Young Adult Books

Publisher: HarperTeenRelease Date: 5 June 2012Format: ARCSeries: Hereafter #2Source: ALA 2012 (Dallas)New Orleans Saint Louis Number One CemeteryA night there can change a life . . . or a death.Increasingly worried that dark spirits will carry out their threats and hurt the people she cares for most, Amelia is ready to try anything to protect them. And for his own very different reasons, Joshua has come to this cemetery at midnight to join her in a powerful ritual.Both know that once Amelia steps inside the Voodoo circle and the beautiful girl from the Conjure CafE begins the cere-mony, everything will change.Tara Hudson's enthralling sequel to "Hereafter" escalates the danger and excitement, bringing a new dimension to her already mesmerizing story of a haunted love.I fell in love with Amelia when I read Hereafter. Her story was heartbreaking and tragic, and she didn't let her afterlife (or being a ghost) get in the way of her trying to find what little happiness she could. Joshua was definitely a part of that happiness. He was the definition of Knight in Shining Armor. Also, the covers? Amazing. They are two of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. I love them!Now, on to the juicy bits... Arise didn't completely captivate me like I thought it would. I had trouble getting back in to the story, and found myself confused a lot. I also felt like I had to read for an eternity until the content got interesting. I kept putting the book down and picking it back up trying to spark some more interest from myself, but I couldn't really get into it until after Amelia had been in New Orleans for a bit. I also felt like "the bad guy" was too obvious. He radiated creepy.I liked certain aspects of the story, like the unexpected twist to Amelia's afterlife, but overall I couldn't make myself care about the characters like I had before. I wanted to, and believe me I tried, but there was just something missing for me this time. Hopefully, book three will remedy that.

Thousand Words by Jennifer BrownRelease Date: May 21, 2013Publisher: Little Brown Books For Young ReadersAge Group: Young Adult Pages: 288 Summary: Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send." But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look. Acclaimed author Jennifer Brown brings readers a gripping novel about honesty and betrayal, redemption and friendship, attraction and integrity, as Ashleigh finds that while a picture may be worth a thousand words . . . it doesn't always tell the whole story.My Thoughts: I was so excited to read this one! I love Brown’s books and am always excited to see her release more!We are introduced to Ashleigh who is in high school. She likes to run, has a great mom and dad, and has an amazing boyfriend named Kaleb. She has a best friend, and a group of friends that make everything fun. Her life is pretty good.One day at a party, a pool party, she decides she wants to send Kaleb a picture so he won’t forget her. He’s going off to college real soon. Yes, it is that kind of picture. So she gets over her nerves, and snaps away and sends it via text message. Full frontal, naked. Of course he’s thrilled about it. Until he actually goes off to college and realizes he’s just not into the way things are anymore and wants a change. In the process he really hurts her, things are said, and he ends up forwarding the picture on. Many many people see it. Ashleigh is in a lot of trouble. Not just with her friends and the general public, but with her parents and the police as well. Everyone is mean to her. Everyone harasses her. Her parents are upset with her. Her parents jobs are on the line. Her whole life goes from great to horrible in a matter of seconds really. She gets sentenced to community service and we see what she has to go through. We get to experience what that is like. She also meets a few new people there, one of which is Mack. Mack was such a wonderful character and I loved learning more about him and his past. For me, he was the bright light in this dark tunnel. I loved the interactions between Ashleigh and Mack. I loved this book so hard! It was such a serious topic and crazy but it was explained perfectly. This is real life, it could actually happened and has many times.Brown always takes these serious subjects and expands on them and really makes you take a deeper look and really think about it.I have to say this is probably my favorite book up to date by Brown. But all of her books are awesome.Overall: AMAZING! Loved it! Even though at times it was hard for Ashleigh, I enjoyed reading her story and what she had to overcome. Great story. Cover: I really like it too. It would draw me in at the bookstore. Enough to pick it up and take it home with me to read. What I'd Give It:

Having a two-year-old is like having a blender that you don't have the top for. Attribution Jerry Seinfeld

