Escape In A Book

When did I become a Youtuber?

2013-05-24T13:41:00.000+02:00

I said earlier that I would write a little about things that have occupied my time lately in lack of a reading mood and books to review. These last few months I`ve been spending way too much time on Youtube and I blame a certain theatre group and also my younger sister. I have mentioned this group on the blog`s facebook page earlier. A group of actors, writers, directors and designers met at The University of Michigan in 2009. They made a Harry Potter-musical, a fan-made parody called A Very Potter Musical and later called themselves Team Starkid. After the live performance they put it on Youtube so all their friends and family could watch it. It became a massive hit in the Harry Potter-community and quickly reached 2 million views. In 2010 they released A Very Potter Sequel and this march the third and probably last Harry Potter-musical was released on Youtube called A Very Potter Senior Year. In two years they reached more than 90 million views on their musicals. They have made other parody/musicals as well, that you can find on Youtube and this summer they`re doing an Alladin/Disney-musical called Twisted in a theatre in Chicago. I don`t know when it will be released on Youtube but I`m pretty sure it will be eventually.

I have to give my sister credit for this one as well as I did with Veronica Mars. Not only did she make me read Harry Potter in the first place, but she was also the one who told me about these shows. In combination with the Warbler Darren Criss (Blaine) showing up on Glee (which I showed her by the way) I finally started to watch these three musicals. The songs are really catchy and pretty good and the jokes are funny and a lot of the time ridiculous. The musicals are probably meant for an older audience than the books because of the language and some mature content. The best part though and probably why Team Starkid have such loyal and hardcore fans among the Harry Potter-community is the heart and love they have for their material which is mainly HP but also other popcultural phenomenas as Twilight and The Hunger Games. I think a parody`s rarely very good unless it respects and care for who or what they`re making fun of. The shows don`t follow a certain book each but mix parts of all the books together in a very creative manner. If you are not familiar with Team Starkid I hope you give it a chance and if you`re already a Starkid, please tell me what to watch next. I have left to discover the rest of their shows and I dare not think about all the other great stuff that`s out there on the internet.

I have to say that I`ve developed an ambivalent relationship to Youtube lately because it´s incredible how much time you can spend cliquing from one video to the nex,t and suddenly the whole evening is gone and maybe you haven`t even watched the thing you went there to watch in the first place. In many cases I really could have spent my time more wisely but in other cases you get to see something unique and really entertaining like with these Team Starkid musicals. They have their own channel on Youtube by the way. Enjoy! Here`s a clip from the first show:

And the second:

And the third (yes it is the real Evanna Lynch):

Book Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

2013-05-21T01:13:00.000+02:00

It's been a while since I've had the chance to read a book. Really read it, not chasing through a couple of chapters a night, but actually getting lost in another world for hours on end. I suppose you can say I had a reader's block, and I'm very happy I'm out of it. Thanks to Born Wicked.

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.
Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.
If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

Cate Cahill and her sisters have always been different. They are witches, like their mother. After her death, Cate has taken care to hide the whispered spells from everyone - including their own father. The burden heavy on her shoulder, Cate misses her mother. Then she discovers her mother didn't quite tell her everything... She didn't only keep her secret from the world, she was also keeping secrets from Cate. Cate works to unravel the mystery her mother's death left and desperately holds on to the only leads she has. However, Cate has only a few months to make a decision, one that will alter her life forever: announce her engagement to a suitor or join the Sisterhood. In this world girl and women do not have freedom.

This story takes place in America around the 1900's. It's not only a historical novel, it obviously has a few paranormal things going on as well. The witchcraft, the magic, it was entwined with the world Cate lives in perfectly. Spotwood's writing fits that world, it has a classy, old and somewhat tense feeling. The story is a bit slow at times, but Cate's interesting descriptions and thoughts kept me interested.

I found Cate to be a likeable character overall. She has promised to keep her sisters safe, silently teaches them magic as their mother would have done. She has developed an aversion of magic due to this constant responsibiliy, middle sister Maura hates her for it. Cate has taken a lot of responsibilities and underneath her calm face a bright and stubborn spirit is visible.
The difference between the sisters is remarkable. Responsible and quiet Cate, she doesn't resemble the fiery and reckless Maura at all. Maura who considers the magic as a beautiful gift and feels trapped. Tess, the youngest sister, is a girl wise beyond her years. She is sweet and eager to learn, always supportive of Cate. Both are intriguing in their own ways and make the reader wonder about their parts in the prophecy. The final chapters really got me by surprise, it also got me thinking. Who is the strongest sister?
Elena, Finn and Paul kept the story interesting. Elena, the governess assigned to find Cate a suitor, appears to be quite different to what Cate had expected. The whole Sisterhood, for that matter.
Finn and Paul, ah. Paul, Cate's childhood friend and suitor. A man she can only love as a friend. Finn, the bookseller's son and Cate's new gardener. The boy she grows to love. Considering Cate's final choice I am curious to see what further role Finn will play in the story. He is a member of the Brotherhood, which means he might be able to get closer to Cate.
Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes.
He will be part of it, and look at this message posted by Jessica Spotswood. There's more kissing, so more Finn? I sure hope so, I'm rather fond of Finn as well!
Well, I'm rather fond of it, but also rather biased. I hope it lives up to my goal to be "brutal + awesome, with kissing."

There are some minor things in the plot I would have liked to see differently though. According to a prophecy, Cate is the most powerful witch to walk the earth. If so, how is it possible her sisters have both overshadowed her magic since their talent manifested. Until Cate learns about the prophecy she keeps telling us how her 12-year-old sister can do magic she could only wish for. The change in her power is too sudden after the revelation of the strongest sister.
Also, Cate is warned not to raise suspicion because they are with three, three sisters who are known to be 'different'. A lot of girls have been taken away already, often girls with two other sisters. Why didn't the Brotherhood think about taking these sisters? Is it because their father is a well-respected scholar? Surely that shouldn't change a thing, as witchcraft is still witchcraft and forbidden. I hope I'll get my answers in Star Cursed, Born Wicked's sequel, which will be released later this year.

A magical story set in an older world. It definitely has the fairytale like feeling I love to see in books, certainly a must-read for those who are anything like me. I can't wait to get my hands on Star Cursed!

My rating of this book

Source

ARC kindly provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book review: Wonder by R.J.Palacio

2013-05-16T12:37:00.002+02:00

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances? (From Goodreads)

The story about August is told with several perspectives. Even though most chapters are through August`s eyes we also get to read the points of view of his sister, Via, her former childhood friend Miranda, her boyfriend Justin, and August`s new friends Jack and Summer. I liked most of these chapters, but maybe we didn`t need all of them. Especially the part with Justin seemed a bit redundant. On the other side Via`s chapter definitely brought an important layer to the book and most of the other chapters did too. It is so easy to judge everyone for their behaviour and reactions towards August but showing their points of view makes it a lot more difficult.

