A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

How in the world does one fit everything in A Clash of Kings into one review?! I give up, I’ll just stick to the important bits. This book is great but ginormous, and it's a whole lot of book to take in at once. I'm a multi-book-reader, but while I was reading this one, I had to put basically everything else aside for a while. This is a massive story, and it's only a small part of the whole epic tale.

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

As it is sort of indicated by the title, this book is chock full of guys wanting to be kings and kick other kings butts. The two people who probably have the most legitimate claims are Daenerys and Stannis, but I’d definitely just go ahead and give the North to Robb. They’re never going to settle down up there now unless they’re burned out by dragon fire (possible now since Dany has dragons), but it would be easier to just Robb have his own kingdom and deal with the White Walkers and wildlings on his own. Also, Robb is all kingly and stuff…let him have a kingdom! One without backstabbing, twofaced, nasty Theon in it. Darn you, Theon. You made me sad-face so much!

There are multiple storylines that thread through the main plot of who-gets-to-be-king-now, and I thought that Daenerys, Davos and Arya had particularly interesting threads. I didn’t expect to like Davos as much as I did, but he was really fascinating once you knew his backstory and got to watch him deal with suddenly-crazy Stannis. There are battles and alliances and betrayals and bargains and dinners and journeys galore in this book. It is definitely an epic story with a massive cast of characters.

Deciding which character is my favorite is too hard. Tyrion was FANTASTIC. He's so incredibly clever and awesome, and I love how he got to kick some serious butt in this book, both mentally and physically. However, I really think Arya is just the best. She’s so feisty and indomitable, you just know that she’s eventually going to come out on top. Or at least she should, but Martin’s evil and likes to kill off totally wicked characters... I also really wish that we could have gotten to see more of Robb in this book. I like him bunches, but we don't spend much time at all directly with him, though he's talked about a lot during the book. I have a feeling he gets more attention in the next book, but from the rumors I’ve heard and the little alluding-tos in this book, it might not be a good kind of attention.

Oh, and I am a member of the Punch-Joffery-In-The-Face Club. That boy should be tied to a post and smacked by every other character in the book, from Dany down to Hot Pie. Seriously, I'm not kidding, that would probably be the best scene ever. I wonder if HBO would go for that…

This book is super good but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to younger teens or preteens. There are a lot of mature themes in this book that they might not enjoy as much until they are older. However, older teens and young adults who enjoy fantasy and adventure will probably love this book to pieces.

Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

In this book, we learn that the FBI is bad and likes working with evil aliens, the Mogadorians are flippin' everywhere all the time, and Cepans are not the sturdiest of guardians. Seriously...Cepans need more battle training. And maybe invincibility.

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

There is a lot going on in this book, so much so that the story gets a little lost in all of the action and mentions of alien objects. Oh, and very few of the objects have names, so you sort of just have to keep up with what the red bracelet, the nubby yellow ball, the stick, the glasses and various other random items do. And I agree with the kids, it would be much simpler if the Chests were backpacks instead of wooden boxes...I guess the only things on hand when Lorien was being destroyed was bulky wooden boxes!

The Bad Bad Mog is on Earth now, and it seems like he’s even more powerful than all of the Guarde put together. However, they think they have a chance at beating him in the future, after they learn about their legacies, which is rather optimistic of them since this guy and all his buddies wiped out a WHOLE PLANET that had its own super-powered population. But these kids are just going to be so amazing one day that this will be plausible. Got it…

There are too many POVs in this book, and I don’t like how the writer switches font types to signify that a new voice has taken over. It’s aggravating, and I would rather that the same font was kept and the POV were signified by writing the character’s name in front of each chapter.

I like Nine. He was sort of bonkers, volatile and unstable, but there is something intriguing about him and his craziness. Eight is also nice addition to the team, what with his jovial, playful personality and his incredibly useful powers. Marina’s crush on him is random but cute.

This book was decent but scattered; I just wasn’t really caught up in the story or the characters. I’ll probably read the next book in this series out of curiosity.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Can I just love on this book? A lot? The Darkest Minds is completely fantastic! It's full of emotion-twisting moments, captivating writing and awesome characters (Chubs, I love you, man!). This is one of those books that I devoured. I slipped into the story and let myself get wrapped up in it, which was probably a bad idea since the novel tried to rip out my heart and stomp on it a couple times. But it was so worth it!!

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

In The Darkest Minds, Ruby is taken to Thurmond, a kind of work camp for kids with special powers, the survivors of a disease that destroyed most of the USA’s population of children. There are five different kinds of powers, and Ruby is an Orange, which basically means her powers are mental-based. But Ruby manages to get herself labeled as a Green, but years later, when she’s about 17, she’s discovered as an Orange. A terrorist organization helps her escape the camp, but when it when it becomes clear that the group's motives might not be entirely altruistic, Ruby runs. She meets up with Liam, Chubs and Suzume, who are escapees from another camp. As they search for a fabled safe haven for their kind, Ruby and Liam become closer, even as she struggles to keep her deepest secrets from him and the rest of the group.

Even though she's been abused and suppressed for years, Ruby isn't a fragile little dandelion, waiting to be blow over by whoever comes along. She's caring, thoughtful, incredibly guarded, and selfless; her final act of sacrifice at the end of the novel had me wanting to beat my Kindle into my bed, even though I sort of knew it was coming. And I cannot express my silly joy over the fact that Liam is a good ol' North Carolina guy. Go Tar Heel boys that aren't painted to be complete country hicks! It gives me hope that there actually are guys like that in my home state, just waiting to be discovered. ;) Suzume is possibly the most adorable preteen ever…yeah, she is. And Chubs, he just rules. He’s the cynical, practical voice that keeps optimistic Liam somewhat grounded, and I love the friendship that grow between him and Ruby. It’s so good.

