wordslikesilver

Hey y’all!
I’ve had an eventful few weeks. So, first of all, as I have mentioned before, Immortal Ink Publishing (the publishing company for which I intern) has opened for submissions. I also posted my first review for them on their blog this week (I’ll put links below since my handy tool that lets me link to text seems to not be cooperating) and I have dance tryouts next week. I graduate from the school I’ve been at for ten years next week and I also have decided which writing projects that I am going to work on this summer. I read my first John Green book (three, actually) and cried. I found out that amazing authors who I have been dying to meet will be at Teen Author Carnival while I am at Book Expo America! So much has been happening and will be happening over the summer and I am incredibly excited for it all!

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It’s essentially where bloggers talk about the books that they got this week. These are my books from the past two weeks. I’m really excited about them.

Review:

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

B&N:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

Belles by Jen Calonita

Paper Towns by John Green

Kindle:

Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti

When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

That’s it for me this week, and I’m hoping to devour the ones that I haven’t read already today. What did y’all get in your mailboxes?

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Format: ARC

Source: Inkwood

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Just when we thought that the vampire trend was over, Julie Kagawa announced her new novel, The Immortal Rules. It was funny because so many people were full of vampire-fatigue and so sick of the entire thing. Seeing the same story regurgitated over and over again and seeing every book compared to Twilight can get pretty tiring pretty fast.

This book is possibly the most refreshing and genius take on the trend that I have come across and restores my faith in it. I’m not even sure whether it can be called a take on the trend because it takes something tiring and made it completely new. This book – instead of being the conclusion to the trend as I expected – may just start it up again.

The Immortal Rules focuses on a girl named Allison. In a world crawling with bloodthirsty and vicious vampires, where nobody stays out after dark, and where starving is considered doing well, she is used to fending for herself. Although she belongs to a gang of other teens, she knows that they would just as easily turn their backs on her if it meant the difference between life and death. The sad part is that she’s used to that. Allison has been told for her entire life just how awful and heartless the vampire race is, and it’s been ingrained in her.

Allie is a part of the Fringe, the poor community outside of the Inner City, where the vampires live in their glitzy buildings. People rarely get invited to the Inner City, and then, it’s only the most talented and valuable of the humans. Allison learns to scavenge for food, eating whatever she can get her hands on even if it’s rotted because it could mean the difference between living and dying.

Going outside the city is forbidden and dangerous, with terrifying rabids stalking the ruins outside. When Allie and her gang are attacked by the rabids and she finds herself dying. It is then that she is offered a choice by a mysterious vampire master: die, or be turned. She chooses immortality.

As if turning into the monster she fears and hates with every fiber of her being isn’t enough, she soon is forced outside of the city, where she meets up with a group searching for the mysterious Eden, a place where vampires and rabids don’t exist. she learns that there is something much larger than her survival brewing on the horizon. Everything is at stake during this tantalizing novel filled with tension and electrifying action.

The first thing that hit me about The Immortal Rules was that it was completely and utterly honest. It didn’t skate around the subject or try to avoid the brutal truth. It was also realistic in the way that it painted the vampires and how human nature worked in that world. Betrayal was actually common because people turned on each other because of self-preservation.

Chances are, most people would choose based on the knowledge that they already had – that vampires were soulless, terrible people who didn’t have any humanity left – instead of taking a chance and putting their lives on the line. It was this reality that tormented Allie throughout the book because of the memories of her old life and having to hide her true nature for fear of being alienated.

A big part of the book was Allison being cut off by her few relationships. Some of them were ones that she had expected to end as soon as a better offer came up but some were ones that she was shocked and hurt about. It was actually a huge part of her character development because she was hurt and everything made her stronger. Her vampire transformation meant that she saw things in a different way and learned just how misunderstood some of the vampires were. Her transformation made her reflect upon her actions and thoughts that she had fostered for years, and some of her walls came down.

Allie was both a much more strong and vulnerable person at the end of the book. She managed to develop relationships and lose relationships and it changed her irrevocably. Her emotional transformation was just as potent as her physical one, and with every experience came a change.

A big issue with the vampires that I’m actually incredibly interested in nature vs. nurture. People were scared of the vampires because they knew about the soulless and heartless vampires that stalked the streets looking for prey and weren’t willing to take a chance on the others. Allie herself had believed in this for years but when she had the chance to survive instead of dying, she chose being a vampire. The people who judged her probably would have done the same.