I think this book is important, well-written, easy-going, funny and beautiful all at the same time. As an adult reader I sometimes missed a little debth and severeness to the story but this is a book where older children are the main target group and it is also told through children´s eyes. It certainly has it´s tougher parts though where you get both angry and sad, but the heart, the smile and the hope is there all the time. For instance Auggies parents makes the story about his rather dramatic birth into a comedic story about a farting angry nurse and he wants to hear it over and over. I also did find myself thinking if children and some adults really could be this mean and ignorant and unfortunately they can. This is an important lesson for me as an adult and parent, to remember exactly how mean children can be without even realizing it or at least not thinking about the consequences. For children and I guess all of us this is also a story about the importance and value of being kind to each other.

These last few days after I read Wonder I`ve found myself really missing August. He is such a beautiful and strong character with the optimism and curiousness only a child can have. This little boy could definitely teach most of us a thing or two about life and what`s really important. He is a complicated character but not as broadened, cynical or deep as an adult nor should he be. None of the characters that tell the story are adults and inside these frames the story really works. When life is good, it is all happiness, and when it´s not it´s devastating. All that in between and ahead are for adults to think and worry about.

I read this book in norwegian as it was a gift from the norwegian publisher Gyldendal. I am happy about owning this book in norwegian because I`m looking forward to give this to my daughter to read when she is ready. The norwegian publisher has published this as more of a YA-book but I think it is mainly for older children. That being said this book could and should be read by a large group of people age not considered. I still think it´s important to say that this is a book suitable for children from the age of 9 I think. The author says on her web page that adults have a stronger emotional reaction to this book because we know life is not going to be easy for little Auggie later on but children find the story mostly funny and uplifting. Despite it all Auggie has a family that loves him and gives him whatever they can and he also has friends that got his back, and that´s more than a lot of "normal" children can say.

My rating:

Are you a marshmallow like me?

2013-05-10T13:13:00.001+02:00

I haven`t been the a particularly good blogger lately. To be honest I haven`t really been in a great blogging or reading mood lately. When I looked at my reading list to see if there was a book I could review I couldn`t find a single YA-book in english. Hopefully this will change in the near future, but for now I thought I could tell you about some of the things that have caught my attention lately, both book-related and none book-related. I´ll start off with the latter in this post:

One of my favorite TV-shows, Veronica Mars, is being made in to a movie! If you´re a fan you probably already knew and maybe like me and my sister you supported the Kickstarter campaign last month. If you`re not, this is the time to become a marshmallow;-)

I started to watch the show because of my younger sister that keeps making me watch and read things I probably would`nt if not for her. We watched the first two seasons together and I caught up with her for the third and unfortunately last season. We hoped there would be a fourth one and they even made a teaser/trailer for a posible fourth season on the DVD, but it got cancelled. Now we all get to see the ending that we expected to get back then. I think the movie is expected in the first half of 2014 and for now the only confirmed cast members are Kristen Bell as Veronica, Jason Dohring as Logan and Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars. Hopefully we`ll also get to see Dick, Wallace, Weevil, Mac, and maybe even Duncan. I have already started to watch the show again, and am really excited for this movie. In Norway they`re all available on Netflix so maybe they`re available for subscibers all over the world. Here the first 5 minutes of episode 1, season 1:

You can follow the project on facebook for updates.

Listen to my favorite from Norwegian Idol 2013

2013-04-24T10:59:00.000+02:00

So books and music goes hand in hand, right? Right, so it is suitable for me to share some music videos with you guys from our Norwegian version of Idol. One of the contestant this year really floored me with her talent, original takes on well known songs and, last but certainly not least, her lovely voice. I would love to hear your thoughts on the singer in the comments below.

I cried!

So me crying is not something new, I almost cry every time I read a book, there is just always a wee thing or two that set me off. But I think is the first year ever a contestant has moved me to tears, at least the big, salty ones that just falls, even when you try your best to hold them back.

When 16 year old Norwegian Astrid Smeplass was voted out of Idol last Friday I cried. That is not usually how I behave when I'm watching Idol. Her voice just spoke to my soul I guess and so I wanted to share her talent with you guys.

One of the first songs Astrid did in Idol was a cover, well her own interpretation of, of Jolene by Dolly Parton(fast forward to 53 sec out in the video to get to the song):

Astrid wrote this song with a little help from two American song writers.
A good collaboration I would say:

Human by The Killers:

Cover of Her(the Norwegian word for here) by Karpe Diem:

So is it just me or does this girl have something special?

I think Astrid is an amazingly talented singer now, and as the days, months and years pass she will only grow as a singer. I am buying her music no doubt about it. I have already bought, along with a great deal others was Astrid topped the Norwegian iTunes list almost instantly, the song she composed herself.

Graphic novel: Baby's In Black by Arne Bellstorf

2013-04-22T20:58:00.001+02:00

Arne Bellstorf's Baby's in Black is based on a true (love) story. My heart was in pieces after closing the final page.

Front and back cover to the left, to the right is the book
(I love books that has something underneath the dust jacket).

All you need is love

Baby's In Black is based on the romantic relationship between the German photographer Astrid Kirrcherr and The Beatles' first bassist Stuart Sutcliff. When The Beatles was just a wee baby band they went to Hamburg, in Germany, for months they played every night at a club near The Reeperbahn.

Astrid was introduced to the band by her former boyfriend Klaus Vorman. Both Astrid and Klaus formed a friendship with the boys in the band. Astrid asked if she could photograph the band and she took a number of wonderful (now very famous) pictures of The Beatles. While working close with boys Astrid and Stuart Sutcliffe became close.

After reading Baby's In Black I ordered a photography book with
several of Astrid Kirrcherr's beautiful photos in it.

Hello, goodbye

Stuart Sutcliff was originally studying arts, he had ambitions of becoming a painter. After selling one of his works he was persuaded by his good friend John Lennon to buy a bass guitar and to join Lennon's band. Stuart played with The Beatles while in Hamburg, but left the group to continue his studies.

Yesterday

I loved how Bellstorf's illustrations underlined the moods and what a perfect way he had to capture the seasons.

In case you are unfamiliar with this love story, like I was, I do not wish to reveal anything from the main story itself. Still I wanted to write down a few words about this story that broke my heart. I alsp loved the fact that I gained some knew knowledge of The Beatles while reading and that Bellstorf created a history that is for everyone, not just hardcore fans of The Beatles.

Book review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

2013-04-18T15:43:00.002+02:00

The year is 2044 and the world looks different than today. As many people have foreseen the world is not really big enough for all of us, the energy crisis is a fact and people live in bunkers on top of each other in need of both space and resources. To escape the depressing reality a lot of people also have a life inside of OASIS, a virtual reality where you create an avatar and can go to school, hang out in chat-rooms, play games, make friends and some people even get married without ever having seen each other in real life. The founder of OASIS James Halliday, hid different clues and riddles in OASIS for people to solve before he passed away. The one who finds three keys and three gates will find Halliday's Easter Egg, win the lottery and inherit all of Halliday's fortune and the control of OASIS. Wade Watts is a 17 year old orphan that lives with his not very loving aunt and spends most of his time trying to win the prize. When the story starts he's been looking for five years without finding anything. The only thing he knows is that the riddles are based on popculture of the 80s, Halliday`s big passion. He is of course not the only one looking. When Wade finally finds the first key, his avatar`s name shows up on the high score list, everything changes and the game is on for real.

