TLC BOOK TOURS and REVIEW: Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

Synopsis

Girls on Fire tells the story of Hannah and Lacey and their obsessive teenage female friendship so passionately violent it bloodies the very sunset its protagonists insist on riding into, together, at any cost. Opening with a suicide whose aftermath brings good girl Hannah together with the town's bad girl, Lacey, the two bring their combined wills to bear on the community in which they live; unconcerned by the mounting discomfort that their lust for chaos and rebellion causes the inhabitants of their parochial small town, they think they are invulnerable.

But Lacey has a secret, about life before her better half, and it's a secret that will change everything...

Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: May 17th 2016 by Harper
ISBN 0062415484 (ISBN13: 9780062415486)


About the Author

Robin Wasserman is a graduate of Harvard University and the author of several successful novels for young adults. A recent recipient of a MacDowell fellowship, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. Girls on Fire is her first novel for adults.

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My Thoughts

See them in their golden hour, a flood of girls high on the ecstasy of the final bell, tumbling onto the city bus, all gawky limbs and Wonderbra cleavage, chewed nails picking at eruptive zits, lips nibbling and eyes scrunching in a doomed attempt not to cry.

Hannah is essentially a "good girl", if a bit of an outsider. Lacey is the "bad girl" in school, who seems to throw her indifference in the faces of all who would question her place in society. These two girls somehow find themselves thrown together into a severely co-dependent relationship (think Thelma and Louise hyped up on some of Cobain's "teen spirit"). Hannah lacks any self-identity and simply transforms into what people expect of her. Lacey christens her under the new name of "Dex" and recreates her into her own goth image.

Then you have Nikki, the privileged mean girl in school who everyone follows as if she were the pied piper of vicious teenagers. The school is sent into a bit of a spiral by the suicide of the school jock, who was Nikki's longtime boyfriend. The pair were high school royalty.

Then there are the parents. The ever-embarrassing parents who never seem to "get" their troubled teens. Dex comes from a normal home with parents who care, while Lacey comes from a screwed up home life with an overbearing step-father and an alcoholic and dispassionate mother.

The story switches between the perspectives of Dex and Lacey (Us), and occasionally that of the parents (Them). Sometimes switching perspectives like this can be difficult to follow, but the author really handled it well and it was a useful tool and quite enlightening. It is interesting to see an act through the eyes of one person, and then to see the same act through those of another person. What may have first seemed cruel or selfish or self-motivated could actually have been motivated by compassion or fear or even love. And even an act motivated by love can be evil or cruel.

I would like to thank TLC Book Tours for including me on this tour. Check out the website for the full tour schedule:

Tuesday, May 17th: Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World
Wednesday, May 18th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Thursday, May 19th: Book Hooked Blog
Friday, May 20th: A Bookish Way of Life
Monday, May 23rd: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Tuesday, May 24th: 5 Minutes For Books
Wednesday, May 25th: Thoughts On This ‘n That
Thursday, May 26th: Booksie’s Blog
Monday, May 30th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Tuesday, May 31st: The Book Diva’s Reads
Tuesday, May 31st: A Soccer Mom’s Book Blog
Thursday, June 2nd: Ageless Pages Reviews
Monday, June 6th: Lilac Reviews
Monday, June 6th: Booksellers Without Borders
Monday, June 6th: From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, June 7th: StephTheBookworm
Wednesday, June 8th: A Book Geek
Thursday, June 9th: SJ2B House Of Books

My final word: This book is marketed as the author's first "adult novel", yet check Goodreads and you'll see the number one genre classification by readers is "young adult", and I have to agree with that. This book really took me back to my teen years. I could see a bit of myself in Dex and my friend in Lacey. There's a hard edge to the story and quite a bit of graphic sexuality and some violence, so it is not for the younger crowd. But it definitely fits into the young adult niche. I enjoyed the author's writing, which is very easy to read and engaging. The characters are well drawn and defined, and her technique with the ever-changing perspectives was expertly handled. There is a twist at one point that left me thinking, "Well, I did not see that coming!" Moments made me cringe, some made me angry, others made me ache for the individual. Overall this is one damn fine read!

Buy Now:

HarperCollins
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Amazon
IndieBound

My Rating: 

---

The Cerebral Girl is a forty-something blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review through TLC Book Tours and the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release.  

