Thursday, February 28, 2013

Dark Days of Winter 2013 Lauren Oliver Interview

Thank you so much for answering some of our questions, Lauren!  We've always admired the beauty of your writing.   All your books read like poetry, and sometimes we are concerned that you have actually almost starved to death, been shot at, and almost died multiple times for your descriptions to be so realistic.  Since this is the Dark Days of Winter tour, and your third and final book in the Delirium series, Requiem is coming out soon, we have some questions we would love answered.

The 3rd a final book in your Delirium trilogy, Requiem, is soon to be released. Can you tell us a little about what we can expect?
Requiem takes place from two points of view: Lena’s and also Hana’s. Lena has thrown in her lot with the resistance, and Hana is living as a cured in Portland and anticipating her wedding to the new mayor. Over the course of the novel, their storylines converge in a pretty explosive way (literally and figuratively). I can also say there will be super sweet bonus material released in the Requiem hardcover edition!

What do you have planned now that you are finished with the Delirium series?  Can you tell us a little about it?
I’ve just completed a realistic YA book called PANIC. It’s about teenagers in a small town in Oregon who get involved in a very deadly game over the summer, and it’s my first YA book that has both a male and female POV, so I’m really excited about it.

Let's just gets this out there, no one does cliffhanger endings like you do! I still haven't recovered from either of the last 2.  Do you usually have your ending in mind before you start or does it come to you as your writing? Basically, are you a plotter or a pantser?
Ha! Thanks! I’m a plotter to a certain degree. I actually usually write the first and last chapters of a book at the very beginning of the process. I like to know where I’m going before I start out, I guess. 
J And I try to structure the story broadly before I dive into writing, but my outline often gets revised as I go.

I think this goes a little with the last question, but for readers that are new to this series, where did the idea of the Delirium series come from?
Several years ago, I started thinking deeply about the way that fear gets communicated from the media to the people, and how difficult it is to receive unbiased information from the news. At the time there was a lot of talk about the “global pandemic” that might decimate our world: a virulent flu or virus that would spread from country to country, killing everyone. Most of the fears about the materialization of such a disease (swine flu, bird flu) proved unfounded. Then I started thinking about how easy it would be to convince people of the imminent threat of some other kind of disease—and I realized that the symptoms of romantic love had much in common with the kind of psychiatric disorder we currently treat with medication. The ideas just sort of combined in my head.

You have books across genres and grade levels.  What is that transition like, to completely do something different and even change your audience?
It’s scary, but it’s not something I really feel I have control over. Books come to me and grab me and I have towrite them. I don’t feel I have much choice, ultimately, over the material I pursue and which audience I write for. And of course as a writer I’m so interested in challenging myself and getting better, and I think that only comes from attempting different things.

Now we would love to do a little this and that, to learn a little about your personally.

80's hair bands or 90's grunge bands? OMG. 90s!! I’m so a child of the 90s.
Snack pack flavors: pudding or jello? Pudding.
Contemporary or Paranoramal/Fantasy (book wise, what do you prefer reading): Ready for your mind to be blown? Contemporary mixed with fantasy. J
Movies or TV? TV.
Better to have love and lost or better to never love at at all? The former, but only if you get to love again. If you don’t…I’ll choose not knowing what I’m missing!
Alex or Julian (haha, just joking) Yeah, right. I’m not saying a word, sister!

Thanks so much, Lauren!!! BTW- LOVED REQUIEM even though I am now on blood pressure medicine after reading it! jk:)

HAHA THANK YOU!!!

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancĂ©e of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.


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Dark Days of Winter 2013 Tour

Leg 2
Blog Tour:
Feb 8      Fragments @ Emily's Reading Room
Feb 12    Requiem @ YA Sisterhood
Feb 14    Spellcaster @ Two Chicks on Books
Feb 19    Mind Games @ IB Book Blogging
Feb 21    Mila 2.0 @ Addicted 2 Novels
Feb 26    Fragments @ Emily's Reading Room
Feb 28    Requiem @ YA Sisterhood
Mar 5     Spellcaster @ Two Chicks on Books
Mar 6     Mila 2.0 @ Addicted 2 Novels
Mar 7     Mind Games @ IB Book Blogging
 
 
Tour Stops:
Mar 6     Provo Library, Provo, UT                                                7PM
Mar 7     University Books, Seattle, WA                                        6:30PM
Mar 8     Barnes & Noble, Clackamas, OR                                    6:30PM
Mar 9     Tualatin Library, Tualatin, OR                                        10AM
Mar 9     Eugene Library, Eugene, OR                                         4PM
 

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Deception by C.J. Redwine

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is DECEPTION by CJ Redwine.  DECEPTION releases on August 27, 2013 from Harper Teen.