The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Redmerski Published: February 6th, 2012 Reading Level: Young Adult Paperback: 352 pages Series: The Darkwoods Trilogy, #1 Rating: 5 of 5 stars Summary: After a nightmarish encounter with a werewolf, seventeen-year-old Adria Dawson loses her sister, but gains the love of a mysterious young man and his legendary family.Strange and tragic things begin to happen in the small town of Hallowell, Maine: residents come down with an unexplainable ‘illness’ and some disappear. In the midst of everything, Isaac Mayfair is adamant about keeping Adria safe, even from her sister whom he has warned her to stay away from.As unspeakable secrets unfold all around Adria, impossible choices become hers to bear. Ultimately, no matter what path she takes, her life and the lives of those she loves will be in peril. As she learns about the werewolf world she also learns why her place in it will change the destinies of many. Review: I still enjoy paranormal stories even though I don't read them as often anymore. Werewolves are my favorite but it's difficult to find good stories that don't just recycle what we've all read a million times. The Darkwoods Trilogy is a great series to pick up if you want something unique and interesting set in the paranormal world. Adria and her sister haven't had an easy life. The end up in Maine and have a werewolf encounter but at the time they have no idea that's what it is. Some people in the town have been sick or disappeared and soon Adria's sister starts acting strange and hanging out with some odd people. In comes Isaac and his family. Isaac is a good guy who really wants to keep Adria safe. Him and his family introduce her to a world she never imagined existed and now she finds herself in danger at ever turn. I enjoyed Adria as a character. She had every excuse to be a complete biotch but she wasn't. She remained a good person and cared for her sister even though she refused to listen to her. Issac wasn't the only person Adria meets in this story. He has a whole slew of "family" she is faced with; some good, some bad. These characters really help build a solid base for this story. I enjoyed getting to know them all and seeing what happened to them as the story progressed. This story has a complex plot so there are many questions remaining after book 1. The werewolf world is something we just begin to understand through Adria's POV. I highly enjoyed this story! Kindred by J.A. Redmerski Published: July 20th, 2012 Reading Level: New Adult Paperback: 348 pages Series: The Darkwoods Trilogy, #2 Rating: 4 of 5 stars Summary: Isaac Mayfair is hiding a dark secret. And just when Adria Dawson thinks the worst of her life among the werewolf world is over, she learns the secret that can rip her and Isaac’s love apart. Adria must come to terms with what the truth means for her. What it means for her life and how much time she has left to live it. She must choose between two different fates, neither of which can offer life as a certainty.As if Isaac’s betrayal isn’t enough, Adria learns that there are things out there older and more powerful than werewolves could ever be. An archaic entity known only to few as the Praverian, unlike anything Adria has ever known or heard of.As Adria struggles with her own fateful dilemmas, she must also try to find out why the Praverian is so interested in her and do everything in her power to stay out of its way. Review: I decided to review these two together since I read them within a short timeframe. You may want to avoid this review if you don't want spoilers for book 1. When Kindred picks up, a fight has just taken place for Adria's life and Isaac's relationship with her is strong. He wants to protect her at all costs. 7 months after the battle, Adria is experiencing some strange symptoms that could be linked to a Blood Bond (something we learn ab

Welcome to Second Hand Saturday! In an attempt to clear our bookshelves, and pass on great used books to our stalkers followers, we have decided to hold weekly giveaways of some of the books on our bookshelves! Every Saturday, we will post the books available, and the following Saturday, we will announce the winner and our next challenge. The winner will get to choose a book

Darling, Angela. Lauren's Beach Crush. (Crush #1)7 May 2013, Simon and Schuster Books Lauren has had a crush on Charlie Anderson for several years and has a plan to get him to like her THIS summer at the family beach house. When she finds out her mother has invited Chrissy to join them, she thinks her plans are ruined. Chrissy turns out to be cool, and has a BF in California, Justin. Lauren and Chrissy end up talking to Charlie and his friends, especially Frank. Lauren thinks Chrissy and Frank would be perfect together and tries to fix them up. Things don't go well with Charlie, the girls fight a bit, and there's massive confusion at the end about who "like likes" whom, but it all works out, and the characters get to spend some quality time on the beach at sunset savoring the moment. Coming out from now until December: Maddie's Camp Crush, Lindsay''s Surprise Crush, Noelle's Christmas Crush,Rachel's Valentine Crush.From Picky Reader (who will soon be a jaded high school sophomore), after she gave a dramatic reading of the last chapter on the way home from clarinet: "It sounded like it would make a fantastic Taylor Swift song." Strengths: The girls will ADORE these. Lauren is going into seventh grade, and is all about finding True Love Forever and gaining a BFF. She has embarrassing plans, takes magazine quizzes.. true middle grade romance.Weaknesses: Does anyone on the East coast like, totally overuse "like" and "totally"? Do girls doodle "Lauren and Charlie" and "Lauren Anderson" on their notebooks? 'Cause I totally have to slap them if they do. This was painful to read, but I remember having elaborate plans to "get a boy to like me". Just feel like maybe I shouldn't be encouraging this kind of thinking. These have an odd, 1980s feel to them.

