Young Adult Books

Defiance by C.J. Redwine Published: Balzer + Bray (August 28th, 2012) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 403 pages Series: Defiance, #1 Rating: 4 of 5 stars Summary: Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce.While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan--the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making. Review: Defiance was truly a whirlwind! I've never read a book with these type of creatures, or dragons, so this was something beyond my normal reading. It did take me a while to really get into this story, possibly for that reason. But, by mid-way, it was impossible to put the book down. Rachel Adams is not like the other girls of Baalboden. She isn't interested in pleasing people or learning how to cook or clean. She is much more interested in learning how to fight and take care of herself. The only person Rachel has is her father and they have a strong bond. But then one day he doesn't return from his courier job and Rachel knows something has gone wrong. Since she is still young, she must have a protector. Her father had written that her protector would be Logan, his apprentice. He knew that Logan would be the best person to care for Rachel. Unfortunately, Rachel and Logan don't have the best of relationships. Rachel had told Logan that she had feelings for him a few years earlier and he shot her down. The last thing Rachel needs, or wants, is to have to live with Logan. Logan and Rachel are similar in a lot of ways; both strong, passionate, and loyal. This is good but it also leads to quite a few disagreements between the characters. For a while I wondered if they'd even be able to develop a friendship, much less a romance. In this world, there is a Commander who rules all and has tremendous power. The people of the city depend on him for safety but he is manipulating them all. Beyond the walls no one is safe. The creatures come out randomly, at times, and people know they won't survive. But regardless of that, Rachel is willing to risk her life on several occasions in order to find the truth about her father. Defiance contains such a complex world and there are still many, many more questions to be answered. I can't wait to delve into Deception and see where this world takes us. Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook Amazon | Barnes & Noble

At BEA two years ago, someone told me I should read the Bridgerton series. They were RIGHT, I devoured this series. I loved every book. Here's a new book of short stories sharing what happened after the books ended.The Good: I love this family for their loyalty to each other, their quick wit, their banter, the strong female characters, and the humor. These stories made me laugh and made me sigh with happiness. If I had to pick, I think the pall mall story made me laugh the most. I love their competitive streak. All in all, it was perfection!The Bad: There's nothing bad about this book, except it makes me want more!If you haven't read this series, START THEM! The Duke and I is the first one.* Even the puppy liked, he licked the book as it smells good! *

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren which allows bloggers to share what books they bought/received each week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. You guys! I spring cleaned my apartment this week! And did basically nothing else. But it was productive! And I can’t wait to spend the whole weekend reading. I bought Dan Brow’s new book, Inferno, as a totally guilty pleasure read, so I can’t wait to dive in. Speaking of reading, are you all participating in the 2013 Debut Author Challenge? Don’t forget to link up your May reviews! For Review This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales, from publisher (Goodreads | Amazon) Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton, from publisher (Goodreads | Amazon) The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, from publisher (Goodreads | Amazon) Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair, from Edelweiss (Goodreads | Amazon) OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu, from Publisher (Goodreads | Amazon) Bought SEAL of Honor by Tonya Burrows – this is one of my books at Entangled! (Goodreads | Amazon) Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green (Goodreads | Amazon) Inferno by Dan Brown (Goodreads | Amazon) Donated Swag from the lovely Jennifer Salvato Doktorski for How My Summer Went up in Flames and Famous Last Words – thanks, Jennifer!! While you’re here, you can subscribe to my feed :)        Related StoriesFifteenth Summer by Michelle DaltonThe Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah OcklerBlog Tour: Impostor by Susanne Winnacker + Giveaway 

TenNapel, Doug. Cardboard.1 August 2012, GraphixCam's father Mike is out of work and out of money, and all he can bring back home for Cam's birthday is a cardboard box. It's not just any box, however-- the weird guy who sold it to the father says there are two rules to it. They can't ask for more cardboard, and they have to bring all of the scraps back. The two soon find out why. A boxer that they make out of the cardboard comes to life, and they let it mow their yard, bringing it to the attention of creepy bully neighbor boy Marcus. He steals the cardboard machine Mike and Cam have made to manufacture more cardboard, and when his parents are out of town, Marcus goes crazy making more cardboard creatures... who of course, start taking over his house and imperiling the neighborhood. Adding to their problems is the fact that Cam's mother has passed away, and Mike refuses to acknowledge that the nice woman next door might be interested in him. Can Cam and Mike stop the Cardboard-pocalypse?Strengths: Strong story, and the text and illustrations work well together. This is the difference between quality graphic novels that are conceived as a whole and graphic novel versions of things cobbled together. Glad I picked this one up in a Scholastic order.Weaknesses: The side story with the father's unemployment and the neighbor lady is pretty intense, and my readers of graphic novels will probably not care that much. Still, makes it interesting on several levels.