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Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.



But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.

In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.
 

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I am so excited about this one!  I really loved Defiance--Logan and Rachel had such a sweet romance, and I just know its going to get steamier in this installment!  (At least I hope it will.)  I had such a strong reaction to the Commander in the first book--I wanted him to get ripped apart by the beast.  This cover is gorgeous, and I'm dying to find out what happens next for everyone!


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Cover Reveal: Gold by Talia Vance!!!!!

Okay guys....it's here!  The cover for Gold by Talia Vance!!!  Gold is the sequel to Silver which came out last year.  I LOVED Silver so much--Blake and Brianna just swept me away, and I highly recommend it to paranormal ya fans!

And do you want to know a secret?  I got to beta read Gold for Talia, and there are NO WORDS for how amazing it is!  I was captivated from Chapter 1, and even though its been months since I read it, I can still easily remember the parts that took my breath away.  It is a sequel that, I'll go ahead and say it, is even better than the first!  You don't want to miss out on this one!

Want to know more about Blake?  You can read an interview with him here
And be sure to check out my review of Silver here

So....without further ado.....here goes!




 
I love the cover.  Brianna's dress is gorgeous, and I love the backdrop with the cliffs (so many good scenes take place here!).  Plus, I just love the title--and the symbolism behind it! 
 
All I can tell you about this installment is that Brianna goes to Ireland where more truths are revealed about the Bandia.
 
What do you think of the cover?
 
Be sure to add it to your TBR list on goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13583324-gold

Book Spotlight and Blogoversary Giveaway #1! If We Kiss and Kiss Me Again by Rachel Vail

It's started!!!!!! Woot Woot for Blogoversary Giveaways!!!!

If you're like me, you are always looking for a new contemporary romance to read.  I'm a huge fan of light-hearted romances--the ones that make you ohhh and awww all the way through, and then wish that you were living in fairy tale land.  Those are the ones I love--not the heavy ones that center around death and abuse.  So, today I thought I'd share (and give away) a copy of two great contemporary romances, IF WE KISS and KISS ME AGAIN by Rachel Vail. 

Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom!


What would happen if we kiss?

Kevin led me quickly around the side of the building, then stopped. I managed not to crash into him. I tried to look calm, cool, unperturbed. I told myself not to laugh, especially not a snorting kind of laugh. "Wha . . . what did . . ."

And then he kissed me.

If We Kiss is the story of Charlotte (Charlie to her friends), who finds herself falling for a boy who is off-limits. Her best friend is in love with him, and her mother and his father are dating. Still, Charlie can't help but wonder, what would happen if we kiss?

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He closed the distance I'd opened up between us and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Maybe we can just be," Kevin whispered.

Charlie Collins doesn't know what to do about Kevin Lazarus, her crush and, awkwardly, her new stepbrother. Things were complicated enough when their parents were only dating and when Kevin was going out with Charlie's best friend, Tess. Now, post-wedding, Charlie and Kevin are crossing paths and crossing lines, and then they have to eat breakfast . . . together.

If only Charlie could get some time away from Kevin and her annoyingly happy and strange stepfamily, she might be able to deal. Yet first she has to make things right with George, her sort-of boyfriend, and Tess, whose trust she broke. But while Charlie struggles to be the perfect friend and daughter, at the end of the day Kevin is the one waiting for her at home. Would it really be so bad if they kissed again?

The follow-up to If We Kiss, Rachel Vail's addictive story of first kisses and heartbreak, Kiss Me Again at long last answers the question of what happens when a crush so off-limits it has to be a fantasy suddenly becomes something very real.


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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, February 25, 2013

The YA Sisterhood is turning 2!!!!!! Happy Blogoversary to Us!

