Mini Review: Invisibility by David Levithan and Andrea Cremer

David Levithan's work and I have a tumultuous relationship. Although I find his style and passion both beautiful and earnest I have often found that his penchant for pushing his beliefs on the reader abrasive. This seems funny to me because 90% of the time I agree with what he's saying, it's simply his delivery that I am at odds with. As for Andrea Cremer, I am not familiar with her work so I was able to go into Invisibility without prejudice. I was excited to read this book and to see how the authors worked together to build such a unique storyline.

Unfortunately I was mostly disappointed. At first the story was great. The main character, Stephen, was pretty well-developed in the first few chapters and his relationship with spunky Elizabeth opened up a world of possibility. Throw in her adorable brother, Laurie, and I was sure I was in for a good time. Sadly the book quickly developed into a rushed supernatural plot line that seemed too convoluted for the earlier storyline. It just didn't fit. The last section of the book was a mix of insta-love dramatics and info dumps. All in all I was just disappointed. This book could have been something extraordinary but instead it was just strange and rushed.

Review: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Author: Jessica Brody

Genre:  Sci Fi, Fantasy

Pages: 320

Published: March 5th, 2013

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"The only thing worse than forgetting her past... is remembering it.
When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.
Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.
Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.
Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?" ~Goodreads

This book surprised me in a lot of ways.  First of all, before I read the description I thought it was going to be just straight contemporary.  Girl loses memory in plane crash, boy finds girl, boy tries to convince girl they were in love, girl eventually remembers (probably after another blow to the head), everyone goes home happy.  Cut and dry, simple.  That's what I was expecting.  That is not what happened.  I started reading this book at around 2 A.M.  As I read the last words of the prologue I shot up in bed (like literally sat straight up) and said to no one in particular "What?!".  Then I was hooked.  

LIKES:

• WTF just happened:  as mentioned previously this book was full of surprises and I love it when a story can keep me guessing.  Most of the surprises were well-timed and exciting and I loved that.  Some of them could have been left out as well but overall I was happy with the level of excitement in the story.
• Great Pacing: at no point while reading this book was I bored.  The microscopic chapters probably helped with this.  There are 46 chapters in this book but they fly by at lighting speed, in a good way.  Brody obviously knows how to tell a story without unnecessary padding.
• Sera and her crazy brain: I really don't want to give anything away so you'll have to excuse me if this review is a bit vague, but let me just say that I really liked Sera's voice.  She isn't a normal amnesiac.  She's actually always been a  little different.  Therefore she has a unique world-view and when you throw in a crippling case of amnesia, trust issues and all kinds of strangers the outcome is pretty intense.  This isn't a "sit down and cry" kind of story, but it is one that makes you question what makes us who we are and Sera is a great example of that.

DISLIKES: 

• My brain hurts:  this is a problem i often have with sci fi books.  Some of it was a bit convoluted and a lot of it was hard to grasp.  Perhaps if I had more of a background in science (or even science fiction) for that matter, I would have "gotten it" more easily.  As it was, I struggle through understanding a lot of the technological stuff that was going on in the story.  I think it could have been done more simply.
• Not exactly insta-love: Okay, so Zen and Sera have known each  other for awhile and they are in love, at least until she loses her memory, but the intensity of Zen's feeling and Sera's willingness to reciprocate just didn't impress me.  I guess I just didn't see the plausibility of the extent that Zen went to to get Sera back.  That sounds heartless (and I will have you know that a certain college professor of mine used to say I was "cold" when it came to logic - I think we were talking about nuclear war at the time) but I just wasn't feeling it.
• Don't rush the ending:  I really felt like the author piled way too much information into the last several chapters, tied up loose ends and then boom, it was over.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel like there was much of a pay-off in the end and it didn't sit well with me.

There are supposed to be at least two more books in this series.  Honestly I'm not sure how I feel about that.  I think that if the ending were different this could have been a stand alone novel and that would have been fine.  However,  I will most likely pick up the next one as I did really enjoy the writing style and the story, for the most part, was entertaining.  