Stone Junction: An Alchemical Potboiler Jim Dodge Rebel, Inc. 1997 Everybody has a few books which make a deep and lasting impression on them. Books which they read at just the right time, in just the right mood to ensure a well-worn copy remains on the nearest shelf for decades to come. Books which will inevitably worm their way into every single conversation about literature, no matter how tenuous the connection. For me there are three: Catch-22, my first ever 'serious' book and catalyst for my ever-strengthening pacifist views; Bad Wisdom for it's utterly compelling honesty and insanity; and Stone Junction: An Alchemical Potboiler, an indescribable wonder whose lack of general recognition both saddens me and makes me happy to belong to 'the club'. It is a masterpiece of magical realism, verging at times on urban fantasy and exhilarates as much as it breaks your heart. That it is one of only four volumes published by Jim Dodge (among them a collection of poems and a short children's book) makes it all the more precious. Stone Junction is the story of Daniel Pearse, a young man emerging from a strange and wondrous childhood. Daniel finds himself adopted by the mysterious AMO, the Association of Magicians and Outlaws, an organisation his mother served throughout his early years. What follows is a coming-of-age story as Daniel finds himself passed from mentor to mentor through the ranks of the AMO, learning every imaginable trick of the trade along the way. From alchemy to card-sharking, he leaves no stone unturned in his quest for knowledge. Daniel is not just after an unorthodox education however; powering every step is his desire to finally discover what really happened on a pivotal night years before. Throughout the course of his schooling Daniel is deposited with a number of unforgettable father-figures, some more than willing to take on a temporary apprentice, others less so. Here Dodge plays with the idea of Daniel's lack of a real father-figure, having never actually known his own. No matter how the mentors feel about their new charge, their vignettes are invariably as entertaining as they are inspiring and informative. Dodge draws on his own experience of inhabiting all manner of insalubrious worlds to paint each scene with enviable authenticity and warmth, suggesting an uncanny familiarity with everything from safe-cracking to drug ingestion. Even an extended game of Lo-Ball during the cards section is magically imbued with a level of interest and tension which should, given the subject matter, be impossible. When I first read this book back in university I even found myself hovering around the card games shelves in Waterstone's, pondering the feasibility of a career in Vegas (thankfully I had a combination of common sense and sloth to save me). During the course of his training, Daniel begins to uncover his own hidden talents as well as honing those he has learnt and soon rises through the ranks of the AMO. Before long he is involved in the search for the Faith Diamond, a jewel of incredible size and purity which captures the imagination of all those who cross its path. Daniel is drawn to it instinctively and as time wears on it becomes more and more clear that the hunt for the diamond holds the answer to the fate of his long-lost mother and that which may await him as well. Jim Dodge’s great strength is the warmth and authenticity which he manages to bestow on such a fantastical epic. You know you’re immersed in a world where magic is real, alchemy works and ornery old mules can speak but your disbelief remains suspended throughout. This is largely due to the strength of the characters themselves. Despite their otherworldly talents they remain the most down-to-earth, utterly real people you could hope to meet. You’ll find echoes of them in your own family and acquaintances and will even miss them once the story moves on and leave

Too many secrets. Not enough time. Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic. But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive. His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from [...]

TITLES TO TEMPT YOU MAID OF SECRETS by Jennifer McGowan (From Goodreads) Seventeen-year-old Meg Fellowes is a wry, resourceful thief forced to join an elite group of female spies in Queen Elizabeth’s Court. There she must solve a murder, save the Crown, and resist the one thing that will become her greatest freedom–and her deadliest peril. For Meg and her fellow spies are not alone in their pursuit of the murderer who stalks Windsor Castle. A young, mysterious Spanish courtier, Count Rafe de Martine, appears at every turn in the dark and scandal-filled corridors of the Queen’s summer palace. And though secrets and danger are Meg’s stock-in-trade, she’s never bargained on falling in love… MAID OF SECRETS is receiving great reviews on Goodreads and Amazon! I am really looking forward to delving into this book! I am a big fan of historical fiction! We want you to have a chance to read this book, too! So be sure to enter our giveaway below for your chance to win a hardcover copy of MAID OF SECRETS! Here are some helpful links: Check out Jennifer’s website Like Jennifer on Facebook Jennifer McGowan on Twitter You can also check out MAID OF SECRETS on Goodreads and Amazon on the links above! Giveaway Rules: 1. You must be 13+ years old to enter. Void where prohibited by law. 2. You must be able to provide a US mailing address. 3. You must complete the required tasks on the Rafflecopter below. All other tasks are optional but will earn you extra entries. Only entries on Rafflecopter will count. (If you do not see the Rafflecopter below, try refreshing the page or view it with a different web browser.) Good Luck and Happy Reading! ~Donna a Rafflecopter giveaway