Oh, I wish I could just gush on it a fountain of spoilers, this book is awesome! There are so many scenes between the kids that are so, so, so wonderful and realistically done. Some kids-have-powers books can be corny and contrived, but this one…I love it! So if you like dystopians and sci-fi and great stories, go read The Darkest Minds!

Thank you SO MUCH to Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley.com for letting me view this galley!

Beta by Rachel Cohn

Ever wanted to live in paradise? Just bask in the sun, play all day, relax without the worry of any work whatsoever? Demesne offers just that to its human inhabitants...but not for the clone workers who serve the humans as slaves, taught from the moment they are created that they are soulless, devoid of feeling and emotion, only there to obey the humans. Elysia is one such clone, a Beta version of the new teen model; she is bought by one of the island's most important families to be a companion. She's beautiful, naive and curious about the world, probably a tad more curious than a emotionless, desire-less clone should be. Elysia begins to suspect she's not as perfect as everyone once hoped...she can taste (she adores chocolate!), she has feelings, she's even attracted to a boy. These are things that clones should never experience, but worst of all, she has visions from her First, the girl who had to die in order for Elysia to be created, of a boy her First must have loved. As Elysia comes to grips with the fact that she might be "defective," she learns to stand up for herself and not accept the life that has been prescribed to her. She's going to create chaos in paradise.

Beta by Rachel Cohn

This book has some really super awesome parts, a few seemingly pointless sections and just a couple of muddled moments. Overall, the pacing is good: not too fast, not too slow. It was an enjoyable read, and I like that Beta deals with moral issues such as slavery, freedom and human rights. I loved the first 3/4ths of this book more than I loved the end. The end is decent, but the storyline seems to become confused and rushed toward the last fourth of the book. A new relationship is introduced, and it is very quick and sudden. The multiple twists at the end gave me a bit of a headrush but they also made me want to grab the next book, even though it won't come out until forever from now.

As for characters, I wasn't totally in love with either of Elysia's love interests, since one is rather distant and the other appears suddenly near the end. However, I did like Elysia as the protagonist of the story; she grows emotionally from a naive clone to a self-aware young woman who knows she deserves more than a life of servitude. Oh, and I want to know more about Astrid! She wasn't even in this book, really, except as just someone who everyone else referred to, but she sounded like a feisty, studious, deep character. I hope that she appears in the follow-up novels to this one.

Overall, Beta was a good book with a few plot issues, but it still kept my attention and left me wanting more!

Thank you very much, Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley.com, for letting me read the ARC galley for this book!

Ironskin by Tina Connolly

I had been looking forward to reading Ironskin since I first saw its cover and read the inside summary. It sounded like a mix of fairy tale and steampunk, so I knew I wanted desperately to read it. Ironskin definitely lived up to my expectations and more! I loved it!

This fantastic story follows Jane, a fey-attack victim who was cursed with rage, as she takes a new job at an isolated mansion near a dark forest. She is in charge of Dorie, a little girl who she thought would be like herself, wounded by fey magic during the war between fey and humans, but Dorie is different. Dorie seems to be almost half-fey/half-human, possessing abilities that only the fey have exhibited before. And then there is the girl's father, the dark and handsome Edward Rochart, who spends most of his time in his studio or away in the city. His clients are wealthy women who come into his studio looking one way but leave looking...otherworldly. Utterly beautiful. As Jane is sucked into the mystery, she slowly begins to unravel the secrets wrapped around the inhabitants of the lonely house on the edge of the woods.

Ironskin has a neat steampunk, gothic sort of style to it. It's sort of creepy and dark, and some of the scenes are rather macabre; it actually reminded of the old-school kind of fairy tale where happy endings usually come after a lot of blood and heartache, if they ever come at all. But Ironskin is creepy in a good way, in a way that makes you want to read what's going to happen next! I like the slightly sinister tone of some of the scenes, especially those taking place at the mansion.

The characters are wonderful, and I particularly like odd little Dorie and her whirlwind personality. She is strange and wonderful. Edward is a very different sort of male lead. I think he's unique and tortured, and I like that he's not really the hero; in a way, he is actually more of a victim than anything else. Jane is the hero, and that totally rules. She's kind, considerate, stubborn, and afflicted with rage; all in all, she is the perfect protagonist for this captivating story. The magic set-up and the curses were really neat; I can't remember ever having read about fey inflicting curses through wounds before. Also, I like that the fey are basically energy or spirits; I think it's a unique approach to fey.

I ordered Ironskin for our library, and I've been recommending it to patrons who like YA lit and patrons who like fairy tales and fantasies. It's gone out a couple times so far, and I've only heard positive comments about it from the patrons who have read it. I think that this is a book that is going to be well-loved in our library!

Thank you to NetGalley.com and Tor/Forge for letting me read this awesome galley!

Ever by Jessa Russo

My feelings about Ever are rather neutral. I didn't hate it, though there were some parts of the book that I really disliked, and I didn't love it even though there were parts of the book I enjoyed. So I'm sort of in ambivalent book limbo here...

