The Tainted Poet's YA Book Review:

A YA book review blog for anything out of the ordinary-- Paranormal, Supernatural, Fantasy and Sci-Fi. Complete with Reviews, Interviews and Contests-- So stay and have a look!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Contest: 200 followers!


--200 Followers Contest--





One winner-- Two books! Win two of the titles above in celebration of my reaching 200 followers! :)

Cool huh? Here are the rules!

-Opened INTERNATIONALLY! :)
-Post everything in ONE entry.
-Post your
EMAIL. No email, no entry.
-There will only be ONE winner.

-Contest open until Midnight of
October 31st, 2009.
(Midnight whatever your time is. I won't post the winner till a day afterward.)


To Enter:
-Since this is my 200 Followers Contest, you MUST be a follower to enter. New followers are welcome. :)
+1 Just comment on which two books you would like to win! :D

Extra Entries:
+1 for everywhere you post this contest or link my blog (ex: Sidebar+1, Tweet +1, post+1, Blog Roll+1 so that would be 4 entries-- make sure to leave a link).
+1 for every referral you make. They must tell me you referred them.
+1 for being referred to this contest. Must tell me who referred you.
+1 for following me on Twitter:
Here.
+2 for Subscribing or being subcribed to my Blog (see right sidebar).
+2 for becoming a follower.
+3 if you were already a follower.

Make sure you tell me what you do and leave links or you won't get the extra entries!

Ends October 31st, 2009 at Midnight your time.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Award!

Ahh! So both Pirate Penguin and Taschima at Bloody Bookaholic nominated me for this award. I have never gotten it before, but I am super excited that they nominated me for it! Thank you girls! I LOVE your blogs as well!

This award is meant to pat on the back the ones paying particular attention to their blog presentation, and god knows some of them looks awesome! Of course none of them are pretty empty shells, so there's no shame to mention how nice their blogs are!

Here are the rules:
1. Post the award on your blog, with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 5 other blogs that you particularly like. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

-1: Sandy at Pirate Penguin's Reads.

-2: Taschima at Bloody Bookaholic.

-3: Crakin' Spines and Takin' Names.

-4: Kate at The Neverending Shelf.

-5: Sarah at The Book Duck.


Teaser Tuesday -9


This weeks Teaser Tuesday is an experpt from Ice by Sarah Beth Durst. Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading.

My Teaser:

"Cold seared into her, slicing her, and her face mask instantly frosted. She took a deep breath of night air. It felt brittle and sharp in her throat, as if the air were filled with shards of glass." Page 25 by Sarah Beth Durst.

I really like the description of this. Hope you enjoy and I hope I didn't include any spoilers! :)

Rules:
1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Eli's Weekly Post -7

Hello! I have quite a few things to announce this post, so I'll try to keep it interesting! First off, my Hush, Hush/100 followers contest ended on the 22nd. I have already chosen the winners (There were three winners but only one received a copy of Hush, Hush) and will be posting them within the next couple days.

I also want to annou
nce that I will be holding ANOTHER contest for reaching 200 followers!! Thank you all so much-- I really appreciate all your comments. Which brings me to ask: What type of books would you like to win? I put a poll on my left sidebar and it would be great if you guys would vote. It ends on the 30th because I kinda want to start the contest asap. :)

Another thing I am curious about-- What do you guys think of swag contests? I know I personally LOVE swag, but what about you? I would have more contests more frequently if I knew what kind of things you guys liked! So feel free to share your comments (Please!) They help more then you know. ;D

Also, October will be a special month. As some of you know, I was born on October 31st, so I have decided to do something special. Earlier on, I had a poll that asked all of your opinions on a Themed Month-- well the results are in and you all voted for "Things That Go Bump In The Night" SO! That will be my October theme! But, since it is such a vague topic, I have decided to split it up in four (for each week).