Seven Night Stand by Nicole Helm Publisher: Entangled Release Date: February 6, 2013 Pages: 217 Source: Publisher Buy the Book: Amazon | B&N Rating: 4 stars Reality TV scout Vivvy Marsh loves her job, but she’ll lose it if she doesn’t find a hit. When she’s sent to Kansas to scout a show, it looks like a bust…until she meets sexy pilot, Nate Harrington. His family would make the perfect show to save her career. Nate can’t deny his attraction to Vivvy, but no way can he let this show take off. The Harrington family is riddled with secrets, and she wants it all out in the open. For the next seven days, he’s going to stop at nothing to keep her out of his family’s business, even if it means keeping her distracted in his bedroom. Seven-Night Stand is a super cute romance between two dedicated and spunky characters. I love the role of family in Seven-Night Stand – it is really nice to see a book where family is still the center and very much important. Seven-Night Stand also has a bit of a different setting than most romances, which was refreshing. Both Vivvy and Nate were great together – the sparks just fly off the page and they both are so dedicated to what they do. Definitely a great read from Nicole Helm – I didn’t want to put it down once I started. Related posts: Making Waves by Nicole Leigh Shepherd Book Review One Night With a Hero by Laura Kaye Book Review + Giveaway The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando Book Review

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

Title: Such a Rush Author: Jennifer Echols (Twitter) Publisher: MTV Books Publish Date: July 10, 2012 Genre: YA, Contemporary Pages: 325 Source: Publicist Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip. By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true...but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying. Leah doesn't have an idyllic life, and she's okay with that - so long as she can take to the skies, escape reality and find her peace every chance she gets thanks to the generosity of Mr. Hall. When he dies unexpectedly though, Leah's already tumultuous life is thrown off balance once again. Enter Alec and Grayson Hall, Mr. Hall's twin sons, who are ready to run the business together. But Leah knows something is up when Grayson starts pushing his own dubious agenda on her, coaxing her toward Alec and blackmailing her when she protests. Will she be able to escape the warring brothers, or will she just remain caught in the crossfire? There's a subtle beauty to Such a Rush that really shone through for me, making this one of those standout contemporary novels in terms of honesty. Author Jennifer Echols has this innate ability to write flawed characters, grasping at their weaknesses and transforming them into these beings that we can relate to, we can root for and we become invested in. With immense skill, we're pulled into a story of a girl who's grown up in the school of hard knocks, and she's learned to never let anyone in. Yet, Such a Rush slowly but surely draws us into the heart of this hardened character, and we witness as she transforms from the inside out. At first, I'll be honest, I didn't know what to think of Leah. I thought her tough-girl facade was phony and disingenuous and, though I empathized with her situation, I had a hard time actually feeling anything for her. However, as Leah's home situation is revealed throughout Such a Rush, it becomes apparent that this facade acts as her shield, protecting a very sensitive and tender person who has had to grow up far too fast simply to compensate for her absent and neglectful mother. I also hated Grayson at first. His character was so manipulative and surly, and when I saw how he used Leah for his own means with no true explanation as to why, I was immediately on my guard. Ever-so-slowly though, we watch as his anger melts away into a semblance of vulnerability, which reaches Leah on her own level, giving us something to root for. The attraction between them isn't immediately apparent, but there's definitely emotion smoldering beneath the surface. At first, it's red-hot rage, then a slow-burning anger, which eventually leads to a level upon which the two can actually relate and we can sense their overall character development, which sends the story flying from start to finish. I do think that Alec's character was a bit under-developed in terms of how Leah and Grayson's were though, and that frustrated me to no end, especially when their interactions caused a few lags in the plot. All in all, I really enjoyed Such a Rush despite a few hiccups along the way. It's a fast-paced read that had me hooked from start to finish. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and I definitely recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction. I rec