Review and Giveaway: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Author: A.G. Howard

Genre:  Fairytale, Fantasy

Pages: 384

Published: January 1, 2013

Publisher: Amulet

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own."~Goodreads

Sometimes a book comes along that grabs hold of you with every quirky, wonderful thing it has and doesn't let go.  You become completely engrossed in the author's world and when you have to come back down from your cloud  it's completely disorienting.  Splintered is that book.  Like many of you I grew up loving Alice In Wonderland.  I'll admit it gave me some pretty interesting nightmares as a kid but mostly I fell in love with curious Alice, the goofy Mad Hatter and especially that clever albeit creepy Cheshire Cat.  So, with that being said, I'm always apprehensive when a re-telling or continuation comes along.  Luckily Splintered does real justice to our Alice.  Howard pays tribute to Carroll's story while at the same time creating her own version.  The mixture of Carrollian nonsense and whimsy mixed with real emotion and depth of character make this the perfect companion to the original tale.  I think Mr. Carroll would be proud.

LIKES:

• Wonderfully dark - Howard definitely does not shy away from the unsettling and morbid.  That's part of what makes this such a cool reading experience.  Alyssa, our heroine, is an artist.  Her medium: dead bugs.  This could be considered just gross until you find out that she can speak to bugs.  Just as a little taste here's the first couple of lines of Splintered:

"I've been collecting bugs since I was ten; it's the only way I can stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick."

          And we're off to a running start.  Wow.  Now, I admit that I have an aversion to bugs so I feel no sympathy for them.  Had this been a sentence about puppies I would have shut the book immediately.  However, bugs are fair game and this line is just so raw and full of angst and ick that it sucked me right in.  This darkness follows throughout the whole story.  One of the best parts about this book is Alyssa having to face her own darkness.  It really enhances the story and makes it a lot of fun to read.

• I actually like the (sort of) love triangle -  Okay, so I don't know if this can actually be considered a love triangle, but that's probably why I enjoyed it.  Alyssa loves Jeb.  They are obviously meant to be together.  He's sweet, trustworthy, fun and super duper hot, also human.  Then there's Mothra *cough* I mean Morpheus.  Also hot, and snarky, amazing and magical.  But her love for Morpheus seems more platonic.  They have a mutual admiration for one another and an unbreakable bond.  Even if he wants more.  Still, I loved the back and forth between the guys.  It added a lot of humor to the story.
• MORPHEUS!!! -  Three things you need to know about this guy: he is the ultimate bad boy, he has an adorable British accent, and he has an insurrection hat.  I'm sold.  The only problem was that I couldn't picture him as he was described.  I adore Once Upon a Time and all I could picture when reading this was Jefferson.  But I'm cool with that.

I mean seriously how can I not?  Good grief.

• Plenty of Wonderland for purists - One of the things I was most worried about was how Wonderland would be portrayed.  Would it be recognizable?  Gladly, Splintered is filled with allusions to the original book.  One of the most fun parts of reading this book was finding all of the little Alice Easter eggs hidden inside its pages.  Although all of the characters have been changed in some way, they are still recognizable and Howard ties the stories together brilliantly.

DISLIKES:

• Sometimes Alyssa makes me shake my head - Okay so it's not like Alyssa is stupid by any means but some of her decisions can be filed under "things that make me go 'hmm'".  A great example is when she decides to get a forged passport and fly to England by herself.  Apparently our heroine has never seen Locked Up Abroad.  
• Too much explanation of things we should be able to figure out on our own - this is probably the only thing that really bothered me about this book.  Although they were relatively few, there were several instances where the author explained too much about the plot, when it would have been more fun to figure it out on my own.  Luckily this didn't happen too often and it didn't really damage the reading experience.