In Ever, the title character is a reclusive teenage girl who is still obsessed with Frankie, the ghost of her best friend/long-time crush who is now living in her house. Chilling on her couch. Chatting with her parents. And Ever still harbors strong though pointless feelings toward him. But things start to change when new neighbors move in to Frankie's abandoned house...specifically when hot, twenty-something Toby takes an automatic interest in her. As Ever deals with needing to a real boyfriend instead of a bevy of unrequited love for a ghost, her life gets extremely more complicated as her love life becomes twisted and chaotic.

First off, I didn't feel any strong attachment for practically any of the characters. I didn't really like Ever: she is obsessive, indecisive and angsty, plus she seems to have no idea what a loyal relationship looks like. At all. Granted, she doesn't have much dating experience besides being obsessed with a ghost, but still. I became very tired of reading make-out scenes and then reading Ever lament about how hard it is to love two guys at once. Wake up, girl. Let GO of the GHOST. HE'S DEAD. This brings me to:

GHOST RELATIONSHIPS. I do not like them. AT ALL. I thought this one might work out since Ever loved Frankie before he was a ghost, but no. It didn't. Being in love with something that is dead-ghost-pale-dead is definitely not romantic to me, and no amount of longing looks, wishing-to-touch moments or stay-by-your-bed-while-you-sleep-because-I-don't-need-sleep-staaaaaare nights are going to make me change my mind. Nope. And I found Frankie's nickname for Ever, "Doll," to be borderline creepy. For a little while, I thought he might actually be a ghost from the 1920s pretending to be Frankie, but nope, he actually calls her that and he's from the current century. I found that off-putting.

Going back to the characters, I actually did like two of the characters, Ever's mom and dad, and their relationship. It was nice to see parents portrayed as being very in love and basically being soulmates. I really did like that part. I also liked the entrance of Ariadne and her evilness, even if it was a little random; it was well-timed, and I think it really got the story going. The romance between Ever and Toby was acceptable; I just wish Ever might have put a little more effort into getting over dead!Frankie so she could actually be happy with Toby. But apparently happiness isn't really in the works for Ever, especially at the end of the book, so she might've been better off just forgetting about relationships entirely and going to college boyfriend-less and ghost-less. The story was interesting, if a bit confusing every now; I don't feel like enough clues and hints were dropped at the end of the book. I want to read the next one to figure out what happens, but I wish more threads had been wrapped up in this one, which would have left room for more open plots in the next one. Instead, I was a little unsatisfied with the ending.

Overall, it was an ok read, probably for older teens due to content. Not my favorite, but it didn't get chucked against the wall, either.

Thank you to NetGalley.com and Curiosity Quills Press for letting me read this galley.

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi Volume 1-Force Storm by John Ostrander

I'm a big Star Wars fan. I'm not cool enough to own my own lightsaber or have all the movies in collector's edition format or even have Star Wars bobbleheads, but I have loved the series ever since I was a little kid. I loved the idea of being a Jedi and bringing intergalactic peace. And you get a lightsaber! When I saw this comic on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. I devoured it in the course of one night and one morning, and I looooved it.

It was fascinating to get to see the beginning of the entire Jedi Order, occurring thousands of years before the classic Star Wars story began. Force sensitive being were brought by large space ships to a dangerous planet, Tython, where they honed their skills and learned to use the Force and to balance light and dark. They come to be known as the Je'daii. They also had families (GASP), and some of their children were not Force sensitive; eventually these people had to leave Tython because the dangers on the planet were too great for those who could not use the Force. Eventually there is a huge war between the descendants of the Je'daii and the Je'daii, and although the Je'daii win, they take heavy losses. More than a decade later is when the main story of the comic begins. It follows three young Je'daii as they follow a call of the Force to track down a strong source of Darkness, the Force Hound Xesh, after he crashes on the planet.

This comic rocked. I liked all three of the journeyers that the story focused on: Sek'nos Rath (a Sith), Tasha Ryo ( a Twi'lek)and Shae Koda (a Dathomiri human). They were an odd threesome, all with different personalities and skill sets, which turned them into a pretty good team eventually, though they definitely still need some work. I could see them seriously kicking tail in the future, though. I also liked Hawk Ryo and Rori Fenn, and I would really like to know more about the romance that was hinted at between the two of them! Maybe they will get into that more in the next volume of the comic. I felt so bad for Xesh, and I don't like what happened to him at the end of the comic, but it could have been much worse! The illustrations were engaging and drew me into the story.

This is a completely awesome comic book series, and I would love to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley.com, Dark Horse Comics and Diamond Book Distributors for allowing me to read this galley!

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

While I was reading Incarnate, I just kept thinking: "This is a beautiful story." I flipping LOVED it. Incarnate has been chilling in my to-read pile for a while now. I had fallen in love with the synopsis and the cover, but I hadn't had time to read the book due to school or work or other books popping up in the way. I recently picked it up and just decided that it was the day that I was going to start reading Incarnate. I read half the book in one day, shoving homework and house work to the side in my haste to read Incarnate. I had to stop for a few days to catch back up with homework, but the instant I had time again, I was back to powering my way through Incarnate, loving basically every moment of it. The plot is great, the writing style is engaging, and I could just eat this book up, I love it so!

Ana is a newsoul, a new person in a world where the people who live there are reincarnated. Over and over and over again. Before Ana was born, the Temple went dark and one soul was lost; it has never returned and some people think that Ana took that soul's place. To them, she is a nosoul, and her mentally abusive mother Li is ardent believer that Ana is a nosoul; she keeps Ana away from almost all other people for her entire childhood. One of her only respites from Li's hatred is the comfort she finds in music. Ana leaves Li's house, heading for the city of Heart, and quickly finds herself in danger, but she's rescued by Sam, who eventually becomes her guardian. Ana must navigate through her new life, one where she learns to make friends and join society but also one where she must appease the Council who rules her life and decides what's best for her. Not to mention that there may or may not be people out to kill her. There are dragon attacks, music lessons, market days, library ventures (yay!), and a masquerade, all leading up to a major battle and the answer to some huge questions.