What did I think?
This was such an incredibly fun and clever book. Even though it contains plenty of references to the popular culture of the 80s I am pretty sure you will enjoy the ride even though you don't get most of them. I was born in 1980 and I got some of the movie and TV-references but video games have never been one of my biggest interests. I think if you have some nerdy bones in your body, know what it`s like to be obsessed or really into different popcultural phenomenas you will understand. You might say that Ernest Cline get's to the inner nerd in you:-) What impresses me the most about this book are all the details and that it`s so thoroughly done and still so entertaining and thrilling. I have to say the book didn`t capture me instantly but it definitely did eventually. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much and it's such a great feeling when that happens. I didn't want it TO end but still I had to know HOW it ended as soon as posible. I also found myself beeing really into the main character Wade and the group of friends he makes during the hunt even though he`s never met them face to face.

Social criticism or pure entertainment?
Ready Player One has everything a novel that`s primary goal is to entertain should have; friendship, a love story, excitement and humour. Compared to many other dystopian novels it doesn't feel as a society gone wrong is a main issue here, more the background of the story being inside OASIS. There are som social criticism in the book, both environmental and about not being present in the real world, living your life online, not having to face reality as I guess more and more people do. OASIS seems very compelling to the reader but on the other hand you see that it's not real, and that it can never replace real human contact. But mostly I think Ready Player One is just a refreshingly fun tribute to geekyness and pop culture. I don't miss more criticism or debth because Ernest Cline does what he knows best and loves the most. His passion shows through the whole book and is a big part of what makes this work so well.

It's not really a YA-book but it received the YALSA Alex-award in 2012, an award given to books written for adults with special appeal to young adult readers. In my opinion this could just as well have been published as a YA-book but then it probably would have been lost for many of the adult readers. Hopefully it won`t be lost for all the YA-readers.

Source:
Gift from the norwegian publisher Vendetta.

My rating:

It's here! The first Catching FIre trailer

2013-04-15T08:31:00.002+02:00

Omg! I am in such a state over this, a trailer for The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire. I feel like dancing, crying and laughing! Today is Christmas Eve. CATCHING FIRE you guys.

What do you think of the trailer?

Book review: Colin Fischer

2013-03-26T12:16:00.003+01:00

Colin Fischer is just starting high school and his parents are very worried. He has Aspergers, can't stand to be touched or the colour blue and he needs index cards to regocnize people's face expressions. Sherlock Holmes is a big inspiration to him and he probably sees himself as a younger and more modern version of him. One day at school a gun goes off in the school cafeteria. Unlike the rest of the students Colin doesn't flee the scene but stays to investigate, because investigating is what he loves to do. The school soon finds a suspect but Colin knows they're wrong. The book is written by Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz (screenwriters of X-Men: First Class and Thor).

I had a hard time getting into this book for some reason. Though I think the story could have been a bit more fast-paced I blame some of it on my reading mood or the lack of reading mood lately. I guess my blogging mood hasn't been the best either because it's taken me this long to post this review.

The plot in this book is not particularly original or very exciting but this story is about something more than a crime being investigated and solved. Fortunately because the mystery in the book is not executed in a way I find very satisfying. In the end we don't get all the answers we should have and it feels a bit to easy. We get to know who brought the gun to school but not really why. So as I implied this book does not have it's strenght as a mystery but more in being about a boy who's different. Colin is a very likable character and although I have little knowledge of Asperger syndrome I think it gave me a little insight. The writing is fun, easy and we get to know more about Colin through his notebook which is a nice and successful touch I think. He writes about things he notices and wants to investigate further and he writes about facts and experiments that fascinates him. We also get to follow his way of thinking through the footnotes that explains words or incidents in the story with facts.

So all in all a good experience as an entertaining and sometimes touching contemporary novel about a young boy being different, but as a mystery not so much. The mystery not being solved properly is not a big problem though because the interesting part of the book is exploring Colin's mind and the world around him through his eyes.

My rating:

Source:
Gift from the publisher Puffin Books

Cover This! - Water

2013-03-22T09:52:00.000+01:00

Cover This! is a brand new, and irregular, feature here at Escape In A Book. In this feature we share some of the trends we have spotted in the giant sea of 2013 releases. This is the place where we're allowed to judge a book by its cover.

By the looks of it 2013 is going to be a wet year. Be aware of water this year, girls!

Keep your head above water

In this category my personal favorite is either Revel or Through To You, I cannot make up my mind so I guess that's a tie. For people like me, young at heart and with the apperance of an old hag(I'm turning the ancient age of 30 this year LOL), the cover for all this could end might bring back certain memories of a pool scene in the movie Wild Things, Neve Campbell and Denise Richards playing in the swimming pool.

Romance by, in or over the water

There is no question about it, the water is a far more romantic element than say earth(and who needs air for kissing, right?!) My favorite? The September Girls cover - SWOOOON.

Death & Dystopia

One doesn't have to be an expert on the YA genre to guess that The Ward is a dystopian novel. The 39 Deaths of Adam Strand sounds kind of like Groundhog day(you know the movie) you know, but the difference is that this is a story about a boy who is bored with life and tries to kill himself.

Well what do you know, it is girls in the water.. again!

How do you feel about the water trend? Which of the covers featured is your favorite and which one did you like the least?

Divergent: Cast

2013-03-21T16:42:00.000+01:00

Divergent is one of my favorite reads and I can't wait for the final installment to be released this October. Though we might not have a lot of information about Divergent #3, a lot of information about the film has already been announced. I have gathered some information for you, I hope you are as excited as I am.

A while ago now, Shailene Woodley was confirmed to take on the role of Beatrice Prior in the adaptation of Veronica Roth's Divergent. Now, months later, with Four announced at last, we nearly have the entire cast.

Shailene Woodley stars as Tris.

Image by © Nick Stepowyj via Flickr

Veronica Roth: “Physically, what’s most important to me, far and away more important than other aspects of her appearance, is that Tris does not look like an action hero — she looks like a slight person with youthful, delicate features, someone who shocks you with how strong and capable she becomes. To me, that is exactly the look Shailene has, exactly the look I’ve always had in my mind. From what I’ve seen, I’m confident she will be able to capture Tris’s particular mixture of vulnerability and strength, and that surprising moment when a seemingly unremarkable girl from Abnegation transforms into a powerful yet flawed young woman.”

Woodley certainly has the innocence Roth describes and she has proven herself to be a great actress in The Descendants.

Theo James stars as Four.

