New YA Book Releases: January 31, 2012

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
HarperTeen

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

New Girl by Paige Harbison
Harlequin Teen


They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

Forbidden Tour: Multicharacter Interview

Syrie James and Ryan M. James are stopping by with their characters for an interview today. Let's get started!

What is your greatest fear?
CLAIRE:  That something will happen to take Alec or my mother away from me.
ALEC: That Claire or her friends and family will be in danger and I won’t be there to help protect them.

Who is the closest to you in your life and why?
CLAIRE: In the past, I’ve always been closest to my mom, since she’s the only relative I’ve ever known. But now that I’ve met Alec, I’m closer to him than anyone—I think he’s my soul mate and kindred spirit.
ALEC: Kind’ve an unfair question? I fell in love with Claire the moment I met her, not like I’m going to be closer to anyone else.

What is the craziest thing you've ever done?
CLAIRE: Tried to communicate telepathically with a sports jacket.
ALEC: Pursued a monk over a treacherous Tibetan mountain pass in the dead of winter. 

What is a typical day for you?
CLAIRE: I go to school, hang with Alec and my friends, and hope I don’t get struck by another vision.
ALEC: I do my best to blend into my environment and not to call attention to myself.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less.
CLAIRE: I’ll describe ALEC: intelligent, handsome, powerful, brave, sensitive.
ALEC: I’ll describe CLAIRE: smart, gutsy, vulnerable, beautiful, affectionate.

Claire and Alec, you were awesome! Thanks for stopping by. =)

She should not exist.

He should not love her.

Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she’s desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there’s no way she’s going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she’s been having or the creepy warnings that she’s in danger.

Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claire into his plans. . . .

Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire’s unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?

New YA Book Releases: January 24, 2011

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
HarperTeen

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Disney-Hyperion

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.
Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.
Because how will she go on if there isn't?
Megan Crewe crafts a powerful and gripping exploration of self-preservation, first love, and hope. Poignant and dizzying, this heart-wrenching story of one girl’s bravery and unbeatable spirit will leave readers fervently awaiting the next book in this standout new series.

There is No Dog by Megan Rosoff
Penguin Group

Meet your unforgettable protagonist: God, who, as it turns out, is a 19-year-old boy living in the present-day and sharing an apartment with his long-suffering fifty-something personal assistant. Unfortunately for the planet, God is lazy and, frankly, hopeless. He created all of the world's species in six days because he couldn't summon the energy to work for longer. He gets Africa and America mixed up. And his beleagured assistant has his work cut out for him when God creates a near-apolcalyptic flood, having fallen asleep without turning the bath off. There is No Dog is a darkly funny novel from one of our most delightfully unpredictable writers.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald
Candlewick Press


Seventeen-year-old Sadie is in love: epic, heartfelt, and utterly onesided. The object of her obsession - ahem, affection - is her best friend, Garrett Delaney, who has been oblivious to Sadie's
feelings ever since he sauntered into her life and wowed her with his passion for Proust (not to mention his deep-blue eyes). For two long, painful years, Sadie has been Garrett's constant companion, sharing his taste in everything from tragic Russian literature to art films to '80s indie rock
- all to no avail. But when Garrett leaves for a summer literary retreat, Sadie is sure that the absence will make his heart grow fonder - until he calls to say he's fallen in love. With some other girl! A
heartbroken Sadie realizes that she's finally had enough. It's time for total Garrett detox! Aided by a barista job, an eclectic crew of new friends (including the hunky chef, Josh), and a customized selfhelp
guide, Sadie embarks on a summer of personal reinvention full of laughter, mortifying meltdowns, and a double shot of love.

Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James
HarperTeen

She should not exist.

He should not love her.

Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she’s desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there’s no way she’s going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she’s been having or the creepy warnings that she’s in danger.

Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claire into his plans. . . .

Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire’s unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?

Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

January 31, 2012

HarperTeen

Synopsis:
NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

My Review:
The first time I saw the cover for INCARNATE, I fell in love with it. I didn't care what I had to do, I had to get this book in my hands, if only so I could pet the cover. Well, even though the cover is beyond beautiful, the story surpassed the cover for me. That's how good it is. If I had to choose just one word to describe INCARNATE, I wouldn't be able to. It is so much more than a single word can describe. Addictive, compelling, GORGEOUS, breathtaking, captivating, delightful, delicious, magnificent, mesmerizing...those are what come to mind when I think about INCARNATE. I am so sad that I finished it so quickly because I didn't want to leave this world!

I really want to give Ana a HUGE hug. The poor girl didn't have any choice in the matter of being born, yet the society still punishes her for it. They ignore her, throw her hateful looks, and call her filthy names like "nosoul". Ana is not a nosoul at all. She is beautiful inside and out. She is a bit skittish from living with her evil mother Li for 18 years of her short life, but it is very understandable considering how Li treated her.

Can I just give Meadows a big hug for creating a protagonist like Sam? He is one of my absolute favorite love interest of YA. His heart is big enough to open up to let Ana is, and he doesn't let Ana's circumstances dictate how he treats her. He never once acted rude or obnoxious, but showed how beautiful his soul is. I LOVE Sam and I cannot wait for more of him in the next novel.

The action is aplenty in INCARNATE. Within a few chapters, Ana has already had two near death experiences! Talk about a rough few days. The lore and the creatures like sylph and dragons drew me in and I absorbed every bit of information about them. I am so glad I don't have to deal with those beings!

The whole idea of reincarnation has always fascinated me, so it's no surprise that I love this book so much. Meadows doesn't skimp on the information, but at the same time she waits for the perfect time to reveal the bits and pieces. The end of INCARNATE is when things really get interesting and readers learn the answers to the questions they've had swirling around their heads for the last 300 pages.

When INCARNATE hits stores, I am definitely going to be picking up a finished copy. It will be going on the keeper shelf for sure. Don't pass up INCARNATE when you spot it in stores. The story is just as amazing as the cover.


My Rating:

New YA Book Releases: January 17, 2012

Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey
Walker Childrens

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric-who may or may not betray them.

Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani
HarperTeen


When Shalini’s father gets a new job in L.A., she is torn away from her life in India and the boy to whom she’s been betrothed since she was three. L.A. is so different, and Shalini dresses and talks all wrong. She isn’t sure she’ll survive high school in America without her fiancé, Vikram, and now she has to cope with her mom’s homesickness and depression. A new friend, chill and confident Renuka, helps Shalini find her way and get up the courage to join the Food4Life club at school. But she gets more than just a friend when she meets Toby—she gets a major crush. Shalini thinks she loves Vikram, but he never made her feel like this.
In Lovetorn, Shalini discovers that your heart ultimately makes its own choices, even when it seems as if your destiny has already been chosen.

Author Kavita Daswani has always been fascinated by child marriages and betrothals, and this story of a traditional girl from India, who is exposed to so many more freedoms and experiences after being dropped in a completely alien culture, is a fresh and contemporary look at the subject.

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
HarperTeen


For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning. 

Fracture by Megan Miranda
Walker & Company

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine
-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?


Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Tempest by Julie Cross
St. Martin's Griffin

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Review: Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken 

June 1, 2010

EgmontUSA

Synopsis:
When Wayland North brings rain to a region that's been dry for over ten years, he's promised anything he'd like as a reward. He chooses the village elder's daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she's hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she's heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.

The pair rushes toward the capital, intent to stop an imminent war, pursued by Reuel Dorwan (a dark wizard who has taken a keen interest in Sydelle) and plagued by unusually wild weather. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers North's dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.

My Review:
High fantasy at its core, BRIGHTLY WOVEN is sure to delight lovers of the genre! Full of magic and myths galore, I couldn't put it down for even a second! I fell in love with Sydelle and North and their adventures. I am so sad that it took me this long to dive in! It is a fantastic YA debut and a must read for all YA fans.

