Young Adult Books

Author: Rosemary Clement-MooreEdition: Corgi Books PaperbackReleased: July 7th 2011Series: Goodnight Family #1Pages: 404 approx.Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Buy the book!Amy Goodnight's family are far from normal. She comes from a long line of witches, and grew up surrounded by benevolent spirits and kitchen spells. All fairly harmless, but Amy can't wait to get to college and escape the "family business".But things take a darker turn when she and her sister Phin spend the summer looking after Aunt Hyacinth's ranch. Amy is visited by a midnight spectre who is clearly trying to send her a message. It seems that the discovery of an old grave on a neighbour's land has been the catalyst for an apparent ghost uprising.Aided by local friends and Ben, the handsome cowboy who just can't take his eyes off Amy, the sisters investigate. And they soon find that there's something strange and dangerous going on, deep in the heart of Texas...Some of you may know I don't really get along with witch books. The concept of witches and magical powers never holds an appeal to me and so, consequently, I steer clear for the most part. Well, here's something you may not know. There has always been one exception. One witch book that I actually have enjoyed. That book you ask? Texas Gothic. I'm not even sure what powered me to pick up that book and start reading it in the first place but I am thoroughly glad I did because I ended up really enjoying it! So I think it only fair to give it the justice it deserves and review it. Don't you agree? ;) If you're like me and are wary of witch books then you'll be glad to know that one of the main reasons I enjoyed this book was because the whole witch side of things was very realistically portrayed and it wasn't the main focus - there were other, more demanding, plotlines. There were also quite a few comical moments in this book that kept me entertained! I couldn't help but snigger every now and then - that 'underwear' scene was hilarious! This book could also get quite creepy at times but, call me weird all you like, I actually enjoyed the creepy scenes! The underlying mystery of the ghosts though, admittedly, confusing at times, was also well developed and enjoyable. The main character, Amy, is snarky, confident and can stand up for herself and so, obviously, I adored her. The cowboy of the story, Ben, was something else altogether. He was broody, secretive and just plain irrestible. I LOVED him. The relationship between him and Amy was definitely one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. They absolutely detested each other for a good part of the book - which made up for some of those funny scenes I was telling you about! - and so the author deserves a pat on the back for developing a romance that was practically non-existent to begin with. Easy to say there is definitely no insta-love in this book! ;) Overall, I really recommend this book. The characters are great and the author is extremely skilled when it comes to writing comical scenes! If I ever come across another book by this author I will be sure to check it out. If you don't see the appeal in witch books but would like to see what the hype is all about, you should give this one a go - I'm sure you'll enjoy it! Not only has it got a snarky witch, it also has ghosts, a steamy (plus hilarious!) romance and a well-developed mystery. It can easily be enjoyed by a range of different audiences!FOUR STARS FOR TEXAS GOTHIC! :')?Happy Reading,Rachel xoxo PS: Is there a certain witch book you really love and would recommend?

Book: Under Shifting Glass Author: Nicky Singer Published: 2013 Source: review copy from publisher via NetGalley When her beloved great-aunt dies, Jess feels as if she’s gone into a tailspin. With her mother and stepfather totally focused on her twin baby brothers, and her best friend gradually pulling away in favor of boys and popularity, there’s nobody left who really gets her. She feels lost, overlooked, and helpless to change any of the big things happening in her life. Then, in a desk she inherited from her great-aunt, she discovers a bottle with a strange mist inside. What is it? Where did Aunt Edie get it? And mostly importantly, what connection does it have with her baby brothers, born conjoined and fighting for their lives in the hospital? I’ll be upfront and say that I fell in love with this book, mainly due to the no-answers exploration of spiritual questions. However, it wasn’t perfect. The ending was a little too pat, everything slotting neatly into place when the point of the book prior to that was that there are a lot of mysteries out there and very few of them can be solved so easily and neatly. But there were a lot of things going for this book anyway, even with the ending. Jess rings very true as a lonely girl whose life is changing at top speed, and every character has a little something more to them than you’d expect. I especially liked the resolution of her relationship with her best friend. As I said before, Jess also delves into spiritual and religious questions, visiting a Buddhist temple and thinking deeply about her own Christian theology for the first time. This book won’t be for everyone, but for a kid who wants to start tackling some of the mysteries of the universe, give it a try.