Last Friday the emotions were high as the actor to play Four was announced. Jeremy Irvine, Alexander Ludwig, Jack Reynor and Alex Pettyfer seemed to be the top choices, so most were caught by surprise when a somewhat unknown face showed up. Theo James was cast, a 28-year-old English actor.
While I must say I had imagined Four differently, I believe he will turn out to be a great Four. The casting directors have chosen James for a reason, and Veronica Roth has stated he fits perfectly. Certainly Roth knows her own characters best:

"Recently I saw Theo James' screen test with Shailene Woodley, and I was sure within seconds: this was ‘Four,’ no question. Theo is able to capture ‘Four’s’ authority and strength, as well as his depth and sensitivity. He is a perfect match for Shailene's incredibly strong presence as Tris. I'm thrilled!"

Image by © Gordon Correll via Flickr.

Other cast members include Jai Courtney as Eric, Maggie Q as Tori (gotta mention that I think she is amazing) Miles Teller as Peter, Zoë Kravitz as Christina and Ansel Elgort as Caleb.

Image by © Eva Rinaldi via Flickr.

Still a mystery is Kate Winslet's part in Divergent. She is a confirmed cast member, yet her role is unknown. It's speculated she is to play Jeanine, head of Erudite, or maybe Tris's mother. No matter her role, I am very eager to see her performance.

Image by © Tony Shek via Flickr.

What about the director? Neil Burger, director of The Illusionist and Limitless, has been confirmed to direct Divergent. Again, Veronica Roth was over the moon when she spoke about 'her' director:

“By the time I hung up — an hour and a half later! — I felt very reassured. Neil knew the books remarkably well, and asked some amazing questions about the world and the story, and generally demonstrated tremendous respect for the books and for my answers. I actually found myself wishing he had been around while I was writing, to help me think through the particularities of the world of Divergent!”

The release date of Divergent has been set on the 21st of March, 2014. In exactly a year time, millions of readers will be watching the film. I will be amongst them for sure, will you?

Book Review: The Holders by Julianna Scott

2013-02-27T00:47:00.000+01:00

Yesterday you were able to read an interview with Julianna Scott, author of The Holders. I was lucky enough to read it early and I must say I was pleasantly surprised!

Review

My thoughts
Becca has spent the past years watching over her younger brother Ryland, who hears voices. Every time she and her mother managed to scare away experts and doctors who wanted to take him. Until one day two men show up, claiming to know what's wrong with Ryland. He is a gifted Holder and belongs at St Brigid's School in Ireland, with his own kind. This time, their mother thinks it's best they let Ryland go. Becca is torn, but agrees on one condition: she gets to accompany him. In Ireland Becca discovers more and more about the secret world of the Holders and that she may not be as normal as she thought she was...

The Holders is Julianna Scott's first YA novel and I must say I really enjoyed it. Scott has created a magical community within our normal world. We learn about The Holders through Becca's eyes: their history and their present. Slowly we learn more and more details, although there are still questions to be answered in the sequel.
The plot is predictable though. There were some twists, but it was perfectly clear where the story was going.
Still, Scott's writing style was very enjoyable and the story flowed well. The only thing that irked me a little was how descriptive Becca was. She tells a lot, which is understandable as she is the novel's narrator, but I would have liked to see more dialogue.

The characters are well-build and mostly realistic.
Becca, of course, our protagonist and heroine. She is loyal, protective and rather fierce. Her personality has She is apparently also very smart, but tends to react before thinking. She'd do anything to keep Ryland safe, which is exactly what she has done the past years. Her pain is almost tangible when she realises Ryland does not need her for the first time in his life. At St Brigid's she has real friends, which is new for her, and finally learns to trust others.
Alex is a bit too perfect - even after a terrible youth he is still the incarnation of kindness, loyalty, humour, and well, he's attractive. That did not take away his likeabilty though. I couldn't help smiling, and crying too, for him. His feelings for Becca are painfully obvious to everyone but her and I liked the way their relationship was handled.
In this first book, a lot of supporting characters are introduced. They all have their own story and are all necessary for the story. Bubbly Chloe, the always bickering Anderson and Reid, the knowing Min, younger brother Ryland and long-lost father Jocelyn. One character we are not yet introduced to is Daraagh, our villain. He is only briefly mentioned, yet I am sure he will make a grand entree in the next installment.

The Holders is an enticing mix of an ancient legend, Irish countryside and interesting characters. Definitely a promising start to a brand new YA series!

My rating of this book

Source

A digital ARC was kindly provided to me by Strange Chemistry in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: The Holders by Julianna Scott

2013-02-26T15:49:00.000+01:00

I've got something exciting to share: We are lucky enough to be a part of The Holders Blog Tour, which meant I got to read the novel early and got to ask Julianna Scott some questions about herself, her writing and of course The Holders. Enjoy!

Author interview
Allow me to introduce you to Julianna, author of The Holders.

Julianna was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spent the majority of her educational career convinced she would be a musician. However, after receiving her music degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, she realized that she'd been born in the wrong era for her dreams of singing jazz to adoring fans clad in zoot-suits and flapper dresses to come true, and began to wonder if her true calling might be elsewhere.

While Julianna had always excelled in writing throughout school, she'd never considered it a career possibility until about three years ago, when she'd gotten her first story idea and decided to go for it. She grabbed her laptop, started typing away, and has never looked back.

For those who have not yet heard about The Holders, could you give a short summary of the story?

17-year-old Becca has spent her whole life protecting her brother - from their father leaving and from the people who say the voices in his head are unnatural. When two strangers appear with apparent answers to Ryland's "problem" and details about a school in Ireland where Ryland will not only fit in, but prosper, Becca is up in arms.

She reluctantly agrees to join Ryland on his journey and what they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their imagination. Little by little they piece together information about their family's heritage and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the one they've been waiting for. However things are not as clear as they once were, and everyone is in for a surprise that will forever change what they thought they knew about themselves and their kind.

A lot of people have described The Holders as a new twist to X-Men. How would you describe the novel yourself, in one sentence?

Hmm… That’s a tricky one. I guess I would say it’s a story about the bonds of family, the power of love, and the strength you can find within yourself if you are brave enough to look.

Becca is very protective over her younger brother and is rather stubborn and determined. In which ways do you recognise yourself in her character?

Well, I am definitely stubborn, and I always think I’m right. ;-) I am also a caregiver and like to take care of my friends and family. To be honest, I think there will always be a little of me in all of my main characters. If I can’t relate to them in some way there is no way I will be able to write their stories.

The Holders is a very interesting story, in different ways. What would its theme song be and why?

This is a hard one for me, because most of the music I listen to is lyric-less. I went to college for music and some of my favorite songs are either classical, or scores to movies. However there is a composer that I found via YouTube when I was looking for music to inspire THE HOLDERS, named Adrian Von Ziegler. He has a ton of amazing stuff out there, but my favorites—and the ones that I feel best suit THE HOLDERS are Crann Na Beatha, Cliffs of Moher, and Celtic Lore.

What books have influenced your life most?

Romance novels, but not for the reasons you might think. In the aspect of reading, I grew up under something of a rock. I had no idea that there were stories out there about love and relationships that weren’t the horrid cheesey $3.99 romance novels that I saw in the supermarket. :-) When I read my first quality romance—which was actually only about 3 years ago—my literary life was changed.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Oh goodness, there are times when I still don’t. Insecurity is something most writers have a load of and I am particularly bad when it comes to comparing myself with others. I will try to call myself a ‘real writer’ but it seems to always been subconsciously followed by, “but I’ll never be a writer like her/him/them/etc.”