Sydelle's life is anything but eventful. She lives in the dreary and dry Cliffton that hasn't seen rain in a long, long time. While out with her friends on a seemingly normal day, her life is thrown into chaos. It rains! But along with the rain comes North, a wizard that brings terrible news to her little town and spurs her and North on a long journey to save the country.

North isn't much better off than Sydelle. He doesn't have a real home and has a deadly secret about himself that he hides from the world. The battle between him and Doran ignites off the pages and fuels the story on. On the romantic side, North's journey with Sydelle causes his heart to open and accept someone new into his life who may be just as special, if not more, than he is.

Bracken truly has a way with words. Sydelle and North come to life off the pages and I felt as if I was on their journey right alongside them. Her vivid descriptions create gorgeous images that I can picture perfectly! There is plenty of action to keep you entertained, even if the story does lull in a few scenes. But besides the few pauses in the story, I have no other complaints!

Bracken has proven herself to be a well-versed and lyrical author with BRIGHTLY WOVEN. Don't hesitate to pick this one up!

My Rating:

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

January 2, 2012

Poppy

Synopsis:
Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

My Review:
When I first heard about this one, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! The title is so cute and the cover is gorgeous, so I was hoping the book would be just as good. I am happy to say that I was more than pleased, though I had a few minor annoyances. I cannot believe how believable Smith made a romance that developed over the course of 24 hours! The writing style is equally as engaging and it drew me in with in the first few sentences. Smith has made me a fan for sure!

Hadley isn't very happy. Her dad walked out on her mom, probably because of another woman who he is marrying, and she has to attend the wedding all the way in Oxford! She feels betrayed by her dad and won't forgive the pain he caused her mother. It gets even worse for Hadley when she misses her flight to Oxford and has to catch a later one! But when she meets Oliver, a boy with his own set of problems, in the airport, they have an instant connection that blossoms over the course of their time together.

My heart went out to Hadley. If my father did such a thing to my mother, I would feel the exact same way she did. I don't even think that I would have it in me to attend the wedding! I hoped for a happily ever after for Hadley, and I was so happy that she had Oliver. I was extremely nervous about how it would all work out, though! I knew they would have to part ways, but they were meant to be! They had to somehow find each other before the last page or I just wouldn't be satisfied.

Oliver was such a mystery, but I fell for him just as easily as Hadley did. His quirky personality lights up the pages and I couldn't get enough of him! I want my own Oliver! He miraculously got Hadley to open up and consider her relationship with her father. I think Smith has given me yet another book boyfriend; the first one of 2012 for me!

The thing that just grated on me wrong was how easily Hadley repaired the relationship with her father. I'm sorry, but after a year of pain and feelings of betrayal and anger, it wouldn't happen within hours. Somehow the falling in love within 24 hours is more believable to me than her newly mended relationship with her father.

I love, love, love THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. It is a story about more than love, but also family and forgiveness that will leave you feeling satisfied.

My Rating:

Review: Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

 Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

May 3, 2011

Simon Pulse

Synopsis:
Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.
Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.
As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.


My Review:
Jeri Smith-Ready has done it again! She seamlessly weaves together a tragic and heartfelt story full of surprises and romance that singes the pages. I cannot get enough of this series!! I just want to dive in the pages and never leave the world that Smith-Ready has crafted. She ends it on a stunning note that will have you dying for SHINE.

Aura is one determined and amazing girl! I don't know what I would do if I was in her shoes. The whole her being the first post-Shift baby born makes her life extremely complicated, added to that her love triangle with Logan and Zach. I don't care that Logan is a ghost, I can see why Aura can't resist him! He is too yummy for his own good. And then there is Zach with his Scottish background. WOW. Just plain wow. I would want to be in Aura's place, but at the same time it is just a tad complicated.

There is so much at stake in SHIFT. Aura and Zach come closer to discovering what led to the Shift and in doing so learn things about their background that are way to messed up to fully comprehend. Smith-Ready sure throws some whammies at her characters and readers! I DID NOT expect what led to Aura's birth. Craziness, I tell you.