-The First week of October (4th-10th) will be Vampire themed. I will post reviews on Vampire Books and have a guest post** from a blogger on his/her take on Vampires in YA.

-The Second week of October (11th-17th) will be Werewolf themed. Reviews on Werewolf themed books, guest posts** and a giveaway for this week!

-The Third Week of October (18th-24th) will be Ghosted Themed. I will post reviews on Ghost themed books and have a guest post** from a blogger with a ghost story of their own. I also plan to post a few ghost stories of my own xD.

-The Fourth week of October (25th-31st) will be... a surprise! It will have multiple types of creatures that go
bump in the night and will end with a contest on the 31st! Guests posts**, a few Halloween themed things from me and lots more.

So that is what I have planned for October! Look forward to lots of unusual things heading your way-- Oh! And a temporary layout change to go along with the theme!


** If you are interested in guest posting for any of these, shoot me an email. A few of them I already have someone in mind, but I would love to have more then one guest post! Email me at: taintedpoet@gmail.com

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Candor by Pam Bachorz


Rating: 4.6/5.0

Re-Read: Yes, I do plan on re-reading this.

Recommend: To people who enjoyed books like The Giver. Some cussing and sexual references, but nothing too bad.

Release Date: September 22, 2009
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 256

Synopsis:

In the model community of Candor, Florida, every teen wants to be like Oscar Banks. The son of the town’s founder, Oscar earns straight As, is student-body president, and is in demand for every club and cause.
But Oscar has a secret. He knows that parents bring their teens to Candor to make them respectful, compliant–perfect–through subliminal Messages that carefully correct and control their behavior. And Oscar’s built a business sabotaging his father’s scheme with Messages of his own, getting his clients out before they’re turned. After all, who would ever suspect the perfect Oscar Banks?
Then he meets Nia, the girl he can’t stand to see changed. Saving Nia means losing her forever. Keeping her in Candor, Oscar risks exposure . . . and more.

My Thoughts:

Candor certainly surprised me. Always on edge and constantly in danger of exposure, Oscar doesn't exactly live a normal life. But what teenager does in Candor, Florida? Where all teenagers brush their teeth before bed, never eat candy or drink pop and always do all their homework and extra credit. But there is more going on then just good parental guidance.

First off, I have to say this book could not have ended better. Whether you love the ending or hate it, it truly was the only way to end this novel. The book starts off rather slow because there is a lot of background information to take in, but once you get started on the last stride of the book, it really gets interesting.

Oscar was very real-- His flaws were what really made him a believable character. Isn't everyone trying to act perfect in front of their parents? Oscar just takes it to the next level. Personally, I didn't really care for Nia's character. I wish I could have seen more into her personality and maybe I would have enjoyed her more. I also originally thought that the side characters like Oscar's girlfriend were all going to be static, but they actually showed some depth in them that I didn't expect. It made the novel that much more enjoyable knowing there is more to them then meets the eye. That behind the brainwashing, some bit of them still exists.

The concept of Candor is really what drew me in. The idea that a whole town could be controlled (especially the teenagers) made me want to read more about it-- and I wasn't disappointed. The ending is what sealed the deal for me with Candor, but the road there was just as intriguing. A life altering ending to a fantastic book.

Details:

Cover: 5.0
Plot: 5.0
Characters: 4.5
Writing: 4.0

Sunday, September 20, 2009

200 followers!

Woah! So today I sign on and find out that over the weekend, I hit the 200 mark!! Thank you all my darling followers-- I appreciate all your comments and input. It really means a TON to me. Also, my contest now has 2 winners (due to one of the rules.)! Yay! So as of right now, here is what's happening:

First Place: Hush, Hush ARC


Second Place: Surprise Book! x)


Haha, so that's what is going on with the contest. Oh but there is more! Once my Hush, Hush contests ends, then I will throwing... Another contest!! This one will be a 200 follower contest. And I have quite a few goodies to give away in it-- so keep a look out for it!
Thank you again!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Just wanted to say...