Range is a very different world from ours, and Meadows takes her time fleshing out its details, giving the reader bits and pieces of the world as it becomes a whole entity. I liked the combination of fantasy and technology elements, and I didn't really see a clash between the two. For me, it was believable to have dragons flying ahead while people shot at them with lasers and tried to contact each other on devices akin to cell phones. It's another world, one where humans are reincarnated over and over again, so it doesn't have to play by our rules. It almost seems like Range is a playground for Janan, the possible creator entity, where he created certain beings and left them to run their course. It reminds me of the watchmaker scenario, where the creator of a world would create everything in the world, give it life and then leave it alone. I found Range and the city of Heart fascinating, and I would love to learn more about why this world works the way it does in later books.

I'm big on characters, and I seriously enjoyed the ones that populate this book. Ana was a perfect protagonist for this kind of scenario; since she is a newsoul, she's still learning about the world around her, which helps us as readers to be introduced to the world. I felt sympathetic toward Ana as she tried to figure out how to interact with people who had been alive for centuries upon centuries and who all knew each other intimately. Worst small town type of problem EVER. I liked Sam as her gentle and relatively understanding guide through the world, and their joint love of music was a great touch. Oh, and I love the relationship between Sam and Ana. LOVED IT. Granted, for a good chunk of the book, I was gripping the edges and yelling, "Kiss her already, you ancient idiot!" but it was only because the feelings and connection between them were so palpable and real. The scene at the masquerade was awesome (not saying more to avoid spoilers), and I was just so pleased with it, I almost went over in my lunch break because I just wanted to keep reading. The side characters like Stef were also fun to get to know!

Again, I just have to say how beautiful I thought this story was. I loved every inch of it, and I hated to see it end. I just want more! LOTS MORE. I cannot WAIT until Asunder comes out. Until then, I'll just attempt to be patient...

Story Time: A is for Awesome apples advancing against angry aardvarks and attacking alligators

On September 28th, we started the Alphabet Initiative during story time. Like I said in the previous story time post, we're going to be going through the entire alphabet over the next 26 weeks. The first story time was, predictably, all about the letter A. We read three books that had the letter 'A' featured in the title, sang a song about an Alligator named Alfred and made little alligators out of clothespins. It was A-wesome. ;)

The Armadillo from Amarillo by Lynne Cherry
ISBN: 9780152003593

This is the tale of an armadillo who goes off on a journey and discovers exactly where he is in the scheme of the universe, making a new friend along the way. I used this to start my "A" themed story time since the title is very A-oriented. The long poem in this one was quite enjoyable, and for the most part, it held the kids attention. It's a little above the level of preschoolers, and I noticed that it didn't keep them captivated like a shorter book probably would. But the older children in story time, ages 5-7, seemed to like this one a lot. The illustrations are entertaining, and the story is fun and fanciful; the armadillo and his friend the eagle end up catching a rocket into outer space at one point. Overall, it's a cute book, and kindergarten-2nd graders will probably enjoy it the most.


What Aunts Do Best; What Uncles Do Best by Laura Numeroff; Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
ISBN: 9780689848254

I only read the What Aunts Do Best half of the book to my story time kids, but I did read the whole book on my own. The Aunt part of the book was what I focused on in story time, and it seemed to go over really well with everyone. I think the parents liked the focus on the aunts and family fun, while the story time kids liked the neat things that aunts did with the kids. This book is one of those nifty reads where one half of the book is one story and if you flip it over and turn it around, the other half is another story. Mind-blowing to kids, fun for adults. :) But the interesting thing about this book was that the stories were basically the same except for the word Aunt/Uncle, which were switched respectively. The drawings (which are adorable!) were different, but the words (except the Uncle/Aunt switch) matched up in both stories. I think it might have been better if what aunts and uncles do with the kids were different for each half of the book. Since there isn't an endless supply of books about aunts and uncles, I can overlook this issue and say that it's a decent little book about the fun things aunts and uncles can do with their nieces and nephews.

Applebet by Clyde Watson; Illustrated by Wendy Watson
ISBN: 9780374404277

A great intro to the alphabet book, Applebet follows along the story of an apple and a girl and a woman as they travel from their farm to the market and enjoy a day in the village where there are all sorts of small-town adventures to be had. Each letter of the alphabet finds it's way into the book, as well as a few letter sounds. When I read it for story time, the kids stayed engaged for the most part. However, since it is a little longer than some kids books, their attention waned toward the end. Luckily, there was a robbery in the story and that caught their attention again. This is a neat little book, and the illustrations are warm and sweet.
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During the stories, we sang "Have You Ever Been Down a Water Spout," which is actually all about a lost alligator named Alfred. Unfortunately I forgot the second verse of the song and had to resort to the paper to able to finish out the song properly a second time. Lesson learned: never assume you've got the storytime song memorized unless you've sung it 1,001 times before! Even then, always have the lyrics handy, just in case you have a brain lapse. After story time was finished, we made little alligator crafts out of pipe cleaners and clothespins for everyone to take home. They're a little, how should I put it, derpy, but they're still pretty darn cute.

Teens' Top Ten

Check it out, the Teens' Top Ten List is available for your perusal and reading enjoyment!