Do you have any writing rituals?

With two little kids, it’s hard to get into a pattern, and I’ve learned to work pretty much anywhere and whenever I can. The only thing I absolutely require is quiet. I can’t have the TV on or music playing, or anything like that, or it is impossible for me to concentrate.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to read, but that is probably a given. Otherwise I love spending time watching TV with my husband, cooking and baking, and being crafty.

If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?

Not sure, but it would still be something creative. I love making things, whether it’s food, or crafts, or sewing, or art—I love to create!

So, what do you think? Will you be reading The Holders? I'd love to hear!

Book Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

2013-02-20T21:55:00.000+01:00

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.
Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.
But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.
When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.
Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist assigned to protect Jill Dragomir, a Moroi princess. Because of the happenings
in Bloodlines Sydney is now a praised examplary Alchemist. However, the higher Alchemists don't know the half of it. Sydney has developed a friendship with vampires, Adrian in particular... While struggling with her feelings and loyalty she also discovers a dangerous secret: vampire hunters may not be a legend after all.

The Golden Lily was a perfect, though somewhat predictable, sequel to the Bloodlines series. In Bloodlines the focus was on the Alchemists and about Sydney settling with her new 'siblings'. While there's more to learn about the Alchemists, magic and even vampire hunters in The Golden Lily, the focus is on Sydney's personality and her relationships with characters around her. Suspense, action, drama and mostly romance. It was all there. Because the novel has several entwined story lines, there was enough speed in the story. Slightly more action than in the previous book., though it might not be as much as some want. However, trusting Richelle Mead, I do think there's plenty of it in the coming books: She is a master at writing dialogue and developing characters.

"Too bad you got so bogged down in books. You've got the spirit of a warrior." Sydney is a great heroine, because she simply isn't your typical heroine. She is not exceptionally beautiful or self-confident or generally badass. She is smart and has an innocence and sincerity that you can't help but admire. I was glad to see her change thoughout this book. While she still has a bit of the Alchemist rigidity about vampires, she has started to see her companions as friends. She realises all too well she should keep her distance and should hate them, but she knows she can't.
"You need me? You yell. You want to leave? We go. I'll get you out of here, no matter what." Adrian. How I love Adrian. Ever since the VA series we've known him as an irresponsible spoiled party boy. Now, we actually see the real Adrian. He is very smart, loyal, talented and he just needs someone to believe in him. Someone like Sydney. We also get a closer look on Adrian's past, his family, which explains a lot about him and his behaviour.

"Adrian, I'm on a date. Why are you here? On my car?"
Ah, their is such tension between Sydney and Adrian. Their relationship is interesting, both Sydney and Adrian unpredictable. They are complete opposites, yet they complement each other perfectly. I am very curious to find out more about these two, especially with the Alchemist prejudice about vampires and relationships with them...

I was happy to see other characters develop too. Eddie, who is so kind and loyal. He pushes his own feelings for Jill aside, while trying to keep Angeline off his back. Jill, who shows she is maturing. She begins to take her position as the Queen's sister and realises she can't have a relationship with a human.

I must warn you: The Golden Lily ends with a terrible cliffhanger leaving the reader desperate for more. With amazing characters and intriguing developments the Bloodlines series is a series you should watch out for!

My rating of this book

Source

E-book copy.

Infinite Sky - Memorable Monday

2013-02-18T09:58:00.000+01:00

Provoked by a quote, delighted by a quote or perhaps you fell in love with a beautiful quote? Why not share the quote(s) with us?

I have just started out reading Infinite Sky by the British debut author C.J. Flood.It seems to be a very promising read and teary one by the looks of the prologue. I wanted to share a quote from the book with you guys today and some pictures of the most gorgeous cover I have seen in a long time(and I love the feel of the texture on the cover as well).

For the rest of the afternoon I lay in bed, reading Dad's book about dragonflies and drawing pictures: slashed greyhounds with bladed paws, and caravans so full of people that limbs shattered through the windows. I didn't see what the big deal was: the paddock wasn't being used, not really, except for the occasional dropping off or collecting of logs. So what?

I started out Memorable Monday's because I wanted to do a meme where I got to choose quotes freely(no random page or a set page number).

How to participate in Memorable Monday?
1. Share a quote that has captured your interest lately in a Memorable Monday post on your blog.
2. Come back here and leave the link to your post in our inlinkz widget below so that our readers may visit your blog.
3. It would be nice if you visited one or two of the other participants.
4. If you tweet your posts then feel free to use the hastag #MemorableMonday
5. Don't have a blog or don't want to write a post just now? Feel free to share in our comment section below the blog post.

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So have you read anything quotable lately?

Books and movies for Valentine's day

2013-02-14T08:30:00.001+01:00

In Norway we don't really have a tradition for celebrating Valentine's Day even though it has been more focus on it the last few years. Personally I'm not really a fan of this day but I am big fan of making lists and recommendations and although I don't always like to admit it I really enjoy a romantic movie and book once in a while. So here are my recommendations for you and I have mostly focused on the fun and cute romantic stories because that's what I prefer though there are some more dramatic ones on the list as well:

(Photo: Flickr : DonnaGrayson)
YA-books:
1. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles: the second book about the Fuentes-brothers that I actually enjoyed more than the first one. The girl in this story was more likable to me than Brittany.
2. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally: The female protagonist in this is a bit different than I'm used to. She's a football player, tough and get's treated as one of the guys on the team but what happens when she actually falls for one of the guys?
3. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong: this paranormal trilogy has one of my favorite teen romances.
4. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson: a beautifully written and emotional story about a girl falling in love while she's grieving her sister. I have already written about this book several times because it was my favourite read last year.
5. A Match Made in High School by Kristen White: in this charming book a high school decides that every senior has to participate in a Marriage program where the students are paired up for a whole year and our main character Fiona is not happy at all with her new husband. A lot of fun dialogues and situations in this made it a very entertaining read.

A couple of adult books:
6. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding: I am a fan of Bridget. She is so clumsy and not at all behaving like she's expected to. She feels real and I think most girls can identify with her one way or another.
7. Sushi for beginners by Marian Keyes: one the leading ladies of chiclit has written a fun and cute book about three different women in Dublin in search for love, success and happiness.

Movies:
1. La Vita E Bella/Life is Beautiful: a very sad but beautiful and funny love story between both a man and woman, and between a father and his son. One of my favourite movies of all times.
2. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: this is one of my favourite chick flicks about a woman (Kate Hudson) trying to find the best tricks to make a guy break up with you for an article she's writing for a women's magazine.
3. Bridget Jones's Diary: I really liked this one both as a movie as well as a book. It is funny and refreshing.
4. Ever After: a Cinderella Story: a movie based on the classic fairy tale but with a new take.
5. 10 things I hate about you: based on a Shakespeare play but set in a modern day high school. Prom is coming up and the younger sister Bianca only gets to go with a date if her older sister Kat does the same and she is known to have strong aversions to dating.
6. She's the man: it might sound a bit goofy about a girl pretending to be her brother so she can play on the soccer team but it's actually quite charming.

