Frenetic Reader

Keeping the Moon Cover Reveal!

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

This summer, Penguin Teen is giving new covers to the books of Sarah Dessen. Monday saw the reveal of the new That Summer, Tuesday saw the reveal of the new Someone Like You, and today I am lucky enough to be revealing the new Keeping the Moon.

Snazzy, right?

If that doesn't scream "summer fiesta" I don't know what does.

For more on the book and Sarah Dessen, be sure to check out her website, twitter, blog, or tumblr, along with the super cool Sarah-Land community. You can also check out Penguin Teen on tumblr, twitter, and facebook to keep up with Sarah news.

And, as if you didn't have enough things to click on already, you can buy a copy of Keeping the Moon from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Indiebound. Or you can enter to win a copy of the newly redecorated book, if you're into that sort of thing:

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And, if you want to see the rest of the new covers, be sure to check out these blogs in the coming weeks:

May 31: Dreamland (Green Bean Teen Queen) - http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/
June 1: This Lullaby (Steph Su) - http://stephsureads.blogspot.com/
June 4: The Truth About Forever (Forever YA) - http://www.foreveryoungadult.com
June 5: Just Listen (Princess Bookie) - http://www.princessbookie.com/
June 6: Lock & Key (Presenting Lenore) - http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com/
June 7: Along for the Ride (The Story Siren) - http://www.thestorysiren.com

Helene Boudreau Guest Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Wed, 30 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

In honor of summer and Hélène Boudreau's novel Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings (and the recently released sequel, Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath), Hélène is here today talking about her favorite summer activities.

A bit about book one in the series, straight from goodreads, in case you need it:

First zit. First crush. First…mermaid’s tail?

If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?

Most. Embarrassing. Moment. Ever.

Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But this revelation raises a serious question: if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?

Jade is determined to find out. But how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic, mer-girl go about doing that, exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend Cori, and her crush, Luke?

This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…

Sounds super sweet! And, without further ado, here's Hélène:

Top Five Summer Splashin’ Activities

I grew up on a small island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean so splishy-splashy summer activities are some of my favourite things to do. Here are my top five summer splashin’ activities!

1. SURFING

I am so bad at surfing and have only ever managed to stand on my board about three times in my life but it is so much fun to get out there and catch a few waves even if you’re like me and all you can manage is getting up on your knees. This day, it was only 13 C/ 55 F and the water was even chillier. Thank goodness for wet suits!

2. SAND CASTLE BUILDING

My family and I stay at an ocean side cottage every summer and try to schedule our stay during the annual Sandcastle Building Competition. We came in FIRST last year and plan on defending our title again this summer. Jade the mermaid has even been known to make an appearance!

3. WHALE WATCHING

Creatures of the sea have always amazed me (obviously!) so if you ever get the chance—don’t pass up an opportunity to go whale watching. It’s so magical!

Last time, we even discovered a sea cave. I wonder what’s hiding in there…

4. RACE!

I joke that I once came in 141st in a race with 140 competitors and that’s not very far from the truth. I am slow. VERY slow. But I love competing in races at least once a summer. These days I usually do walking half marathons (my best time is 3:01 hrs—a glacial pace) but I’ve also been known to do short triathlons. Swimming is probably my worst leg of the race but it’s a great way to cool down for the biking and running part. This is my ‘I’m so glad THAT’S over’ face.

5. SNOWBALL FIGHTS

Yup, you read that correctly. When you live within driving distance of a dozen hockey arenas like I do, there’s nothing like loading up the back of the truck with Zamboni snow and dumping it in your front yard for an instant pile of chilly summer fun. Snowball fight!

---

If only I could have a snowball fight amidst of my Californian weather. Thanks, Hélène!

For more about the series, be sure to check out Hélène's website, blog, and twitter.

Wicked Sweet by Mar'ce Merrell

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:00:00 +0000

[description from goodreads]

Chantal is a planner, and her summer-before-senior-year plan requires best friend Jillian, resumé updating, and studying for AP classes. Jillian wants something different and is afraid to leave introverted Chantal in the dust. All that changes, though, when popular classmates Parker and Will suspiciously start hanging out with the girls.

Chantal only sees one thing: Jillian ditching her for Parker—a guy who can’t even be trusted! Chantal hatches a new plan, one that will expose Parker and Will for what they truly are, and along the way, get her best friend back with the littlest lie and a lot of mouthwatering cake. After all, what are best friends for?

