Waiting on Wednesday: Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine. What books are you waiting on?

I'm looking forward to Lady Thief, which follows A.C. Gaughen's Scarlet. These gorgeous books are a reinterpretation of the Robin Hood stories.

In book two, Scarlet's true identity has been revealed, but her future remains uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet's future together, and as the royal court descents upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people hope that Prince John will choose their beloved Robin Hood.

But, seriously, what this reader wants to know is... will Scarlet get another kiss from Robin?

The book comes out on February 11th, 2014.

Triple Threat Blog Tour: Interview with Megan Miranda, Author of Hysteria

Today we are hosting the Triple Threat Blog Tour with Megan Miranda, author of Hysteria!  She dropped by to answer a few questions for us!

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1.) Where did the idea for Hysteria come from?

I got a sense of character first, and the idea that she would have killed her boyfriend at the start of the book. But the idea that became the story started after I had been researching for a bit. I was looking into stories about memories and hauntings, and I got carried away thinking about all the things that can haunt, and in all the ways those things can haunt.

 

2.) The cover is so cool!  Did you have any say in how it progressed? (If not, what was it like seeing it for the first time?)

I didn't come up with the concept, but when they sent me the image they were hoping to use for my feedback, I did a double-take. Then I got a chill. And then I thought… perfect. It captures the mood and the tone, and the "is this really real, or is this all in my head?" element perfectly.

 

3.) What’s it like to right about the blurred edges of madness?

It's like walking a very fine line. I want to make sure *I* keep a very firm grasp on what's happening to keep the story grounded, but to allow that fear and confusion to translate without becoming confusing (wait, is that confusing?)

Honestly, it took me a while to get there. I’d get notes back that marked large passages that said “too confusing” or “unclear” in draft after draft from both my critique partners and my editor. So a lot of the process was finding that line, walking across it, and learning how to balance.

 

4.) What projects are you working on right now?

I'm working on revisions for my 2014 book, which is a sequel/companion to Fracture. It's told from Decker's point of view and takes place about 8 months after the events in Fracture. It's about the idea of a curse, and how people can believe, and also how it can take people over….

I'm also working on a few different projects for what comes next. All have a bit of a thriller element to them, in very different forms.

 

5.) Just for fun, what’s your favorite:

Drink: Diet Coke

Food: Mac & cheese

Animal: It’s not that I don’t like animals. It’s just that they don’t seem to like me so much…

Song: Changes by the moment, depending on my mood. And also on what I’m writing J

Book: Impossible question! I always default to the best most-recent book I’ve read. Which, at the moment, is Gone Girl.

Vacation Spot: The beach

Triple Threat Blog Tour: Also Known As by Robin Benway Review and Interview

 

 

1.) Where did the idea for Also Known As come from?

 

It all started when I couldn't get into the storage unit in my apartment building. It had a Master Lock on it, but i had forgotten the combination, so I went to the source of all information: Google. 15 minutes later, I learned how to crack the lock and I started thinking how awesome it would be to do that for a living. And lo, Maggie was born.

 

2.) (Just for giggles) What are the 5 best benefits to being a teenage safe cracker?

 

1. Being able to get into your locker with no problem.

2. Being able to get into someone else's locker with no problem.*

3. Always having a good excuse to skip class. ("Sorry, I have to go save the world. Get the homework for me, okay?")

4. Your extracurricular activities will be quite impressive on your college applications.

5. No one can keep secrets from you.

*Very unethical, but still.

 

3.) Would you be a spy if you could?

 

I think, ideally, I would love to be a spy, but I would be the WORST spy in the world! I get too nervous and I blush easily, and I don't have Maggie's steady nerves when it comes to cracking safes under pressure. Our national security would be compromised in five minutes. I'll stick to writing novels.

 

 

4.) What projects are you working on right now?

 

The sequel to "Also Known As", which is so much fun! I love finding out what's happening with my characters and watching them grow. They're like my little fictional children, so I like checking in on them from time to time.

 

5.) Just for fun, what’s your favorite:

 

Drink: Espresso or prosecco (depends if it's morning or night)

Song: "Deep Red Bells" by Neko Case

Movie: "Singin' in the Rain"

Book:Franny & Zooey by JD Salinger

Superhero: Violet inThe Incredibles

Disney character: Gus Gus the Mouse inCinderella (love him!)



 

Also Known As by Robin Benway

eARC received from Bloomsbury

Release Date:  2-26-2013

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Witty and Hysterical

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

Spies.  That’s all I needed to read before I was sold on this one.  Plus, I’m always looking for new contemporary because I love them—even though they are really hit and miss with me.  Also Known As was definitely a fun read albeit it, the story is completely unrealistic.  (At least I think it is, but who knows, I’m not a spy.)  Getting over the fact that the story seem sensationalized to me, I still found myself laughing at loud at the random humor that Robin so brilliantly added.