CLICK ME I AM AN AWESOME LINK

Three of my most favorite books EVER have hit the list: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Across the Universe by Beth Revis and Scorpio Race by Maggie Stiefvater. These are amazing reads, and if you haven't picked read them yet, go grab one! Read it! Review it!

I'm certain the rest of the Top Ten List are just as good. Please go to your local book store or library and find one of these titles today, especially the three I listed. They are sooo good, you'll be missing out if you don't read them!

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

While I was reading this book, I made a decision: NO MMORPGS. I can totally see after reading this book how someone could be sucked into an alternate reality world like Erebos. Of course, Erebos is no ordinary RPG, but still any MMORPG gives you the ability to basically recreate yourself. In Erebos, you can become a new species, choose a new name, get a new skill set and turn yourself into the best warrior out there. That is, you can do all these things if you obey the messenger's orders, and the messenger wants you to do things in the real world. Outside of the game. And the game is always watching...

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

Nick is a normal, basketball-playing, completely-average student when he begins to notice strange things happening to his best friend. His buddy isn't coming to basketball practice anymore, he won't answer Nick's calls, and he's actually talking to some of the kids that he and Nick consider nerds. Other people in the school are acting weird, too, and Nick is eventually invited to join the thing that's sucked them all in: Erebos, an extremely addictive computer game that seems better than real life. Soon the game is all that matters, and as it pushes Nick to do things in the real world, he begins to question just how far he'll go for a level up. Running errands? Taking pictures? Spying? Or something more sinister?

The difference between the bland, boring real world versus the vibrant, tantalizing unreality of the world of Erebos is highlighted in the novel. Even as a reader, I wanted to get through the parts in the real world and back to the parts about Erebos. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing about the book since I wasn't fully engaged with the whole story, but maybe it's a good thing since it did make me more sympathetic toward Nick.

Nick was a decent protagonist; I wouldn't say that he was particularly memorable but he was solid and had a very male voice. Sometimes a male protagonist can sound sort of not very guyish, but Poznanski does a great job with Nick. Victor rocked as a character, and I loved his little quirks, his obsessions and his mannerisms. He was fantastic, and ultimately my favorite character in the book. The other characters were somewhat flat and a little forgettable, even the main love interest.

The ending was a bit of a let-down and a somewhat predictable, but overall, this is a pretty enjoyable book. Gamers especially might like it since a lot of gaming goes in in the novel, and you could also consider giving it to a gamer who gets a little too entranced by the game world!

I would like to thank NetGalley.com and Annick Press for letting me read the galley for this book!

Revealing Eden: Save the Pearls Part One by Victoria Foyt

I don't know where to start with this one. To be blunt, I disliked it. A lot. For many reasons.

The whole premise of the book intrigued me at first, but I thought it was handled very poorly by the author. She reinforced negative racial stereotypes with her characters that are black; almost all of the "Coal" characters are bad guys or have very bad traits while the lighter-skinned characters are most often the nice people. The "Coal" male love interest in the book literally gets turned in a cat-man, and he is promptly referred to by Eden, the main white female protagonist, as the "beast" or in terms that highlight his animal features. Oh, but she's attracted to him more when he's partly animal, far more than when she was slightly attracted to him when he was fully human. It just...It didn't sit well with me.

Foyt also uses blackface for her white characters; although she apparently claims it was for protection for the white characters, there's also definitely an appearance quality to it. On top of all of this, there's the FFP, which is like this world's version of the KKK since the Coals want to get rid of the Pearls. It just seemed wrong to mirror history in that way, as if Foyt didn't grasp the seriousness of the situation and just thought it would be a good twist in her story. Treated correctly, I could see this theme being truly thought-provoking and deep, but I don't think Foyt handled her subject matter very well. Some of the book just seemed so inappropriate that I wanted to put the it down, but I ended up continuing to read because I couldn't imagine where she was going with the story. I found out...but I sort of wish I hadn't. The storyline felt chaotic, rushed and frenetic.

Eden is possibly the most frustrating, insipid, impulsive, selfish, erratic, wishy-washy characters I have ever come across. She hates Bramford! She loves Bramford! She hatesloveshatesloveshatesloves Bramford. She flip-flops so many times that I expected that she was legitimately crazy by the end of the book. I like a complex main character and I sometimes even like to read about protagonists that I'm not particularly fond of, but I'm not a big fan of a main character that do dumb, selfish things with barely any logic behind their actions. And Eden is FULL of stupid, self-centered actions. She flings them out willy-nilly and scatters them around the place for other people to "enjoy" the consequences. Out of all the characters, even the ones that were the villains, I disliked her the most. And she's the main character.

On a better note, the writing was tolerable and some of Foyt's metaphors and setting descriptions are nice. I also liked the twist with Bramford's family, though I'm still a little fuzzy on the details. Maybe more will be explained in the second book, though I highly doubt I will be reading that one. I didn't really enjoy this book, so I'm pretty sure I won't like the next one either.

I would like to thank NetGalley.com and Sand Dollar Press Inc for allowing me to read the galley for this book.

Story Time: Reading

(Sorry this is extremely late, I've been very busy with some family/friend situations. But I'm back now!)

I've decided to start something new at story time. Each week, we'll be tackling a letter of the alphabet until we conquer the entire alphabet! Although each story time may not be specifically focused on the letter, the letter of the week will feature in at least one of the stories read, and we'll learn how to write each letter. Each week, the story time friend gets to take a work sheet home with them, and if they fill it out completely and bring it back, they get to go in prize box. As a kick-off, I did a story time focused on reading and how fun it can be. 