Review:

There are so many covers I see that steer me away from whatever book they happen to be on, but this is one cover that compelled me to want to read the book before I even read the premise-- I can't resist cake, even when it's just in pictorial form. And although Wicked Sweet is not quite on the same level as a delicious cake, it's still pretty, well, sweet.

Wicked Sweet is far more about the characters and their relationships than an action-packed storyline, so it's a good thing that the main characters are pretty complex. I think I mainly feel that way because Chantal gets the largest amount of space to narrate, and she and I would definitely be friends. We have that overworked, crazy AP student thing going for us, so I totally sympathize with her stress and inability to handle a change in schedule. I felt for her struggle, especially when she found her solace in baking, hence she's my favorite. The other three narrators-- Jillian, Parker, and Will-- I'm not as crazy about. Will is generally an annoying jerk, so it's more I dislike him as a person rather than thinking he's an unbelievable character. Parker is generally a nice guy, but he's so nice that even his more shady motivations don't have the ability to instigate any emotion in me. I do like Jillian, though; although many of her decisions made me a bit mad, that's part of her realism. She has the most emotional story line and always manages to convey her angst well in her harried actions, so it's easy to see the growth she makes.

However, despite the complexity of the main characters, there's a few things that detract from my enjoyment of the book as a whole. The novel switches between the perspectives of the four leads rather rapidly, which means there is plenty of action coming and going, but because sometimes the character only gets two or three pages in one chapter, it makes the story awkwardly paced. The pacing is even more off when the characters are not in the same general area, because then the events jumped around a bit too much and made it hard for me to connect everything that was going on. There's a lot of lying and scheming happening in this story, which is fun but some of it seemed implausible, especially considering the one-dimensional nature of the minor characters who help drive the more far-fetched events along.

I wish Wicked Sweet had a more evenly paced story and developed minor characters, but I still very much enjoy the complexity of the leads and the fun their story provides even when it doesn't seem entirely believable.

Book details: Feiwel and Friends/Hardcover/$16.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Bitterblue takes place years after Graceling and in a realm different from Fire, but I would still read both of those before this one because things won't make quite as much sense or be quite as much fun.

Slight spoilers for Graceling and Fire ahead! (None for Bitterblue.)

[description from goodreads]

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Review:

I love Graceling and am a bit ambivalent about Fire (though I think I may need to revisit it eventually) so I began Bitterblue with much excitement. I can't decide whether or not I like it more than Graceling, but I do know that I love it.

There are so many things I love about Bitterblue that it's hard to find somewhere to start, so I may as well begin with: heck yeah crazy people. I wasn't a huge fan of Leck's characterization in Graceling, but even though he's dead in this installment, he became a much more imposing, terrifying figure. Although Bitterblue spends most of the novel tyring to figure out just what happened during his reign, she's always able to see at least glimpses into what the horrors he inflicted did to the public and to the castle workers who are still around. And, oh man, there is so much drama and insanity he left behind. The two thieves Bitterblue meets provide an excellent view into the lives of the public, plus excitement only they can bring through romance and their witty dialogue. What I loved more, though, were the court politics and life; it's cliche to say "no one is what they seem," but it's so true. As Bitterblue hunts for more information about her father and deals with the issues and rebellions he started, pretty much everyone is called into question, and yet I never managed to figure out beforehand what everyone was really up to. It made for quite the exciting read, especially near the end.

If there's one thing I would have changed about Bitterblue, though, it's that I wish there was more of the characters from Graceling-- or, really, more Katsa. The connections to both Graceling and Fire are clever and seamlessly fit into this story, but I always wished for more. I loved the inclusion of Po and a few of the other familiar faces, but Katsa was never around enough for me to see what really happened to her character. Granted, Bitterblue herself also acknowledged her wish for more Katsa, but still-- more Katsa is always needed. At least the rest of the cast was cool enough to make up for her absence; I love Bitterblue's determination to rule correctly and her realistic struggle in finding out how, and she has plenty of awesome cohorts too. Shout-out to Death, the librarian.

I missed Katsa, but everything else in Bitterblue I love. It isn't the most action-packed tale, but its politics, intrigue, and portrayal of the harrowing influence of such a mad ruler are all utterly fantastic.

Book details: Dial/Hardcover/$19.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Thoughts On: The Handmaid's Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:17:00 +0000

Because it feels odd to write a traditional review of a classic, but I wanted to give a shout-out to my love for The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood anyway, here's a more informal "review":

The description, from goodreads:

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining fertility, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.