Even with the couple of flaws that I found I have to give this book five stars.  I was completely captivated by Alyssa, Jeb and all of the netherlings.  Howard has managed to create a new version of Wonderland that is just as exciting, enticing and mad as the original.  I know it may only be January but I would be surprised if this one doesn't end up on my best of 2013 list.  It was just that good.  I can't wait to see what else A.G. Howard does with her writing. I'll certainly be first in line to read her next book.

And now, I have some great news for all of you!  Since I have my own finished copy, I will be giving away my ARC copy to one lucky reader.  All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter to be entered.  Please make sure you follow the rules below.  Good luck all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE RULES:

• Must be 18 or older (13 or older with parent's permission)
• Must have a US mailing address
• I am not responsible for packages that are lost or damaged in shipping.  

 

Review: Two and Twenty Dark Tales

Author: Multiple

Genre: Anthology, paranormal, fantasy

Pages: 340

Published: October 16th, 2012

Publisher: Month9Books

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Leigh Fallon, Gretchen McNeil, and Suzanne Young." ~Goodreads

 We all know our Mother Goose.  For centuries kids have been learning these nursery rhymes and most of them seem pretty light and harmless.  But when you really look into them, some of these stories have a dark undercurrent.  Two and Twenty Dark Tales is an anthology of work from some of the best YA authors out there that puts a dark twist on our classic nursery rhymes.  This book is a great collection of creepy stories that is sure to keep you up.  The best part about the anthology, though, is that it is the first in a series of charity anthologies that Month9Books will be putting out.  The proceeds from the first 5,000 sales will be donated to YALITCHAT.ORG, an organization that strives to increase the awareness and impact of YA lit and culture.  As with all anthologies, there were some stories that  chilled me to the bone and others that left me cold. Since these are short stories and I don't want to give any spoilers I will just give you my overall impressions rather than going too in depth with each story. So, without further ado, the stories:

As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old: I wasn't familiar with the original rhyme, which may have colored my opinion on this one.  It just sort of dragged for me.  Although, the story did get interesting after awhile and I did care about the main character.  I still would have liked to have a more  well-known rhyme start the book off.

Sing a Song of Six-Pence:  This one started off pretty creepy, but in the end it just didn't do it for me.  

Clockwork:  Probably one of my favorite stories.  This one felt like it could have been developed into a novel all on its own.  The main character was great and even though this was a bite-sized story, you really felt like you understood the world and characters.  Very cool.

Blue:  This was another one I just couldn't get into.  The idea was different but there wasn't much development.

Pieces of Eight:  I really thought this was going to be one of my favorites since it involves a quest and I love stories like that.  However,   the plot got so complicated so quickly that I got completely lost and couldn't enjoy the story itself. 

Wee Willie Winkie:  This has to be the hands-down scariest story in the book.  The creep-factor for this one was off the charts.  I read this right as I was falling asleep and let's just say - bad call.

Boys and Girls Come Out To Play: This is another story that I would love to see developed into a full novel.  It was definitely creepy but there was also a great backstory that I really wanted to know more about.

I Come Bearing Souls:  The incorporation of Egyptian mythology in this tale is really cool.  I could have gone without the ending though.  

The Lion and the Unicorn:  I don't really feel like I can pass judgement here because the second half is only in the finished version.  But so far, so good.

Life in a Shoe: Probably the most depressing story for me.  This one was sort of dystopian/post-apocalyptic and dealt with fun issues like child abuse and absentee fathers.

Candlelight:  Another creepy one.  This story starts off pretty cool and then gets super depressing.

One for Sorrow:  I just didn't like this story at all.  There wasn't a lot of depth and I got bored very fast.

Those Who Whisper:  Pretty cool concept and the execution was great.  This is another story that I wanted to know more about after it was over.  One of the best.

Little Miss Muffet:  Maybe it's because I hate spiders, but I just did not like this one at all.  Yes, it was creative, but it was a little aimless and the ending...oh my god.  Just gross.

Sea of Dew:  I literally was crying as I read the end of this story.  The best part is, that there is an extended version in the final copy!