REVIEW: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Synopsis

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Paperback, 534 pages
Published February 28th 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books (first published April 28th 2011)
ISBN  0062024035 (ISBN13: 9780062024039)


About the Author
from Goodreads

Veronica Roth is only 23, so her bio will be short. She’s from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and INSURGENT (May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, which doesn't have a title yet, will come out in Fall 2013. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)

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My Thoughts

Beatrice is an well brought up Abnegation girl. And, of course, it is assumed at the Choosing Ceremony that she will choose to remain in her Abnegation faction. However on the appointed day she shocks her family when she chooses to switch factions, leaving her family and everything she has ever known behind. Then begins a brutal initiation process which she doubts at times she will survive.

I approached this book with relatively low expectations. In the past I would have had higher expectations (enjoying the dystopian bent as I do), but I've read enough YA now to know not to expect much.

And I got pretty much what I expected. If I approach a book like this from the standpoint of a 40+ year-old woman who really loves quirky literary fiction and southern gothic, then a book like this can be a bit of a let down. Very simple characters. Superficial interactions. Straight-forward writing. Not the type of prose I've come to love.

But if I approach it from the 17-year-old I once was, and try to simply lose myself in the "story", the plot, the fragmented city that once was Chicago, then I can see the appeal. In the beginning I found the book was a bit of a letdown, even though I was simply looking for a light read-- something a little mindless (I don't expect much more out of YA). But then I shifted my mind into that teen-mode and tried to be more superficial (not really hard for me-- I am a pretty superficial person in a lot of ways), and found that I could enjoy the story a bit. 

Tris (formerly Beatrice) didn't seem very realistic to me. On the one hand, she is portrayed as this very plain, non-extraordinary girl. Then she is portrayed as this extremely brave girl who is terrified of everything, and at the same time fearless. I felt as if she was all over the place. Perhaps this was because she was "divergent" and couldn't really be pigeon-holed, but she just didn't feel very real to me. 

Most of the other characters were very one-dimensional and didn't really have any impact on me. Other than Four, whom I actually liked, even though he also didn't make much sense to me, being kind and sensitive and cruel all at the same time.

My final word: In the end, I was left with an "okay" story. It had its moments, and it had potential with an interesting premise, but it was too loosely executed and just didn't pull it all in together. I was left a little bored by the whole thing, but perhaps would have loved it at 17? So this one gets an "eh" and a shrug, and I'm not sure whether or not I will give Insurgent a try. Not right now. Too many great books to read!


My Rating: 7 out of 10

REVIEW: The Earthquake Machine by Mary Pauline Lowry

Synopsis

The Earthquake Machine tells the story of 14 year-old Rhonda. On the outside, everything looks perfect in Rhonda's world but at home Rhonda has to deal with a manipulative father who keeps her mentally ill mother hooked on pharmaceuticals. The only reliable person in Rhonda's life is her family's Mexican yardman, Jesús. But when the INS deports Jesús back to his home state of Oaxaca, Rhonda is left alone with her increasingly painful family situation.

Determined to find her friend Jesús, Rhonda seizes an opportunity to run away during a camping trip with friends. She swims to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and makes her way to the border town of Boquillas, Mexico. There a peyote-addled bartender convinces her she won't be safe traveling alone into the country's interior. So with the bartender's help, Rhonda cuts her hair and assumes the identity of a Mexican boy named Angel. She then sets off on a burro across the desert to look for Jesús.

Thus begins a wild adventure that explores the borders between the United States and Mexico, adolescence and adulthood, male and female, English and Spanish, and adult coming-of-age and Young Adult novels.

Paperback, 326 pages
Published September 2011 by AuthorHouse
ISBN 1456795856 (ISBN13: 9781456795856)


About the Author
bio from her website

Mary Pauline Lowry joined a Hotshot Crew of forest firefighters, traveling the American west with a band of 20 men, digging fireline alongside raging forest fires during the day, sleeping in the ash at night.

Working a night shift on the 20,000 acre Laid Low fire in the mountains of the Angeles National Forest, Mary looked at the fire moving over the mountains like lava, at the city of Los Angeles far below illuminated with the light of a million streetlamps. She looked around her at the strong, sweaty, beautiful, ash-covered men working beside her. And she decided then that she would write a book about these Gods of Fire.

Laid off with the rest of her crew after the end of her first fire season, she went to Costa Rica, river rafting through the rainforest outside of La Fortuna, sea kayaking in the Pacific Ocean outside of Montezuma, and diving off of waterfalls until the money ran out and she returned home to Austin to work at her local indie bookstore.