---

I read The Handmaid's Tale for my AP lit class just a couple weeks ago, and it's one of the few books I enjoyed from any year of English. It's also one I was actually looking forward to reading prior to beginning it, since it always seems to come up in discussions/articles of other dystopian novels (especially Wither by Lauren DeStefano). I totally get why it seems to be a standard of sorts for everything else, because it's rather awesome.

The Handmaid's Tale has many qualities that I don't see pulled off so well in many other novels; for example, rather than doing dumping all sorts of information at the beginning to set up the world, the novel begins the story straight away. The narrator does explain the more factual things as the pop up, but her explanations fit naturally into the story. This does make a few things initially confusing, but as the novel progresses, more information is gradually revealed, and the true terror of the world makes itself known. Because the world isn't one that occurred as a result of an apocalypse or random huge disaster, it feels more realistic; it's easy to see how the present day could lead into this horrific new setting.

I also love the ambiguity of the ending. It was first a bit annoying, but because much of the story itself is ambiguous, I think it fits wonderfully. In short: an awesome, haunting book.

All the Books

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Sat, 26 May 2012 19:38:00 +0000

Hosted by Cool Kid Jordyn from Ten Cent Notes.

Books I'm reading:

Finally about to begin Bitterblue! I am so excited and am sure it will be grand.

Various other fun things:

The inclusion of Kanye West and Jay Z will never not amuse me. This movie is either going to be fantastic or utterly terrible. Let's hope it's the former.

Bancroft Press is running an awesome contest over on their facebook page, in which you could win four different e-books. Cool stuff.

I gave Neil Gaiman's recent commencement speech at the University of the Arts a listen, and it's most excellent. Well worth the length:

I'll be back to your regularly scheduled blogging soon. I promise.

If I Could Sign Your Yearbook

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Yesterday was my last day of high school (finally), so my facebook feed has understandably been full of "I love you guys!" statuses and people digging up their awkward freshman year pictures to laugh at. All of that is fun, but it mainly reminds me that I haven't really tracked my growth alongside my classmates; instead I've tracked it through my blog.

Instead of digging up a status I made freshman year (because I didn't have a facebook until junior year), I dug this post up all the way from August 25, 2008:

Dear school...

...I don't like you. You suck.

Love,
Khy

*In case you couldn't guess, I had my first real day of school today. I started on Friday technically, but all they did was go over stuff about the classes. Not fun. But today was even worse. I have homework. Rawr. I hate having homework. And school. Less time for me to read and review and do things I enjoy.

So, how many more days until summer where I can actually have time to read everyday?

Oh freshman year self, why did you complain about this here? And little did you know how much more work would be in your future.

There are various similar comments sprinkled in posts like that throughout over the years-- another reminder that my high school years were spent just as much (if not more) with my blog as they were with my class.

In honor of that, here's a yearbook message, for my blog, and for you:

It seems like it was only yesterday that we were angry at the Half-Blood Prince release date being moved back, making twitter accounts, playing with our barista action figures, or filling out silly-but-fun meme surveys. So much has happened the past few years, much of it good, some of it bad, but I couldn't have asked for a better friend. Sometimes there were so much outside work going against us that I had to take a step back, but I never wanted to, and I'm glad that I can finally give you more time. I've told a lot of people I'll miss them and that we should keep in touch, but you're one of the few that I know for a fact I won't let go of. This is surely not goodbye, but just the start of something else. A new chapter, if you will (you know I couldn't resist a festive pun like that).

Love,
Khy

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:38:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting on:

Safekeeping by Karen Hesse

Radley just wants to get home to her parents in Vermont. While she was volunteering abroad, the American People's Party took power; the new president was assassinated; and the government cracked down on citizens. Travel restrictions are worse than ever, and when her plane finally lands in New Hampshire, Radley’s parents aren’t there.

Exhausted; her phone dead; her credit cards worthless: Radley starts walking.

---

When I was little, I read Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust approximately a bazillion times. As happens with many childhood authors, it didn't occur to me that there were other Karen Hesse books I could read, so I can't wait until this awesome-sounding one is in my hands.

Released September 18.

Beauty by Lisa Daily

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

[description from goodreads]

What's it like to be the most beautiful girl in the world?

Molly desperately wants to be beautiful. And that's what she tells Dharma, the mysterious portrait artist who sketches her face at the town fair just minutes after she's humiliated in front of Hudson, the guy of her dreams. When Molly wakes up the following morning, she's the most beautiful girl in Miracle, Ohio. Babies coo in her arms, her house fills with flowers from dozens of drooling boys, and she's chosen to be a model for the hottest store in town. Best of all, Hudson finally falls for her.