What are your movie and book recommendations for Valentine's Day?

Bookish delights coming out in March

2013-02-13T12:21:00.001+01:00

Are you ready to add some books to your wishlist? Perhaps you can add some books to my wishlist as well? In this post I'll be sharing the March YA releases I think sounds like they might just be made of awesome. I do not know when or if I get to all of these books, but I do know they all sound so, so very good.

I have just added some keywords at to what the novel is about and a link to Goodreads so you can discover more about these lovelies in peace and quiet.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
- a retro, contemporary love story(about first love and how much one might want it to last).

This is where I add that I am still together with the wonderful boy I fell in love with as a 14 year old girl, we have been a couple since I was 15(I'm turning 30 this summer!). I know it's not for everyone but we fell in love and never looked back. So far we're a proof that it might very well last for some.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

- dystopian, bad hurricanes --> fever, survival, left to bring up someone elses baby.

This is cover eye candy for me and the story sounds like it brings a lot of adventure and suspense to the table.

Flowers in the Sky by Lynne Joseph

- a young adult contemporary about the hardness of moving far from all that is familiar and make a new life for oneself in a new place.

I love, love this cover and the symbolic meaning of it all!

Strands of Bronze and Gold (Strands of Bronze and Gold #1) by Jane Nickerson
- debut novel, historical, fairy tale retelling, rumors, suspense

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos
- debut novel, male protagonist, domestic violence, emotional read with a dash of humor.

Bruised by Sarah Skilton

- debut novel, self perception, holdup, Tae Kwon Do, who do you think you are, and who are you really?

The Holders by Julianna Scott
- protecting those you love, hearing voices, a legend, forgivness, love

Sylke will be reading and reviewing The Holders for a blog tour this month and she will also be doing an author interview, so be sure to check back here for that.

Trinkets by Kirsten Smith

- shoplifting, addiction, rehab, forming friendship, multiple perspectives

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt - want to live the kind of teenage life your grandma did?, sounds like a truck load of fun,chick-litish, cheating bastard of a boyfriend, going over the top?

I am deeply in love with this VINTAGE cover!

Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden
- debut novel, crime, life down the drain, humor, the main character sounds kind of Holden Caulfield-ish, hope, love.

If I am to judge a book by its synopsis I would have to say that DEAR LIFE, YOU SUCK sounds amhhhhazing. If I were to pick just one of these March lovlies to read I think this would have to be it.

As I scan my list I find it odd that a girl who loves everything fitting under the fantasy genre as much as I do, have so many contemporaries on her list and so few in other genres. Maybe March just isn't THE MONTH for fantasy releases? For me it seems to be a month of books with a similar theme, and that is how much life sucks.

Which of the titles above would you love to get your hands on?
Please do tell me which March releases you're eagerly anticipating in the comments below.

I am pretty sure there might be some holes in my wishlist.

Days of Blood & Starlight - Memorable Monday

2013-02-11T08:31:00.002+01:00

Provoked by a quote, delighted by a quote or
perhaps you fell in love with a beautiful quote?
Share the quote(s) with us in your own Memorable Monday post.

I know I shared a quote from Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor last week but I simply couldn't resist sharing one more in this weeks edition of Memorable Monday.

Laini writes some of the most memorable sentences out there in YA fantasyland, so that should be a good enough reason as any to feature her book once again.

Dead souls dream only of death. Small dreams for small men. It is life that expands to fill worlds. Life is your master, or death is

Have you read any of Laini Taylor's books? My goal is to read them all in 2013.

Join me!
How to participate in Memorable Monday?
1. Share a quote that has captured your interest lately in a Memorable Monday post on your blog. Feel free to grab my logo (download it to your computer first).
2. Come back here and leave the link to your post in our inlinkz widget.
3. It would be nice if you visited one or two of the other participants.
4. If you tweet your posts then feel free to use the hastag #MemorableMonday

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I can't wait to read your Memorable quotes this week.

Book review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

2013-02-08T09:47:00.000+01:00

So mass murderers are obviously a fad in YA these days(or at least it was back in good ol' 2012). There is something so gruesomely fascinating about Jack the Ripper(who whas he and why was he never caught?) and he plays a big role in author Maureen Johnson's novel The Name of the Star.

Putnam Juvenile's book cover for The Name of the Star.

Southern girl Rory moves away to England with her family. Here Rory attends a school that is located almost smack dab in the middle of the area where Jack the Ripper operated some 100 years ago. Soon after Rory is settled in at school a body is found close by and it soon becomes apparent that there is a Jack the Ripper copycat out and about in London.

A little something for everyone
Maureen Johnson has managed to write at story that will have an appeal to a wide specter of readers. Here we have supernatural elements and history in a perfect blend all set nicely together in a contemporary setting. The Name of the Star was a fun and thrilling read, at times so much so that the creaking in my house was disturbing to listen to ;) Still The Name of the Star didn't quite make it on my list of top reads; it was a nice read but nothing more. What I enjoyed most of all with the story was the times when Rory thought about her own quite eccentric family living back home in the South.

It was evident that Johnsen had done a lot of research on the Ripper, that was good because I like the history to be correct when I read a novel that contains a historical character.

I do believe that this is the first novel in a trilogy and I might just read the second book some day. In the end this book kind of reminded me of The Gallows Curse by Andrew Hammond.

The other Ripper novel I've read?
Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves - so far this is my favorite Ripper novel. It is set in London in 1888 and the city is painted in such a vivid way that you can just imagine walking the streets right along with the main character.

Winners are grinners - Memorable Monday

2013-02-04T09:21:00.002+01:00

Provoked by a quote, delighted by a quote or
perhaps you fell in love with a beautiful quote?
Share the quote(s) with us in your own Memorable Monday post.

So the past week I have been slowly devouring Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. I have been down(for three weeks actually - ugh) with a painful sinusitis so it was wonderful to escape from it all and into the magnificent world author Laini Taylor has made up for us.

I loved the first book in this series, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I expected the sequel to be nothing short of awesome and to have a high quotability factor. I was not disappointed.

The language is like a beautiful dream:

I am one of billions. I am stardust gathered fleetingly into form. I will be ungathered. The stardust will go on to be other things someday and I will be free.

A conversation between some of my very favorite secondary characters:

So," he called to her back, "Just out of curiosity, you know, purely conversation and all, at what age will you be entertaining offers of marriage?"

"You think it'll be so easy?" she called back over her shoulder. "No way. There will be tasks. Like in a fairy tale."
"Sounds dangerous."
"Very, so think twice."

"No need," he said. "You're worth it.

A bit of wisdom:

You have only to begin, Lir. Mercy breeds mercy as slaughter breeds slaughter. We can’t expect the world to be better than we make it.

What did you think of my quotes this week? Do you like Laini Taylor's writing style?