Anyways, the people on the Fringe had been used to never going out after dark and immediately distrusting all of the vampires. Part of it is pride, and part of it is true, but nobody is willing to take a chance on the vampires that may actually turn out to be good. Also, a lot of the people in the Fringe have never seen a vampire. There are gangs and groups but in reality, everybody is on their own because nobody will risk their life. It was a depressing life to read about but it was also really interesting.

There were plenty of vampires that delighted in killing humans and drinking blood and others who repressed the urge. Allie herself struggled with retaining her humanity and we learned so much about her from that process. While Julie Kagawa excels at making beautiful, plot-driven novels, her character development was really stunning in this book as well.

Is it weird if I say that I was really a fan of Julie Kagawa not being afraid to kill off her characters? I was really attached to them, and I cried like a baby when they died, but it was so realistic and brutally honest that I couldn’t help but love it when she did that. In a book like this, there’s bound to be tragedy and I admire Julie Kagawa’s guts for being able to do that to her characters. It’s really sad killing off a character but it’s really one of the most important moments in a storyline.

It says something about her bravery with this. The Immortal Rules was a very risky book to pull off and only Julie Kagawa could have attempted something like this and manage to rank it among my favorites. Chilling developments shattered misconceptions that I had built throughout the book and made me question everything that I thought I knew.

The destruction and devastation of the world that Julie Kagawa created was breathtaking. Her descriptive language wasn’t flowery but I could see the jagged edges of the building and the gaunt figures of the rabids. Wow! Just wow! It wasn’t superfluous, but easily painted a picture of the surroundings and the emotion in the environment that Allie was in.

It reminded me of the Hunger Games world, although instead of the control, it was complete chaos. By what I mean when I say that, I mean that there was that same sense of despair and there was a rule of conduct that was understood but not said. It had the same dark feel but there was still hope. And like Suzanne Collins did with Mockingjay, it wouldn’t have been real enough if things turned out well, or if it was happy, but for some reason, it still left me feeling satisfied. Like I said earlier, Julie Kagawa is honest, and I love that in a book even when I don’t agree with what has to happen.

The world building! Oh, the world building! Everything about this book made me want to completely fangirl out! Julie Kagawa builds a terrifying world of deceit and survival and it was incredible. A large part of the book was world building, and although that was rather slow towards the beginning, there was a need for it. The next book should be much more fast-paced because of the fantastic world building done in the first book. At first, I was confused by the customs and unspoken rules of the world, but as I read more and more, I understood. It just was really well done and written.

This book also did a lot of genre-blending. One of my favorite books is filled with genre-blending (Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly) and the dystopian/post-apocalyptic genre goes hand and hand with the paranormal. It was really excellently done. Most post-apocalyptic books like this were with zombies instead of vampires and it was a very refreshing change. Everything about this book blew me away!

Another element that I found interesting in the book was that there was a lot of…philosophy. Instead of simply being a rough-and-tumble book that had gore and excitement, it explored what it means to have humanity and so many themes were interwoven. Whether they were intentional or just snuck into the story, I don’t know, but I loved stopping to think about deeper things throughout the book as they were bought up. There were so many questions about human nature and nature vs. nurture and power struggles. While I do love a rollicking read, I also love it when a book addresses other matters or subtly hints at a theme. It may be my own little quirk but Julie Kagawa did so in an extremely enthralling way.

My thoughts at the beginning of the book were completely different by the end. I saw all of the characters in new ways because of the experiences that they had been through, saw the world in an entirely new light, and was left feeling completely alive. My mind was racing; my heart was beating at double time. I was at the edge of my seat, unable to put the book down, and the ending tapered off perfectly but left me aching for more. In a way, the book itself reminded me of Eve by Anna Carey but we didn’t experience any of the weakness nor frustration that I felt with that book with The Immortal Rules. Everything was strong and powerful. The impact that I felt when it ended was enormous.

To summarize, Julie Kagawa has created an addictive read full of twists and shattering developments that change everything as you read. Her exuberant risk-taking pays off and her bravery and bold writing takes the book to an entirely new level. We see a new side of Julie Kagawa and it was fantastic. The exciting plot line hints at a deeper meaning and  the new take on vampires is extremely refreshing in a market saturated with one type of vampire book. Parts of the book were a bit rough, but I expect that this series will go far and I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. The characters were extremely well developed and realistic, the pacing was brilliant, and I was left satisfied by the end of the book.

Recommended for anybody who loves: Eve; Released by Megan Duncan; Crusade; The Morganville Vampires; Julie Kagawa; brutal honesty; straightforward writing; post-apocalyptic fiction; horror; etc,.