Wow!  2 Years!

I joined my two sisters at this blog right around this time last year, and it has been one heck of a ride since then!  I have become absolutely obsessed with books, and I don't see that going away any time soon.  I am one of those who constantly search goodreads for new books (that come out way in the future), and then stalks it for the first reviews to start coming out.  And I have this blog to thank for my ruined time management skills. :)

This year has been so fantastic!  We had the 2nd Annual YA Crush Tourney, which although it had a rocky start, ending up being legen---wait for it---dary!  We had over 500,000 votes cast throughout the tournament, and we were all giddy when Adrian won. 

And...the biggest deal of all?  We hit 2 MILLION HITS this year!!!  What a milestone.  We never imagined how amazing this blog would do, and we are all so happy to see it doing so well.  Plus, the friends we have made through blogging are amazing, and we love talking books and boys with them.

So, to celebrate our 2nd Blogoversary, we are going to be doing a few giveaways.  There isn't a set schedule to when they are going to post, so be sure to check back often to see if another one has started! 

Here are a few of the books/arcs we will be giving away:

If We Kiss and Kiss Me Again by Rachel Vail
Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan
Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins
How To Lead A Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller
Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway

It's possible we will be adding more!!!

Lastly, we just want to say a big THANK YOU to all our followers and friends who have commented, voted, and supported us with this blog!!!!

Blog Tour: Dance of Shadows Review and Author Interview

 
Today we have the pleasure of hosting the Triple Threat Blog Tour with Dance of Shadows and Yelena Black!!!!  Yelena was nice enough to indulge us by answering a few questions!
 
1.) If you could pick 5 YA novels that could be choreographed into a ballet, which ones would you choose?

 

Bunheads by Sophie Flack, Mystic City by Theo Lawrence, Vixen by Jillian Larkin, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Elemental by Antony John.

 

2.) Why did you choose ballet as a focus for your novel?

 

There is something very “ancient” about ballet as an art form to me, and I’ve always been intrigued by it. I studied dance when I was younger, and I loved the idea of taking that quality of dance and stretching it into a story about legend and ritual. Ballet especially is so rigid and structured that I think it creates a very atmospheric setting for a novel. Plus, the dance apparel is so iconic that people have great imagery of ballet “items” (pointe shoes, tutus, and more) that it adds another visual layer to the story that’s already there.

 

3.) So many people have said that the cover of Dance of Shadows is the prettiest cover they have seen.  What was it like seeing the cover for the first time?

 

I’m so glad that people love the cover, because I think it is stunning. My jaw literally dropped to the floor when I first saw it. (Well, not literally, but you know what I mean!) It was so fun to see the cover because I’d worked on the book for so long and thought about what the cover might look like … but I never imagined anything as beautiful as this. I am lucky and honored and so thrilled to be working with the fabulous team at Bloomsbury.

 

4.) What projects are in the works for you right now?

 

I’m hard at work to the sequel to Dance of Shadows, which is going very well and I’m super excited about.

 

5.) Just for fun….what are you favorite:

Drink: Diet Coke

Candy: M&M’s

Book: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Animal: Cats!

Holiday:  Christmas, of course!
 