But Molly soon discovers that beauty--and her wish--comes with a price. She's faced with an impossible choice: Will reclaiming her true identity mean letting go of Hudson for good?

Review:

There are a few things that will make me read a book without question. Among others: if it's written by David Levithan, if it features cupcakes, or if it has a abnormal carnival/circus. Beauty has a magical fair, so clearly I was intrigued. As with most things, it could have used more carnival, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Happily, and unlike many other novels I've read, Beauty begins its action straight away. It only takes a few chapters for Molly to transform, and even better than that is that she doesn't spend too much time dwelling on the source of her transformation. She and her friends definitely wonder what's up, and the topic comes up every so often as a source of conflict between the group, but she doesn't waste pages and pages trying to determine where her beauty came from. Because of this, she's able to jump straight in to her new life as "the most beautiful girl in town." It's an often repetitive adventure because there's only so much she can do with this new role before it gets too far-fetched, but it's a compelling journey too. It's interesting to see the different ways people treat her, because most everyone has a different reaction-- her friends Kemper and Hayley hate and love the attention, her brother stops making fun of her, and, expectantly, the popular people begin to take an interest in her. None of the reactions are surprising, but because they stay issues and cause such a dramatic change in Molly's personality, they maintained my interest.

However, despite the change they brought in Molly, I didn't see quite as much character development with the others. Most every other character fills a role they just don't really go beyond -- Hayley, the friend who wants to be popular even before Molly becomes beautiful; Kemper, the activist friend who wants nothing to do with popularity; Hudson, the popular boy who wouldn't give Molly the time of day before; etc, etc. Even though most everyone's roles are expected, at least everyone does genuinely bring tension and conflict to Molly's life. And, although it sometimes takes an infuriatingly long while, she does learn and change from their influence.

There's plenty of cliches, but Beauty's heroine and consistently emotional and exciting plot make it worth a read.

Book details: Razorbill/Paperback/$9.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

All the Books

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Sun, 20 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Hosted by Cool Kid Jordyn from Ten Cent Notes.

Books I'm reading:

I'm just about finished with The Handmaid's Tale for English class and I've loved every minute of it. I'm glad the last novel of my high school career is a great one. Once I finish, I'm going to start Wicked Sweet, which I'm sure I'll like because there is cake involved.

News I like:

Suzanne Young revealed the cover and rest of the jacket art of her upcoming novel, The Program, and I am quite a fan. It's got a great creepy feel.

And a song:

Because there's four more days of high school, and thus the song title fits perfectly.

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:28:00 +0000

[description from goodreads]

What’s in a name, Shakespeare? I’ll tell you: Everything.

Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy… and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance.

Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends…

Review:

Of all the Shakespeare plays I've read, I'd have to say Romeo and Juliet is my least favorite. The title characters are just too annoying for me to enjoy the play itself. However, I'm always up for a Shakespearean retelling, and because When You Were Mine promised such a different perspective on the familiar tale, I began reading with much enthusiasm. And, happily, my enthusiasm never dwindled.

Actually, that's not one hundred percent true, but it's the exception that proves the rule, right? Something like that. Anyway-- the beginning of the book, before Juliet appears, took some getting used to. Rose starts off by describing everything and everyone in her life so that the rest of the story doesn't need so much exposition, and unfortunately her descriptions include a lot of "my best friends are gorgeous and wonderful and I'm just me," which I cannot stand any character in any novel complaining about. Rose also speaks in such a normal fashion that it was a bit alarming; she's very conversational, which is realistic and easy to read, but I was bit surprised by it because it sounded exactly like what I was hearing at school that day. Luckily, though, I got used to Rose's easy-going tone pretty quickly, and eventually she shut up about her the beauty of her friends too, allowing me to begin treating the story with the dramatic reactions I typically reserve for things like Friday Night Lights.

Even with the knowledge of the the general pattern of where at least Rob and Juliet's relationship would go, I was always excited to see how the story would get to the end. It's not necessarily unpredictable, but because there's a lot of ambiguity between Rose and some of the other characters, there are plenty of routes that could have been taken. For example, Rose and Rob begin with a complex friendship that only begins to complicate as the story progresses. In the short amount of time before Juliet arrives, it's easy to notice both their romantic connection and the depth of their friendship because of the actions both of them take in progressing their relationship. However, once Juliet arrives, their entire friendship changes because of Rob's interest in her, but the effort they take in both avoiding one another and looking for each other makes it easy to see the depth of their compassion still remains. Similarly, Rose and Juliet have their own set of issues. Juliet's hatred toward Rose often seems unfounded because the reason behind it is not revealed for a while, but the two always manage to have so much tension that extends into Rose's family and friend life that I couldn't help but gasp at some of their interactions. And, one last note: the other Potential Boy in this book? Also a cause of my squeals of both "ahh" and "aw." Love it!

