Mini Reviews - Benny Immura series by Jonathan Maberry

I don't review library books as often as my own books. It would take me forever to get any finished! But these are some recent reads that were really good and deserve a little attention so here are my mini reviews.

Rot & Ruin (Benny Immura #1) - Jonathan Maberry

This was a book I picked up from a display at my library. I'm so glad I did! It's the first book in a young adult dystopian/post apocalypse series. Although "zombies" are a large part of the story the main theme is how the characters have learned to make a life since the world changed fifteen years earlier. Towns are few and far between and the lifestyle is self sustained, similar to early settlers. The pace is fast with plenty of action and the story is very interesting. The characters are well established with a firm foundation and room to grow. I hope they get that chance in this new world. I could not put this book down!

Dust & Decay (Benny Immura #2) - Jonathan Maberry

The action continues in another fast ride with more character development. We learn more background from the people introduced in the first book and meet some new characters in this one, none of them are boring. Whether you like them or hate them, be prepared to feel strong emotions.  The zombies aren't the worst enemies out there. The living conditions are harsh and sometimes brutal but there is humanity and hope. I wish this series had been around when my boys were younger!

Flesh & Bone (Benny Immura #3) - Jonathan Maberry

I'm reading this one now and almost finished. Wow! Another amazing story! The chapters are often short and end with cliff hangers that won't let you put the book down. They alternate between characters so you really have to keep reading. The living conditions are still brutal but in some new ways. There is plenty of violence but within the context of the story, not gratuitous or obscene. The emphasis is still about hope, friendship and old fashioned good vs. evil. Another intense and thrilling read.

Fire & Ash (Benny Immura #4) - Jonathan Maberry

The final book in the series. The release date was moved up from 9/13 to 8/13/13! I hate for it to end but I can't wait to see what happens. My library system doesn't have it listed yet but I am reserving this ASAP and looking for more books from this author. Love these creepy covers!

Author site

Review: Special Dead by Patrick Freivald

Surviving high school has never been so hard.

Shackled to her desk, Ani Romero has a hard time concentrating on her studies. One of eight zombie survivors of the Prompocalypse, she's back at school, but this time it's no secret. Locked in their room, flamethrower-toting soldiers watching their every move, they're tasked with homework and classes during the week, and macabre experiments on the weekend.

When the courts rule they're not human, only an appeal keeps them alive long enough to discover a cure. College applications and SATs pale under the threat of incineration, and desperation turns them into lab rats... ...but the scientists helping them have ulterior motives, and the promised cure destroys more than the virus.
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
Wow! I didn't know where this book could go after the ending of the first book but great job! I'm so curious if there could be more. I really liked the direction of the story. It gave a different take on the traditional zombie story. The scientific explanation and legal issues were interesting but not too complicated for the reader. The writing is very well done and I found it hard to believe this was a male author. The protagonist was female and very believable.

I liked the characters and empathized with them. The people that were infected weren't "monsters" or hopeless cases but had a horrible medical condition. The different relationships was also complicated and interesting. Some people were torn between how they felt about those who were infected and how they are told to feel. Obviously there is extreme danger but the undead maintained their personalities, feelings and ambitions. How can they just written off so easily by those who love them? I was very impressed by the relationship between Ani and her mother Sarah. They had a fierce, unconditional love and would do anything to protect each other.  As the leading authority on ZV (Zombie Virus), Sarah has made it her life's work to cure and save her daughter and holds many secrets.  There are authorities happy to exploit them and their very life hangs in the balance.

As in the first book I loved recognizing real places near where I live. It was creepy but exciting! This story also had plenty of action that led to another great cliff-hanger ending. Freivald has a talent for leaving the reader hungry for more. :D (Get it? I HAD to do it!)