Possible book club questions:

How did Alison’s perception of vampires change when she became one. Was this hypocrisy?
Alison made the decision to become a vampire in a life-or-death situation. A person’s true character is shown when he or she is in a life-or-death situation. What did this choice show about Alison?
Alison was very aggressive towards other people towards the end of the book. How much of this came from her vampire nature and how much came from her personality?
Compare and contrast the vision of vampires seen in many recent YA books with the vision that Julie Kagawa paints in this book. 

etc,.

Lenny Petrakas is worried about her skin. Not the way you’re thinking. Not like that at all. While most people spend time concerned about dirt and elasticity, temperature and moisture, Lenny has a more pressing problem. Something is after her. Something evil that won’t stop until it has peeled every last inch of skin from the teen’s body. And then, it may end her misery quickly, or it may dump her body in the woods. Let infection and dehydration run its course.

Lenny is just your normal sixteen-year-old girl. Was. Was just your normal sixteen-year-old girl. Quiet and polite. Petite. Introspective, but not to the point of isolation. Loyal? Fiercely so. Outstanding? Noteworthy? Different? No, no, and no. Or so she thought. What started as an eerie feeling, a certainty that someone had been in her room while she slept, has spiraled into something far worse. Something was in her room. Something that finds her highly different, extremely noteworthy, and intensely outstanding.

Game over? Wrong. Lenny’s a fighter, and she isn’t about to lie down and take what’s coming to her. Enlisting the help of her best friend, a not-so-secret admirer, the hottest guy in school, one odious cheerleader, and a paranormalist teacher, Lenny is facing her fears head on, in a battle she knows can only end in death.

Fury’s Fire by Lisa Papademitriou

At the end of Siren’s Storm, the Sirens were defeated, and now the town of Walfang is once again a peaceful beach community.

Or is it? Gretchen and Will are still haunted by the memories of the night the Sirens were destroyed—Gretchen because she can’t remember what happened and Will because he doesn’t know how to tell Gretchen what he saw. He doesn’t even understand what he saw, but he does know now that Gretchen is more than what she seems, more than a human girl. And at the same time, he is more in love with her than ever.

Gretchen knows there’s something wrong, too. She feels like an alien in her own body, but she doesn’t know why. And she feels a presence stalking her at every turn. Have the Sirens returned to Walfang? Or has some other force come to claim her?

The first book in the series was pretty good, so I wasn’t expecting anything special out of this one. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised because Fury’s Fire exceeded my expectations. The character development was up to par and the plot was even more intense than in Siren’s Storm. I really do enjoy when authors write from the boy’s point of view. Part of it may be my fascination as a teen girl (because we always want to know how guys think!) but the other part is just because that’s how the book works.

In the last book, Will was still dealing with his depression and grief over his brother’s death. At the end of the last book, Will was finally accepting his brother’s death and the role that the strange girl he saw may have had to do with it. What I also thought refreshing about this book was that it wasn’t a paranormal romance. Will was actually falling in love with his best friend of years but it wasn’t focused on that. It was actually focused on the plot and character development like any book should be and I respected the author for that.

I absolutely loved this book! I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with it as much as I did. I really loved how the story got deeper and deeper and twisted into the mythology. The character development – like in the first book – was my favorite part of the book and I highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys stories with a lot of mythology, siren books, and character development.

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .

Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

Of Poseidon was definitely better than I was expecting as well. I went through spurts with this one: at first, I read a few pages and didn’t enjoy it, but it may have just been my mood at the time because when I picked it up, I devoured it. There were a few things that I didn’t really enjoy but nothing that annoyed me enough to point it out. I really loved the mood to it all and I was not expecting the twists and curveballs that Anna Banks would throw at us!

Emma was a memorable character. She was normal and just like any average girl but there was a spark to her that made her stand out. She had a slightly quirky, loyal personality that I really enjoyed and she was tender. The other characters in the novel were a bit usual – the sister who doesn’t like her, the love interest, the friend, etc,. but Emma made up for them. They were okay, but nothing special.

The dynamic of the mermaid story in this book was very well explained. I didn’t lose my place once or have to stop because I was confused. It was clearly explained throughout the book and provided a clean foundation to build more on and go more in-depth and detailed on everything. I hate being confused, so Of Poseidon was fresh and relaxing in that aspect.

Judging by my first impression of the book compared to when I finally read it, this could be one of those books that you either love or don’t enjoy. It’s a used storyline but the twists and backstory make the book a good read.

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

I went through the same reaction that I did with Of Poseidon with Struck. I picked it up one day and quickly got tired with the dystopian world. I picked it up a few days later and forced myself through the rocky beginning and ended up really enjoying it. Mia is an interesting character to read about. She has lightning scars everywhere because she is a living lightning rod. I haven’t ever seen this idea before and the way that the book combined intrigue and mystery based on religion with a dystopian world was phenomenal.