After her second fire season, she finished her first novel, The Gods of Fire. Mary threw her tent in her car and headed for southwest Colorado. She rented a basement room at the Desert Rose Horse Ranch. Before dawn she wrote her second novel, The Earthquake Machine. During the day she did trim carpentry, framed houses, and built fences with a giant, bearded Viking of a man named David who taught her to be a carpenter.

Next Mary found work at a domestic violence shelter, helping the women and children she came to think of as “the forgotten ones.” Fleeing violent men had left these women homeless and there were rarely enough resources to get them truly back on their feet.  Mary did what she could for the women and children, cried every time she finished a shift, and spent her days off work polishing The Earthquake Machine, sending The Gods of Fire to agents and editors in faraway New York City, and running on mountain trails.

When she moved back to Austin, she wrote during the day and worked the night shift on the National Domestic Violence Hotline where she helped over 25,000 survivors of domestic violence seek safe shelter and a better life.

The Gods of Fire didn’t sell. So Mary walked onto a plane and flew back to Los Angeles for the first time since that Laid Low Fire. But this time she went straight to Hollywood where she convinced Bill Mechanic (producer of films such as Fight Club, Braveheart, The Titanic, and Coraline) to option The Gods of Fire for film.

Mary then wrote the screenplay, which is currently out with directors.

Mary’s agent didn’t want to send out The Earthquake Machine to editors. The book was perhaps too edgy. Editors would be afraid to take a chance on such a wild ride. And so Mary decided to give readers a chance to find her. 

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My Thoughts

Everything in Rhonda's house was beige. Beige rooms, beige couch, beige table and chairs.

Rhonda lives a privileged, but very unhappy life, as a teenager in a home with two parents who have a chasm between them. Her father is thoughtless and self-absorbed, her mother teetering on the brink of insanity. After tragedy strikes, Rhonda throws herself into the Rio Grande and emerges in Mexico as a Mexican boy named Angel.

This is probably the toughest review I've ever done. That is because I really wanted to love this one. I really liked the author, aspects of the synopsis really intrigued me, and therefore I really wanted to love this story. But I just didn't.

The book used a very strange moth/sex metaphor to describe an encounter with an older man, and I don't think that I ever really got the metaphor.

She exploded and dissolved into the night and nothing remained but her musky moth smell. (p. 34)

And in a strange twist, after finishing this book I read another book for a book tour that was about a girl named Moth. What is it suddenly with moths??

But back to the story. Then her feelings toward this man Mansk turned violent, and I began to think she was a little nutty.

She imagined plunging the knifeblade into one of Mansk's eyes. Rhonda wanted the blade to sink through to the soft gray squiggles of his brain. More than that she wanted to be without a moth, or a traitorous moth's head. (p. 36)

 It began to appear that she hated her own "impending womanhood" and wanted to escape her doom.

Then at about 40 pages in, the story took a really strange twist and became like a psychedelic ride. And then soon after peyote entered the picture and things got really weird. The story maintained this very over-the-top and maniacal feel up to the town of Arrazola, like a three day peyote trip and vision quest. Once Arrazola is found, suddenly she is reborn again as a girl and a quiet peacefulness settles in.

...she remembered lying in her tent, watching Mansk clean up. She had wanted to eat his eyes like grapes, to crack his chest and roll around inside of him, to gobble him down. And the disappointment at not being able to do so had been part of what had driven her across the river. (p. 135) 

Angel could feel faith and belief settling down into the black hole in her heart. (p. 134)

A calm feeling, a sense that she didn't have to understand everything right at that moment passed through her. (p.135)

And after the story takes another tragic twist, she once again starts to sound a little crazy to me. Suddenly the man she was previously wanting to plunge her knife into and "eat his eyes like grapes" was her star-crossed lover.

She thought of Mansk and knew now that there was desire between them and a passion of agony; and also the age difference between them perhaps wasn't entirely insurmountable. (p. 172)

And then in the next paragraph she is talking about sinking her knife into his eye again. I swear the girl is psychotic!

Much of the story was disjointed and fragmented. Often ideas were linked together in a weird way and didn't flow fluid, leaving it feeling clunky and awkward. And the story was rampant with sexuality. Sex was a big focus of fascination and confusion for Rhonda/Angel, and in the end she determines it is her power. It was definitely too sexualized for the younger YA crowd, and should be strictly NC-17 for most kids.

Not all of it was bad or uncomfortable. There were moments I loved her descriptive writing.