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been crazy busy. I have a con this weekend and have been in super mode working on my costume and all of that nonsense. Just wanted to put a reminder that my Hush, Hush contest ENDS this Tuesday!! So enter enter enter if you haven't!! If you comment on here, I might even give you an extra entry. ;)


Click the picture above or click here!

Ends September 22th, 2009 at Midnight your time.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Interview: Megan Crewe

Megan Crewe is the author of Give Up The Ghost, her YA debut title. Give Up The Ghost is now available for purchase on Amazon and in bookstores near you.

Questions on Give Up The Ghost:

Tainted Poet: First off, could you please give us a brief summery of Give Up The Ghost?
Megan Crewe: An outcast at her high school, Cass uses the dirt her ghostly friends dig up to expose the crimes of her fellow students. But when the popular student council vice president comes to her for supernatural help, she realizes that the living might deserve another chance.

TP: If you had to label you book in three words, what would they be?
MC: Ghosts, revenge, friendship.

TP: Was the title Give Up The Ghost your novel's original title? Or did you have something else in mind?
MC: The original title was IN MEMORY OF (like you see in grave stones--"in loving memory of so'n'so"). But my agent felt that was too vague (and she was right) so we changed it before it went on submission. I love the current title because it works on a couple different levels. It's a metaphor for death, which is a major part of the story. But you could also see it as referring to Cass having to decide whether to give up her dependency on her ghostly friends, give up her hurt feelings over what happened in the past.

TP: Will there be a companion novel to Give Up The Ghost?
MC: There is not one currently written, but I am a firm believer in "never say never." :)

TP: While reading Give Up The Ghost, the characters felt so real to me. Did you put any of yourself in them?
MC: Definitely! Cass's sarcastic humor is much like mine, just turned up a few notches, and in some ways her personality is mine taken to its most cynical extreme (I'm actually an optimist--but even optimists have cynical thoughts!). I also dealt with depression when I was younger, and I'm sure that helped as I was writing Tim.

TP: In the novel, Cass had been hugely betrayed by her best friend. Has anything like this ever happen to you?
MC: Thankfully, no! But I saw it happen to other people--not as extreme as in Cass's case, but mocking behind people's backs, spreading rumors, that sort of thing. And I did have a somewhat close friend who suddenly decided to stop being my friend in my first year of high school. She didn't do anything mean to me, but she wouldn't talk to me at all, and I was pretty hurt and confused.

TP: Any ghost stories to share?
MC: One time, when I was in my teens, one of my family's cats started acting really scared in my bedroom. When I picked him up he freaked out and scratched me so hard I dropped him (very unusual), and then ran into the hall and sat there staring at the space under my bed for a couple hours. He used to love hiding under the bed, but after that he always avoided it. The best explanation I could come up with was that he'd seen a ghost under there! But who knows...

Other Questions:

TP: Have you always wanted to write Young Adult, or did it just turn out that way?
MC: I started writing seriously in my teens, and then I wrote for teens because that was the age group I knew. But when I got into my twenties I found I still enjoyed writing about teenagers, and for teenagers, more than adults, so I stuck with it! The teen years are such a turbulent and emotional time for most people, and it's exciting writing about characters in the process of figuring out who they are and who they want to be. And I also think there are no greater fans of books than teens. :)

TP: Are there any particular foods or drinks you like to eat or drink while you write?
MC: I don't usually eat or drink when I'm writing because I need both my hands to type! LOL. And also I'm afraid of spilling stuff on my laptop.

TP: Music or no music while writing?
MC: No music when writing unless I'm trying to drown out some other noise, in which case I use instrumental. But I listen to a lot of music when I'm brainstorming and outlining and have playlists for all my books. The soundtrack for GIVE UP THE GHOST is up on my website (http://www.megancrewe.com/gutg/soundtrack.html ).