It took me a while to get into it, but I ended up very much enjoying When You Were Mine for its originality, constant excitement, and emotional depth-- all impressive feats for a story where the ending is always clear.

Book details: Simon Pulse/Hardcover/$16.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:27:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting on:

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

A wonderful, coming-of-age love story from a fresh new voice in YA ﬁction.

'Miss Amelia Hayes, welcome to The Land of Dreams. I am the staff trainer. I will call you grasshopper and you will call me sensei and I will give you the good oil. Right? And just so you know, I'm open to all kinds of bribery.'

From the moment 15-year-old Amelia begins work on the checkout at Woolworths she is sunk, gone, lost...head-over-heels in love with Chris. Chris is the funny, charming, man-about-Woolies, but he's 21, and the 6-year difference in their ages may as well be 100. Chris and Amelia talk about everything from Second Wave Feminism to Great Expectations and Alien but will he ever look at her in the way she wants him to? And if he does, will it be everything she hopes?

---

It sounds like it will be cute almost to the level of annoying-- "almost" because it will be too sweet for me not to love it.

Released December 11.

Characters I'd Swap With

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:41:00 +0000

Inspired by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner's fun post today, five characters I'd like to switch places with for a day:

1. Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore - Maybe it's because I'm still high on my love for Graceling one week later, but Katsa is the first one to come to mind for this topic. It would definitely be fun to have her Grace.

2. Anna from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - An obvious pick, but necessary because, really, how could I not want to swap with Anna? The fact that she lives in Paris is reason enough, but she's also super cool and has St. Clair.

3. Ruby from The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart - It actually would kind of suck to switch with Ruby because that girl is always caught in terribly awkward or sad situations, but I'd still swap with her so that I could be that witty and funny for a day.

4. Hermione from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - Duh.

5. Scarlett from Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson - Because living in a hotel would be awesome.

All the Books

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:08:00 +0000

I'm doing "All the Books," hosted by the awesome Jordyn from Ten Cent Notes, again this week because I can.

Books I'm reading:

Grim by Anna Waggener - it jumps around a lot so far, which is disconcerting, but it's got an intriguing premise so I'll stick with it.

Books I need to read ASAP:

My Graceling love makes me super excited to read its sequel, Bitterblue, but oh my gosh how do I never notice the hidden face parts on these covers. Terrifying.

I love the Vampire Academy series so I don't know how I haven't read Bloodlines yet, but I received the sequel in the mail this week so I'll have to get to it soon.

And a song:

Because.

And a note:

Happy Mother's Day, mom! I love you.

Fire by Kristin Cashore

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Fire is the companion to the (awesome!) Graceling and is set in a different area of the world, so if you read ahead, you won't be spoiled. However, I would definitely read Graceling before Fire if you were to read them both because there are certain things in Fire that still tie in to Graceling.

[description from goodreads]

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she has the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City. The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there’s more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren’t afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

Review:

I absolutely love Graceling, so I jumped into Fire with much enthusiasm and admittedly high expectations. I much prefer Graceling, but I enjoyed reading this one as well.

What prevented me from loving Fire anywhere near as much is that I was often unsure what the primary threat Fire was working against was. There's clearly war brewing and plenty of drama that goes along with it, but I often never understood who exactly they were going to be fighting. I prefer my villains to be out in the open, twisted, and just as developed as the good guys, but there wasn't really a figurehead for me to latch on to in Fire. Just my personal preference, but I really was hindered from enjoying the book because I was always waiting for more opposition to make itself known.

However, even without a superb villain to make all the waiting around worth it, there is much I love about Fire. Fire herself is utterly fascinating; it took me a bit to understand the full scope of her powers and influence over others, but that just made her abilities all the more striking once I began to comprehend her immense skill range. She also deals with a lot of inner turmoil in response to how to use her powers and her fear that she would end up as disgustingly manipulative as her father, making for an emotional read, especially when she inevitably lashes out and creates tension between herself and the other characters. The other characters I wish I loved as much; perhaps it was because I was so eagerly waiting for evil doers that I neglected to pay as much attention to them. At the very least, they're all different and complex in that Fire sometimes hates them, sometimes loves them, so they always add to the book's intensity.