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn
by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Wow. This is a pretty intense read. I mean...when I got done with the book, I sort of stared at it for a little while, digesting what I had just finished. The ending of this book is a head-rush of drama, action, mystery and terror; questions are answered but more are raised. While I think this particular book could have been wrapped up if it had just been a little longer, it seems like there are going to be more, turning it into a series. I don’t know if I’ll read them or not.

While Burn for Burn held my attention thanks to the engaging writing style of the authors, I wasn’t exactly in love with the story. I don’t think revenge is ever a good way to handle being hurt by others, since it usually brings you down to their level or even lower. I was glad to see that the characters seeking revenge sometimes felt guilty or the acts of revenge didn’t go entirely as they had planned. It helped make the story realistic, and it showed that revenge might not actually be the best way to handle horrible things that happen to you.

Out of the three main girls, I think Kat is probably my favorite. She’s very rough around the edges, but she has a soft side too, even though she doesn't really acknowledge it. I didn’t really understand what was going on with Mary…I’m not going to say much about what happens so I can avoid spoilers, but there are certain events surrounding Mary that are strange and paranormal-ish. I really wish the authors had gone into more detail or explanation about the things that occur around Mary; it was just a little frustrating to not be given many hints. But since there are probably going to be more books in the series judging by the ending, I’m guessing we’ll hear more about that later.

The story has good pacing and the alternating POVs are handled expertly, but I didn't really connect with Burn for Burn. I just couldn’t get into the idea of taking revenge to levels where real damage is done. However, some people may really enjoy this well-written tale of revenge, scheming and consequences.

Thank you to NetGalley.com and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for letting me read the ARC for this book. 

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Lively and funny, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is a pick-me-up read for anyone who is feeling a little blue or like they’ve been reading too many murder mysteries or dystopians. It’s the story of soon-to-be-sixteen-year-old Hollywood teen, Caterina Crawford. She is plagued by the reputations of her famous parents, her over-friendly stepmother who wants to throw her an undesired mega MTV Super Sweet Sixteen party, and her own need to control everything around her. As a treat for Cat, she, her dad and her stepmom-to-be go to Italy, where Cat’s mother’s family is originally from. Cat goes off to soak up the sights of Italy on her own, enters in a gypsy’s tent on a whim and then finds herself in 16th century Italy in full Renaissance garb. At first Cat is excited about the spell but soon she learns that it’s not as temporary as she thought. Which is totally not cool when you have no idea how to get home. Cat learns valuable life lessons in friendship, family and love as she navigates the 16th century.

This is a very cute, light story but it also has deeper messages that some teens will really be able to relate to. Cat is dealing with an absent mother and a father whose is now dividing his attention between her and his fiancé; Cat also wants nothing to do with her stepmom-to-be and wants to go back to being just her and her dad. Universal themes such as family and freedom can be found in this book, but Harris resists being pedantic or dull with great success. Cat is a very good main character, easy to enjoy and be sympathetic toward, and I think she reacts to her problems and the situation in a realistic manner. The rest of the cast of characters are somewhat predictable, but I like all of them, besides creepy Niccolo. But that’s what Niccolo is there for: the ick factor. I wish we could have gotten to see more of Cipriano, since I think he is interesting with his double nature: standoffish to strangers but warm and open with friends. The settings were wonderfully described, and Harris uses all of the five senses to bring the Renaissance alive for the reader.

This is an awesome light read where you can let your mind go and enjoy the antics of modern-day Cat in Renaissance Italy. It offers tidbits of historical culture, clothing and cuisine, so I think it’s great for teenage girls who have a fascination with the Renaissance Period as well as anyone who wants to pick up an enjoyable, quick book.

Thank you to NetGalley.com and Entangled Publishing for letting me read the ARC of this book!

Story Time: Aaargh, Here be Pirates!

And pirate books! I love pirates, so when I was reminded that International Talk Like a Pirate Day is this Wednesday, I knew I had to do a story time in preparation. What kind of story time lady would I be if I didn’t keep the children informed of important cultural events?! So I dressed up like a pirate, grabbed the plastic treasure chest from the back room, piled it full of literary treasure and had a pirate-themed story time!

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

“Noo! It couldn’t just end! NO!” This incredulous exclamation, followed by a lot of hopeful scrolling, was what happened immediately after I finished Unspoken. It was a great read, and I truly, TRULY wanted it to continue. The end of the novel is a fantastic cliffhanger, but I cannot wait until the next book in the series comes out. I must say this: one should think twice before moving to a place called Sorry-in-the-Vale!

Unspoken revolves around Kami Glass, a curiosity-driven teen with ambitions to be an investigative newspaper reporter, who has lived in Sorry-in-the-Vale her whole life but has never truly fit into the town. She’s something of an oddball to the other inhabitants thanks to her Japanese ancestry and the fact that she’s had an imaginary friend, a boy named Jared, her entire life. Sorry-in-the-Vale becomes a much darker and stranger place as the mysterious and intimidating Lynburn family moves back into town. Before they all left, the Lynburns were the leading family in the town, the wealthiest and the most powerful...in more ways than one. There are two younger Lynburns: polite, chivalrous Ash and shadowed, sharp Jared. Yes. That Jared. It turns out that Kami’s imaginary friend isn’t so ephemeral after all, and he’s just as surprised to see that she exists outside his head as she is to realize he’s in-the-flesh real. Once the Lynburns return, dark secrets begin to bubble up from beneath the town’s surface, and murder and magic create a twisted mystery that Kami feels a deep need to uncover.

