Thursday, November 17, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
Another amazing debut YA novel. This one is about 16 year old Tempest who just happens to be half human and half mermaid. Her mermaid mother left her, her two younger brothers and their dad six years ago; but she left a letter for each of her children. Tempest has read and reread her letter many times, but all she knows for sure is that she has the choice of whether or not she wants to be a mermaid and this choice will be on her 17th birthday.
As Tempest gets closer to her birthday, nothing goes as she expected and it looks more and more like she will not have a choice in what happens to her. She blames her mom for many things, one of them the fact that her body is changing into a mermaid. She doesn't want anything to take her from her family and her boyfriend Mark or from her favourite sport, surfing. But, she seems unable to stop the changes that are happening to her and she is also unable to stop wondering about the new guy who shows up on the beach.
Tempest is inexplicably drawn to Kona, the new guy, and she is almost certain that he is not fully human himself. Things get very interesting as her birthday approaches and the sea witch, Tiamet, wants to capture her and keep Tempest under the sea for her own power hungry reasons. A refreshing change from all of the vampire; vampire hunter and zombie novels out there. Pure fantasy and hopefully this will be the first in a series with mermaids, mermen, selkies and humans.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Virals by Kathy Reichs
Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage "sci-philes" who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.
As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.
Fortunately, they are now more than friends they're a pack. They are Virals.
(from the inside cover)
This is another awesome series opener! Kathy Reichs has definitely taken her talents into the young adult fiction area with aplomb. Her characters are awesome. Tory and her friends, Hi (Hiram), Ben and Shelton are each scientists in their own right. They push the boundaries that have been set by their parents and they rely on each other as friends and rule breakers. A great group of off-beat kids who stumble onto an old unsolved murder case; Tory won't let go of the idea of finding out more about the young, female murder victim and then solving the crime of her murder. As the only female in the group of friends, Tory is motivated to be the ring leader of the group. Her weakness for helping a wolf-dog gets the group in even deeper into uncharted waters. Read the book and find out what happens to Tory, Hi, Ben and Shelton in Virals!
As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.
Fortunately, they are now more than friends they're a pack. They are Virals.
(from the inside cover)
This is another awesome series opener! Kathy Reichs has definitely taken her talents into the young adult fiction area with aplomb. Her characters are awesome. Tory and her friends, Hi (Hiram), Ben and Shelton are each scientists in their own right. They push the boundaries that have been set by their parents and they rely on each other as friends and rule breakers. A great group of off-beat kids who stumble onto an old unsolved murder case; Tory won't let go of the idea of finding out more about the young, female murder victim and then solving the crime of her murder. As the only female in the group of friends, Tory is motivated to be the ring leader of the group. Her weakness for helping a wolf-dog gets the group in even deeper into uncharted waters. Read the book and find out what happens to Tory, Hi, Ben and Shelton in Virals!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Delcroix Academy: The Candidates by Inara Scott
Publishers Summary: Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just … happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to people, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.
When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy offer her a full scholarship, Dancia fears her days of living under the radar may be over. But Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses — why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make her feel welcome.
And then there’s her mysterious new friend Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at Delcroix, and he wants Dancia to help him figure out what…But neither Jack or Dancia could have imagined what’s really going on behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.
This is an amazing book and hopefully the first in a series!!!
None of the characters in this book are black and white. There are many very realistic gray areas and hard decisions that Dancia has to make, especially when she and Jack start to find things about the school that don't add up to face value. There is a great triangle between Dancia, Jack and Cam - the hot popular guy at school. Dancia becomes friends with two girls as well - Esther and Hennie. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll end here. But, I can't wait for more books by this new author!!!
When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy offer her a full scholarship, Dancia fears her days of living under the radar may be over. But Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses — why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make her feel welcome.
And then there’s her mysterious new friend Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at Delcroix, and he wants Dancia to help him figure out what…But neither Jack or Dancia could have imagined what’s really going on behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.
This is an amazing book and hopefully the first in a series!!!
None of the characters in this book are black and white. There are many very realistic gray areas and hard decisions that Dancia has to make, especially when she and Jack start to find things about the school that don't add up to face value. There is a great triangle between Dancia, Jack and Cam - the hot popular guy at school. Dancia becomes friends with two girls as well - Esther and Hennie. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll end here. But, I can't wait for more books by this new author!!!
