Author: Gayle Forman
Publication Date: April 5, 2011
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Copy provided by: Publisher
Summary (via Goodreads):It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.
Why I read this: I just loved If I Stay. LOVED it, so when I heard there was a sequel, I had to pick it up. When it appeared on my doorstep it was like fate. :)
Plot: Taking off a few years later from If I Stay, this book is from the point of view of Adam, who is a successful rock star, yet he feels like the world is slowly tumbling down around him. Without Mia, he seems to have little purpose and is a wealth of emotions that are ready to overflow. A chance meeting will change his life forever. I just loved the rawness in this book. There's such a twist in your heart as you read this sequel to a book that did just the same. I love the way this book played out, it was absolutely magical and absolutely realistic all at once.
Characters: Adam is such a wreck when we meet him at the beginning of this book. A lovable wreck, but definitely a walking disaster. I love the world we get a peak into with this book, with the infamy aspect of being a famous musician. You almost hate Mia when she comes back into the picture, but Adam's love is so huge you can't help but start to forgive her.
Relatability: Anyone can relate to this, those who have lost someone or lost touch with someone, people who are musicians, those who have had relationships.. there's so much in here that anyone could relate to.
Cover Commentary: Love it. :)
Rating: 5/5
k:
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Publication Date: 1986
Genre: YA Fantasy
Copy provided by: Myself - bought at HPB
Summary (via Goodreads):In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, and seven-league boots were everyday things. The Witch of the Waste was another matter.
After fifty years of quiet, it was rumored that the Witch was about to terrorize the country again. So when a moving black castle, blowing dark smoke from its four thin turrets, appeared on the horizon, everyone thought it was the Witch. The castle, however, belonged to Wizard Howl, who, it was said, liked to suck the souls of young girls.
The Hatter sisters —Sophie, Lettie, and Martha —and all the other girls were warned not to venture into the streets alone. But that was only the beginning.
In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl's castle?
Diana Wynne Jones's entrancing fantasy is filled with surprises at every turn, but when the final stormy duel between the Witch and the Wizard is finished, all the pieces fall magically into place.
Why I read this: When I heard that the amazing Diana Wynne Jones had passed, I decided it was time to read the books I had been meaning to for some time. And this was one of them. I loved the animated movie and figured the book would be even better.
Plot: Sophie is definitely not the luckiest girl. In fact, she doesn't seem all that mad when she gets turned into an old woman. Then she ends up in the incredible moving castle of Howl, a supposedly evil wizard who steals away and kills young maidens. But there's more behind Howl and the reason his castle is floating. I really can't say too much about this plot other than it is absolutely magical. I just loved it.
Characters: Howl is possibly the most interesting character I've read in a long time. He's quirky and moody and seems not all together there. Sophie herself makes an interesting old woman and it's her voice that we view the book through. I just love all of Jones' characters. They're so unique and wonderful, even the bad ones.
Relatability: Fans of high fantasy with well-developed characters will be begging for more of her books after reading this one. For such a long book it read rather fast as well.
Cover Commentary: There's so many covers of this book, it's insane. I really quite like the one I have. It's a bit brighter than some of the others. Not sure if that's how I quite pictured the castle though.
Rating: 5/5 Roses
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? “Spend hours chatting about the Brontë siblings, Oscar Wilde, and a ton of more unliterary topics.”
This fantastic meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.
Do you go on Goodreads? Are you doing the Reading Challenge? Does it say you're behind? Astronomically behind? Well, it does for me. 28 books behind! I need a kick in the butt. With the long weekend coming up (thanks to a certain Christian holiday), I figured now is as good as any to try and get caught up.
Ann Aguirre is a national bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, two cats, and one very lazy dog. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Dr. Who. She writes urban fantasy (the Corine Solomon series), romantic science fiction (the Jax series), apocalyptic paranormal romance (the Ellen Connor books with Carrie Lofty), paranormal romantic suspense (as Ava Gray), and post-apocalyptic dystopian young adult fiction.
Author: Ann Aguirre
Publication Date: April 12, 2011
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian
Copy provided by: Teen Book Scene
Summary (via Goodreads):New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.
Why I read this: I'm always up for some good dystopian is why.
Plot: Full of zombie-like creatures (only without the rising from the dead and infection of the living), Enclave takes you on a journey underground to a small community that gets by with following rules that aren't afraid to sacrifice for the good of all. Deuce's goal is to become a huntress, to defend her enclave, but finds that all is not right and fair and is exiled to the dreaded Topside with Fade, a former topsider. There's a lot of fighting in this book and I love how kick-butt Deuce is. Add in a little romance, a lot of danger and you've got a great read here. I can't wait for more of this series.
Characters: Deuce is a strong female lead, who knows how to hold her own and stands her ground. I really liked her and hope to see more of who she is outside of the enclave in the next books. Fade is a bit of a moody character and one who I was unsure of but now has grown on me. I can't wait to see what blossoms between the two.
Relatability: I think fans of Hunger Games and dystopian or zombie fiction will enjoy this one.
Cover Commentary: I love it. Deuce uses dual knives, so it's very fitting.
Rating: 5/5 Roses
3. Use the library.
Today, I have the great pleasure of hosting an interview with Jackie Morse Kessler, author of Hunger and Rage. Stay tuned for giveaway details below.
AGE that had almost been a throwaway line, but that wound up being an important plot point in LOSS (Book 3 of the Riders of the Apocalypse). And as I was working on that book, I finally discovered exactly why War and Famine despise each other -- and that will be shown in the last book, not in LOSS.