On a purely aesthetic note, the cover of this book snagged me before anything else. It’s simple, elegant and intriguing, and judging by my reaction to it, it has the potential to make readers want to snatch it off the shelf. Plus, I totally love the type font they used and the colors go so well together. Awesome job, cover designer! Huzzah!

Unspoken is one of those books that grabbed my attention and demanded that I read it, even when I was already reading other books. I stayed up super late reading it more than once, and even though some parts of the book seriously creeped me out, I just couldn’t put it down. The characters were fantastic, the storyline was captivating, and oh my gosh, magical forests of awesome! Plus, it's funny. I know, murder, death and gore don't always go along with funny, but in this instance, it works, mainly because most of the humor is in the witty dialogue. Some of it literally had me giggling and reading it outloud to my co-workers and friends, who had no idea what was going on...but it made me laugh!

As for the characters, I am seriously attached to them. Kami in particular is a great character; I think she's realistic, clever, insanely curious, a little selfish (in a good, character-flaw way!), confused and delightfully human. Jared is an awesome male lead; personally, he isn’t my pick for boyfriend of the year because of his internal angst and possessiveness, but I love his attitude and his personality. Most of the other characters seem well-rounded as well, and I liked that everyone seems to have faults; gotta love the characters who aren’t the epitome of perfection, they’re so much more interesting that way. There were just a couple character growth choices that I didn’t particularly like, but they didn’t ruin the book for me, and most people will probably be fine with those choices. I liked the flow of the story and Brennan’s good mix of dialogue and description. I’m very curious to know more about the magic in this book; it wasn't really explained except for the idea that it seems to be a nature-based kind of magic. I’d love to learn more about it in future books in the series. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I will impatiently wait for the next one to be published!

I received the ARC copy of Unspoken through NetGalley.com thanks to the publisher Random House Children's Books. Thank you!

Story Time Fridays: Apples are Amazing

Sorry that this one is late! There were a lot of unfortuante circumstances that led to the lateness, but it's all better now.

We're heading toward Fall, and perhaps I'm a tad over-excited about the cool weather that is bound to come in any day now. Right? Of course! And to celebrate the coming of Fall and all of its colder, crisper goodness, we had a story time today that was focused on apples. Which in hindsight probably was a funny jump from cookies the previous week...Balance! Life needs balance!

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Okay…so I’m not really into angel-loves-human books. They’re not my thing. That being said, I wanted to give an angel book a try anyways, since I recommend books to the teens in my library and some of them are really into angel books. Really, they’re into any kind of forbidden romance, it’s a big thing nowadays. And Embrace definitely has the forbidden romance in it. Actually, it has two.

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Embrace is the story of Violet Eden, a young woman who learns on her 17^th birthday that she is a Grigori, basically a half-angel charged to protect humankind from exiled angels who would do anything to see humans subjected to their will. Violet has a hard time handling the news, especially since it seems like her mother who died when she was a baby, seems to have had insider information into the world of angels and Grigori. Also, Violent feels betrayed by her friend Lincoln, who has been lying to her about his intentions, his age and his own life as a Grigori; he has been training her since he met her for her life as a Grigori because he is her Grigori partner. During this time of denial, she turns to a new man in her life, sexy, seductive opal-haired Phoenix, who may be much more dangerous than he seems. While Violet wants control of her own life, it seems like everything is conspiring against her, pulling her away from normalcy and into her destiny as a powerful Grigori.

Unfortunately, while the book did hold my attention, I didn’t totally love ‘Embrace,’ and it wasn’t even because of the angel thing. No, I didn’t really like ‘Embrace’ because I could never bring myself to truly like the main character, Violet. I WANTED to like this girl since I do enjoy rooting for the protagonist of a book, but…she just came off as overly whiny and almost, well, bratty. I can definitely understand her feeling overwhelmed, unhappy and upset about her new circumstances, but the way she handled the situation with Lincoln was grating and I didn’t like her just using Phoenix the way she did. I guess I wanted her to grow up a little faster and mature while she was happy to basically stagnate in her own angst. So she was grumpy, I was grumpy and her actions toward the end of the book with Phoenix just made me grumpier. I suppose I’m on Lincoln’s side with this one. I also have a few issues with the underage drinking, the sex and Steph’s litany of religious blasphemies that were only included for shock value/laughs, but it is supposed to be slightly gritty angel book so I guess it’s understandable.

There were things I did like about this book! I liked the evolving, twisting relationship between Lincoln and Violet and how they couldn’t be together yet felt like they belonged together. Oh, and I definitely liked Lincoln; I felt like he was a good, well-rounded character who wasn’t the perfect guy but was just perfect for Violet. He could balance her out, and they would work well together in an actual romantic relationship that wasn’t built on lust. Also, Steph, Violet’s best friend, is a nice, real-girl addition to the otherwise rather supernatural cast. The mythology surrounding the Grigori was nifty, and I wish there was more of it in there; maybe in a sequel? ‘Embrace’ also had good pacing, and the story moved along at a nice-but-not-rushed clip. Although I still don’t like angel books, I think Embrace is a decent read and that lovers/enjoyers of the genres will probably like it a lot.

Spotlight On: Book Donations

A wonderful, splendid, fantastical friend of my supervisor donated a TON of books to our library this weekend. I mean, we have more manga than we know what to do with now. Not to mention the audios, Adult fiction, YA fiction and nonfiction (hardcover and paperback), Juvenile fiction and nonfiction (hardcover and paperback) and some awesome graphic novels and comics!