Robin’s writing definitely stole the show with this spy thriller.  Maggie is a teenage safecracker who has always been a part of the spy world—a girl on the outside looking in at what the normal world does every day.  And right away, she is intimidated, but that doesn’t bog her down.  Instead, she straps on her trusty sarcasm and heads straight for the lion’s den.  “Right off, I noticed that no one else was alone:  students traveled in packs of two, three, or four through the halls, not moving out of the way for anyone else…Wild animals also traveled in packs, I realized.  That was usually how they surrounded and devoured their prey.”  ARC, Location 381-383  I love her sense of humor here, and Maggie’s blunt and clever thoughts just keep getting better and better.

I loved Maggie, but my favorite character, by far, was Roux.  She’s this punk girl with a “stick it to the man” chip on her shoulder, and I loved every single, trashy word that leaped from her mouth.  She was hilarious, and she had a way of turning the simplest of scenarios into something that will cause you to fall off the couch and roll around on the floor laughing.  (Seriously).  Need an example?  “’Well, I think we can all agree bidets are weird,’ Roux announced as she strolled back into the room.’” ARC, Location 2433-2434  I mean, girls don’t talk about going to the toilet!  So, when this came popping out of her mouth (in front of the cute guy nonetheless), I found myself laughing hysterically.  Because, let’s face it, bidets are weird!

Despite the hilarious writing and great female characters, there were still times when the plot dragged.  I found myself skipping over entire paragraphs to get to the good parts.  In a spy thriller like this, I don’t need all the extra, gritty details.  I need the bang of guns, the hiding in plain sight, and the occasional passion-filled kiss!  I really didn’t get much of this, though, which is upsetting.  The whole “spy” part of the story seemed to fall into the background as the relationship part of the story took center stage.  I don’t have a problem with this really, but it would have been nice to hear a few guns J

One other thing that threw me off (it didn’t bug me, it was just different) was how middle grade the romance and action were while the language was definitely YA to Mature YA.  I mean, there were a whole lot of s-words, and a-words and what not, but very little of anything else that would show their age level.  Take away the language, and you would have a middle grade book.  I would have preferred a steamier romance to accompany the rest of the story.

Overall, this was definitely a fun read, and I am still reeling from the great humor that Robin put into her story.  I will definitely be reading more by her in the future!  If you are a fan of spy stories or fun, light-hearted contemporaries, then this is a book you definitely need to check out.  Push through the slower parts and the unrealistic story and get to know the amazing and witty characters.

Waiting on Wednesday: Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is DANCE OF SHADOWS by Yelena Black.  DANCE OF SHADOWS releases on February 12, 2013 from Bloomsbury USA Childrens.

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Vanessa Adler isn’t so sure she really belongs at the School of American Ballet. But dance runs in her family. It’s been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother and mother were prima ballerinas, and her older sister Margaret was, too. That is, until Margaret mysteriously disappeared from school three years ago. Vanessa is heir to the family’s gift and the only person who can fulfill her sister’s destiny. She has no choice.

But she never could have guessed how dangerous the school is. The infamous choreographer, Josef, isn’t just ruthless with his pupils, he guards a sinister secret, one in which the school’s dancers—prized for their beauty, grace, and discipline—become pawns in a world of dark, deadly demons.

 

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I just love the sound of this book!  I have been a ballet fan since watching the movie Center Stage when I was younger, and I am so excited for a paranormal YA book to focus on ballet--and the demons that control a school of ballet!  AH!  Just sounds so unique and enticing.  Plus, LOOK AT THAT COVER!!!  It's gorgeous--one of my favorites for 2012.  February can't get here soon enough!

Waiting on Wednesday: Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is GOING VINTAGE by Lindsey Leavitt.  GOING VINTAGE releases on March 26, 2013 from Bloomsbury.

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When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn't cheat on you online). She sets out to complete grandma's list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy's cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, she'll get it done. Somehow. Lindsey Leavitt perfectly pairs heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.

 

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I wasn't a huge fan of contemporary at first, mainly because I hadn't found the good ones, yet!  But after reading Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, I found myself hooked on them!  I always have my eye out for the next contemporary that is fun and snazzy.  And Going Vintage definitely fits that bill!  The idea is fun and unique, and I know that it will lead to some great laughing riots. I can't wait to get my hands on this one...and maybe on Oliver?  Who knows!  Too bad I have to wait until March!