Tick Tock:  This is a close second for scariest story in the anthology.  My only criticism is that I want to know more about the backstory of the kids.

A Pocket Full of Posy:  This story got off to a great start but the conclusion seemed rushed and I didn't care for it in the end.

The Well:  Oh god!  Jack and Jill ruined forever, in the best possible way.  This story is supremely screwed up.

The Wish:  This story was a bit predictable but the story was decent and the message was well layed-out.

A Ribbon of Blue:  I think this story was supposed to be sweet and beautiful, but it came off as sort of dull to me.    

Overall, I would say that this anthology is definitely worth the time.  It was really interesting to see how these different authors twisted around my favorite stories.  Pick this one up for a good, freaky time.

Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Author: David Levithan

Genre: contemporary, fantasy

Pages: 336

Published: August 28th, 2012

Publisher: Knopf Books

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day."~Goodreads

This is one of those books that stays with you.   I didn't love everything about it, in fact there were things that really bothered me, but in the end I had to give it four stars if only because it was able to elicit so many diverse emotions.  "A" is a flawed being.  He is lost and self-centered and he has never truly felt love.  This feeling of neglect and loneliness is carried throughout the book and the reader really gets to feel what it must be like to live in a world where no one knows you exist.  One of the biggest problems I had with this book is "A's" selfishness.  He claims to love Rhiannon but he has no problem with her living a strange and painful life, so that he can live vicariously through him.  He wants her to leave her controlling boyfriend only so she can live in a new type of prison dictated by the strange rules of "A's" life.  "A" is also pretty judgemental and is quick to point out what he perceives to be flaws in others.  He seems to forget that not everyone has lived the type of life that he has, but expects them to be as comfortable with it as he is.

Even though "A" isn't always the most likeable character, the reader does come to feel for him and his situation.  This book is a study in intense character development.  Both Rhiannon and "A" are laid completely bare for the reader and once you get to know them, you love them.  There were so many moments where the story completely surprised me as it moved along at an incredible pace.  From the lightening-quick beginning to the perfect ending, Every Day is an incredible and exhilarating read.  This book is written so beautifully and with such care that I am sure I will be thinking about it for a long, long time.  The world that Levithan creates is both relate-able and fantastic and it is so easy to get sucked into his universe. I loved Every Day and would recommend it to both lovers of contemporary and fantasy.  This is not your average YA romance!

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: fantasy, adventure 

Pages: 416

Published: August 7th, 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source:  I received a copy for review from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. - Goodreads.com"

As you may have noticed, I don't read a ton of fantasy.  I prefer vampires and witches to trolls and fairies any day.  However, I try to keep up with big upcoming releases and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas was getting so much buzz that I figured I should probably read it - best decision I've made in awhile.  This book really blew me away.  I was totally enveloped in Celaena's world and loved every minute of it.  This book has everything that I love:  fantastic world-building, epic battles, mystery, breathtaking romance and a kick-ass heroine!  It was such a fun read while still being heartfelt.  My emotions were all over the place from page one.  Maas is a master storyteller!  This is the first time in a long time that I've actually been craving a sequel to a fantasy novel.

LIKES:

Celaena: YA heroines often come in one of two varieties: quirky, but tough, tom boy, or beautiful, misunderstood damsel.  Celaena is neither of theses.  She is girly, beautiful and feminine...and she can kick your ass.  I love love LOVE that Celaena doesn't have to give up her femininity to be formidable.  She loves shiny weapons just as much as frilly dresses.  I'm not saying that every girl has to love perfume and makeup and dolls but every girl that likes those things isn't a helpless airhead either.  So 10,000 bonus points to Sarah for making Celaena a character that is believable wearing a  beautiful dress with a makeshift knife hidden in the corset.  Do not scuff this girls heals!  I also love Celaena because she is a survivor.  She does whatever is necessary to secure her freedom and won't stay down.  She has had a miserable life, first being found as young child and raised by the Assasin King, she was subjected to horrifying training.  Then she is caught and taken to a death camp where she works in the salt mines and is abused by her overseers until finally she is given her chance at freedom, but only after facing the toughest and deadliest men in the kingdom.  She never gives up, never slows down and never, ever shows fear in the face of unbelievable adversity.  