The thing that I find most memorable about this book is the story itself. It almost reminds me of Harbinger and Faye and Mia are extremely alike. Also, both of them remind me of Janelle from Unraveling. They’re strong and fierce, which are two traits that I love to see in a protagonist even if they are kind of crazy.

The worldbuilding was fascinating. Jennifer Bosworth uses frightening imagery and chilling new developments to take her story to the next level and by the end of the book, I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the cult aspects to it all and in a strange way, it reminded me of The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, with a heightened sense of danger because of the paranormal elements.

While it took me a few tries to get into it because the beginning wasn’t my personal style, I can see it appealing to a variety of readers. The intensity and structure were my favorite parts and by the end, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

Endure by Carrie Jones

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

The Need series has always been one of the series that I reread over and over. Carrie Jones’s evocative language and amusing one-liners mixed with constant danger and pixies? I couldn’t start reading fast enough. One of the things about Endure that immediately stuck out to me was that you definitely need to reread the series before you can read Endure because if you don’t, you will have forgotten a lot of details that are imperative to the plot. I had to put Endure down to go reread the series and enjoyed catching up with my favorite characters.

Zara has come a long way in this series and I’ll be missing characters like Devyn (who unfortunately was hardly present during this book), Issie, Nick, Astley, and others. The only complaint I had was that the romance never really came to a conclusion. There were several things that I wanted to have been fleshed out a little more. I felt like this book was more focused on Zara and her reaction to the end of the world than as of with all of the characters as a whole. There were a few flaws with the book, but the sweeping tone and climactic ending satisfied me in the end and left me wishing that it had never ended.

It’s always bittersweet to me to read the final book in one of my favorite series and Endure surpassed all of my expectations, which were extremely high. I fell in love all over again with the lush imagery and action that left me on the edge of my seat.

Of course, I was absolutely bawling at the end. A stunning conclusion to an engaging series.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Wow. 2012 seems to be the year for strong heroines. Ismae seemed like she would be timid and frightened by things but she claimed her own future and was a character that I rooted for no matter what she did or encountered. One thing that I always enjoy in books like this (like what Lauren Myracle does in her The Winnie Years series, which coincidentally have basically been the guide for me throughout the past three years, but that’s another story) is when it starts out with the character around my age. The book immediately plunged me into the vision of a frail and terrified girl about to be married.

Then we meet another Ismae – a stronger version – who has been shaped based by what the convent tells her. She’s fearsome with weapons and poisons, a skilled assassin and a talented spy. I loved the nature of Ismae and how she was vulnerable and invincible all at once.

Robin LaFevers takes risks throughout this book. She isn’t afraid to make things blunt when she needs to because frankly, her land was the kind of world where many things are simply accepted. It made me respect her and her writing and I commend her because most of those risks paid off in my mind.

What I loved the most was the atmosphere. The entire novel was dripping with history and backstory; I positively loved it. I am a definite fan of lavish description and rich settings and time periods. I am absolutely in love with the physical setting of this book and the emotional highs that it took me through. Romance, betrayal, and loyalty all play a role in this extravagant first installment in an exciting new series.

UPDATE: I also saw a lot of press for Grave Mercy in Girl’s Life magazine! I love the ad…it’s gorgeous! If you are a subscriber, you should definitely check out all the books that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt was promoting!

Enthralled by Various Authors

“Enthralled” is a collection of 14 original teen paranormal short stories from some of today’s bestselling YA talent, united with the common theme of road trips.

Contents:
Introduction: by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong
Giovanni’s Farewell: by Claudia Gray
Scenic Route: by Carrie Ryan
Red Run: by Kami Garcia
Things About Love: by Jackson Pearce
Niederwald: by Rachel Vincent
Merely Mortal: by Melissa Marr
Facing Facts: by Kelley Armstrong
Let’s Get this Undead Show on the Road: by Sarah Rees Brennan
Bridge: by Jeri Smith-Ready
Skin Contact: by Kimberly Derting
Leaving: by Ally Condie
At The Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show: by Jessica Verday
IV League: by Margaret Stohl
Gargouille: by Mary E. Pearson
The Third Kind: by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Automatic: by Rachel Caine

What I found nice about Enthralled was that I didn’t have to read it at once. Being a collection of short stories, it was the type of book that I could just take slowly. I ended up reading about a story per night before bed and then reading whichever book I was throwing myself into wholeheartedly after that. Enthralled created many addictive stories and spin-offs from worlds that I was already familiar through. There wasn’t even a story that I didn’t like, although I did have many favorites. The one that immediately comes to mind was Rachel Caine’s “Automatic”, which played off of her Morganville Vampires series.