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for an arc ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: 7/12/13
Publisher: JournalStone
Pages: 260 (paperback)
Type: YA

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at 5 Minutes For Books this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

~~~~~~~~~~~~I had some unexpected but very pleasant surprises this week! First, I got a package from author Michelle Moran who has been very generous with her last few new releases. I don't read historical fiction as often as I should and her books are a good reminder of that. She is an amazing writer and I look forward to this title as well! I also received a mysterious box this week. I was thrilled to find inside a set of YA arcs from "Penguin Breathless Reads" campaign. Five debuts from five different authors for Fall 2012 in their own little bookcase! How cool is that?? I hope you found plenty of goodies in your mailbox last week too!

The Second Empress by Michelle Moran
From the author (hardcover)

Origin by Jessica Khoury
From Penguin (arc)

The Innocents by Lili Peloquin
From Penguin (arc)

Venom by Lili Peloquin
From Penguin (arc)

Black City from Elizabeth Richards
From Penguin (arc)

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
From Penguin (arc)

The Archived by Victoria Schwab (sneak peek)
For review from NetGalley (ebook)

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity." Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review 
I've enjoyed this author's writing so I was very curious about this one but I wasn't sure if I would care for the topic. The vampire market seems pretty saturated so I didn't know how this could be any different but I was pleasantly surprised.  The author came up with her own dark world, no sparkly vamps here! Most of the humans endure a harsh and gritty existence, struggling to survive every day. In the vampire city you can choose to belong and give up your blood freely in exchange for their protection or you can try to make it on your own, free but desperate for food and shelter. Allie has chosen to live free in the outskirts of the city among other stragglers. It is survival of the fittest. When she is attacked and must make the ultimate choice all the rules change for her.

I like reading about a tough heroine and Allie is a strong example. She faces one obstacle after another but can defend herself and also protect others. She knows how to adjust and adapt and above all else, she wants to survive. Through all her struggles she is also able to retain her humanity. Her world is a desperate place but it's not without hope.

The author nicely builds the story as new characters are gradually introduced and we get glimpses into their backgrounds.The world she created wasn't traditional and had some original elements.This was a long story but mostly interesting. The middle did feel drawn out and somewhat monotonous but the action later picked up again. There were also details that didn't really make sense to me but I am curious to see if they will be explained better in the next book. Kagawa has introduced an unusual series with this first installment and I look forward to reading where it goes from here.

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) coming 5/13
juliekagawa.com
harlequinteen.com

Thank you to NetGalley for an ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: 4/24/12
Publisher:Harlequin Teen
Pages: 485 (hardcover)
Type: YA dystopian

Review: 101 by Margaret Chatwin

How do you get desperately needed answers when no one is talking? Who do you trust in a place full of criminals, a place where it’s easy to mistake friends for enemies and enemies for friends? And how is it possible for one girl to seemingly vanish into thin air, especially when the place is surrounded by sixteen foot high electric fences?
When Trigg and his sister Ren are sentenced to township 101 for the crime of defending themselves, and Ren suddenly comes up missing, Trigg must ask himself these same questions.
Something else he’d like to know is, how do you survive when the flaws of the NAO’s justice system has turned a simple punishment into a game of life or death?
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review 
Teenagers Trigg and his younger sister Ren were sent away from their abusive father to a facility that many people don't come back from. Although their crime was committed in self defense, the New Age Order (NAO) justice system believed in swift justice, no mercy and no distinction between crimes. They were placed in township 101 with every type of criminal possible. Unlike a traditional prison system, these inmates had been released into an abandoned village surrounded by armed guards and electric fences. There were few rules from the outside because the NAO didn't really care if they survived or not. There are several rules on the inside though and Trigg and Ren had to quickly learn them in order to survive.

