm featuring some books that my guest reviewer River just couldn't quite get through. Read what she has to say about each!

Daughter of the Centaurs, Kate Klimo (Goodreads)

I honestly can't believe I even tried to read this book. I looked at the cover, and despite my obnoxious optimism, even I couldn't resist judging it by its cover. Still, I read the back of the book, was mildly interested and flipped it open to begin. I hadn't even finished the first paragraph and I already knew that this particular venture was doomed. Dear blog-reader, know that it was for you that I struggled on. I waded through three more pages of the book before I gave up and simply stared blankly at the pages with a bemused sort of expression on my face. It's been a while since I tried to read this book, but I needed time to heal from the weird tense, and style of writing that the book used before writing this review. I suppose if you were a book-hipster (I really don't even know what a book-hipster is, it just sounded appropriate) you could give it a try and perhaps enjoy it, but it's definitely not your regular novel....

The Pledge, Kimberly Derting (Goodreads)

"Strangely unremarkable for a promising book" would be my tag-line if I were a famous person who you would see quoted on the back of this novel (well, if publishers actually put criticism on the back of books...). I actually read the majority of this book, but even if it wasn't a tortuous read, it wasn't terribly enjoyable either. The setting was a weird mash-up of the middle-east and some post-apocalyptic world; the characters were tired; and the plot, however hard it tried, was rough at the edges, but thinning in the middle. I had less than a quarter of the book left to read before I was distracted by a hot football player. And in the books defense, he was really hot--I'm pretty sure this guy would have distracted me from finishing the last Harry Potter book even. But, even after my crush had died down, I didn't have the desire to return to the book in the slightest. In the end, it was just simply a boring story.

Glitch, Heather Anastasiu (Goodreads)

"Do, done, did" would be the tag line for this book, because it's short, catchy and it makes just enough sense that readers would be left wondering what the heck I meant by it. What I actually mean by it, is that this book's been done before. It's another post-apocalyptic world where everyone is controlled by little brain chips and some overarching leader with a complex and self-confidence problems. I got about a quarter of the way into this book, before it struck me that even I had written a story just like this when I was younger. Maybe I'm jaded and it's just too juvenile for me, but I ran out of interest before I realized the book hadn't even created interest in the first place. It wasn't that it was poorly written like the Centaur book, but it was boring like The Pledge. I ended up passing it on to my sister who practically swallows books whole (actually, she ate ten pages of my copy of "Anna Karenina" because she was mad at me once...), and even she couldn't summon the interest to read it.

So there you go! What do you think of these books? Have you read them? Did you like them?

Have a great Friday!