It’s hard to find a balance between everything in a short story. Having likable, somewhat developed characters and an enticing storyline is tough when you have so few pages. I wasn’t expecting as much from it as I should have because it turned out to be a fun read.

I thought that the writing styles would end up blurring together but they were each very distinctive and it was interesting how authors branched out more with each short story.  I really enjoyed the book even though it took me a while to finish it. The intoxicating blend of writing styles and intriguing stories were wonderful to read and I discovered many authors whose books I will definitely be reading after reading their short stories.

I hope you enjoyed! Have you read any of these? Let me know what you thought in the comments!

One thing that I’ve been pondering for a while now is the status of guys and crushes in Young Adult books. It’s been a while since I’ve had to think about it as anything more than it was but recently my views on it has changed. Even though the heroine may be coping with grief or learning that she holds the key to unlocking a prophecy, or even just looking for a boyfriend, with all her faults, she still comes across as likable and adorable or in some way appealing to the guy.

What I’m looking for recently is the uncertainty. When you have a crush, you don’t know whether he likes you or not or what you should text back to him or if his awkwardness means anything at all. You’re awkward and he’s awkward and it’s all just so confusing on where you two stand. Should you ask him if he wants to do something? Should you wait until he asks you? There’s no black and white and that’s where I think YA goes wrong.

In several books, the heroine completely humiliates herself in front of him but he’s romantic. Maybe she falls in love with somebody else and doesn’t realize that her dream boy is right in front of her. So many things can go wrong in these scenarios but there’s very little mention of the nervousness and awkwardness of actually crushing on him. I get frustrated because while the heroine is beating herself up for not talking to him or doing the wrong thing, she doesn’t show anything that I’m feeling. I have a crush now and it’s the most nerve-wracking and exciting thing. Everything is confusing but it’s also wonderful and I wish that YA would convey this authentically.

Even in YA, if something goes wrong, it’s still perfect. Something good will come out of it. There will be a happy ending or a lovely romantic gesture. I love reading this books because this is what I want a relationship to be like but there’s nothing to help anybody through the awkward phases.

But in young adult, if I were a heroine, I would have tripped in front of him or accidentally done something and he would look at me with soulful eyes and share a secret. He would show up at my door with flowers. I’d see him with another girl and go home heartbroken and convinced that he hates me. He would do mixed signals. I would finally admit that I like him and we would get together. It would work out.

In real life, I wish that something would happen like in a book. But I know it won’t happen that way. In a way, I enjoy the uncertainty and awkwardness because whatever happens, it will be that much better if it happens. In a YA book, you can guess what will happen. In life, there are no promises. That’s what makes it lovely, and that’s what I want to see.

But the problem with it all is that there isn’t the uncertainty and awkwardness because in YA, there will always be a happy ending and she will most likely get the guy. It annoys me because although I love a picture perfect romance, I don’t know whether or not crushes will work out! The problem is that in YA, I wish there were more times when the girl doesn’t get the guy and it works out. Or it’s really really really awkward at first and gets better and it is real.

Authenticity in relationships is really helpful. Not everything in life can go as well as in a young adult novel and I wish there were more “real” romance stories. Or maybe stories about guys who aren’t perfect. Because, let’s face it, guys aren’t perfect. Girls aren’t perfect.

What I want in a YA book is the story of the couple who have fights and go on a really awkward first date and are best friends and that’s why their relationship works. They go on group dates and spend time together and go out for coffee and most moments aren’t full of intense passion but the few that are make their nights. I just want to see the type of relationship that I’ve seen my sister have or that I would like to have because that’s the type of relationship that most people are going to have. That’s the type of relationships that we have seen. I also think that YA should address when people get together because of “convenience” and how that’s different from other relationships, because that’s another thing that I’ve been noticing with the people in my grade: people will get together because it makes them look good or they’re friends or other things. There’s a difference between a girl getting together with a guy because of that and actually falling for him.

Must every guy be tall, dark, and handsome? Must every heroine spend years as a single girl and then POOF! have two perfect guys fall in love with her? That may happen to some girls but it doesn’t happen to the majority. I love the storybook romances that we see in YA, but it’d be nice to see a few ones that I could actually relate to and that I would see around me. I just want to see YA without the big romantic gesture and where everything works out perfectly. I want to see YA where it’s uncertain and awkward but things are still wonderful.