I don't love it as much as Graceling, not by a long shot, but Fire is still a unique, intense read with a wonderful heroine.

Book details: Firebird Fantasy/Paperback/$9.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting on:

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

---

"Defenestrate" is one of my favorite words, so this summary caught my attention immediately. Plus, London! I'm totally sold.

Released November 13.

Top Ten: Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:06:00 +0000

"Top Ten Tuesday" is hosted by the cool kids over at The Broke and the Bookish. Today's topic is "Favorite Book Quotes" so clearly my participation is required because I. love. quotes.

I have far more than ten favorites, so here is just a sampling, in no particular order:

1. "Remember that at any given moment there are a thousand things you can love." - The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan

2. "Strange as it may seem, I still hope for the best, even though the best, like an interesting piece of mail, so rarely arrives, and even when it does it can be lost so easily." - The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket

3. "Imagine 4 years.

Four years, two suicides, one death, one rape, two pregnancies (one abortion), three overdoses, countless drunken antics, pantsings, spilled food, theft, fights, broken limbs, turf wars–every day, a turf war–six months until graduation and no one gets a medal when they get out. But everything you do here counts.

High school." - Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

4. "Thomas Edison's last words were 'It's very beautiful over there'. I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful." - Looking for Alaska by John Green

5. "Instead, I try to adjust to the dawn, letting the tears fall where they may, because it is morning; it is morning, and there is so much to see." - The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

6. "There are certain people who come into your life, and leave a mark. . . Their place in your heart is tender; a bruise of longing, a pulse of unfinished business. Just hearing their names pushes and pulls at you in a hundred ways, and when you try to define those hundred ways, describe them even to yourself, words are useless." - Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

7. "With her foot on the threshold she waited a moment longer in a scene which was vanishing even as she looked, and then, as she moved and took Minta’s arm and left the room, it changed, it shaped itself differently; it had become, she knew, giving one last look at it over her shoulder, already the past." - To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

8. "Things that matter are not easy. Feelings of happiness are easy. Happiness is not. Flirting is easy. Love is not. Saying you’re friends is easy. Being friends is not." - Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

9. "Maybe a friend is someone who wants your updates. Even if they're boring. Or sad. Or annoyingly cutesy. A friend says "Sign me up for your boring crap, yes indeed"--because he likes you anyways. He'll tolerate your junk" - Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart (It has been far too long since I've professed my love for Ruby Oliver.)

10. "For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home." - Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

All the Books

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:04:00 +0000

I'm playing the "All the Books" game, hosted by the awesome Jordyn from Ten Cent Notes, again this week because it's fun and I like it.

Books I'm reading:

I loved Graceling so I couldn't resist beginning this companion book straightaway. It's a bit slow at the moment, but I do love the heroine. What I don't love is that I only just now discovered there's a face on the cover, and it kind of terrified me.

New covers:

The cover for Every Day by my favorite, David Levithan, was revealed this week and I'm not sure how I like it. To me, it looks very religious and the person in the bottom corner resembles a fish. However, it definitely has an otherworldly quality, which is cool.

Books I received this week:

The premise of When You Were Mine is pretty sweet (a Romeo and Juliet retelling as told by Rosaline) but UGH THIS COVER. Make-out covers are the worst.

And a song:

Just because I always have a new song I must evangelize.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:47:00 +0000

[description from goodreads]

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

Review:

A quick scan of its goodreads page tells me that Graceling's been rated almost 59,000 times, and at least 100 of my friends have read it. Clearly I have been slacking on catching up with the rest of the world, but at least I'm finally getting there, because Graceling is totally worth all the hype.

It was initially difficult for me to get into Graceling because it's so very "fantasy" in every way. The character names are odd, so I had trouble getting used to them, and there is so much world-building to be done that the beginning is a bit slow. The book also centers around Katsa's big epic quest to save the kingdom, which is a rather traditional storyline. However, once it gets going, Katsa's journey is so exciting that I forgot all about the slow start. Katsa and Po go so many places and encounter people from numerous kingdoms, so there is never really a dull moment. And, with all the fighting and action that goes on, even the sections where their journey slows are never boring.

However, what makes me like Graceling so much is that it has the rare quality of making me feel so many things that I don't care about the imperfections. For example, I really don't like how quickly the ending happened. It seemed that as soon as Katsa's journey reached its most intense point, the moment was over. But while I was reading that point, I could not have cared less. I flipped the page to that point and my thoughts consisted mostly of gasping and "AHH"s. I had a similar emotional reaction to pretty much every aspect of this book. Every Grace related twist, every adorable Katsa and Po moment, every infuriating Katsa and Po moment, every fight scene, every moment of Katsa being incredibly fierce, and everything in between: ALL THE FEELINGS.