Join me!
How to participate in Memorable Monday?
1. Share a quote that has captured your interest lately in a Memorable Monday post on your blog. Feel free to grab my logo (download it to your computer first).
2. Come back here and leave the link to your post in our inlinkz widget.
3. It would be nice if you visited one or two of the other participants.
4. If you tweet your posts then feel free to use the hastag #MemorableMonday

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Rafflecopter has spoken and the winners of last weeks giveaway is:
Kelly
Tanya
Brandy

Congratulations girls! *Throws confetti all over the place* Check your email for a note from me.

I can't wait to read your Memorable quotes this week.

Youth Media Awards and the Printz goes to...

2013-01-29T11:18:00.000+01:00

Yesterday at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting the winners and honors of the Youth Media Awards were announced. There are several awards for the top books written for children and young adults being awarded at this event and one of them is the Michael L. Printz Award that "exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature". It was first awarded in 2000 and is named after a high school librarian from Topeka that worked hard to ensure his students had access to good literature and encouraged writers to focus on young adult readers (read more about the award here). Previous winners are among others John Green, Libba Bray and Melina Marchetta. The blog Someday My Printz will Come have been speculating about the books they found likely to be considered for the award along with their readers. Take a look to see if they were right, because here comes the winner and the honors.

The Winner:
In Darkness written by Nick Lake

2013 Honor(s):

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna

Have you read any of these? I have just started listening to Code Name Verity and I know this was one of Mari's absolute favourites last year (there's a link to her review). I am definitely checking out In Darkness very soon as it sounds very good and interesting.

Giveaway INTL' - Memorable Monday 2013

2013-01-28T09:56:00.001+01:00

Provoked by a quote, delighted by a quote or
perhaps you fell in love with a beautiful quote?
Share the quote(s) with us in your own Memorable Monday post.

You will find the giveaway details further down in this post.

So I took forever to finish Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I started last summer and was hook and then I kind of fell out of the story and I actually didn't finish the story before this January.

So as I am sure you understand I didn't, like pretty much everyone else, fall head over heels in love with the story. That being said it wasn't bad and Shadow and Bone offered some sweet and memorable quotes.

I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I'd catch myself just walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I'd seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I'd realize that you weren't there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I've risked my life for you. I've walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I'd do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don't tell me why we don't belong together," he said fiercely.

How to participate in Memorable Monday?
1. Share a quote that has captured your interest lately in a Memorable Monday post on your blog. Feel free to grab my logo (download it to your computer first).
2. Come back here and leave the link to your post in our inlinkz widget.
3. It would be nice if you visited one or two of the other participants.
4. If you tweet your posts then feel free to use the hastag #MemorableMonday

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winners get to choose one novel each out of either Mari, Sylke or Silje's best of 2013 post.

Sylke: Most anticipated books and movies 2013

2013-01-23T16:59:00.001+01:00

2013 promises to be an amazing year with loads of books and films coming out. Especially the Dystopian genre seems to be popular right now. I don't mind, being an avid reader. Of course there's more to 2013: These books are the ones I am looking forward to mostly.

Books
Contemporary
Just One Day by Gayle Foreman
A story about a girl and a boy who meet and spend one enchanting day together.
I must say I have not yet read If I Stay, which is a shame. I have heard a lot of stories about Gayle Foreman's writing and have promised myself to read Just One Day. Just One Day was released this January.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
The cover caught my attention and the synopsis managed to keep it. If You Find Me will be released March 26th.

Dystopian
The Rules by Stacey Kade

1. Never trust anyone.
2. Remember they are always searching.
3. Don’t get involved.
4. Keep your head down.
5. Don’t fall in love.

The Rules will be published April 23rd.

Altered by Jennifer Rush

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Altered was published January 1st.

Fantasy
The Archived by Victoria Schwab
It's been ages since I've read a story about ghosts, and it certainly was in no way similar to The Archived.

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

The Archived was published January 22nd.

Mind Games by Kiersten White
Mind Games will be published February 19th.

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways… or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

Paranormal
The Holders by Julianna Scott
We're participating in the blog tour and I must say I'm very excited! I can't tell you guys exactly what's going to happen, but it will be good, I promise. The Holders will be released March 5th.

Becca is lost, but found at the same time. Can she bring herself to leave Ryland now that he's settled and can clearly see his future? Will she be able to put the the feelings she has for Alex aside and head back to the US? And can Becca and Ryland ever forgive their father for what he's done?

Ink by Amanda Sun
Ink will be released June 25th.

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.
Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.
A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.
And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

Historical Fiction
Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

I've always loved historical fiction and finally there's a new exciting title coming up. The synopsis sounds promising and look at that gorgeous cover! Strands of Bronze and Gold will be released March 12th.

Sequel
Boundless by Cynthia Hand
Boundless is the final book of the Unearthly series. I absolutely loved Unearthly and Hallowed and I can't wait to finally get all my answers. Boundless was published January 22nd.

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
The Indigo Spell is the third book in the Bloodline series, a spin-off of Vampire Academy. The Indigo Spell will be published February 12th.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Unravel Me is the sequel to Shatter Me. While I was disappointed by Shatter Me, I have high hopes for Unravel Me. After the ending of Shatter Me I am very excited to get to know Omega Point and of course more Warner! Unravel Me will be released February 5th.

And the one book I really can't wait for to be released? The third and last book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. It doesn't have a title nor a cover yet and I'm getting frustrated, especially after the ending of Insurgent... Its goodreads description mysteriously states "Book 3 comes out in the fall"...

As for movies, 2013 promises to be an amazing year.

Which books and movies are you looking forward to in 2013?

Book review: Struck by Lightning by Chris Colfer

2013-01-22T14:47:00.000+01:00

Struck by Lightning: the Carson Phillips Journal is originally a movie script to a movie playing in U.S. theatres these days. Chris Colfer wrote the script, plays the main character and has also written this book based on it. Colfer is also an actor on the TV-show Glee and this is his second book, the first being a children's fantasy novel, Land of Stories. Just to be clear, I am already a fan of Chris Colfer as an actor but I'm gonna try my best not to let that influence my review of this book.

SBL is written as the diary of the main character Carson Philips. He is an outsider at school, both smart and a smart-arse. He's from a broken up home, where his father left years ago and his mother hasn't really gotten out of the couch since then. Carsons biggest dream is to get out of the small town he lives in where his talents are unappreciated. He finds some dirt on a couple of his more popular classmates and decides to blackmail them into writing for him in a literary magazine. He needs this to show the University of Northwestern that he can inspire and create to fulfill his own dream of going there and become a sucessful journalist and editor. He then realizes how most people have skeletons in their closets, so why stop with only two classmates?

High School. Society’s bright idea to put all their aggressive, naive youth into one environment to torment and emotionally scar each other for life.