I decided to try to give a weekly wrap up post a shot. I stopped doing this sort of thing over a year ago but I think that I'm going to experiment with it and see if I can manage. When it comes to cutting things down this tends to be a first thing to go, but I would like to have a post that reminds people of the tours I have open or running as well as to remind them of giveaway's. I have mixed feelings about showing all the books I get through the week, but mostly it's just because it takes so much effort to remember them all. ;) So I'm thinking I'll spotlight a few, but not them all. We'll see though, that might change. Exciting News! One very exciting thing I was really happy about was I have lots of teachers reading my blog now. This is a HUGE deal to me and I wouldn't even know about it but one middle grade post was full of teacher's comments. And these are non-blogger teachers. I have to say, this made my week! I love my readers, but it's an even bigger bonus when it's a non blogger reading my blog. So thank you to my new readers & followers! I will be doing more and more middle grade and children's books but I may start doing two posts some days so that my YA and adult readers aren't left out. Something for everyone! The Full of Grace tour starts Monday and Misty Provencher is going all out! She says: "Monday starts the Full of Grace Tour and I'd like to blow the walls off! I've got a LOAD of giveaways, awesome tour stopsat all the best blogs, games, and AN OVERLOAD OF FUN is planned! The tour will run for a week (May 20th to the 24th). This page will be our home base, so I would love it if you would give me a hand in sharing it with some of your awesome peeps too. ALL ARE WELCOME! Share if you care!" Itinerary here: http://mistypro.blogspot.com/And the Facebook Page where so much happens is HERE. current giveaway's Children's Book Week Giveaway: Enter to win 3 books! (US) Ends 5/19 Tales From Lovecraft Middle School 1st 3 books in series (US) Marked by Kate Flynn or one of her favorites TEN copies of Generation V by M.L. Brennan (US) Ends 5/21 The Girl With the Iron Touch Tour Wide Giveaway (US) Kindle Fire Giveaway New Tour: I'm excited to announce the review tour for Shah Wharton's NA fantasy, Finding Esta. This tour runs Sept 23rd-27th and is reviews only. Find the tour page with info and sign ups HERE. You still have lots of time to read this one, so I hope you'll consider joining in! Still Needing Hosts: I'm still looking for tour hosts for The Exemeus & The Azemeon by Folami and Abeni Morris. This is a YA fantasy for ages 12 to adult. This tour runs August 25th-31st. It is also available for review outside the tour and when you are able. At this point we're mostly looking for reviews of both books (or just the first if you don't want to commit to both). Tour Page with Info and sign ups HERE. I'm looking for reviewers for an audio book tour for Ghost Leopard: A Zoe & Zak Adventure, Volume 1 by Lars Guignard. This is a Middle Grade Magic, Fantasy Adventure for ages 8-13 This runs September 9th-20th 2013 This is an audiobook tour with reviews only. Tour Page with Info HERE. I have other review opportunities listed HERE if you aren't interested in a tour. Though keep in mind that all of these authors would be happy to get reviews, even outside a tour. If you aren't yet signed up to be a tour host please do so HERE, I'd love to have you! In Other News: Stephanie Lisa Tara presents Mother Sea Turtle month! Mothers need to stick together; whether scaly, feathered, furry or skinned! And to celebrate this Mother's Day and the release of her newest turtle book, Stephanie Lisa Tara's Turtle Book—which is the companion follow-up to her first international bestseller, I'll Follow the Moon—Stephanie Lisa Tara is giving away 2 gorgeous, large plush sea turtles (26"L x 8"H x 16"W) to revi