Burn Mark by Laura Powell Blog Tour

Glory is from a family of witches and lives beyond the law. She is desperate to develop her powers and become a witch herself. Lucas is the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition—the witches’ mortal enemy—and his privileged life is very different to the forbidden world that he lives alongside.

And then on the same day, it hits them both. Glory and Lucas develop the Fae—the mark of the witch. In one fell stroke, their lives are inextricably bound together, whether they like it or not . . .

****************************************************************

Burn Mark released on June 19, 2012 from Boomsbury Publishing.  I have not read this book yet, but I love books about witches, and let's face it, the YA market really isn't flooded with these types of paranormal books.  Book after book about vampires, werewolves, demon hunters, angels, etc. are being published; but there aren't many that focus solely on witches.  I am looking forward to this book being a breath of fresh air!  Don't miss out--rush to your bookstore and purchase this today!

I've just started reading this book, and I will admit is has started out a little bit slow.  There are tons of characters to keep straight and all the background is a bit confusing.  However, I just reached the part where Lucas and Glory are marked as Fae!  So...let the action and romance begin!  (Full review to come once I have finished!

Be sure to check out the Book Trailer below!!!

Endure by Carrie Jones Blog Tour

Today we have the pleasure of hosting a mini-interview with Endure author Carrie Jones.  When I was contacted by Bloomsbury to participate to read Endure and participate in the blog tour, I will have to admit, I might have blasted my IPOD singing, "I've got a pocket, got a pocket full of sunshine."  I won't tell you which character I was daydreaming was "all mine," but let's just say, I wasn't disappointed!!  This is the final installment in her Need series, and if you have never read these books, you need to check them out! This last book in the series and it will not disappoint! 
Check out my review of Endure here.

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

Okay....so without further ado, we will get to the interview!

Where did you come up with the idea to focus on pixies?

I was at the Common Ground Fair, which is this huge, cool fair in Maine that's sponsored by Maine Organic Farmes and Growers Association (MOFGA).  To get to the main part of the fair you have to walk through this sweet trail that curves through these tall spruce trees.

Right in fron of me was this guy.  He had a weird vibe.  He was wearing all corduroy--blazer, pants.  And sticking out from his blazer was this long tail-like appendage that was wrapped in different colored earth-toned cloth.  I guess he could tell I was checking him out because he turned his head and looked at me.  His eye was this startling silver color.  How startling?  So startling that I actually gaspec and got creeped out.  My daughter was all like, "Mommy.  It is probably the way the light beams are refracting on his optic nerve at a certain angle...blah, blah, blah....science."

And I just thought, "Oh my gosh.  It's a human-sized pixie."

So, I started writing.

What is is like writing the final installment in a series? 

It was terribly, terribly sad.


Who are your favorite characters in the books?

 

That's like picking your favorite dog or something. I am worried whoever I didn't pick would come get me in my sleep. :) I am an easily frightened writer, so I'm going to beg off that question, actually.

Thank you so much Carrie Jones for stopping by!

Endure by Carrie Jones

Endure by Carrie Jones

ARC received from Bloomsbury Children’s

Release Date:  5-8-2012

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Enchanting, Endearing, and Entertaining 

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

I read the entire Need series in the last week, and I have to say, each book gets better and better, culminating in an action-packed race to Ragnarok (aka Armageddon, aka Apocalypse, aka AH! End of the world and no more paranormal romance books)!!  If you have not read this series and want something with a different species of paranormal—try the Need books by Carrie Jones.  They focus on pixies (no, not Thumbelina or Tinkerbell)—evil, blue, shark teethed pixies.  These creatures will keep you guessing—are they good or bad?   Is it possible to be both?

 For me, it was nice to see a different species in the paranormal genre mixed in with something I love even more—mythology!  These books have a focus on Norse mythology which doesn’t show up much in the young adult genre; in fact, I can’t think of another book I’ve read that focuses on Norse mythology.  So, it was new and exciting, seeing Carrie’s world intertwine with the gods Thor, Odin, and Hel.  Carrie creates a fantastic world, rich in imagery.  I felt like I could close my eyes, walk through a looking glass, and then I would right there with Zara, Nick, and Astley (mostly Astley…even the pixie thing doesn’t turn me off!)!

I really enjoyed Zara in this book.  She’s struggling with the idea of being the Pixie Queen, and it’s really endearing seeing inside her head—trying to see her reconcile her past with her present and constantly contemplating the future.  She’s not infallible, and that makes her struggle all the more real.  I do wish she would have come into her powers a little bit more—throughout books 1 through 3, we are constantly hearing about how Zara is half-pixie, and as a result, she would be extremely powerful once turned.  Although Zara did get to kick some butt, we really didn’t see her come into her own and learn to embrace her powers.  The book was short, too, (less than 300 pages), so I believe there was plenty of room to add a bit more so we can see Zara grow.