TP: What is your favorite book? And what is one book everyone should read before they die?
MC: You expect me to have just one!? :) My favorite book when I was growing up was THE CHANGELING by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, which I still love. One book everyone should read... Mine! Heh. Speaking seriously, I'd say TUCK EVERLASTING by Natalie Babbitt, because it is a wonderful book, beautifully written and emotionally resonant--and if any book's going to make you feel okay about the fact that you are going to die some day, it's probably that one.

TP: Do you have any projects you are working on right now?
MC: I'm always working on something! I'm taking a break for a few weeks to focus on GHOST's release, but I have books waiting for me to revise them afterward.

TP: What is one question you wish readers would ask, but never gets asked?
MC: You know, so far readers have asked some really great questions. I'm stumped trying to think of anything important that hasn't gotten covered!

TP: Any last statements?
MC: I hope you will all come visit me at my website (http://www.megancrewe.com ) and blog (http://www.megancrewe.com/blog )--I always welcome comments and e-mails from readers!

END
Thank you Megan for the interview! My review for Give Up The Ghost is also available if you are curious to learn more about Megan Crewe'c book. Click: HERE.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe


Rating: 4.5/5.0

Re-Read? This was such a quick read, I look forward to re-reading it.
Recommend? Yes! To any other paranormal lover out there. Someone who is looking for a break from love stories.
Release date: September 15th, 2009
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 256

Synopsis:

Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad—and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance….

My Thoughts:

When I first picked up Give Up The Ghost, I knew I was in for a surprise. I had never really read many stories about ghosts and so I was instantly interested. And boy, did this one surprise me.

The characters and the relationships between them were important throughout the novel. You really had to pay attention to back story to really understand everyone's stance on everyone else. Even Cass's ghostly friends and her relationship with them needs to be noted. My favorite relationship was between Cass and her older sister Paige. It really came together the more you read, which was interesting. Funny how death can bring you together.

Something that took me by surprise was the lack of a love story. After reading the synopsis, I guess I just assumed there was going to be something going on between Tim and Cass, and in the future there might, but definitely not in this novel. Maybe it is just the way I interpreted it, but I actually really liked this about Give Up The Ghost. With YA nowadays, you have certain expectations on what should be included and what shouldn't and usually a love story is a give in. This book is unique in the way that it took its own approach to a relationship between a boy and a girl-- and I really enjoyed it.

Megan Crewe cleverly crafted the plot so that it was well developed and never really confused me. The pace was set at a good rate that kept me on my feet, but still able to put it down to get some lunch. I can not wait to read more from her in the future, for Give Up The Ghost was an excellent addition to the YA market.

Details:

Cover: 5.0
Plot: 4.5
Characters: 4.5
Writing: 4.0

Monday, September 14, 2009

Eli's Weekly Post -6

Hello! Welcome to another weekly post by moi. I have been really swamped the past week and I apologize for the lack of posts. But! To make up for it, I have some super cool announcements for this upcoming week.

First off, I will be posting my review for Give Up The Ghost and an interview with Megan Crewe, which is awesome. I will also be posting part 2 of my Decatur Book Festival post. Sorry this is coming so late, but I really have been super busy with college and the like.

I also attended a Nicholas Spark's book signing this past weekend and I'll be writing a post about that! The girls attended with me (Kelsey, Vania, Tori and Ali) and I'm sure you will be seeing a few posts from them! Especially since it was an... interesting/humorous experience. Hehe.

Another thing I wanted to announce was a new feature that I will be hosting! It is a monthly feature where I will randomly incorporate a giveaway in my posts. They will NOT be in reviews, but in any other type of posts. Interviews, update posts, signing reports... anything but reviews. The giveaway will include (usually) a five dollar gift card to a bookstore of choice and some sort of swag or bookish giveaway (maybe even an ARC sometimes?). Anyways, it will happen randomly once a month and it will mostly be first-come=win. Yan actually won Septembers feature. It was hosted in my Decatur Book Festival post and she won a signed bookmark and a five dollar giftcard to Borders. So congrats Yan! Anyways, keep an eye out in October if you are interested in winning!