There are characters and scenes I wanted more developed in Graceling, but I loved reading it so much that I will happily sings its praises forevermore.

Book details: Graphia/Paperback/$9.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting on:

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

A boy everyone calls “Butter” is about to make Scottsdale High history. He’s going to eat himself to death live on the Internet – and everyone will watch.

He announces his deadly plan to an army of peers and expects pity, insults or even indifference. Instead, he finds morbid encouragement. When that encouragement tips the scales into popularity, Butter has a reason to live. But if he doesn’t go through with his plan, he’ll lose everything.

---

The premise of this is nine kinds of messed up, so I assume the book will be nine kinds of intense and awesome too.

Released September 18.

Top Ten: Books I'd Like to See As Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

"Top Ten Tuesday" is hosted by the people over at The Broke and the Bookish. I participate every so often, and today's topic of "Books You'd Like To See Made Into A Movie" is not one I can resist because movies are my second favorite things.

However, I did a post like this a long while ago, so I'll just choose another five today:

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore - I just finished reading this the other day (my review will be up later this week!) and, oh man, ALL THE FEELINGS. There were definitely things I would have like expanded upon, and a movie would be perfect to do that for me. Plus, there would be lots of fighting, and fighting is rather exciting to watch on screen if done well.

2. The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty - What I like more than action movies, though, are movies featuring lots of teenage hijinks, and this book has plenty of them.

3. Past Perfect by Leila Sales - Also features tons of hijinks, but this time in a colonial reenactment village. What could be better?

4. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith - I don't typically watch romance movies, but if this one was on screen, I would probably cry during it, not even going to lie.

5. Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert - Speaking of things that would make me cry: an adaptation of this book would be disastrous for my emotional health. But I'd love every minute of it.

Dark Eyes by William Richter

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

[description from goodreads]

Get ready for the vigilante girl detective of the next generation.

Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child and grew up in a wealthy New York City family. At fifteen, her obsessive need to rebel led her to life on the streets.

Now the sixteen-year-old is beautiful and hardened, and she's just stumbled across the possibility of discovering who she really is. She’ll stop at nothing to find her birth mother before Klesko—her darkeyed father—finds her. Because Klesko will stop at nothing to reclaim the fortune Wally’s mother stole from him long ago. Even if that means murdering his own blood. But Wally's had her own killer training, and she's hungry for justice.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens, this debut thriller introduces our next big series heroine!

Review:

I don't often get a chance to read "action books," so I looked forward to Dark Eyes, especially because it also promised to feature the Russian mob. The mafia was woefully absent, for the most part, but Dark Eyes is still a delightfully exciting read.

It's easy to see from the description that this book focuses primarily on the action instead of the characters, which is good for the plot, but no so much for the people. Positives first, though: the action really is exciting. It actually takes a bit of time for Wally to begin searching for her birth mother, but in the meantime, she and her gang are wrapped up in so much shady business that it's still a compelling read. The combination of their street lives and their eventual quest for answers makes it even more adventerous; they always have to balance day-to-day life as well as the conspiracy-like danger, especially when their quest leads them closer to sketchy people like Wally's Russian criminal dad. The ending of the book is the best, though-- new twists pop up every chapter or so, making the slower beginning bits definitely worth it.

The focus on the action definitely hurts the characters, though. The perspective sometimes changes to the detective looking for the murderer of one of Wally's friends or to Wally's dad, but these shifts are so few that they make everything disjointed despite the added action they provide. They also don't help make the characters any more three-dimensional, since most of the chapters focus on a fight or new piece of evidence rather than what the characters feel or think about any one thing. Even the chapters that focus on Wally are relatively absent from a personal connection; there are glimpses of personality when she and her friends interact because of the strong bond their tough times on the street create, but sometimes their connection went too intense in too short a time for it to make much sense. For example, Wally and Tevin, one of the crew members, are love interests, but their romantic encounters happen, like, three times so I didn't see the point of including a romance when there were far more dangerous things going on.

The characters are tragically flat, but if you're looking for an exciting action-packed read, Dark Eyes is a good fit.

Book details: Razorbill/Hardcover/$17.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

All the Books!