...to bleach out her wild lipstick-red daughter and the deep purple bruises of her sadness. (p. 7)

She followed the river, walking with its current, envying the cactus she passed for their thorns. (p. 44)

But then the ebook ended quite abruptly at 211 pages, although Goodreads shows that the paperback as 326 pages long. So I don't know what is up with that. But the ending was rather unexpected and odd.

My final word: So I wanted to be wowed by this story, and in the end I was left simply "blah". Not bad, not good. Just...eh. But many others are giving it quite good reviews, so perhaps it was just a poor fit for me, and maybe it would be the perfect fit for you!

 
My Rating: 6 out of 10


Disclosure:I received an ebook version of this book for review from the author, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel.

REVIEW: One Moment by Kristina McBride

Synopsis

This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life. Now it’s the one she’d do anything to forget.

Maggie Reynolds remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party the night before. She remembers climbing the trail hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below—dead?

As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?

The latest novel from the author of The Tension of Opposites, One Moment is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.

Hardcover, 272 pages
Expected publication: June 26th 2012 by EgmontUSA
ISBN 160684086X (ISBN13: 9781606840863)


About the Author

Kristina McBride, a former English teacher and yearbook advisor, dreamed of being a published author since she was a child and lived across the street from a library. Kristina has published two novels for young adults - The Tension of Opposites (May 2010) and One Moment (June 2012). She lives in Ohio with her husband and two young children.

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My Thoughts

"So you're gonna do it?" Adam looked at me, his sun-blazed cheeks aglow with a daring smile.

Maggie is anticipating a great summer vacation. It's the summer before her senior year of high school, she and her friends are breaking loose and having fun, and she has plans for a special surprise for her steady boyfriend Joey of two years when his parents go out of town and leave him home alone. But then everything changes with the sudden death of the boyfriend that is like a bright light in a dark sky-- full of life and intense energy and recklessness.

Helping Maggie through these trying days are her best friend Adam and girlfriends Shannon and Tanna.
But questions arise surrounding Joey's death and the weeks leading up to it, and Maggie begins to wonder whether she really knew Joey at all.

If I had one more moment with Joey, I’d ask what part of it all he regretted most in that last moment of his life. (p. 195)

I really enjoyed this lovely little YA novel.This was my introduction to author Kristina McBride, and I found the writing very effective, bringing scenes to life for me. The author does a wonderful job of beautifully capturing the fresh passion of new love...

...he smiled, his fingers stroking my chin, trailing slowly down my neck, lighting my entire body on fire.

“That was nice,” he said.

I nodded, unable to find my voice.

“I want to gulp you down.”

I loved the smoky sound of his voice as he whispered to me.

“But I have to take sips. Or else this thing could be dangerous.” (p. 76)

At times gritty and spirited, other times emotional and sentimental, the story grabbed me and held me throughout. I don't recall a moment when I was bored or wishing it would end. The characters were well-developed. I wanted to comfort Maggie, shake Adam, at times even slap Shannon. But most of all you will find yourself becoming Maggie's cheerleader.

My final word: In a word, how did this book make me feel in the end? Hopeful...


Cover: 8.5 out of 10
Writing Style: 8 out of 10
Characters: 7.5 out of 10
Storyline/Plot: 7.5 out of 10
Interest/Uniqueness: 8 out of 10

My Rating: 8 out of 10


Disclosure:

I received a copy of this e-book to review through Egmont USA and Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and I did not have access to an actual release to check the quotes in the published novel.

REVIEW: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Synopsis

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She's content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry's mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother's past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

About the Author

Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Carrie Ryan is a graduate of Williams College and Duke Law School. A former litigator, she now writes fulltime. She lives with her writer/lawyer boyfriend and two fat cats in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are not at all prepared for the zombie apocalypse. 

You can visit Carrie at www.carrieryan.com.

My Thoughts

"The story goes that even after the Return they tried to keep the roller coasters going. They said it reminded them of the before time. When they didn't have to worry about people rising from the dead, when they didn't have to build fences and walls and barriers to protect themselves from the masses of Mudo constantly seeking human flesh. When the living weren't forever hunted. 

They said it made them feel normal."

Gabrielle has spent her life in Vista, safe from the zombie hordes that inhabit the lands outside the town. Her mother, who herself came from the Forest of Hands and Teeth, has always made her feel safe in her lighthouse home. But all of that is about to change.

Gabrielle and most of the other characters left me feeling pretty ambivalent. The only character that I really liked or felt any impact by was Elias, the mysterious outsider. Strong, almost chivalrous, I found him to be the most likable character.