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Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black
eARC received from Bloomsbury via Netgalley
Release Date:  On Shelves Now
Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:  Dark and Chilling
I will admit that the cover is what drew me to this book.  It is easily one of the best covers I’ve seen so far in 2013, and although the book did not live up to the amazingness of the cover; I still enjoyed it. 
This is the first ballet book I have read, and I will say that I spent most of the book picturing the people from the movie Center Stage (probably because it’s the only ballet movie I’ve ever seen).  That did make it more enjoyable because, having never taken ballet before, I actually had an idea of the moves so I wasn’t just picturing some random leaps into the air.  I actually enjoyed the ballet aspect of the story better than anything else.  It’s a world that is so beautiful and severe, and Yelena definitely captures that stress and flawlessness of ballet in her writing.  I could see the tension in their nerves melt away as the characters started dancing.  The ballet made this book captivating, and it is the ballet that will bring me back for book 2.
The characters were, unfortunately, hit and miss for me.  I really enjoyed the minor characters, while I didn’t like the main ones.  Vanessa is one of those heroines who doesn’t see what’s going on right in front of her, and that really irked me.   Plus, her friends tried to get her to see reason at times, and she wouldn’t hear them out.  I guess she was just kind of dense, and at times, it was like the world revolved around her—and that type of heroine really bugs me.  I’m hoping she will become more mature in the next book because she  has great potential.  Her best friends were great though, especially Steffie and Blaine.  They were each quirky in their own way, and you could tell they really cared about what Vanessa was going through. 
So, let’s get to the guys.  First, there’s Zep—the amazing dancer who makes jaws drop all over the place.  He’s the kind of guy who should be on the cover of magazines, and he definitely has the charm and charisma to back up his good looks.  However, from the start, I got the feeling that his charm was fake, and it bugged me to see Vanessa fall straight for it.  But, I probably would have fallen for it, too, if he was as good looking as everyone says he is! Still, I could feel that he had secrets that he didn’t want discovered. 
Then there is Justin, another boy who has secrets.  He comes off as this big jerk who is a bit of a bully.  I liked him because he just seemed to tell the man to “Suck it,” and I love guys who are rebellious in the face of authority.  However, like Zep, I just didn’t trust him because he was obviously hiding something.  Still, when Vanessa describes him, I can’t help but get a bit swoony.  Add that to some of the smexy dreams Vanessa has about him, and I might be giving him another look.
Even though the story was slow, I still found myself lost in the hauntingly beautiful dance.  When Yelena described the world slipping away as the dance unfolds, I was just completely lost in the imagery.  I could see time stop as the dancers transcended reality and became almost dream-like in their beauty and grace.  Yelena’s words were beautiful and foreboding at the same time, and I fell straight into her macabre world.
So…survey says?
Would I recommend it to others? 
I would recommend it to YA fans who are looking for something different, who don’t mind pushing through slower moments to revel beautiful writing.  YA fans with a history or love of dance—you should definitely check it out.
Will I read the sequel?
 Yes, although it won’t be one of those that I pre-order and start reading the day it arrives.

 

 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Stitch by Samantha Durante: Guest Post and Giveaway

Hey everyone!!!  Today we are so excited to give you some insight into Samantha Durante's process for writing the sequel to Stitch!!!!  Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to enter the giveaway for an e-copy of Stitch!




The Glory of the Sequel by Samantha Durante

 

Sequels have a bad rap… particularly if they’re part two of a trilogy.  They’re known for being boring, slow, “filler” between an explosive beginning and the glorious climax of the end.  Not to mention there are the expectations to live up to, the high hopes of readers who loved the first book and waited eagerly for the second – only, more often than not, to be let down.

 

For all of these reasons, a part of me was dreading writing Shudder, the sequel to Stitch and part two of the Stitch Trilogy.  After all, Stitch was my first book – a grand new adventure – so I didn’t know what to expect when writing the next one.  And from what I could gather, it seemed like a lot of great authors really didn’t relish the experience of writing “Book 2.”

 

So I put off developing the plot for a few months while marketing Stitch, and that gave plenty of time for worries to swarm my head.  Would I be able to innovate enough to shock readers again after the huge twist in Stitch?  Could I come up with a storyline that was more than “filler” between Books 1 and 3?  Would I still be as enthusiastic about the world I’d created in this series to bring the same excitement to my work?

 

And it wasn’t until I finally took the plunge and started writing again that I discovered the answer to these questions: a resounding yes, yes, and YES.  Whew!  That was a relief.

 

You see, the thing I’ve decided I love about writing a sequel is that so MUCH of the work is done already – now I just get to play.  In Book 1, the world was built – so now I just have to fill in all the fun little details that make it real.  The characters came to life in the previous book – so now I just have to let them lead the story.  And after reading the last one, the reader already *knows* all the background – that means I can jump right into the action!  (And the romance! wink wink ;-)

 

And perhaps this is partially just the nature of the book I’ve written.  In Stitch, both the characters and the readers don’t know what’s really going on for more than half the book.  There are hints, of course, but it was difficult to really get the story going until everyone was up to speed, and I didn’t want to rush that part of the story.  Stitch lulls you into a sense of comfort, into a familiar place and storyline that you think you might have seen elsewhere – and just when you think you’re starting to figure it out, it dumps everything on its head.  That was something I’d rarely experienced as a reader, so it was a big part of the appeal for me as a writer – and I didn’t want to sacrifice the surprise by revealing the twist too soon.