The End Games T. Michael Martin Balzar and Bray 2013 Michael is deep in The Game. Travelling through a desolated America he has only the voice of The Game Master to see him and his five-year-old brother through a country that is only barely recognisable to the final Safe Zone. On this most perilous of journeys, they are continually running from the hellish Bellows, undead creatures who echo the cries of those they pursue. As Michael tries desperately to keep Patrick going, it becomes clear that there is both more and less to The Game than is first apparent and that this new and scary landscape is populated by monsters that are less obviously monstrous than the Bellows. Ultimately, Game or not, Michael has only himself to rely on as he navigates his way to a Safe Zone that may or may not exist. Michael, while not always easy to like, has an authentic teenage voice. In fact, he’s incredibly well written. Straddling, as he does, the immaturity inherent with his age and the very adult responsibilities he has voluntarily shouldered, he is a fascinating mix of motivation and confusion. His inner monologue is tinged with desperation as he tries to figure out how to survive and also filled with memories of a geeky, nervous, unhappy school life and a home life that has kept him running despite the horrors of the outside world. These memories create in him a lack of confidence but Michael is, in actuality, very capable and focussed. He’s a real survivor and his slow realisation of this is both excruciatingly slow and satisfyingly believable. His relationship with Patrick is extremely well drawn, his understanding of his brother at times almost heart-breaking as is the fact that he embraces the role of parent so willingly and with a real maturity. Conversely his interactions with Holly highlight the fact that he is, still, a teenage boy who fumbles his way around girls and comes out with utterly ridiculous attempts at flirtation. It’s a clever and delightful paradox and engenders the heart of The End Games with a realness that is occasionally lacking from the rest of the book. Holly herself is an interesting enough character. While at first she practically shrieks Manic Pixie Dream Girl, she later evolves into something quite different and is as flawed and believable as Michael. Patrick is also well realised as a child who is clearly somewhere on the autistic spectrum trying to understand a no longer understandable world. The Game, for Patrick, provides an absolutely necessary structure to the madness he’s encountering and the fact that The Game cannot last forever provides a sense of dread for readers in that it is unclear what will happen to Patrick should his structured world disappear. As the only real adult in the story, Jopek is a strange mix of Tallahassee from Zombieland and Colonel Kurtz from Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now. Yet this lack of originality doesn't make him any less of an imposing, intimidating figure, if a rather predictable one. The story of The End Games is almost less important that the way in which it is structured. The idea of The Game is extremely clever and Michael’s point of view verges on being a stream of consciousness rather than standard he said she said. This gives the story an immediacy that zombie stories often lack. And make no mistake, this is a zombie story yet it is a relatively original one with some pleasing Science in the mix. Particularly interesting is the idea of a mutating virus – one of those ideas which is so perfect that you wonder why no one thought of it before. However, the story occasionally lacks coherency with aspects of it verging on the surreal rather than the believable. In particularly, the hot air balloon and especially it’s appearance towards the end of the story made little sense – something that will perhaps have been resolved in the final copy, this review being based on an e-galley. Finally, th

So Book Expo America is next week and I AM GOING. So basically if you are too, you should hit me up on twitter or comment because we definitely need to meet up :) I am attending the book blogger con on Wednesday, then BEA for the rest of the week. Those of you going, I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOU :) Related posts: Book Expo America and Book Blogger Con! What happened at BEA? (Sun-Tues) Book Bloggers That Rock

Brigid Kemmerer finds the time to write somewhere between caring for her family and working at her day job, but sometimes she ends up mothering her coworkers and managing her family. Storm: The Elemental Series is her first novel. Find out more about Brigid and the Elemental series on her website. Apples or Bananas? Both! Twilight or Mortal [...]

A Funny Little Bird by Jennifer Yerkes Hardcover, 48 pages Published: May 7th, 2013 by Sourcebooks Jackerwocky Source: Publisher A lonely, invisible bird mistakenly believes that adorning himself with flashy feathers and flowers will make him beautiful and win him new friends. Except his plan quickly backfires when his magnificent plumage attracts the attention of everyone, even the fox! In his rush to safety the little bird loses every last bit of his new decorations, making him invisible once again. Except now in place of his loneliness is the knowledge that putting others first is the key to friendship and high self-esteem. This book is adorable! It's very simple with more scarce illustrations, but they are beautiful and fit the story incredibly well. The story is very cute and is about an invisible bird who just wants to be seen and noticed but finds a way to accept himself as he is. The description of the book pretty much explains everything that happens so I won't recap that for you, but I thought the story brought a good message about being happy with yourself and thinking of others will bring you new friends. It was fun to read, I found it very enjoyable to read but my kids (4 & 8) also enjoyed it. My 8 year old called it a 'baby book' but I happened to notice she stayed right there and paid attention the whole time. After finishing it I asked them what they thought about what the bird did, if maybe accepting yourself as you are is better after all, and it led to some great discussions. In my opinion this is a book that needs to be on every child's bookshelf. I highly recommend it! Disclosure: I received this book for review purposes, all opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way. Thanks for subscribing!