It's funny. I love zombie-lit, yet I have such a logical and science-based mind that I often find myself having a lot of problem with the technicalities of many post-apocalyptic stories. Some find a way to legitimize the basis for a zombie theme in my mind. For example, Stephen King has the premise based on a technology-based tone that “resets” the human brain. Brian Keene has a plot that included a sort of demonic possession as the basis for the walking dead. But this story uses the traditional “infection” plotline, and I just have issues with the way it was portrayed in this book.

For instance, it is evident that the heart must still be beating and blood flowing through the veins of zombies, as there is mention of them bleeding. Yet they will be walking around without arms and such. Why doesn’t a zombie bleed to death? If their bodies are working like a basic human body, how are they able to possess electrical impulses that can power their heart when they aren't ingesting and digesting food to provide electrolytes and such? It’s as if the cardio-vascular system is working without the digestive system, but how is the cardio-vascular system being “powered”? And how can they lose a limb and not bleed “to death”? I just don’t get these things, and they just “bug” me. These are the little things that niggle my brain.

Also there was a little inconsistency. Things like deciding that something is one person’s fault, but then later another person is blaming themself for the incident. Huh? You already established earlier it was so-and-so’s fault. Why are you now blaming yourself?

But overall I enjoyed the story.

Quotes:

“Once when I was a child, the ground trembled beneath my feet. They said that it was the earth shifting, settling. But in doing so it threw up a massive wave. I remember standing in the lighthouse and seeing it coming. I remember the compression of air before it hit, the way everything stilled and pulled back for just a breath, and held.

That’s how it feels when Catcher moves toward me...” (p. 18)

The Cover: Love it! It's attractive, and ties into the story nicely.

Five words to describe this book: Haunting, morose, creepy, mild hopefulness

Content Rating: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual situations

My final word: While there were a few hang-ups for me, and while I don't find this to be a "great" story, it held my attention and was enjoyable. It just wasn't really fulfilling, but was more like a greasy appetizer- satisfying my hunger, but leaving me wishing I'd had a nice piece of grilled salmon with remoulade sauce and baked sweet potato instead.

Buy Now:

Order from Barnes and Noble
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My Rating: 8 out of 10

REVIEW: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Synopsis

In Mary's world there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future-between the one she loves and the one who loves her.

And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

About the Author

Carrie Ryan was born and raised in Greenville, SC and is a graduate of Williams College and Duke University School of Law. A former litigator, she now pursues her true passion and writes full time. Although Ryan's 2009 novel, THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, is set in a world roamed by the living dead, before meeting her fiance JP she was actually a self-proclaimed "scaredy-cat" who avoided horror movies. JP was the one who convinced her to go to her first zombie movie and opened a whole new world up to her, which is why she dedicated her first book to him. Her second novel, THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES, a companion to her first novel, will be out in March 2010. She lives in Charlotte, NC with two fat cats and one large puppy."

Visit her website at www.carrieryan.com


My Thoughts

A village isolated from the rest of the world, and living under the belief that they are the last of mankind. Living behind a fence which protects them from the Unconsecrated (walking dead/zombies), the village is ruled by the Sisterhood. Mary has always been raised with stories of how things used to be-- buildings that touched the sky and salty oceans stretching out as far as the eyes can see. Despite the teachings of the Sisterhood, she still wonders whether there could be anyone else out there. Are the oceans still there? She's drawn to know what is beyond The Forest of Hands and Teeth that surrounds them.

It's taken me so long to finally read this book. It's been a long time coming. So what did I think? Well, first of all, the thing most striking to me was how much this story felt like the movie The Village. Right down to the red vest Gabrielle wore, which reminded me of the "bad color" in The Village.

I enjoyed the story, but it did start out a little slow. I expected it to be more about zombies, but it really wound up being more about Mary and her conflicted feelings and confusion. The zombies...well, their depiction is sort of...detached. They aren't generally described in great detail, and there is little interaction between them and the residents of the village. The zombies are simply a fixture in the everyday lives of the villagers.

Final word- I enjoyed it. It wasn't quite as good as I had hoped (as I was expecting a more traditional zombie story- creepy and scary), but I still enjoyed it and look forward to the sequel.


My Rating: 8 out of 10

REVIEW: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis

The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. 

Who do they think should pay for the unrest? 

Katniss Everdeen. 

The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will have hearts racing, pages turning, and everyone talking about one of the biggest and most talked-about books and authors in recent publishing history!!!! 

About the Author
from her website

Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/​Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.

While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.

Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you’re much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you’re not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that’s the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part fantasy/​war series, The Underland Chronicles.