Isn’t the whole point of YA to relate to real teens? But how can they relate if there are no real relationships? There are books that pull of relationships well and I read those but I want to see more.

What do y’all think?

Hey y’all!

It’s Grace and I have been positively itching for today to arrive! On the May 1 square in my blogging planner, there are words everywhere – bits of titles, notes to myself about which books to buy and review – because there are so many books releasing tomorrow, several of which I have been waiting for and others which I have gotten the incredible opportunity to read. I’m going to spotlight a few of these releases today and I hope y’all get the chance to go to a bookstore soon because I will definitely be dying to go!

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame

The prettiest people often have the ugliest secrets… 

Eighteen-year-old Maggie Darlington has turned into an entirely different person. The once spirited teen is now passive and reserved. A change Lord and Lady Darlington can’t help but be grateful for.

It’s 1912, and the Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall have more than just the extensive grounds to maintain. As one of Britain’s most elite families, they need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been… even as their carefully constructed façade rapidly comes undone.

Maggie has a secret. And she’s not the only one… the handsome groom Michael, the beautiful new French nanny Therese, the Darlingtons’ teenage houseguests Teddy and Jessica, and even Maggie’s younger sister Lila are all hiding something. Passion, betrayal, heartache, and whispered declarations of love take place under the Darlingtons’ massive roof. And one of these secrets has the power to ruin the Darlingtons forever.

When scandalous satires start appearing in the newspaper with details that closely mirror the lives of the Darlingtons, everyone is looking over their shoulder, worrying their scandal will be next. Because at Wentworth Hall, nothing stays secret for long.

WHY I WANT IT: Historical and British! I have a fascination with all things British (ahem, including One Direction) and this looks positively delicious. The elegance and secrecy makes it look like something that I am dying to get my hands on and while I don’t usually indulge in books focusing on scandal and gossip, the atmosphere behind this one makes it one that I think I’ll really enjoy.

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.

Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

A cross-country trip to meet her father forces Anna to face the reality that hope and love are not options for her kind. When she confronts her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

WHY I WANT IT: I had the chance to read this earlier in the year and no book has topped it so far. Sweet Evil still remains my favorite book of 2012 and it is well-written, the character development is incredible, the plot is fantastic, and everything about this book has me completely sold on it. If there was one book that I’ve read this year that I could recommend that you read, it would be Sweet Evil.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

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.

WHY I WANT IT: I represented Fire in the YA Heroine Tournament and I love Kristin Cashore’s lush fantasy and strength in her heroines. With fiery romance and everything at stakes in intense wars and battles, everything about these books just calls to me. Superb writing and solid story building make her writing stand out and I can’t wait to read Bitterblue.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth’s much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

WHY I WANT IT: Do I even have to explain myself on this one? I liked Divergent even more than The Hunger Games! This book makes me speechless. It is like a drug to me and I need the sequel NOW. I needed it a year ago when I first read Divergent and I am obsessed with this book. I am completely fangirling over this one right now!

Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready

In this dramatic conclusion to the Shade trilogy, Aura and Zachary’s relationship sizzles as the secrets of the Shift are revealed.

Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past.

As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves…even if that means betraying her own heart.

WHY I WANT IT: I was Team Kilt during the YA Crush Tournament and I really enjoyed the first books! There was an awesome opportunity where Jeri Smith-Ready told her fans that she was putting us in her acknowledgements, so I will actually be in them! My name “Grace Smith” will be in an actual published book. Plus, there’s a reason I was Team Kilt. Zachary Moore…and pretty much everything about the books…swoon.

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back.

WHY I WANT IT: I think y’all have heard about my obsession with mermaid books. I love them because I not-so-secretly wish that I was a mermaid. Doesn’t everybody? I devour books like this so easily and love when I can go to the beach and tear through them while listening to the crashing waves.  This one is also about a boy so I really like that. It also seems like more of a fantasy then contemporary, and with the mermaid trend sometimes being clogged by paranormal romance, it seems very refreshing. Since summer is coming up, I really want this one!

Destined by Aprilynne Pike

Tamani looked at her gravely, and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

He hesitated for an instant, then his hands found the sides of her face, pulling her to him. He didn’t kiss her, just held her face close to his, their foreheads resting together, their noses almost touching.

She hated how much it felt like good-bye.

Laurel now knows the truth: Yuki is a rare Winter faerie, the most powerful—and deadly—of all, and Klea plans to use her to help conquer and destroy Avalon. But Klea’s reach extends far beyond one wild Winter faerie. With Tamani, David, and Chelsea by her side, Laurel prepares to face what may be Avalon’s final days, in the stunning conclusion to the Wings series.