The love triangle: First of all let me say that, as a rule, I don't like love triangles.  I think they are played out and over complicate the story.  I always know exactly who the main character will end up with or at the very least who I want them to end up with.  That is not the case with Throne of Glass .  Celaena has two (very attractive) men in her life.  And I love them both, completely equally.  First, we have the spoiled Prince Dorian with saphire eyes and a charming wit.  The relationship between the prince and Celaena changes so much through the book and is so much fun.  I can't help loving him.  Then there is the rugged and brave Captain of the Guard, Chaol.  He is so quiet and internal.  I just kept wanting to know more about him and their relationship is so intense that I couldn't get enough.  There's the problem.  I don't have a favorite.  I love them both so much and no matter who she ends up with I'm going to be happy (and disappointed).  Oh the agony!

World-building: The world that Maas creates for Throne of Glass is very well-formed.  While it is similar to our world, there are marked differences (different religions, holidays and history) however it is close enough that I could still relate to it while getting wrapped up.  Maas also alludes to different types of creatures (Fae, faeries etc) that have been either killed or have gone into hiding after Magic is banished from the kingdom.  While these creatures do not play a huge part in this first book, the set up is great and left me yearning to find out more about the history of this world.  The governmental structure was also very easy to grasp and lends sort of a dystopian vibe to the whole plot. Love it.

Depth of the story:  Finally, I like that this is more than a love story.  In fact, the love story is very much secondary to the main plot line.  Throne of Glass  mostly centers around human suffering and oppression, the lengths that some people will go to impose these on their subordinates and what others are willing to sacrifice to stop the oppressors.  Maas' work takes a tried and true theme and makes it entirely believable and hard-hitting.  One of the most powerful parts of the book is when Chaol is reflecting upon the fact that Celaena has spent the last year in a death camp, starving and being whipped to within an inch of her life and yet she can still smile and laugh.  He marvels at her strength of character and the power of the human spirit and so does the reader.

DISLIKES:

The names are crazy:  This may sound petty but the names and places in this book are sometimes next to impossible to pronounce.  Sometimes I like to read out loud...to myself...in foreign accents.  Don't judge me. Anyway that didn't happen with this book because I couldn't pronounce half of the names and locations.

Perspective changes: The only other thing that is a "dislike" for me with this one is that the perspective jumps from character to character very suddenly and then stays with that character only briefly before switching back to Celaena.  This wasn't a huge problem though because I was happy that we got to see some different perspectives throughout the book.

Overall, I really liked this one and I can't wait to read more from Sarah.  I would recommend Throne of Glass  not only to fantasy lovers but also to those who don't necessarily gravitate toward that genre.  It is a nice surprise and certainly worth all of the praise it has been getting.

Sara Walsh Interview and Giveaway!

Hello all you wonderful people!  Today, I have the super awesome Sara Walsh here for an interview and a giveaway of her upcoming book The Dark Light, set to be released on August 28th.  Here's the blurb from Goodreads as well as the new slightly tweaked cover:

"Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she's concerned, that's about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town.
That is, until Sol arrives. Mia's not one to fall for just any guy, but she can't get Sol--or the brilliant tattoo on his back--out of her mind.
Then Mia's brother goes missing, and Mia's convinced that Sol knows more than he's sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol's not who Mia thought he was--and neither is she." 

It sounds so great and lets not even get me started on that cover!  I mean, sheesh.  I'm gettin' the vapors over here (you really have to imagine that in my best Scarlett O'Hara voice.)  So, anyway, while I calm down, let me introduce you to the fabulous Sara Walsh!