I really enjoyed the characters and developed strong feelings for them throughout the story. Love them or hate them (and there were a few I really hated), their actions stirred up emotions. As each of their backgrounds slowly emerged the reader was able to discover why each of them came to be at 101. I would have liked to find out more about some of the secondary characters but I was still able to get the general idea. It was interesting to see what it took for all of them to find their strength and how far they were willing to go to survive. Trigg wasn't much of a fighter when it came to defending himself but he would fight to the death to protect Ren. And in an exciting final confrontation some did make that sacrifice.

This was my first book by Margaret Chatwin but it won't be my last. Well written and very intense, this was an action-packed, quick read. While it's of the young adult genre it has very adult, and often violent themes so I recommend this to older teens and up. 

Thank you to Goodreads - Shut Up & Read! reading group (Read It and Reap 71) for an ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: 1/24/12
Publisher: Whisk Away Books
Pages: 205 (paperback)
Type: YA dystopia

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, 

when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? 
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
I don't read a lot of historical fiction but I'm glad I picked up this one. It has it's own unique mix of romance, mystery and intrigue with a dash of the paranormal. This is the first book in His Fair Assassin series and has some tough females. A convent of trained killers in medieval France is nothing to take lightly. Ismae is a lost soul and running from an abusive life when she stumbles upon St. Mortain's. The sisters serve Death and train other young women to do the same. Ismae discovers she is a gifted assassin and is given an important assignment to protect the young Duchess from the man who will bear the Marque. A man she must then kill.

The story was well written with great detail and background. Luckily I was reading the ebook version and could easily look up words I didn't know (and there were plenty). The description of the girls' training and weapons were interesting and quite informative. The tale of the god St. Mortain was intriguing and complex, unfolding slowly throughout the book. At times the story seemed dragged out and I started to drift off in the middle. The family history and politics didn't hold my attention but those aren't topics of interest for me anyway. I did enjoy the characters and how diverse they were although I did confuse some member of the royal court from time to time.

Grave Mercy is not a light read and is best savored. If you enjoy historical fiction you will probably appreciate this one more than I did. The next book features a different main character's story, Sybella, who also attended St. Mortain.  
Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) coming in 2113
www.robinlafevers.com

Thank you to NetGalley for an ebook in exchange of my honest review.

Release date: 4/3/12
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 549 (hardcover)
Type: YA historical fiction, series

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"You've got it wrong. I'm Aurora. Just some girl you don't want kicking you back to your hellhole." My plan to go on the offensive stemmed from my defense amounting to diddly and squat combined. 

~page 6 - ebook
Demons At Deadnight by A&E Kirk
(Debut thriller from YA blogger at Teens Read and Write )

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was bad, really bad and the longer it went on the more I wanted to beg her to stop, please stop, because my Gran would never scare me like this, would never leave me standing here in shock, lost, shaking and near tears without  opening her arms and holding me safe. This gaunt, twisted old lady with the messy hair and stone face, this silent woman hunched over in the wheelchair was a stranger, someone I didn't know, could never know...

~page 159
How It Ends by Laura Wiess 

Review: The Candidates (Delcroix Academy #1) by Inara Scott

I was a fraud,
a girl they thought was a hero
but was really a coward,
and it was only a matter
of time before they figured it out.

Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden.

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the author's debut novel and first book in a new YA series. (Love these covers!) Dancia is a teen who has spent her whole life trying hard not to be noticed. She wants to be ordinary although she is anything but. When she accepts an offer to attend Delcroix Academy she begins to learn more about herself and the person she thought she was.

The mystery in Dancia's life is interesting and kept me turning the pages. It was obvious that the school was hiding many secrets. Everyone here is special in some way but that's mysterious as well. The characters were stereotypical of most high schoolers. Jack is the rebel/bad boy who stirs up trouble and seeks answers. Cam is the popular golden boy, a poster child for the academy. Dancia soon finds herself drawn to both of these young men for the different things that each of them represents. The love triangle is a bit too traditional but maybe I've read too many of these lately. I thought the friendships that were developing with the other girls were more enjoyable and characters were fun and quirky.