I am so excited about these book donations; they are going to enhance our collection as well as broaden it. And I cannot wait to see the manga volumes fly off the shelf. It was a bit of a blur yesterday when we were processing them, but I know I saw titles like the Fullmetal Alchemist, Naturo, Hana-Kimi and Cinnmoroll. I personally want to read them, and I know some of the manga-readers in our community will be super ecstatic about the sheer amount of them. Some of them are COMPLETE series!

So. Excited.

Looking Forward To: The Dragon*Con 2012 Edition

So, I've been at Dragon*Con all weekend, and I'm bushed. But I did want to share some awesome information I got from the YA panel I went to this weekend. It was the Coming Soon panel presented by Susan Fichtelberg, Diana Tixier Herald and Bonnie Kunzel. The following are just a few of the books they talked about that are coming out in the near future.

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde.
Publisher: Harcourt
Release: 10/2012
(Gr. 7+)
A fantasy story with dragons and where magical people end up doing mundane things like acting as delivery services or plumbing. It seems to be a funny, feel good novel.

Dodger by Terry Pratchett
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release: 9/2012
(Gr. 7+)
The story of the Artful Dodger from Charles' Dickens famous book, Oliver Twist.

Curse of the Thirteenth Fey: The True Tale of Sleeping Beauty by Jane Yolen
Publisher: Philomel
Release: 11/2012
(Gr. 5+)
A new twist on an old fairytale. It is supposed to be very good and the panelist seemed enthusiastic about it as she spoke to us about the novel. And Jane Yolen is a wonderful writer!

And that's it for now. Next week will be back to regular programming with the 'Looking Forward To' post. ^_^

Story Time Fridays: Boys + Books = Awesome!

Since I’m actually not doing story time this week because I’m at Dragon*Con (YAY!), I can’t really do a story time review. Shame on me, I know, but one of my awesome co-workers is doing it instead on cookies. Yes. Cookies. Not fair. The kids are never going to want me and my cookie-less story times ever again... Anyways, I still wanted to post something about story times, so I thought about what possible story times I could do in the future. The particular story time that I came up with would be good for a group of boys, rowdy, “tough,” funny boys. Girls can definitely enjoy these books, too, they’re not gender exclusive, but they have a particular appeal to boys.

Spotlight On: YA Lit at Dragon*Con

 

That’s right, it’s that time of year again! It’s that weekend when every die-hard geek/nerd/techhead on the East Coast (and from places far beyond) makes their yearly pilgrimage to Atlanta, Georgia, for Labor Day Weekend, aka Dragon*Con. There are costume contests, panels with authors/actors/writers/scientists/artists and more, expositions, art displays, vendor stalls galore and general all-around geekery.

Some use D*C as a weekend to party, others use it as a time to meet friends, still others use it as a chance to get updated on the sci-fi/fantasy/nerd culture in general. Personally, I use it as a weekend to get those coveted updates, fangirl over my favorite actors and shows and books and a chance to learn new things, like book information or crafting techniques.

One neat track (events in the same genre or subject) is the Young Adult Literature track. This track is all about YA books and basically everything that surrounds them. So. Awesome. If you’re a lover of teen novels, this is the track for you at D*C! There is going to focuses on current popular books, such as The Hunger Games—From Page to Screen panel at 5:30 pm on Friday, as well as less mainstream panels, like Under the Covers, a panel on cover art at 11:30 am on Saturday. 

YA authors will be there at some of panels; these authors include Diana Peterfreund (Rampant and For Darkness Shows the Stars), Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay) and C.J. Redwine (Defiance). Used to love Reading Rainbow? LeVar Burton, the host of Reading Rainbow, is going to be there on Sunday at 2:30 pm to talk about it! The YA Lit track is also throwing their annual Yule Ball (a nod to Harry Potter) on Sunday at 8:30 pm. If you’re going to Dragon*Con and have a smidge of interest in YA, definitely check out one of the YA track panels.

For more information and updates, check out the links below:

Dragon*Con YA Lit Blurb

YA Lit Dragon*Con Blog

Dragon*Con Pocket Program

Looking Forward to: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Title: Defiance

Author: C.J. Redwine
Publisher:  Balzer + Bray

ISBN: 9780062117182

Amazon Link: HERE

PUBLISHING DATE: August 28, 2012

So, I am super stoked for C.J. Redwine’s upcoming novel, Defiance. If you haven’t red the summary yet, go forth to Amazon or yabookscentral.com and find it. It seems like the oppressive, male-dominated regime has women stuck in domestic roles, but at least one girl, Rachel Adams, isn’t having any of it. In secret, she’s learned survival and combat skills and seems set up to be a fantastic heroine. Oh, and there’s this guy named Logan…already excited about him. The cover art is gorgeous, and it definitely caught my eye while I was surfing Amazon for new titles for the library a month or so ago.

Redwine is an awesome reviewer on the Young Adult Books Central website, and early reviews of the book have me itching to get my hands on a copy. So keep an eye out for Defiance in bookstores and on online retail sites, I think it’s going to be a new winner in the YA fiction world! It’s on order for the Moore County Library, and it should be coming in soon. Hopefully this week. Please, mail service?

Story Time Fridays: Crazy Critters Doing Silly Stuff

I guess you could say that story time today was a very early introduction to personification. The theme today was basically “Animals Doing Crazy Things,” meaning animals doing things that animals don’t normally do. Yes, I know, I was sort of stretching it, but I liked the there books I picked out, and that was the common theme between the three of them.