 

So as a result, the beginning half of Stitch is admittedly slow.  The book really hits it groove as the twist is revealed and we move into the climax, and the last 30% or so of the story moves FAST – most readers have told me that from that point on, they simply couldn’t put it down.  But then, unfortunately, the first part of the story comes to an end.

 

The good thing is that this has allowed me to pick up Book 2 exactly where we left off.  Without giving away too much, in the first 10 chapters of Shudder there’s a blizzard, an execution, multiple attacks from unknown superhuman creatures, a steamy romance scene, exploration of a post-apocalyptic suburb, introductions of two mystery characters, the surprise comeback of a fan favorite from Book 1 (Nikhil), and lots of revelations about the history of this world, the motivations of the antagonists, and how the characters came to be involved in the plot.  In short, the story is MOVING – and I’m loving it.

 

It’s really an amazing thing to be able to dive right in and give readers exactly what they want without hesitation.  And to me, this is what sequels will always be about.  Not “filler,” but fulfillment – bringing the characters and the plot and the setting full circle and creating an authentic experience for the reader.

 

So faithful readers, I’m plugging away at Book 2, and I think you’ll be happy with the result.  Now I just need to figure out what I’m going to do about Book 3…
 
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Enter the Giveaway Here

Friday, February 22, 2013

Spellcaster by Claudia Gray


Spellcaster by Claudia Gray
ARC received from Harper Teen
Release Date:  3-5-2012
Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:  Enchanting, Enigmatic, and Ethereal
When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.


For Nadia, magic is real.  All she has to do is come up with 3 memories that serve as ingredients to call on her gift.  If you are a fan of Claudia Gray, don’t miss out on this new series.  It has all the ingredients for a magical book:

Magic breaking free

Evil encompassing all

Love ever enduring

Claudia Gray has created a world that will spellbound you!

I really think there should be more books focusing on witches.  There are tons of paranormal books where witches are mentioned or are minor characters, but there are very few books where the entire focus is on witchcraft.  Have you ever been looking and looking for something and then you find it right in front of you?  That’s what witches are in the YA world—overlooked when they should be obvious!!

I enjoyed Claudia’s new book—it was different than what I expected.  I went into it thinking that it was going to be more “old ways” like Salem type witches, or that all the spells/wording was going to be archaic, but it wasn’t.  It was new and inventive, and I was pleasantly surprised with Claudia’s take on the Craft. 

There were times when the plot was slow, and I did find myself bogged down by some of the details.  The descriptions of the town were great—crumbling, dingy, with a sheen of evil.  I really enjoyed those details of the story, but there were other times when Nadia seemed to be very repetitive in her thoughts and actions, and I just wanted it to hurry along.  But, that didn’t keep me from enjoying the plot and how it developed.  I actually felt like the end was rushed a bit, and I wanted more details here about the climactic event!

I like Nadia, but I wasn’t overly impressed by her.  She is a budding witch with no teacher, and with the powers she has, she is able to accomplish much more than she should.  Her struggle and her revelations kept me wanting to see inside her mind more, but she still just seemed like a normal heroine to me—nothing that will really stay molded in my memory.

The character that will stay molded in my memory?  The bad guy.  I won’t tell you who it is because (even though it is revealed early) it is a spoiler.  Let me just say that the bad guy was ruthless—voice dripping with poison, wolf in sheep’s clothing, I’ll cut you to ribbons with a butter knife kind of ruthless!  I was more into this person than any of the other characters because he/she had so many layers and dimensions to discover.  The story was written where we see so many characters POVs.  While this got annoying because there were just too many viewpoints, I did enjoy the ones where we saw inside the mind of evil.

And the guy.

Mateo.  He was interesting enough, but unfortunately, he wasn’t one that swept me away.  He was endearing and loyal, but, I don’t know, there wasn’t that spark to him that lights me on fire.  I guess he was just too sweet?  I can’t help it, I like the troubled, bad boys.  Mateo is troubled, just not rebellious.  He is more victim than anything.  I do think many readers will like him, though, because he isn’t the cocky, in your face, rebel without a cause type of guy we see so often in YA.