At present, Suzanne is hard at work on the third book in her sci-fi series, The Hunger Games.

She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.

My Thoughts

Katniss has been rescued from the arena of the Hunger Games, and is now within the enclave of the infamous District 13, believed by the other districts to have been wiped out years ago by the Capitol. Gale is with her as they work with the rebels to take down the capitol, and hope to find a way to rescue Peeta, who was taken hostage after Katniss was rescued.

I liked Hunger Games, and I loved Catching Fire. I think that I enjoyed Mockingjay even more!

I never like to give away too much of a storyline, so I always feel compelled to keep my assessment brief.

There were some slow moments, but I liked the emotional degree in this book. I actually found myself tearing up quite a bit throughout this book as Katniss would touch on sensitive moments, and struggle to squash her emotions and gain control over herself. I fluctuated from wanting to wrap my wings around Katniss and protect her to cheering her on and telling her to go kick some ass!

I worried for Peeta and hoped they would successfully rescue him swiftly. I've always been Team Peeta! He's always been so compassionate, self-sacrificing and level-headed.

Prim is still a little duck, but growing up and becoming her own woman.

I loved Mockingjay, and I thought it a fine ending to a good YA series (my first YA series!). If you haven't finished up the series yet, but have been thinking about it, don't fear- it's worth the wait.


My Rating: 9 out of 10

Reminder: Don't forget my double giveaway going on for both Senseless and Merciless by Mary Burton. Somehow it has gotten missed, and currently has no entries! It ends 1/31/11.

REVIEW: Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Synopsis

Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?

Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .

Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . .

From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes.


About the Author

Jillian Larkin’s fascination with flappers and the 1920s began during her childhood, which included frequent home screenings of the classic Julie Andrews/Carol Channing film Thoroughly Modern Millie. She lives in New York.


My Thoughts

These kids are trying to sort out their place in our world-- to figure out their role. And they are trying to play "grown up", and sometimes get themselves into things that they aren't ready for.

Lorraine is just dying to be the center of attention and wants to be Gloria. Clara convincingly plays the role of the "country cad". Gloria finds herself on a path to adulthood that she may not want to be on, and Marcus is living the life of the ladies man.

The 20s were so restrictive, and the Flappers were struggling against those bonds. Women had no freedom. They were ruled by their fathers and their uncles, and husbands and bosses-- heck, even their mothers. The speakeasy gave the girls a sense of freedom. They could shed the restrictive trappings of society and "be free". Even the character Jerome doesn't really seem free. A young black musician of the time, he is ruled by the gangsters and by his skin. Marcus is probably the freest character portrayed in the book. He's a blond, blue-eyed white male. Who could have been "freer" in the 20s?

I found this to be a really enjoyable read. It actually kept me guessing, which doesn't happen very often. It gave me a taste of what it was like to live in the "Roaring Twenties". A time with some kids choosing to grow up quite quickly and opting to live life in the fast lane (not so different from today).

All in all a very good debut novel!


My Rating: 8 out of 10

Thanks to Barnes and Noble for the First Look!

REVIEW: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Synopsis
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he s not alone. When the lift s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

About the Author

James Dashner was born and raised in a small town in Georgia. His love of books and writing made him dream of being an author someday, and he still can't believe it's true. 

You can visit him online at www.the13threality.com or jamesdashner.blogspot.com.

Check out Simon & Schuster's "Author Revealed" to learn more about the author through their revealing questions.

My Thoughts

A teen boy, Thomas, awakens to find himself entering a glade filled with other teen boys and surrounded by a maze. Soon after he learns that the boys are captives, spending their lives attempting to escape the maze. The next day a girl arrives (something that has never happened before in the glade), and she carries a message for the boys: Everything is going to change. And so it does...

Thomas is a good boy. He has conviction and strength, even in the face of incredible odds and with the suspicions of the other boys weighing on him. They don't trust him, and since neither Thomas nor the other boys remember their pasts before the maze, Thomas doesn't trust himself. But soon the struggle to find their way out of the maze becomes a priority, and Thomas and the girl seem to be integral pieces in this puzzle.

I enjoyed this story. The more I read from this genre, the more I realize that my favorite areas are dystopian, post-apocalyptic and horror. Fun, fun, fun!

This one wasn't as "fun" as many of them, but still very enjoyable and satisfying and it left me curious to see where book two will pick up. Plus I read this in a week, which is unusual for me. I usually take at least two weeks to read a book. If you like YA dystopian, give this one a try.


My Rating: 8 out of 10