Wildwing by Emily Whitman
Review from ARC from publisher.
The Plot: Little Pembleton, 1913. Addy Morrow is fifteen and she wants something more out of life than being the town bastard, bullied by mean girls who think they are better than her because they have more money, a higher social class, and married parents.
Instead, what she gets is being taken out of school and put into service for a strange old man, Mr. Greenwood, who hasn’t been right since his wife died and his son disappeared. Mum tells her she is lucky! It could be worse, she could be a lowly scullery maid in a big house.
Addy enters a locked room in Mr. Greenwood’s house, sees a strange contraption, enters and finds herself in the year 1240. In her present, she’s nothing, a servant. In the past, she can reinvent herself into a lady.
I loved this book!!! The elements of time travel; romance; description of two different historical periods and the characters (especially Addy and Will) were very believable and well written. Awesome historical fiction!
When Addy steps back into 1240 wearing the queen's costume that she has taken from the local amateur theatre society, it looks as though all of her dreams to "be a lady" have come true. She is mistaken for Lady Matilda who is engaged to be married Sir Hugh,the local landowner. Unfortunately for Addy, reality quickly sets in.
Addy (aka Lady Matilda) meets the handsome young falconer's son, Will, and starts to fall in love with him. Just as she realizes that Will feels the same way about her, Addy finds out that more is riding on Lady Matilda's marriage to Sir Hugh than she first thought.
Where Addy's low station in life is a constant problem for a strong-willed girl in 1913, now the high station of Lady Matilda in 1240 creates a very difficult choice for Addy to make.
I am not going to give anything away from the creative choices that are made at the end of this book. Enjoy the story!
The Plot: Little Pembleton, 1913. Addy Morrow is fifteen and she wants something more out of life than being the town bastard, bullied by mean girls who think they are better than her because they have more money, a higher social class, and married parents.
Instead, what she gets is being taken out of school and put into service for a strange old man, Mr. Greenwood, who hasn’t been right since his wife died and his son disappeared. Mum tells her she is lucky! It could be worse, she could be a lowly scullery maid in a big house.
Addy enters a locked room in Mr. Greenwood’s house, sees a strange contraption, enters and finds herself in the year 1240. In her present, she’s nothing, a servant. In the past, she can reinvent herself into a lady.
I loved this book!!! The elements of time travel; romance; description of two different historical periods and the characters (especially Addy and Will) were very believable and well written. Awesome historical fiction!
When Addy steps back into 1240 wearing the queen's costume that she has taken from the local amateur theatre society, it looks as though all of her dreams to "be a lady" have come true. She is mistaken for Lady Matilda who is engaged to be married Sir Hugh,the local landowner. Unfortunately for Addy, reality quickly sets in.
Addy (aka Lady Matilda) meets the handsome young falconer's son, Will, and starts to fall in love with him. Just as she realizes that Will feels the same way about her, Addy finds out that more is riding on Lady Matilda's marriage to Sir Hugh than she first thought.
Where Addy's low station in life is a constant problem for a strong-willed girl in 1913, now the high station of Lady Matilda in 1240 creates a very difficult choice for Addy to make.
I am not going to give anything away from the creative choices that are made at the end of this book. Enjoy the story!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Rise of the Fire Tamer (The Wordwick Games Book 1) by Kailin Gow
Description from Goodreads:
After winning a contest for a popular game called Wordwick Games, five teens Gemma, Sparks, Rio, Kat, and Jack, are invited to stay at Wordwick Games inventor Henry Word's mysterious castle and play the newest level of Wordwick Games. Little do they know, the castle is the doorway to a wondrous world call Anachronia where words can be used as weapons, power, and commodity. There is unrest in Anachronia, and if the five teens can follow the rules of Wordwick Games and prove to be the best player, one of them will be crowned Ruler of Anachronia.
The first book of a series, this was a good introduction to YA (Teen) books for young teens and tweens. The idea of 5 teens winning an online game contest and then being invited to play a new higher level of the game at the inventer's castle in England is intriguing.
The teens are unsure as to whether the world in the game is real or "just a game". There are twists involving this idea and there is another twist at the end. The ideas in the book are simple enough that a younger reader can easily deduce the direction that the plot takes. The characters are starting to be developed as the book progresses. Presumably this development will continue as the series continues.