I like the storyline of this book and it's what made me want to read it in the first place. Carson's story is pretty tragic and sad but is told in a very sarcastic tone. Carson is a very ambitious, arrogant and quite cynical character but he has his reasons. I read that Chris Colfer wrote the original script as a teenager in high school because this is the movie he wanted and needed to see. The main character is based on himself but more as the person he wanted to be, the one that punched/fought back with witty comments and didn't only think them, or in my case thought of them waay later:-) Even though Carson isn't a very sympathetic character I still care for him. I think many of us at times have wanted to find our inner Carson Phillips (or Veronica Mars<3) despite the fact that he thinks he is better than everyone else. Sometimes you have to think that way to get by, it's a defense mechanism. This kind of character is usually not the one we root for and I don't root for Carson all the time either, but I guess that makes him a somewhat complex character. I especially liked the parts of the book where Carson went to see his grandmother with Alzheimer's that is the only person he really cares about and also the scenes with his depressed mother. They felt very real and heartbreaking and adds some debth and humanity to the character.

This book is at times very funny, even hilarious, and at times it makes you both sad and angry. Carson is both bitter and cynical and his way of caracterizing the people around him reflects this. The characters are high school-stereotypes and described almost as caricatures but it works in a way because it is written as a diary and therefore in Carson's own words and opinion. I still have a feeling that this works better and feels more natural on screen than on paper.

The bottom line is that I really like the plot, the dark humour and the sadness side by side but the execution is not flawless. Colfer's writing has a certain edge and I think an originality to it but the book feels a little rushed especially towards the end. It's a very entertaining and easy read so you don't have to think twice about it if you're curious to see what Chris Colfer can do as an author. Even though this book doesn't live up to it's full potential in my opinion I am very curious to see what else he's got up his sleeve because I think he shows a lot of promise as a YA-author with Struck by Lightning. I am also very excited to see the movie. Has anyone seen it?

My rating:

3.5/5

Source:
Bought my own copy.

Mari: Books I must have 2013

2013-01-17T15:35:00.004+01:00

Are you ready to check out some of the 2013 YA releases I ache for with every fiber in this year? My wishlist is painfully long(I'm willing to bet yours is too) so in this post I had to restrain myself a bit and I narrowed the list down to eight titles, all in different genres.

The links will take you like a whirlwind over to Goodreads, just in case you find anything on the list that captures your interest.

Contemporary:

Maureen Goo's debut novel Since You Asked sounds like so much fun but still addressing a serious subject. The main character of the story is a Korean-American girl who writes(and rants) a column for her high school newspaper all while trying to figure out who she is by finding a way to reconcile her heritage with the contemporary American culture she grows up in.

Contemporary romance:

Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil is yet again another contemporary that does sound like so much fun, don't take my silly description of it but check it out on Goodread. Yeah, I tend to drift towards the more fun, yet that does not mean these books aren't addressing some serious themes. Sam is a geek and he likes it, he doesn't have to worry about girls until there is Camilla. Camilla is set to have Sam in her life, even if he's not interested.

Sam believes that everything he needs to know he can learn from the movies ... but now it looks like he’s been watching the wrong ones.

Fantasy:

I fell head over heels with the intro to the synopsis for Ink:

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

I cannot think of any other fantasy novel I am more exited to read than Ink by Amanda Sun. Ink is the first novel in The Paper Gods series which is set in Japan in our time(at least I believe it is in our time). A young girl, Katie, have to move to her aunt after a family tragedy. If that isn't enough the move is to Japan, its almost like moving to a whole different world. Katie must attend school and there she meets Tomohiro, a boy who has connections to ancient Japanese gods. There is something about Katie that makes Tomohiro loose all control over his powers. If anyone notices they'll both be in big, BIG trouble.

Historical:

In this genre I wanted to steer clear of the historical fantasy novels and instead go for a story that solely belongs in the historical genre. My former blog partner, Nina, loved Ruta Sepetys' debut novel Between Shades of Grey(click to read Nina's review) and I have been meaning to check it out ever since. Now Sepetys has a new historical YA novel, Out of the Easy, coming out(February 2013) and it is already on my wishlist because it sounds just as amazing as her debut novel.

The story is set in New Orleans in the 1950's and the main character, Josie, is mostly known as the daughter of a brothel prostitute. Josie wants to make a better life for herself but a mysterious death makes life difficult for her.

Dystopian:

There is no secret that I do have a ton of dystopian novels on my 2013 wishlist and it was very difficult to choose just one of them to show to you guys. I am looking for a new, great dystopian read. A read that is original, but sadly it does seem like the publishers are struggling to find something truly original and keeps printing the same stories. New author and different book cover, the story is mediocre and reminiscent of its older dystopian siblings. But we'll see, there is still hope ;)

Anyways I choose to display to you Control by debut author Lydia Kang. In the year 2050 Zelia's younger sister is abducted in the foster care agency because of her DNA isn't pure. Zelia is staying in an underground foster home she falls in love and meets new friends(friends with illicit traits!) that's going to help her rescue her sister, the only family Zelia has left.

Well... look at me. Talking big stuff about originality and choosing a novel with a plot that sounds suspiciously like Blood Red Road by Moira Young. What can I say to defend my honor? It was the DNA part that captured my interest.

Science fiction:

My sci-fi choice for 2013 has to be The Planet Thieves by Dan Krokos. No cover has been released yet but the book is due to release in May. That is why I'll share the Goodreads synopsis with you guys(which by the way gives off a bit of Ender's Game vibes):

Star Trek meets Rick Riordan
When the crew of the SS Egypt gets massacred by an alien race, Mason Stark, a thirteen-year-old cadet in the Earth Space Command, must lead his fellow cadets in a daring surprise attack to retake the ship, and recover a stolen technology that could spell the end of planet Earth.

Thriller/mystery:

Well, this one was pretty easy although I have seen quite a few other interesting thrillers set to release in 2013 The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry stands out among the "crowd".

Cady wakes up with a memory loss and a pillowcase over her face, in the background she hers someone barking out an order "Finish her off!". It does seem like it might be a tad too late for Cady to save herself but we'll just have to read the book and find out how she does it. Since this book is 244 pages long I think it is safe to say that she lives beyond page one. By the way I seem to remember having read something about an additional mystery in this book, a missing family but I might be spreading false rumors here.

Steampunk:

I assume it to be illegal to have any other YA steampunk novel higher on ones 2013 wishlist than Gail Carriger's Etiquete & Espionage, the first book in the Finishing School series. This story is set in the same world as Gail's adult series, The Parasol Protectorate, I adored the first book in this series however the second one was a bit of a let down for me. Still I have high hopes for her YA series.

How can one ever possibly resist at pitch like this?

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time.

What do you think of my 2013 picks? Any of them on your wishlist?

Do leave a comment and tell me which books you are pining for this year.

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Mari: Books I must have 2013

Are you ready to check out some of the 2013 YA releases I ache for with every fiber in this year? My wishlist is painfully long(I'm willing to bet yours is too) so in this post I had to restrain myself a bit and I narrowed the list down to eight titles, all in different genres.

Historical:

Dystopian:

Science fiction:

Thriller/mystery:

Steampunk:

You will find the giveaway details further down in this post.

So I took forever to finish Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I started last summer and was hook and then I kind of fell out of the story and I actually didn't finish the story before this January.