The final chapters provide action and suspense that set up the next book. I liked the idea of the special powers and I look forward to seeing that aspect develop more as the series progresses. I'm curious to find out more about the secrets of Delcroix Academy and I'll be reading more from this author.

Thank you to Disney Book Group for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.


The Watchers (Delcroix Academy #2)
Release date: expected 8/2/11






Author's site
Author's blog
Publisher's site

Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: 8/10
Pages: 293
Price/format: $16.99 /hardcover
Type: Teen fiction

Author Leah Clifford's Contest

YA book A Touch Mortal was recently released and author Leah Clifford is hosting A Touch Mortal's Assortment of Awesome Contest!
But hurry, contest ends today 3/31/11!

And make sure you check out her clever vlog
Shortened link to the vlog: http://dft.ba/:ATMVlog

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He rolled his eyes. I couldn't see it, but I could feel the movement. And the rolling of teenage eyes has a noiseless noise all it's own.

~page 101
Betrayals by Lili St. Crow

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Don't Die," he whispered. "I'll save you." It was a foolhardy promise and one there was no way to keep, but it hardened him, swelled in him, beat like his heart in his chest, and he knew he would try.

~page 17
Salt by Maurice Gee

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the capital wants revenge.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

*sigh* I loved The Hunger Games. I never know if I'm going to like the second book as well as the first but I like to continue on with a series to see how it finishes. I couldn't wait to get this one. I reserved it from my library and got it last week but I was so busy that I didn't do it justice. I could only read it in bits and pieces much of the time and it was so hard to tear myself away. I wanted to do nothing but read, read, read but of course I didn't want it to end either!

**double sigh** I loved Catching Fire. I won't get into a recap here because I'm afraid I'll post a spoiler if you haven't read this series yet. There was plenty of action, adventure and strong emotions. It was really, really, really good. Really. It's going to be an extremely long wait for the final book in this trilogy.

www.scholastic.com/thehungergames

Review: hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

A sacred oath,
a fallen angel,
a forbidden love.

Nora Grey is a responsible, independent teenager who lives alone with her widowed mother in Maine. When she is unexpectedly paired up with the transfer student, Patch, in Biology class she is unhappy to be stuck with someone so sullen and annoying. He is also quite mysterious and very handsome, a bad combination. Although she tries to keep her distance he always seems to be around. He becomes a favorite topic of conversation for Nora and her best friend Vee. Eventually she acknowledges her growing attraction to him and realizes he is linked to many strange occurrences. As she starts to dig deeper into Patch's past she must determine where the true dangers lie and to what extremes she will go to uncover the secrets.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the dramatic black and white cover. I really liked it and I had to know what this book was about. My first impression was that it started very similar to Twilight and there have been many comparisons. In a First Look online bookclub at Barnes & Noble the author explained the background of her book. She told how the inspiration for this story came from her own 10th grade Biology class and she wrote the two chapters of classroom scenes in 2003 before Twilight was published. This book took her over five years to write and when it was submitted to publishers the title was Eclipse. (I like the final title much better!) From 2003-06 no agents mentioned any similarities to the Twilight series. It wasn't until 2007 when it was mentioned that it was too similar and was rejected. It's a tried and true formula that's used often in YA stories and hardly a secret. Teenagers spend much of their life in the classroom and most of their relationships develop there. It works for this story as well. As Nora becomes more interested in Patch her friend Vee seems to feel the opposite. But she has developed feelings for her new friend Elliot and it would be so convenient if Nora could be paired off with his friend Jules. The friction increases between the girls as their lives are pulled in different directions and when Nora finds herself in increasingly dangerous situations she turns to Patch for help. This could be the very person she is threatened by but she is drawn to him and he is the only person who understands these strange events. And it seems the events aren't random and her very life is at stake.