From her bio:  Sara Walsh is British, but happily lives in Annapolis, Maryland. She graduated college with a degree in psychology, but soon decided that telling stories was much more fun. When not writing, Sara is usually reading, drowning in tea, or frolicking around town with the world's cutest St. Bernard. The Dark Light is her first novel.

Website Twitter Facebook

And now, onto the interview!



Hello Sara, thanks so much for hanging out with us today!


Hi, Catie! Thanks so much for having me here!


First some bookish warm-up questions:


Hardback or Paperback? Hardback


Stand-alone or Series? Series.


Favorite book/series of all time? Harry Potter.


Favorite character of all time? Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind  


Best book to movie adaptation? Gone with the Wind. Love it!  
(There seems to be a Gone with the Wind theme with this post and that is fine by me)


Mr. Darcy or Mr. Rochester? Mr. Darcy!


And now, on to the real questions:


First, some cover talk. The cover of this book is being raved about and it is GORGEOUS! How
important was the cover design to you and how important are covers in general?


Great question. Covers are crucial. We all know the saying, “Never judge a book by its cover”. Yet covers remain a major reason why a reader will pick up a book. Publishers are very aware of this, and put huge amounts of time and effort into creating book covers that perfectly capture an author’s story. My editor did ask me about ideas for covers, but I have to admit, I’m no designer and really wasn’t very helpful. I knew that my publisher created amazing covers, but I had no idea it was going to be such a showstopper. I literally screamed when I first saw it.


Along the same lines, some readers have said that this cover may be too risqué for a YA book,
thoughts?


I have heard that, and I understand the point of view. In fact, the cover has very recently been tweaked to address those views. To me, the image was always more romantic than risqué, but then I know the characters well and know the connection between them. Mia is strong and determined. Sol is focused, but reserved. I think the models perfectly capture that.


Can I have the number of the male model on the cover? (Pretty please?)


Sure, it’s 555… I know. He’s yummy. Here’s a fun fact: The tattoo was actually designed by a real life tattoo artist, and then digitally added to the model’s back--a very fun job! Apologies if you’ve heard that before, but I tell it to everyone, because I think it’s so cool!


Why did you choose to write Young Adult lit as opposed to adult fiction?


I actually write both! In fact, The Dark Light was the very first YA I ever wrote. I worked in a British high school for seven years, and had always wanted to write for teenagers. When I got the idea for The Dark Light, I decided to go for it, started writing, and had an absolute blast. I wrote for fun and had no idea it would ever be published. I feel incredibly blessed by how things turned out.


What drew you to Paranormal Romance?


That’s another good question. To me, The Dark Light was always going to be a full on, action-packed fantasy with tons of drama and adventure. I knew there was going to be romance in it--I love romance! --but I had no clue that Mia and Sol’s relationship was going to become as central as it did. It was only when people started reading that I realized I had something a little different on my hands. I think we’re calling it an epic romantic fantasy! I like that!


Who is your biggest inspiration, either personal or literary?


So many. I’ve always admired Stephen King, not just because I enjoy his stories, but because his work ethic is so amazing. To be able to produce so many fantastic stories over such a long period of time is a huge inspiration to me as a writer.


The action in this book is kicked off when Mia’s brother goes missing and she tries to find out what happened. How big of a role does family play in Mia’s story?


A huge role, but I don’t want to give too much away. I love a story that contains some family soap opera and The Dark Light certainly has plenty of that. There will be revelations!


What do you want readers to take away from The Dark Light?


I want for readers to escape for a few hours and have fun. I read a lot as a teenager (I still do) and the stories I remember most fondly are the ones that took me away from the world. There are some more subtle messages within The Dark Light, specifically about our environment and how we connect to the world. I like that it’s in there, and hope some readers will enjoy that aspect of it.




I just want to thank Sara again for the amazing interview and for agreeing to a giveaway!  That's right, one of you lucky people with be getting your hands on a copy of The Dark Light.  This will be for a pre-order of either a Hardback copy of the book (US/INT) or an e-copy (US only).  Just fill out the rafflecopter below and good luck.