Last thing I wanted to talk about was that my contest for Hush, Hush will be ending next week and I would LOVE it if it could reach 50 enteries so that I can add a second place winner. I know you all want to win, and this way I could have two winners! So get entering! :D You get points for referring, so keep that in mind!


Thanks for reading my weekly post! Hope everyone has a great week!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Your life is a Book 2009

I found this over at Word For Teens and thought it looked fun!! I think she found it at Sharons.

Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It's a lot harder than you think!

Describe Yourself:
Dead Until Dark
How do you feel: Catching Fire
Describe where you currently live: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Fairy Tale
Your favorite form of transportation: Wings
Your best friend is: Gone
You and your friends are: Strange Angels
What's the weather like: Wicked Lovely
Favorite time of day: Midnighters: The Secret Hour
What is life to you: Generation Dead
Your fear: Give Up The Ghost
What is the best advice you have to give: Hush, Hush
Thought for the Day: Love is Hell
How I would like to die: The Silver Kiss
My soul's present condition: Betrayed

----------------------------------
This was really fun! So I want to tag a few people...

1) Ali at The Romantic Scholar
2) Taschima at Bloody Bookaholic
3) Danni at the Romantic Harbor
4) Sandy at Pirate Penguin's Reads
5) Kelsey at Just Blinded Book Reviews

Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Teaser Tuesday -8


This weeks Teaser Tuesday is an experpt from Night Runner by Max Turner. Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading.

My Teaser:

"And so I learned something very valuable about my power to charm. I guess I still needed a few centuries of practice before I could command humans to do my bidding. Dracula would have been very disappointed." Page 57 by Max Turner.

Omg, this quote made me laugh out loud!! I am really liking this book so far. And yes, I am reading Rampant as well.

Rules:
1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Monday, September 7, 2009

The Decatur Book Festival pt 1


So, I just attended The Decatur Book Festival which took place in downtown Decatur, GA on Saturday. It was fantastic! I had such an amazing time (though now I'm quite sore) and met so many great and wonderful people. So, lets start off with the Breakfast! At 8:30 in the morning...




The day started out with breakfast with... authors! We had a blogger and author breakfast that Vania set up and it was so much fun! The Bloggers that attended were Vania, Kelsey, Shalonda and Danni. The authors were David Levithan (top right, Nick and Nora's Infinite Play List), Aimee Friedman (top left, Sea Change), Diana Peterfreund (Rampant), and Jennifer Jabaley (Lipstick Apology). There were a few other authors/people that also attended like Shelli and a few others whose names I didn't catch (sorry guys >__<).



We all had such a great time jabbering about various things. Diana gave me pretty signed Rampant book marks (the first person** who comments and tells me a breed of Unicorn in Rampant will win a signed bookmark and a five dollar gift certificate to a bookstore of choice) and we talked about things like Dragon Con (since she wasn't attending the DBF and going to Dragon Con instead). Diana was so cute! I wish I could have talked to her throughout breakfast, but David stole her attention (I was actually really nervous to talk to David... his books are so well known that I felt fangirlish lol). So around that time, Jennifer Jabaley shows up looking cuter then ever! I went and sat across from her and Aimee and chatted. Everyone was just so nice!



So our food came and of course it was delicious! Shalonda and I both had a Waffle topped with strawberries, powdered sugar and whipped cream! Yummy! Finally Kelsey shows up with her sister in law and our little ATL blogging group was complete. We had to be at the AJC bloggers tent by 10, so we had to head out. After much hugging and picture taking (and Diana signing my book!) we finially left to make it to the bloggers tent, and as well as... a signing! Stay tuned for DBF: Part Two... the Signings! x)



**That person cannot be Vania, Shalonda, Kelsey or Danni. Lol.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

In My MailBox -14

Ahh! So I just got back from the Decatur Book Festival and have very little time to get this posted! I'll do a post later about the festival, but here is what I got this week!

