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!!!
Friday, October 29, 2010
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.
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