I hate to lull the audience into letting them think that something is something. It's always fun to defy expectations. Attribution Martin Short

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! *

Hello everyone! I am very excited to share with you all the cover of FALLEN BY SUSAN KAYE QUINN! ONE MORE DAY: Fallen by Susan Kaye QuinnSeries: Debt Collector, #6Publication date: May 15th 2013Genre: NA Future-Noir Cover Design: Steven Novak Fallen- EPISODE 6 of the Debt Collector serial. Contains mature content and themes. For young-adult-appropriate thrills, see Susan's bestselling Mindjack series.What's your life worth on the open market? A debt collector can tell you precisely.Lirium's hopes for escape from Kolek's mob are threatened when Valac seems to be coming unhinged.Fallen is approximately 13,000 words or 52 pages, and is the sixth of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. Episode 7, Promise, releases 5/29/13. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see DebtCollectorSeries.com Find Fallen Online: Goodreads About The Author: Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. Her teachers pretended not to notice and only confiscated her stories a couple times. Susan left writing behind to pursue a bunch of engineering degrees, but she was drawn back to writing by an irresistible urge to share her stories with her niece, her kids, and all the wonderful friends she’s met along the way. She doesn’t have to sneak her notes anymore, which is too bad. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as a much as she can handle. Find Susan Kaye Quinn on the Web: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter Happy Reading!

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 

My The Chocolate War posts: Chapters One to Ten. Chapters Eleven to Twenty. Chapters Twenty One to Thirty. Chapters Thirty One to Thirty Nine. My Review. Let me say: I really enjoyed this reading! Not just reading The Chocolate War; but also doing it as a group; and sharing these posts. And I also liked that it wasn’t tied to any particular new book promotion. I also like that it confirmed my general distrust of “social reading.” I like the social aspect of the aftermath of reading, obviously: I blog and I tweet and I talk about books all the time! I love that social aspect of reading — after I’m done. And to be honest, as those who follow me on Twitter know, at times I did deliberately go onto Twitter and share a few in-the-moment thoughts. But — and here’s the thing — my doing so was limited, and voluntary, and deliberate. It was also brief and rather limited and targeted; I had questions about the (non) appearance of women. What made me think about social reading was the reader response I did with the book. Those responses reflect what I was thinking in the moment; what I knew based on what I had read, and what I had heard about the book. Contrast that to the review itself: the review is, of course, more polished and thought out. It also leaves some things out. I decided not to explore certain things: Jerry’s family having a housekeeper; some of the teacher interactions that I think wouldn’t be allowed, even in a private school, in 2013. I didn’t dwell on some of the dated references, such as the hippies and the slang. When it came to balancing what I did and did not want to say in my review, these things weren’t significant enough for me to include. Now, for someone else? They may be. That’s OK — but I think if I’d been discussing “socially” as I read, these things would have been given greater significance in the moment than they warranted when looking at the book as a whole. In other words: it would have made mountains out of molehills. It would have changed what mattered. It also could have changed how I thought about the book. The bit I talked about on Twitter had to do with the treatment of women; there was a mini conversation about the lack of women and eyeball rape and the like. As it was going on, I was thinking — how easy to go off on this tangent. How easy to make this a book about how women are viewed, or where viewed in 1974. That conversation could have overwhelmed and overshadowed what is powerful about The Chocolate War. Then there is how I learned about things; being able to meet the book new-to-me. Or, yes, spoilers: how does social reading avoid spoilers? Even “just” a highlighted portion shifts the focus of my reading, to tell me that sentence has some type of meaning when it may not. I’d prefer not to have someone else’s priorities impact my reading. So! I got a lot out of reading The Chocolate War: in terms of the book itself; in how I shape and reshape a review; and in how I like to interact with a text and other readers. What about you? What are your thoughts on The Chocolate War? And on this read and blog a thon?

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.