I liked the ideas in the book, although it was somewhat younger than I had hoped. It will be interesting to see what develops as the series continues.
After winning a contest for a popular game called Wordwick Games, five teens Gemma, Sparks, Rio, Kat, and Jack, are invited to stay at Wordwick Games inventor Henry Word's mysterious castle and play the newest level of Wordwick Games. Little do they know, the castle is the doorway to a wondrous world call Anachronia where words can be used as weapons, power, and commodity. There is unrest in Anachronia, and if the five teens can follow the rules of Wordwick Games and prove to be the best player, one of them will be crowned Ruler of Anachronia.
The first book of a series, this was a good introduction to YA (Teen) books for young teens and tweens. The idea of 5 teens winning an online game contest and then being invited to play a new higher level of the game at the inventer's castle in England is intriguing.
The teens are unsure as to whether the world in the game is real or "just a game". There are twists involving this idea and there is another twist at the end. The ideas in the book are simple enough that a younger reader can easily deduce the direction that the plot takes. The characters are starting to be developed as the book progresses. Presumably this development will continue as the series continues.
I liked the ideas in the book, although it was somewhat younger than I had hoped. It will be interesting to see what develops as the series continues.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Dark Flame by Alyson Noel
Book 4 in the Immortals series after: Evermore; Blue Moon and Shadowland.
From the book jacket:
Ever is trying to help Haven make the transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat--exposing their secret world to the outside. But Ever's struggle to keep the Immortals hidden only propels Haven closer to the enemy: Roman and his evil companions.
At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman's power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who's hell-bent on her destruction. Now there's a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can't stop thinking about Roman--and longing for his touch. As she struggles to resist the fiery attraction threatening to consume her, Roman is more than willing to take advantage of her weakened state...and Ever edges closer and closer to surrender.
Frantic to break the spell before it's too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself--and her future with Damen...
I haven't read the first three books in this series and I found that I was seriously lacking in knowledge of each character's history and their back stories in relation to each other. Having said this, I felt more and more in touch with what was going on as the book progressed.
The book was fast paced and had some great male characters--Jude, Roman and Damen, in it. I would have liked to get to know Damen better as the male lead and soul-mate for Ever. He took a back seat in this instalment of the series, but presumably that won't continue as the series keeps going. I had some trouble really getting to know Ever, but that may have not been a problem if I had read the three previous books. It also made sense to a degree in context with the plot, because she is very conflicted in this instalment with the "dark flame" burning inside her.
There was an unexpected twist at the end of Dark Flame and what happened was completely unexpected, so I won't give anything away, but I found the ending quite redeeming in my mind. If the next book can have more twists and turns, more depth in the characters (especially Damen and Ever) and still have great description it will be well worth the wait!!!
From the book jacket:
Ever is trying to help Haven make the transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat--exposing their secret world to the outside. But Ever's struggle to keep the Immortals hidden only propels Haven closer to the enemy: Roman and his evil companions.
At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman's power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who's hell-bent on her destruction. Now there's a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can't stop thinking about Roman--and longing for his touch. As she struggles to resist the fiery attraction threatening to consume her, Roman is more than willing to take advantage of her weakened state...and Ever edges closer and closer to surrender.
Frantic to break the spell before it's too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself--and her future with Damen...
I haven't read the first three books in this series and I found that I was seriously lacking in knowledge of each character's history and their back stories in relation to each other. Having said this, I felt more and more in touch with what was going on as the book progressed.
The book was fast paced and had some great male characters--Jude, Roman and Damen, in it. I would have liked to get to know Damen better as the male lead and soul-mate for Ever. He took a back seat in this instalment of the series, but presumably that won't continue as the series keeps going. I had some trouble really getting to know Ever, but that may have not been a problem if I had read the three previous books. It also made sense to a degree in context with the plot, because she is very conflicted in this instalment with the "dark flame" burning inside her.
There was an unexpected twist at the end of Dark Flame and what happened was completely unexpected, so I won't give anything away, but I found the ending quite redeeming in my mind. If the next book can have more twists and turns, more depth in the characters (especially Damen and Ever) and still have great description it will be well worth the wait!!!
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