I found this to be fast paced and easy to read. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me turning pages to solve the mysteries. The story was interesting and I liked the mythology of fallen angels. There were elements that bothered me and some were probably more noticeable as a parent of teens than if I were a teen myself. Nora is mature and independent but she was left alone too often even after threats and attacks and some of her decisions made no sense to me. I also realized that I was curious about these characters but I didn't find them very likable and I'm not sure why. Some were annoying but were suppose to be. Miss Greene, the new school counselor, really got on my nerves with her strange questions. I realize she had motives but they seemed so obvious to me. I'm not sure what was going on with Nora's iron pills but they were mentioned a lot. I expect this will have more of a role in the future as well.

Even with the parts I didn't care for I still want to know what comes next. I thought there was chemistry between Nora and Patch and imagine that it will only get stronger in the future. The ending in the finished copy is different than the ARC version. It's only a few paragraphs but it's on the last page but it does make some changes in the storyline. I like both versions. Since this was the author's debut novel I'm sure the stories will get better and better. I look forward to reading more from Becca Fitzpatrick.

The sequel, Crescendo, will be released in October, 2010.

Thank you to TEEN.SimonandSchuster.com for an ARC of this book.

author website - BeccaFitzpatrick.com

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release date: 10/13/09
Pages: 400
Price/format: $17.99/hardcover
Type: YA
Age: 14 and up

Review: The Summoning and The Awakening by Kelly Armstrong

Chloe Saunders used to have
a relatively normal life.

As a freshman Chloe looked forward to her first year at her new art school. Since her mother died when she was a very young and her father travels a lot for work she is used to moving and new beginnings. This year she started out with the rest of the class so for once she wasn't the new kid. Her father has also promised that she can stay there until she graduates. It's an ordinary life but a happy life, until she starts seeing dead people. And they are everywhere.

After an episode with a relentless ghost at school, Chloe is forced to spend time at Lyle House, a group home for troubled teens. When it's assumed that she has a mental illness she is determined to get better and stop her "hallucinations". But nothing is as it seems and as she gets to know her housemates she realizes that there are many secrets being kept. Chloe may not be so crazy after all some of those secrets are about Lyle House itself.

This was a fast read that had me hooked from the first page. Everything was a mystery and I was eager to find the answers. This is the first book in the Dark Powers trilogy so there is a lot of background information. The suspense builds gradually as the characters and the plot develops. It's apparent that there is something more going on at this house and these kids all have a special reason to be there. Some were obvious but others took time to figure out.

I did get frustrated with some of the characters actions and how slow they sometimes were to react. While being terrorized by ghosts and discovering deep dark secrets they were sometimes too calm and levelheaded for teens (for anyone!) under pressure. But I did get pulled into the story and was interested in learning more about the characters. I also enjoyed the references to Buffalo, NY, a city that's near where I live now and where I attended college. I would have loved more details of this familiar place. There is a twist at the end to set up the next book. This was Armstrong's debut novel for the YA genre.

Book #1 - The Awakening Series

For more about this series - www.chloesaunders.com

Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: July 2008
Price/format: $17.99/hardcover
Type: YA fiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now her life has changed
forever and she is as far
from normal as it gets.

Chloe and three of her friends are on the run after escaping from an organization called the Edison Group who is responsible for doing genetic alterations. They know it's affected their lives and made them unique. While it's a relief to Chloe to realize that she isn't crazy but instead has supernatural powers. She has yet to realize all of her capabilities but knows they must have the potential to be powerful. And that makes all of them very valuable to their pursuers so they have no intention of being caught. They need to find someone to help because their very lives are at stake.

This book moved along just as fast as the first one and it started right where the story left off. The teens now have an idea of where they came from and how they were brought together. Now they are piecing together what it means to their futures, if they even have one. For many of them their whole life has been a lie.

I really like the covers, so simple but very appropriate. And the differences in the necklace are all part of the story but not much has been revealed yet. That is an important element from Chloe's past but how much of a role does it play?

I'm really looking forward to the final book The Reckoning to be released 5/10/10. I did get to read the first three chapters on the website and again it picks up right where the last book left off. What a tease! I want to know the rest of the story!

Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: 4/28/09
Price/format: $17.99/hardcover
Type: YA fiction

Review: Strange Angel by Lili St. Crow

Dru Anderson.
Night Hunter. Knife Wielder.
Heart Breaker.

Dru is a sixteen-year-old who has what her grandmother called the touch. It's a sixth sense that drives her from town to town to hunt evil - ghosts, suckers and wulfen.

Graves is a Goth boy who has a big crush on the new girl in town. With his shaggy hair and lopsided grin, Dru has noticed him right back. When a wolf bite threatens to change him she will have to have to keep her distance... or else.

Christophe had blue and ices and a killer smile. He has a hunch that Dru is more special than she realizes and she may be in danger. It will take more than his fangs to protect her from whatever, or whoever is hunting her.

This is an exciting YA story with action and suspense. Dru's history is slowly revealed throughout the book. Much of her early life is fragmented bits and pieces, memories that she can't quite put together. She lost her mother when she was just a child and her grandmother and father have never revealed the details of the loss. Most of their focus is on the present and how to defeat the evil of The Real World for another day. They move quietly to new towns, hunting and protecting, always in danger.

Interesting characters that are only starting to develop, and I look forward to learning more in the next book. As Dru continues to suffer great losses she must decide who she can trust. She can't afford to make the wrong choice because her very life is at stake. She and her friends may be teens but they are strong and resilient. On her own in the bitter cold of the midwest, she must use all of the skills her father taught her to hunt and survive. She has become the hunted and she doesn't know why or by who.

The author uses vivid descriptions and imagery -
The world fell into place, colors and sounds not running like tinted water over glass.
The buildings behind me crouched, groaning like they intended to get up and hobble for a hot bath.
But some were overdone. Graves' green eyes were described as greeny-gold, more green than hazel, green with threads of brown and gold, odd pale green, darker greenish, in just the first few chapters. I also noticed the same excessive descriptions with Christophe's icy blue eyes, the taste of oranges on her tongue and the bitter weather. The atmosphere is dark and dangerous and important to the setting but it sometimes bogged down the story with too much detail. It became a bit overwhelming and lost me at times. I think these issues can be easily resolved and since this was the ARC it may get trimmed down in the editing.

For those who enjoy this genre there is much to look forward to in this author's debut YA novel. I'll be reading the next book, Betrayal, to be released 11/17/09.

Thank you to the publishers for a copy of this book.

razorbillbooks.com
penguin.com/teen

Publisher: Penguin Group
Release date: June 2009
Pages: 304
Price/type: $9.99/paperback
Age: 12 and up, grades 7 and up

Mailbox Monday

Marcia from The Printed Page is our host each week for Mailbox Monday. Come take a peek at what everyone else got and leave a link to your goodies. I bet you'll find something you like!





Slept Away
by Julie Kraut

from the author

Laney Parker is a city girl through and through. Summertime means rooftop swimming pools, brunching at sidewalk cafes and partying at her classmates apartments. But this summer, Laney's mother has other plans and it's called Camp Timber Trails, an unair-conditioned log cabin nightmare. Popularity seems to be determined by swimming skills and the activities are more like boot camp than summer camp. Without her cell phone and her Diet Coke Laney is barely hanging on. But when she realizes that her summer crush is untouchably uncrushable in the real world, she starts asking herself some serious questions. Can camp cool possibly translate into cool cool? Summer camp might just turn this city girl's world upside down.

Review: Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey

Her tears are the
tears of suffering -
and of hope...

The world has changed and walls have been built between the United States and Mexico. In an isolated military buffer zone between the two countries the people of Santa Olivia have no power. They are poor, lonely and are destined to stay there, forever. Then an unlikely superhero comes along. Born to a poor mother and a genetically enhanced father, Lupe has inherited his speed, strength and total lack of fear. Along with her fellow orphans she decides to avenge the injustice that has been brought to their community by the military occupiers.

While it may best be described as a dystopic urban fantasy it's not so far into a future that's it's totally unbelievable. Although the people of this forgotten town lead bleak lives the characters were still so intriguing and there was even a touch of humor here and there. I think the common factor was the hope they all had. Each of them faced such hardships and the children had never known another life but they still dreamed about a future. While Lupe didn't feel or experience the same thing that the others did she still inspired the best in them. They have a strong sense of right and wrong and want to avenge injustice. Santa Olivia, their patron saint, provides them with inspiration and feeds their faith. Lupe provides them with hope and courage.