Then we have the guys…Nick and Astley.  No matter what team you are on, I do think you will enjoy this book, and you won’t regret who she finally chooses.  Nick is his same old, were self—agitated, grumpy, and kick butt.  But, we see a different side of Nick in this book.  We also see his downfall—his struggle to accept Zara as a pixie.  I thought his reaction was completely believable—I mean, it’s nice to see a love story where everything is not all, “Oh, I’ll love you forever, no matter if you turn crazy murderer or not.”  Nick is afraid of what Zara has become, and I found the strained relationship between him and Zara to be realistic and oddly satisfying.  Will they both get over their prejudices and end up together?  I won’t tell, you’ll have to read for yourself!

And then there’s Astley.  I love Astley.  Like Zara, he struggles with who he is, but it isn’t a struggle that causes him to crumble.  Instead, this struggle causes him to constantly surprise me.  Zara and Astley grow closer in this book, and I loved seeing the pixie relationship progress.  I do really wish there was more to the romance, though.  There was no scene where I blushed because I wanted to re-read it over and over again.  There was no time where I would have given my pinky finger to trade places with Zara.  I wanted passion and fear and uncertainty and love all mixed into one (or two or three or four) dramatic romantic scenes, but they never came.   Even so, I enjoyed being surprised over and over again by Astley.  Will she choose him?  I won’t tell!

There never seemed to be a dull moment in Endure.  It was action-packed from the start, and whenever it seemed like all was about to settle down, some mythological creature threatening apocalypse would show up and tear down the illusion.  You definitely won’t be bored with this one!  There were times where I did skip over some of the description, though because I felt bogged down by it and wanted to get straight to the action.

Overall, I’m definitely glad I didn’t skip over this series.  They were all very quick and fascinating reads, and although there wasn’t as much romance as I would like, I still did enjoy what we got to see between Zara and Nick and Zara and Astley.  Alas (I’m speaking Astley talk), love triangles do not both me!

So, if you want to see a different kind of mythology and a different kind of species to pluck you out of your paranormal funk, this is the series to read!

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker

ARC received from Bloomsbury via Netgalley

Release Date:  5-22-2012

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sister’s Say:  A heartfelt story about hope and healing.

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to. 

I haven’t read too many contemporary novels because usually I start one and a few chapters in I want to stop because they are too depressing or too whiney, so when I started Unbreak My Heart, I was sure I was going to want to stop reading it at some point.  I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself smiling at Melissa’s love story, giggling at her ridiculous word play (why knot?), and fuming at the reactions of some of Melissa’s not-so-likeable characters.  Great stories take you through the gamut of emotions, and Melissa’s did just that.

Clementine has fallen in love with her best friend’s boyfriend, and as a result she has become a social outcast.  Then, to make matters worse, her family is dragging her off for a summer of sailing.  Clem thinks the summer is going to be a “summer of exile” but she just might find that exile is not so bad—especially once she meets James.  I really like James—he’s sweet, thoughtful, artsy, and he’s struggling with his own kind of exile.  He’s not my favorite type of young adult boys (I have a thing for the dark and broody), but he is exactly what you would picture when you think of a sweet guy sailing away the summer with his dad.  Although I prefer for my ya guys to be strong, arrogant, and deeply sexy; James really did bring a smile to my face.  He was perfect for this story, and it was fun reading how he rebuilts Clem’s heart. 

My favorite character in this story was Crazy Olive, Clem’s ten-year old little sister.  She’s so vibrant and full of life, and on more than one occasion, puts forth a philosophical statement that sums up how tragic and temporary teenage life and drama can be at times.  She’s the perfect foil to Clem’s depressed personality. 

I really loved the setting for Clem’s road to recovery.  Most of the book takes place on the boat and out on the river, and I love the scenes where Clem and/or James just sit out over the water or on the beach and just relax.  It made me wish I had my own boat that I could use to escape reality.  I could hear the waves, feel the breeze, and smell the freshness.  Clem thinks she’s away from the real world, and I love to see her character grow as she discovers that even on the river, away from her friends and her life, that things can be just as real.

I do wish there would have been more romance, and the book does end abruptly.  I thought Melissa could have spent a little more time giving us some more information, after all the book was really short, only 240 pages.

Final Judgment:  Melissa Walker creates a heartwarming story that chronicles the ups and downs of teenage friendship and love.  Torment meets healing in this tale of discovery and romance.