I have to say, Smith-Ready is great at getting my emotions going. I didn't expect to have SHIFT read in a mere few hours, but that's what happened. I couldn't stop turning the pages! Especially when the twists were thrown in, and there were quite a few of those. I have to say, I do love me some Zach, but there were quite a few moments in the story where I wanted to scream at him!! Why must guys be so hard-headed?

SHINE has to be on shelves tomorrow, it just has to be! I don't know how I am going to wait five months for its release. But don't let that stop you from picking this one up! It is a captivating and outstanding sequel to SHADE.

My Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday (52)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney

May 15, 2012
Viking Juvenile

Synopsis:
Down-to-earth oboe-player Kelly is always the friend and never the girlfriend. But as her junior year of high school starts, Kelly is determined to finally reveal her true feelings for her long-time crush and good friend Hunter - that is, until the Boy Recession hits.

Over the past summer, an overwhelming number of male students have left Kelly and Hunter's small high school class. Some were sent to private school and others moved away. Whatever the case, the sudden population shift has left the already small Julius P. Heil High in desperate shape. The football coach is recruiting chess champs for his team, the principal's importing male exchange students to balance out school dances,and Hunter is about to become an unexpected heartthrob.

Content with his role as the guitar-strumming, class-skipping slacker, Hunter is unprepared to be the center of attention. Desperate coaches are recruiting him for sports teams, and the drama teacher casts him in the lead role of the school musical. Even the Spandexers, powerful popular girls in tight pants, are noticing Hunter in a new light - with a little work, he could have potential. He might even be boyfriend material...

In order to tand out from the crowd and win Hunter's heart, Kelly needs a "stimulus package" in the form of cougar lessons from a senior girl who dates hot freshman boys and advice on the male mind from her Cosmo-addicted best friend, Aviva. As if dating wasn't hard enough without a four-to-one ratio!

Why I'm Excited:
The Boy Recession sounds like a cute and engaging contemporary that I will love. =)

New YA Book Releases: January 10, 2012

A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Razorbill

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.
But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.
In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Dutton

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Harcourt Childrens

It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

Under the Never Sky: Character Interview with Roar

Roar from Veronica Rossi's UNDER THE NEVER SKY is stopping by today for a character interview with me. Thanks for coming, Roar!

1. What is your opinion on the Dwellers?

I didn't think about them at all until I met Aria. She's great. If the rest of the Dwellers are like her, then I think I'll get along with them fine.

2. Who are you most loyal to and why?


Liv and Perry. Perry is like my brother, and Liv... she's everything.

3. What is your favorite memory with Perry and Liv?

We've done everything together so that's a tough question. Fall is always a great time where we live. There's no fog by the ocean, and we spend our afternoons just passing the time at the beach. Sometimes we'll bring Talon too. And we'll just sit around and talk, or play a game. It doesn't really matter, just as long as we're together.



4. What was your first thought when you found out Liv would be married off to another Blood Lord?

My first thought was no. That was it. Just no. It can't happen. 



5. What is it like being an Aud?

I'm not sure how answer that. What's it like not being an Aud? Does it drive you crazy to only hear sounds happening right around you? That's how it is when I cover my ears, and I hate that feeling. Living without sound would be like living in the dark.

Thanks for having me, Bailey.

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In My Mailbox (46)

 
For Review:
Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan
Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Gifted:
Switched by Amanda Hocking (Thanks Lena!!!!)
 

Bought:
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (for later giveaway)
Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Thanks to:
Little, Brown
HarperTeen
Lena at Addicted 2 Novels
My mom

Giveaway: Dark Days of Winter 2012

Hi everyone! Thanks to HarperTeen, I am hosting a giveaway for a copy of Magic of the Moonlight by Ellen Schreiber, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, and Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. Just use Rafflecopter to enter. =) This giveaway is US only and will last until next Sunday the 15th. Winner will be contacted within 48 hours of the giveaways end.