I wasn't sure what to expect at first but I truly enjoyed this book and the fantasy Carey created. The landscape may seem hopeless but this story made me cheer on the underdog. I cared what happened to these characters and I desperately wanted them to have a future. I really liked Lupe, her brother Tommy and the rest of their patchwork family. I had to turn the next page to see what would happen, wanting to know but not wanting it to end. Although this genre may not be for everyone it's the story that will draw you in and I would definitely recommend this book. I look forward to reading more by this author and hope this is the beginning of a new series.

Thank you to Hatchette Books for a review copy.
author website

Publisher: Hatchette Books
Release date: 5/29/2009
Pages: 352
Price/format: $13.99/Trade Paperback
Type: Fantasy/Sci Fi

Contest:: Geektastic stories from the Nerd Herd

Hatchette Books for Teens and Young Adults has been so kind to allow me to give away three copies of Geektastic!

Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside) and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr. With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!

Rules: To enter for the first two books
- Leave a comment describing something you do or have done that is "Geektastic".
For myself, I used to wear the big glasses and I thought I looked good! There are some very scary photos from my past. I love my Post It notes too. What a great invention!
- Don't forget your email address!
- Contest ends August 31st at 11:59 p.m. EST
- I'm sorry that this contest is only for the U.S. and Canada, no P.O. boxes.
-Two winners will be drawn by Random.org

Extra entries: You don't need separate posts
+1 for new followers.
+2 if you are already a follower.
+3 if you promote this contest. Please leave a link.

Special Contest: The last book will be given to the person who is declared by me to be the Ultimate Geek!
- To enter you must submit a photo or photos of yourself representing your geekdom. They can be old photos (example: those lovely school photos) or you can dress up and send a brand new photo.
- You can enter as many different photos as you want and they can be put in the same email.
- Photos may be published on my blog unless you would prefer they didn't but please let me know.
- You can enter for both parts of the contest.
- Send photos to 5wrights1[at]verizon[dot]net

Have fun and good luck!

Blog Tour: North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Book #2 in The Wingfeather Saga

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

In order to survive, the Igibys must flee to the safety of the Ice Prairies, where the lizardlike Fangs of Dang cannot follow. First, however, they have to escape the monsters of Glipwood Forest(*1), the thieving Stranders of the East Bend(*2), and the dreaded Fork Factory(*3).

But even more dangerous are the jealousies and bitterness that threaten to tear them apart, and Janner and his siblings must learn the hard way that the love of a family is more important than anything else.

*1. All possessing very sharp teeth.
*2. Murderous scoundrels, the lot.
*3. Woe!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from blog)
When not pouring imagery into his songs, singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson focuses on another kind of writing. Waterbrook Press published the author’s first fantasy novel, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, to critical acclaim. Garrison Keillor’s News from Lake Wobegon and The Chronicles of Narnia, along with bedtime tales Peterson spun for his daughter Skye and two sons Aedan and Jesse, inspired the book. In 2007, a richly illustrated children’s book, The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats (Thomas Nelson), became a visual companion to Peterson’s song of the same name. In addition, he’s been lending his diverse talents to the VeggieTales establishment, co-writing three children’s songs with solo artist and friend, Randall Goodgame.

Many would consider the current setting of Peterson’s multi-faceted work somewhat idyllic. In recent years, he relocated his family of five to a charming little house on the side of a hill just south of Nashville. The storybook dwelling offers a respite from the artist’s hectic schedule, while also quenching the boyish side of Peterson, always thirsty for a new adventure.

LINKS
Author website
Waterbrook Press (division of Random House)
To purchase this book
More books by this author

BOOK DETAILS

• Category: Juvenile Fiction, fantasy, action & adventure, Christianity
  
• Format: Trade Paperback, 352 pages
• On Sale: August 18, 2009
• Price: $13.99
• ISBN: 978-1-4000-7387-0 (1-4000-7387-1)
• Available August 18, 2009
  

Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah Books for including me in the tour.
I'm still reading this book so my review is coming soon!