Overall, I enjoyed reading something new and different, and I will definitely be checking out the sequel!!!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Eve by Anna Carey


Eve by Anna Carey
Published by HarperTeen
On Shelves Now
Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:  A chilling look at a crumbling world
The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

I will admit, I didn’t even know what this series was about until I received an ARC of the third and final book, Rise.  So, I figured, I have the third book—why not read them all back to back—no waiting, no “oh my gosh, what a cliffhanger” reactions.  I will say, this is the perfect way to read a series!  I loved being able to read them all back to back.  I spent an entire week in Anna’s world, and I will say, I am so glad HarperTeen sent me the third book because, otherwise, I would have totally missed out!

Eve takes place in a ravaged America, after a deadly plague wipes out most of the population.  A King has taken control of the citizens and forced many of the into unspeakable actions in the name of “peace” and “survival” and “hope.”  Many people argue that the problem with Eve is the world-building.  There just isn’t enough, and while I can see their argument, I will say that it didn’t bother me.  I’m much more interested in the action and the characters, so I didn’t need to know more about how the world ended up that way and what not.  I like that the book focused more on the characters themselves—their problems, their losses, and their doubts.

This was definitely a quick read—I read it in one sitting, and went straight on to the next book.  I really like that it was a one sitter, but I wish there would have been more action near the end.  There’s plenty of action throughout the book, but the ending just felt rushed to me.  I wanted to see more passion, more anger, more fear; and I didn’t really get enough of that to really understand the motivations of some of the characters.

Surprisingly, my favorite character was Arden.  She is argumentative and blunt, understanding the harsh realities into which they have been thrust.  She is hardened, and I found myself taking an immediate liking to her, attitude and all.  She wasn’t whiney, and she definitely wasn’t going to bow down to any man—and I really liked that about her.  I felt like she was trustworthy and smart, and I would definitely put my life in her hands if I was Eve.

Eve was up and down for me.  I really liked her character at times because she didn’t just stay in the mold that she was raised in; she dared to question authority and her beliefs, and as a result, she was rewarded with a great relationship.  However, I felt like there were times when she was a bit daft and rash.  She lunged into problems head first without thinking about the consequences, and that is one of my biggest pet peeves in a character.  I know that these rash decisions are what create the action and drama in a book, but I think you can make just as many great scenes without the stupidity.  Especially since Eve was the valedictorian, I would think she would have a bit more common sense, even if she was brainwashed by the teachers into believing false truths.

And of course, I have to mention Caleb—I just love the rough and tough guys.  The only problem I had is that we didn’t see enough or hear enough from him.  I wanted to see more of his talents and more of his background—what made him who he is and why does he care so much about this random girl.  I wanted to see inside his head more, and I didn’t get that.  Maybe a novella will pop out of this world at some point???  I really liked Caleb—he was caring, and strong, and protective.  I just need more of him!

Overall, this was a great read, and I would definitely recommend it to dystopian fans!  I can’t wait to see what’s next for Anna Carey.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday: Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE by Kate Karyus Quinn.  ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE releases on June 11, 2013 from Harper Teen.

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The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn's haunting debut.

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.
 
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So, ever since I read Anna by Kendare Blake, I've been on an "I need to read another horror" kick.  And then I saw Another Little Piece--yay!  I love the cover of this one, and it sounds super creepy--SOLD!  I love the sound of this one--mystery, intrigue, violence.  I just know it's going to be amazing!


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Rise by Anna Carey

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!
To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

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Rise by Anna Carey
Published by HarperTeen
Release Date:  4-2-2013

 
"Within the week, my father would be dead."  ARC, pg 8
 
"Come on people,' he said, raising his voice to a yell.  'Can't you see what's happening?  The city is under attack.'"  ARC, pg 73

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I started Eve 3 days ago, and since then, I have made it through Once and now am halfway through Rise!  I'm really excited to see how this series ends.  I'm so glad HarperTeen sent me an ARC of Rise, otherwise, I might never have picked up this series.