WHY I WANT IT: Aprilynne Pike just has this flowing, gorgeous writing style that I completely adore. Her stories are clever and her faerie dynamic is so well done. Wings was a wonderful book and I just want to sink into this book and let it bring me into the dreamy mood that her books create. Action, romance, and faeries! What more could you want?

Wrecked by Anna Davies

Secrets of the sea have never been sexier than this. 

Ever since the death of her parents, Miranda has lived on Whym Island, taking comfort in the local folklore, which claims a mysterious sea witch controls the fate of all on the island and in its surrounding waters. Sometimes it’s just easier to believe things are out of your control.

But then a terrible boating accident takes the lives of several of her friends, and Miranda is rescued by a mysterious boy who haunts her dreams. Consumed by guilt from the accident, she finds refuge in late-night swims—and meets Christian, a boy who seems eerily familiar, but who is full of mystery: He won’t tell her where he is from, or why they can only meet at the beach. But Miranda falls for him anyway…and discovers that Christian’s secrets, though meant to protect her, may bring her nothing but harm.

Seductive and compelling, Wrecked brings a contemporary, paranormal twist to a classic enchanting tale.

WHY I WANT IT: Another mermaid book! Might I just say that this one looks darker and I do love it when it incorporates folklore. This one looks a bit edgier than The Vicious Deep and I keep getting torn between the two. These all look fantastic! How am I ever going to choose between them? I also really love how it’s focused more on the boy because I do enjoy stories like that and I know it can get frustrating when it’s all just focusing on the girl.

See any you like? I know that tomorrow I’ll be daydreaming of these books during class!

Hey y’all!

It’s In My Mailbox time! In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It’s basically where bloggers show off the books that they got that week for review, from the library, that they bought, etc,.

I’ve had an amazing week and unfortunately the blog had to go on the backburner. I went to Washington D.C. with my eighth grade class and saw some beautiful memorials. I finally met Jacob from Tomequester and we went to the carnival together on Friday and Saturday night. I don’t think I could even describe how amazing it was to finally meet him and how happy I was.

A few covers were revealed (not on my blog) for Julie Kagawa’s upcoming books: The Lost Prince and The Iron Legends. I posted an interview with Rachel Coker (an incredible teenage author) as well as a review of On the Bright Side by S.R. Johannes.

Anyways, so here’s the actual In My Mailbox part:

Bought:

Radiate by Marley Gibson

Traded with Jacob:

Immortal City by Scott Speer

I also had several pictures from Washington that I wanted to share with y’all but my sister is just now uploading them so I’ll have to wait on that. Thanks for reading!
Grace

Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn’t shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie’s heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved.

I play the piano, but I bet you never would have guessed that. I also run my own portrait photography business, which is huge passion of mine.

Oh, I just laugh in their faces and hold up my book. Ha ha, just kidding. I haven’t experienced too much prejudice because I have done something, but I definitely feel for the teenagers across the world who have this wonderful gift and passion for writing, but just haven’t gotten published yet. It’s hard to get adults to take you seriously. I struggled with that when I was first trying to get into the business.

Hey y’all! I’ve gotten a few requests to make my reviews shorter, so for my next few reviews, I’m going to be experimenting with length and different ways of doing it where it’s easier on the reader.

Release Date: January 31, 2012

Publisher: Coleman & Stott

Format: eBook

Source: Author

As if the devil’s food cake at her wake and the white fat pants she’s stuck wearing for eternity weren’t bad enough, fourteen year-old Gabby is quick to discover that Cirrus, the main rung of Heaven, is a far cry from the Pearly Gates. Here, SkyFones and InnerNets are all the rage. At her first Bright ceremony, G.O.D., the automated assignment system, spits out Angela Black, Gabby’s arch nemesis and longtime fencing rival. As a Bright, Gabby has to protect Angela, her assigned mortal, in order to move up through the training levels of heaven.

Back on earth, Angela starts hitting on Michael, Gabby’s crush and should-have-been boyfriend. Gabby’s pranks to quell the love are harmless at first until the school dance sabotage gets completely out of control. Then, Celestial Sky Agent, Lawrence, who happens to have anger management issues of his own, steps into reveal that Angela has big problems, and what she really needs is Gabby’s help. 