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (HardBack)

Synopsis:

How far will Rose go to keep her promise?

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them. . . including Dimitri.

He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa—the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman (Hardback)

Synopsis:

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter (Hardback)

Synopsis:

When Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.

As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe?

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth..

Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Synopsis:

A devilish debut by a brother-sister team invites us into the world of the elite Marlowe School, where some gifted students are having a hell of a year.

One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish — only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary "gifts." But as the students claw their way up — reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty — they start to suffer the sideeffects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

Synopsis:

What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?

Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.

In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…

Love is the higher law by David Levithan (Hardback)

Synopsis:

First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.

In My MailBox was created by: The Story Siren.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Signing Report: Richelle Mead


So yesterday, Vania and I took a little trip down to our local Barns & Nobles and attended a signing for Richelle Mead, Author of Vampire Academy. The turnout was fantastic! The line snaked all the way to the entrance of the store, and copies of her book were pretty hard to find towards the end of the night. Even though I have yet to read her Vampire Academy series, I picked up a copy of Blood Promise to get signed.


Richelle did a reading and then a question and answer portion (which I mostly missed because I was in line in the back). Vania actually was able to ask her two questions-- which was pretty cool. Everyone there was really nice (though most of them on the younger side) and she gave some pretty cool answers to her questions (which I was able to hear the second part because I eventually gave up standing in line to join Vania up front).

It was a really long wait afterwards because we had to go to the back of the line (since we gave up our positions to listen to what she was saying) but it was worth it because we were able to have a conversation with her when we got up there. Richelle was really sweet! She signed our books and joked around with us and let us take pictures of her. She really was super great. And she was giving away pens with her name on them! Oh and postcards and tattoos for her Vampire Academy series. Awesome right?


Anyways, it was a pretty great signing, though I was wiped out from standing in line for so long. I actually will be seeing Richelle again this Saturday at the Decatur Book Festival, in which she will be duking it out with Maggie Stiefvater in their Werewolves VS Vampires Panel. Should be fun! I'll be blogging live from their blogger tent an hour before things get in motion, but I'm sure I shall be coming back with a lot of stories!


Thursday, September 3, 2009

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins


Rating: 5.0/5.0

Re-Read? Of course! I feel this book is more re-readable then the Hunger Games, only because the surprise wasn't as big of a shock.
Recommend? This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I recommend The Hunger Games and Catching Fire to anyone and everyone! Really, go read them if you haven't!
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 400

Synopsis:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

My Thoughts:

Catching Fire, one my my most anticipated books of 2009, did not disappoint. Fast paced and enthralling, it was the perfect sequel to one of my favorite books of all time. Suzanne Collins spins a wonderful continuation of Katniss's and Peeta's story. With even more insight to the country that is Panem, ideas are clarified and leave you with even more questions that will keep you reading to the very last page. This is one book I could not put down, even to sleep.

I really loved how I was able to get to know Peeta further. He was one of my favorite characters in The Hunger Games and now after Catching Fire, I adore him even more. I was a bit disappointed that I still didn't get to see much of Gale. He interests me, but I personally prefer Peeta for Katniss. It was also interesting to see a different side of Katniss in the story. She transformed and grew so much in Catching Fire, that she really was deserving of the nickname the Girl on Fire.

Now I am left to wonder what will happen in the next installment! Some very interesting details were reveled at the end of Catching Fire, and I cannot wait to see how the story will unfold including them. Knowing these books pretty well by now, I should never expect to guess what might happen-- Surprises are always around the corner! I could not have hoped for a better sequel to The Hunger Games.

Details:

Cover: 5.0
Plot: 5.0
Characters: 5.0
Writing: 4.9

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