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Review: The White Oak by Kim White

Author: Kim White

Genre: paranormal, fantasy

Pages: 326

Published: April 9th, 2012

Publisher: Story Machine Studio

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Source: NetGalley - I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"In The White Oak, the first book in the Imperfect Darkness series, Cora Alexander falls through a sinkhole and enters the underworld still alive. Her living presence threatens the tyrannical rule of Minos and the infernal judges who have hijacked the afterlife and rebuilt it, trapping human souls in a mechanical, computer-controlled city that lies at the core of the earth. To survive, Cora must rely on her untrustworthy guide, Minotaur, an artificial intelligence built by Minos. She is helped by a mysterious voice, and by Sybil, underworld librarian and author of each person's book of life. Sybil's collection holds the key to humankind's intertwined life stories. When Cora's own book is destroyed, Sybil gives her a magical golden pen and sends her to the underworld city to write her own destiny. Along the way, Cora finds the ghost of her dead brother, Lucas, a genius programmer who alone is capable of finding the chink in Minos's armor. But will he be able to get Cora out alive, or will they both succumb to the seemingly inescapable underworld trap?" - Goodreads.com

 I'm not usually one for super technical fantasy stories.  I like fantasy but I'm not usually attracted to the "sci" part of sci-fi.  However, I had heard such great things about this book that I decided to give it a try and at first I really liked it.  About 1/4th of the way in, though, it lost me.  With that beautiful cover and the plot's mythological theme I really wanted to love this book, but it was just a little too strange and the plot seemed to be so convoluted at some points that I felt like giving up.  The main character is Cora.  She falls into a sinkhole at her abusive father's funeral and ends up in the underworld.  We find out that she has something to do with a prophecy (which is never really expounded upon enough)  and she becomes something of a fugitive.  All the while there are ghosts, mechanical beings, and a shifty AI named Minotaur as well as a terrifying and confusing underworld society (seriously, if it is really anything remotely like this, I need to find a way to live forever).  Cora must make her way through this awful place and find her twin brother while trying to dodge obstacles put in her way by those who fear the prophecy.  So with that out of the way, lets get down to business.

LIKES:

I really liked the first part of the book.  It really starts off with a bang (or, you know an underground cave collapse, something like that).  The action at the beginning is really great and it feels like the story takes shape very quickly.  Once Cora makes it to the underworld things start to fizzle a little but there are still a couple of characters that are pretty cool who are introduced here.  Chief among these is Minotaur.  He is an AI that can change into anyone.  Because of he programming he pretty much knows everything about everyone and is a very believable doppelganger.  While being entertaining, he also adds some depth to the story.  He has a deep loyalty to his maker, Minos, whom he calls Father, but the affection is not returned and this really makes him a sympathetic character in a way even though he doesn't really have emotion. Unfortunately that's pretty much where the positives ended for me.

DISLIKES:

I seriously don't know where to start.  I had so many problems with this book.  Lets just jump right in with the main character and her brother.  Cora, to me, was boring.  She was fairly emotionless (when she lands in the underworld she isn't surprised by anything, doesn't she find all of this a little strange?), and I didn't feel like I got to know her at all.  In addition, her relationship with her twin brother is completely lacking in connectivity.  You get the feeling that they are supposed to be super close, but when they are together they just kind of fall flat.  In fact at one point in the story they are discussing Cora escaping from the underworld so she can, you know, live and Lucas is all "don't leave me here" it's just kind of lame. I just couldn't care for them at all and when I don't care about the characters I don't care about the story. Aside from the characters I had real problems with the plot itself.  Basically there wasn't really a defined story line.  It seems like the author wanted to play around with mythology but didn't really explore it fully.  There were so many different things going on at once that it was easy to get lost and by the end of the book I was so confused that I didn't even really care that the whole book was, for all intents and purposes, an intro to the next book. I was just glad it was over.  As far as the mythological aspect goes, it was completely overshadowed by a jumble of other genres and way too much detail on things that didn't really add to the story (there is a whole page that basically describes Lucas coding a video game, no thanks).  And the ending...I can't even really call it a cliffhanger, it was more of a is-my-kindle-malfunctioning-where-is-the-rest-of-the-story ending.  Basically, I just didn't care for this one.  There is going to be a series but I really don't think I'll be reading it.  Let me know if you've read this what you thought.  I would love to have some more opinions, maybe I'm just missing something, or maybe this one is over my head.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: fantasy, paranormal, romance