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

The awesome Jordyn from Ten Cent Notes created a delightful post yesterday entitled "All the Books," in which she wrote about things she's reading now, about to read, book events she's attended recently, and all that other book-related jazz. Because Jordyn creations always make for fun posts, and because the title reminds me of the "ALL THE THINGS!" meme, I wanted to play along this week.

Books I'm reading:

Very similar reads, I know. The Sound and the Fury is for English class, and although it's often a pain to follow, I quite like it since crazy families make for the best stories. I'm also about to start Graceling. Yes, finally. I know I'm behind in reading it, but better late than never, right? I think I'll start in on Fire and Bitterblue right after if I enjoy it.

On the screen:

Not YA related, but I just have to say that I hope The Raven isn't as dreadful as it looks, because otherwise I'm hoping that Edgar Allan Poe is planning revenge from his grave. He could come up with something awesome, at least.

And since I'm already slightly off-topic, I might as well veer off even more and say that I need more YA sci-fi in my life since Attack the Block is the best teen-starring movie I have seen in a long while.

And a song:

Since I already talked about movies, I might as well venture into my other favorite topic: music. I'll keep it book related though and share a song that reminds me of a book.

I'm not what I was last summer
Not who I was in the spring
Tell me, tell me, tell me when will we learn
We love it and we leave it and we watch it burn
Damn these wild young hearts

"Wild Young Hearts" by Noisettes is totally Delirium by Lauren Oliver. It's also an awesome.

7 Clues to Winning You by Kristin Walker

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:20:00 +0000

[description from goodreads]

When a humiliating picture of Blythe goes viral, she's instantly the target of ridicule at her new school. To salvage her reputation, Blythe teams up with Luke to win the Senior Scramble scavenger hunt. But Luke is an unlikely ally and potentially can't be trusted.

Perhaps it's his Shakespearean witticisms that reel Blythe in despite her better judgment . . . or maybe she just craves the thrill of the game. But as the hunt progresses, their relationship heats up. Soon their madcap mischief spirals out of control. Blythe is faced with arrest and expulsion, among other catastrophes - until Luke shows her what the Scramble (and love) is really about.

Review:

Kristin Walker's first book, A Match Made in High School, impressed me with its consistent, movie-esque humor, and although I do prefer it over this one, 7 Clues to Winning You has much of the same fun "teen movie" spirit.

Much of the movie spirit comes from the rather out-of-the-ordinary events that occur with such frequency. Happily, none of them are far-fetched, but they're so uncommon that they're inherently a delight to read about. Combined with the humor present in many of them, especially the scavenger hunt clues, 7 Clues to Winning You is always a fun read. It does take a while for some of the more adventurous humor to reveal itself, though; for a while, Blythe is so set on fighting her school transition that she's more melodramatic than anything. However, Blythe herself is funny, especially as she comments upon her new non-preppy classmates, so the eventual transition into the crazy scavenger hunt is a clean one. The transition is also pretty easy because Blythe's assimilation problems continue as the hunt goes on-- the game causes so many mix-ups and mayhem that it's impossible for anyone to keep all the facts straight, which just adds to the fun.

However, the "teen movie" feel of this book also means that there are plenty of cheesy moments. Sometimes the corniness can be a good thing, like in the case of the ending or the development of Blythe and Luke's relationship. They're both so nerdy and staunch in their opinions that they have both great chemistry and a penchant for causing the other trouble. However, other overdramatic parts of the book are not quite as adorable. For example, Blythe spends a lot of time discussing her previous school and her old friends, but she never really spends a lot of time with them, which makes their eventual drama seem unnecessary and included for just extra emotional angst. Similarly underdeveloped characters make appearances throughout, too, like with Blythe's mom and brother, who do their job "the funny family" quite well but don't do much beyond that.

There are slow, underdeveloped bit of 7 Clues to Winning You that detracted from my enjoyment, but it's still a hilarious, adventurous, and sweetly romantic book.

Book details: Razorbill/Paperback/$9.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

My Four Year Blogoversary

noreply@blogger.com (Khy) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Imagine four years.

Four years, two Comic-Cons, one ALA, one Publisher's Weekly article, two trips to New York (one Book Expo America), three Sarah Ockler novels, countless books, amazing friends, late night Skype chats, email, comments, broken aspects of the Blogger website, twitter fiestas-- every day, a twitter fiesta-- four months until college and I don't know if I'll be able to keep it up. And everything I do here I love.

My blog.

It's been good, guys.

(Opening section lovingly inspired by the beginning of Courtney Summers' amazing Cracked Up to Be.)