Determined to right her wrong and ease her mother’s grief, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to earth for just one day. But if Gabby’s not careful, her well-meaning mission just might shift the very foundation of Heaven, Earth, and every place in between, causing the danger of the dark side to roam free

First of all, I apologize for the overdue review. Honestly, I thought that I would have gotten to it by now especially because of how this book touched me and things just kept popping up. If you missed it, I interviewed S.R. on the blog a few weeks ago and she talked about writing, her book, and more. On the Bright Side is one of those books that I needed time to digest how it impacted me.

Gabby was such an engrossing character. I thought that this book would be written more like an MG, and it was kind of a crossover to MG/YA. This book made me cry, but it also made me laugh, and smile, and want to go thank everybody for what I have. It’s the type of book that has death in it, but it also has life, and the most beautiful part of it was Gabby’s reflection upon her life and her growth as a character.

The book begins narrated by Gabby watching her funeral. This was really strategic on the part of S.R. Johannes because we instantly were introduced to the characters that meant the most to her, the things that were happening, and the rest of the book was set  up for us effortlessly in a few paragraphs. It’s the chapter that is completely absorbing and makes you want to dive into the book right away.

Gabby’s emotions blend perfectly with the action of the novel, and they really bled into the reader. Gabby was so relatable and naive, but although she was never able to mature on Earth, she still kept growing up even after death. I felt like S.R. was writing about me for a good part of the book and it was truthfully inspiring to watch Gabby develop.

Gabby was sneaking out with the boy she had a crush on – Michael. She’s finally starting to have hope that he likes her back, that they can finally be what they were meant to be. When she gets a text from her arch-nemisis Angela, she replies back, but Michael’s shout from across the street wasn’t enough to keep her from walking into the path of an oncoming car.

When she gets to heaven, Gabby finds herself completely overwhelmed. The rules, seeing her dad again, witnessing her funeral…a girl can’t be prepared for all of that.

Gabby mourns the fact that she died, and the fact that she’s stuck wearing white pants that “make her look fat” for all eternity. We experienced young love through her eyes, death, and growth. It was everything that a person around my age needs and it reminds you about everything in life that you want to hold onto.

The culture of heaven was also one of the best parts of this book. What was amusing to say the least was the intricate culture of heaven. While the world moves on and developed new technology, so did heaven. So there comes SkyFones and SkyAgents and all sorts of fantastical devices and strategies to make being a Bright a breeze.

The first thing that made me cry was when Gabby met her dead relatives in heaven – her sets of grandparents and then her dad. I started bawling at this scene and it was just so moving to read about Gabby meeting her father again after they’ve both died, and heartbreaking that her mom and brother had lost them both.

The equal mix of funniness and poignancy melted my heart. A funny thing about this book was that although it’s about a girl who died and went to heaven, it actually isn’t religious. The book features a woman (“goddess”) who runs heaven, and God is retired. There wasn’t much mention of him, but the book still inspires faith, but even somebody who isn’t Christian can read it and not be put off by the preachiness, because there isn’t any. It’s also incredibly hard to write about heaven and not get preachy or religious, so props to you, S.R. for being able to execute that.

Dying really came as a shock to Gabby because nobody really thinks that they’re going to die young. Everybody thinks that they’ll live full lives and have a chance to cross things off of their bucket lists. It reminded me of a passage from Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver talking about how you never really know when you’re going to die and time is relative.

I also must say that it was equal parts character-driven and plot-driven, which surprised me. I was expecting it to mostly be a reflection on Gabby’s character and while it was that, there was also action and intrigue and backstory. I was so surprised by the events that occurred in the book and it kept me guessing until the last page.

There was an intense side to it. It wasn’t just Gabby’s emotions, but a plot with the entire world at stake, and that was incredibly fun to read about. I was biting my nails almost the entire time and I loved how it balanced so much in the book.

Overall, On the Bright Side was emotional, fun, and a great read for any MG/YA or even adult reader. On the Bright Side explores death, and what it truly means to live. None of the books that I’ve read recently have been as elegant or thought-provoking as this lovely novel. My original perceptions of the book completely changed by the end of the novel and was one of those books that I put down and cried over it. Beautiful character development and heart-warming relationships left me satisfied by the end. I highly recommend On the Bright Side.

Possible book club questions:

How do you think Gabby’s entrance to heaven would have been different if her father weren’t there?
How was Gabby’s character developed more when she was dead and could reflect on her life rather than when she was alive? How does this occur similarly in other books such as Before I Fall and If I Stay?
How do you think Lilith saw herself in Gabby?
How did Gabby and Angela’s relationship change throughout the book? How did they see each other differently at the end?

Let me know how you like a shorter format! I’m also going to experiment with a format of reviewing that is my long evaluation of the book and how it impacted me, but with a summary in bold at the end for those who may not want to read as much. Thank you!