Pages: 335

Published: 2010

Publisher: Harper Teen

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.  Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal."

Anyone who has met me in real life probably thinks I'm fairly sane.  That is until they really get to know me and learn about my obsession with a little show called Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  The extent of my love for this show goes far beyond casual viewership and into the "dangerously crazed" category of fandom.  So much so that I injured myself on more than one occasion when I was in grade school trying to do kickboxing  in my room (i'm not very coordinated).  I have spent countless hours lamenting the fact that I will never be The Chosen One and that I don't get cool weapons (or athleticism for that matter).  Buffy ended awhile ago but I still tend to compare most paranormal-esque things to it.  I picked up Paranormalcy expecting a pretty good read based on the reviews I had read, but I was shocked by the amount of awesome in this book!  It was spooky, quirky and funny.  So why the Buffy intro to this post?  I'll tell you, Evie's witticisms and attitude remind me so much of Buffy!  I think that's why I loved this book so much.  By page 3 I was thinking "why isn't this a show on the CW yet?!".  I am in love with this book!  Let me give you an example of why I fell for this read:

“Tasers are a one-size-fits-all paranormal butt-kicking option. Mine’s pink withrhinestones.”  - Evie, Paranormalcy

Yes, ladies and gents, that's correct, she has a pink, bedazzled taser.  Oh, how I want one.  And in case you are wondering, yes, they do in fact exist (naturally I looked this up immediately).  There is actually quite a selection of pink tasers.  I happen to think the Hello Kitty one is pretty sweet.

Anyway, adorable anti-rape devices aside, this story had lots of things going for it.  First of all there is Evie.  I've already told you how I love her spunk, but she also has real depth and vulnerability without getting all weepy every time she breaks a nail.  She is strong and capable while still being feminine.  All of the characters that White creates here are realistic (strangely enough) and their motives are relateable.  This includes the bad guys and even the background characters.  I also really enjoyed Lend.  He is a paranormal who is captured while breaking in to the agency where Evie works.  He can change into almost any person and only Evie can see his real face.  Of course they grow to love each other but this is not a case of insta-love.  They form a friendship first and out of that loyalty and admiration comes love.  This is always admirable in YA literature where the model for successful book says that the girl needs to instantly fall in love with the brooding male lead.  That's another thing!  Lend doesn't brood!  He is funny and charming and just a little awkward.  Yes!  I don't know about you but Lend is just my type.  The two of them together are hilarious and entirely believable.  The third character I want to get into is the villain.  I won't get into too much detail because, for the most part, this character isn't revealed until about half way through the book,  but I will tell you that White does an excellent job of making sure that we understand the villain and even feel sympathy for their plight.  

Another thing I like about this story was that it wasn't one-sided.  I didn't feel like one person or organization was all bad or all good.  This is something that Evie comes to realize as well as the book goes on.  I think this is an important theme for a YA book.  I know that as a teenager it was easy for me to feel like the people who didn't always treat me well, or who didn't agree with me were awful people who were just plain wrong, all the time, about everything.  But that's not real life.  In reality we all have our moments of good and bad and White illustrates this with not only the monsters in her book, but the humans as well.

As far as negatives go I really wasn't able to think of anything I would have changed about the story.  It just worked for me.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something both spook and heartfelt with a lot of snark.  Giles would be proud.