Monday Mini(BkRv) :: 7 - 8

:: 7 ::

BOOK REVIEW ::
GIRL MEETS BOY
Kelly Milner Halls
@kellymilnerh :: website
Chris Crutcher
@chriscrutcher :: website
Joseph Bruchac
@nonefound :: website
Cynthia Leitich Smith
@CynLeitichSmith :: website
James Howe
@nonefound :: website (none)
Ellen Wittlinger
@nonefound :: website
Rita Williams-Garcia
@OneCrazyRita :: website
Terry Trueman
@TTrueman :: website
Terry Davis
@nonefound :: website
Rebecca Fjelland Davis
@nonefound :: website
Sara Ryan
@ryansara :: website
Randy Powell
@nonefound :: website





YA | Contemporary | Anthology

FIRST LINE :: ARC :: [Chris Crutcher:] My name is John Smith, and though I’m aware that an overwhelming number of men use my name to check in to motels they shouldn’t be checking in to, I try to be a man of virtue.

SUMMARY :: from the B&N website

What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of he said/she said stories he tells it from the guy s point of view, she tells it from the girl s. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There s the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated because there are two sides to every story.

REVIEW :: I loved the concept of GIRL MEETS BOY, and I think these authors did a fantastic job although I wish the stories were not quite that short and went on a little longer. Whenever I try an anthology, I worry about not finding enough stories to enjoy to make it worth the effort - but each story in GIRL MEETS BOY had a special sparkle that I ate each and every one of them up (and maybe licked my fingers afterward. Okay, and then went for seconds). Not all boy-girl pairings end in the expected happily-ever-afters, and furthermore they use romance as a diving board and splashed into more headier issues that involve gender identity, internet openness, and cultural differences. Anyone who enjoys a good dual-perspective - especially when both sides have conflicting motives – will most likely enjoy the fruits of these authors’ labor.

DISCLAIMER :: LIBRARYTHING
RELEASED JANUARY 2012 BY CHRONICLE BOOKS

:: 8 ::

BOOK REVIEW ::
A Need So Beautiful
Suzanne Young
@suzanne_young :: website




YA | Angels | Series Book 1

FIRST LINE :: I sit on the front steps of St. Vincent’s Cathedral and pick at the moss nestled in the cracks of the concrete.

SUMMARY :: from the B&N website

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be forgotten.

Charlotte's best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she's cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what's really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become—her mark on this earth, her very existence—is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny—no matter how dark the consequences?

REVIEW :: I know, another angel-themed book? Honestly I would not have considered, but Suzanne Young made me snort milk through my nose with her Naughty List series, so I thought I’d give A Need So Beautiful a shot. The tension between Charlotte and Harlin was tighter than tight, but overall the story did not have a similar effect for me. I wish the characters had more memorable presence, but they seemed to drift in for a little while and then out again. While Charlotte found some answers about her strange Need, there is so much more left unsaid for the reader. I will warn you that the story ends with a cliffhanger (think mercy), and if I were you I would wait until the next book comes out before picking this book up! I am hoping that A Want So Wicked will bring more answers, and I am looking forward to seeing how Harlin turns out in Book 2.

DISCLAIMER :: BOUGHT
RELEASED JUNE 2011 BY BALZER + BRAY (HARPERCOLLINS)
OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES :: A WANT SO WICKED

Frisky Friday :: Week 3

Holy cutie patooties, February is just rolling right along - and with it, all these awesome releases - and I am trying to hold on to dear life (no joke) before I go slightly mental!

Here is Frisky Friday #3, and today we are going to skip along the yellow brick road into the wonderful land of YA and talk about Stephanie Perkins who puts in the AH in oh-la-la as well as her character names Anna, Lola, and Isla. Her decadent debut Anna And The French Kiss swept the world off its axis with its swoony romance, but Stephanie Perkins truly rocked my knee socks off with the cheeky and cheery companion Lola And The Boy Next Door. I am devastated to find out that Isla And The Happily Ever After does not come out until 2013, but perhaps that will give my heart to recover from skipping a beat or two while reading Lola.

For the strong of heart and wearer of socks, I shall spread around the heart-stopping, sock-rocking love that is spun by the effervescent Stephanie Perkins.

TWO winners who get to snuggle with both Anna And The French Kiss

AND Lola And The Boy Next Door;

and FOUR winners who can choose either Anna OR Lola as their prize

This giveaway ends on February 24th.

As always, open to anyone who has an address! :)

Stephanie Perkins 

Website :: Blog :: Twitter

THE BOOKS
(click on cover to go to its GoodReads page)

 

BkRv :: A big slurpie of MUST LOVE

BOOK REVIEW :: 
DRINK, SLAY, LOVE
Sarah Beth Durst
@sarahbethdurst :: website




YA | Vampires

FIRST LINE :: “One hour until dawn,” Pearl said. She leaped off the roof and landed catlike on the pavement. “Oodles of time, if we steal a car.”

 










SUMMARY :: from the B&N website

Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire . . . fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil . . . until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don’t exist), and they’re shocked she survived. They’re even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl’s family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King’s feast—as the entrées.

The only problem? Pearl’s starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she’s definitely dead if she lets down her family. What’s a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

REVIEW ::
I had been nervous about Sarah Beth Durst’s latest work DRINK, SLAY, LOVE because vampires seemed like a GIANT leap from fairy tales and I did not think it possible to love another book of hers more than I did ICE. Well, dear Readers, I stand here before you a changed mind because DRINK, SLAY, LOVE is made of awesome with all the right sorts of bubbly.

THE GOOD BITS
{How much more Buffy can you get?} I have read other books before that reminded me of Buffy, but DRINK, SLAY, LOVE has raised the bar in so many ways that I seriously think EVERYONE must read this book for the love of Joss Whedon! Vampires have never been snarkier – and if Pearl and Buffy ever got into a fight, let’s just say that I’m not sure who will come out the victor in strength and clever insults.

{So fresh and so clean!} Sarah Beth Durst pulled all the stops with this story, and I definitely did not want to put this book down. EVER. What would Pearl say or do next to insult these humans who refuse to leave her alone? Do unicorns really exist? Does gym class still suck for the undead? Which vampires are friend or fiend? The genius behind DRINK, SLAY, LOVE is the delightful element of surprise and watcing Pearl react to the ridiculousness of her situation. I cannot remember a time when I had more fun with a vampire novel!

{Pearl} Snarky, sexy, strong, and toasty marshmallowy inside! Why can’t all female protagonists in paranormal be like Pearl? I know I am quite particular as to what I expect from a book, but it is awfully hard to find a protagonist that simply have it all in spades. So please excuse me when I go ALL-CAPS BALLISTIC when I find Pearl to be BEYOND AWESOMESAUCE. Ka-BOOM goes my dynamite!

THE BAD BITS
{No sequel?} BOOOO. HISS. While DRINK, SLAY, LOVE definitely can stand on its own spine and sometimes it is best to leave a good book alone, I just have a smidgen of WANT to have more Pearl and company in my life.

THE OVERALL
ICE may have melted my heart, but DRINK, SLAY, LOVE is a big slurp of delicious red velvet cheesecake that I would gladly give up my blood for! This is one book that you absolutely MUST READ (NOW!) - it will renew your faith that vampires are not a thing of the past and prove that Sarah Beth Durst still has aces up her sleeve that are itching to come out. I cannot wait to see what she has cooked up in VESSEL because it sounds and looks stunning!

DISCLAIMER :: PUBLISHER
RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2011 BY MARGARET K MCELDERRY BOOKS (SIMON & SCHUSTER CHILDREN'S)