Between the Bookcovers

 Author: Caitlyn Duffy
 Published:  July 5, 2011
 Pages:  319
 Rating:  3/5 Stars

 Description from Goodreads:

 At the age of 15, Taylor Beauforte has only met her father twice in person.  After all, he is the lead singer of a world-famous rock band, constantly on the cover of music magazines and giving interviews on MTV. He pays for Taylor to attend the Treadwell Academy, a prestigious boarding school in Massachusetts, and provides her mother with monthly checks to cover her basic needs, but has never made much of an effort to play an active part in Taylor’s life. Taylor's mom Dawn is the only family she has ever really known, and because of Dawn's hard-partying Hollywood lifestyle, studious Taylor is happiest on the other side of the country in Massachusetts with her nose buried in a book.
When Taylor 's mom unexpectedly dies the summer before Taylor starts her junior year, she receives a crash course in fame. Over the course of the summer with the band, Taylor learns the depths of her own strength, the difficulty of overcoming loss, and that the definition of family means much more than shared bloodlines.




Review:

Taylor grew up knowing she had a famous father, but was raised by her alcoholic mother on the opposite coast. When her mother unexpectedly dies, her father comes to claim her and she joins him as his band tours the United States. Along the way she learns how fame can affect lives, how groupies work, lessons about her mother as well as herself.

Duffy has created a believable characters in Taylor and her family. She paints a realistic picture of how fame affects people and those around them. The story is well written and flows well; it is an easy read. Some tough topics are covered here: drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure, teen sex and more.

Rating:  An enjoyable read with some important teen topics addressed inside.

Author:  Annie Oldham
Published:  September 26, 2011

Pages:  235

Rating:  4/5 Stars

Description from Goodreads:

The Burn is full of nuclear fallout, roving gangs, anarchy, unreliable plumbing. That's what Terra's father tells her. She has lived her whole life in comfort in a colony at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. She hates it. And she would pay any price to leave. But when Terra finally escapes the colony, she finds out her father is right.

She finds a group of survivors that quickly become friends, and every day with them is a race for survival. When she witnesses and commits unspeakable acts, she has to decide where her loyalty lies: with the colony she despises or The Burn, where every day is filled with nightmares.

Review:


I am always looking for a good post apocalyptic book and this one adds another voice to the genre. Set 100 years after the end of WWIII, the story opens with Terra living in an underwater world, The Colony, that was built by her ancestors who sought refuge from a destroyed world above the sea. It is a highly regimented place where everything is planned, down to the number of calories and vitamins you consume each day. As a teen, soon to be an adult, Terra is being encouraged to choose her job in the Colony. She feels like a prisoner here, and longs to see the world above the water, a place that she learned about from a teacher and old books. Another society exists in what is left of America, known as "The Burn". The people who survived the war struggled to build a place where they eked out a meager life. The people in The Burn have heard about underwater colonies, but do not know where they are located and resent those who found a safe place to go when the world fell apart. Terra eventually finds a way to leave her underwater home, paying a high price in order to escape. The book follows her journey as she discovers how difficult life in The Burn can be.

Oldham has done a magnificent job in building an underwater world, as well as a dark, realistic, post-war world where survival is difficult and harsh.  As Terra explores her new world she experiences all of this but also finds moments of happiness and love, showing how the human spirit can deal with adversity. 


The characters are well developed and Terra is a strong girl who makes sacrifices to get what she wants out of life. But her choices are not easy and she struggles with them and questions herself along the way, just like any normal teen who is making their way in the world does. She has to learn how to survive in The Burn, making friends (and enemies) along the way, while always keeping her background as a Colonist a secret.


This was a great read. The story grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the book. I was fascinated by both worlds Oldham built and feel that this is a great read for anyone who enjoys post apocalyptic novels. A sequel is planned for the Fall of 2012, I an anxiously awaiting to continue Tessa's journey. The book is available in print or as an e-book for only .99 on Amazon.


Rating: A great story set in a devastated world, you will enjoy this one.

Author: Amanda Hocking
Published: September 28, 2010
Pages: 306
Rating: 5/5 stars

Description from Goodreads:

"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

Review:

Remy is left alone with her small brother in a world where a rabies type virus has turned most of the population into zombies. She has learned to protect herself and when her brother is transported to a government safe house she has to try to find him. The story follows her as she goes across the western US, picking up colorful characters along the way. There is plenty of zombie type violence and the action is nonstop as she tries to locate her brother as readers wonder what makes him so special that the government wants to protect him?

I was sucked into this book from the first page and found it hard to put down. Remy's is a wonderful character, strong and independent, but wanting to be with others makes her vulnerable. She is on a mission to find her brother, all she has left of her family. The other characters are also well done: Lazlo, a rock star, and Tatum, a soldier who goes out of his way to help Remy, and a tame lion they find on the side of the road. There is plenty of blood and gore here, with zombies who seem to be getting smarter as they evolve.

There is no guarantee that the characters will survive, and many don't as they run for their lives. The dark, hostile world Hocking has created is a joy to read about, and the love story thrown into the action packed novel makes this a wonderful read.


Rating: An Excellent story you will not want to miss.

Author: Morgan Matson
Published: May 4, 2010
Pages: 352
Rating: 5/5 Stars


Four months ago Amy Curry had a perfect teenage life. Now her Dad is dead, her mother has moved across the country and her twin brother is in rehab. To top it off her mother expects her to drive across the country with a stranger. The book opens as Amy meets Roger, a college guy who has problems of his own. They decide to detour from the trip Amy's mother planned and see the country as they make their way from California to Connecticut. The book follows their road trip and their discovery of each other along the way.

Morgan Matson has created such an engaging story that I was sucked right into the backseat and went along for the ride. There was no fast paced action to pull you along, but I still was so drawn to the book that I could not put it down. Instead, it was the story and the characters that kept me reading. Amy and Roger's characters had so many layers, it was a joy to see them revealed as the trip progressed. The secondary characters were equally well developed, from the video game player on a quest to the topiary creating teen, each was unique in their own way. The slow building romance followed the pace of the journey, and was wonderfully done. The journal kept along the way was genius, it added so much to the story, from the receipts to the doodles, it allowed us to peak into the journey through the minds of Amy and Roger. And the play lists helped set the mood of the trip as it progressed.

This was a great book about grief, friendship, heartbreak and romance. It tells the story of how to move on with life by letting go. And it reminds us that the best discoveries are the ones we make when we aren't looking for them. I suggest you read this one, it is a journey you will not want to miss.

Rating: Outstanding, don't miss this one.

Author: Carrie Ryan
Published: March 22, 2011
Pages: 384 pages
Rating: 4/5 Stars

The third and final book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth Trilogy finds Annah living alone in The Dark City (later revealed as New York City). It has been three years since Elias left her and she decides to leave, believing he will never return. Just as she leaves she see her twin sister Gabry entering the city. What follows is her search for her sister, finding out about Catcher and the return of Elias. Any further information would spoil the book, something I don't do on this blog.

This book is closely related to the second in the trilogy. Many of the characters are the same. The introduction of Annah is a wonderful treat. She is a character who is in pain over leaving her sister behind and feels worthless and angry as she struggles to survive. The undead zombies are prominent in this installment, always seeking live flesh, and they add a dark, scary flavor to the story. Danger is constantly present and it is a struggle to survive. As in the previous books the writing here is beautiful and haunting, making the reader think while feeling the emotions displayed by the characters.

In the end the book is about life and the choices we make on how to live it. Do you limit yourself, keeping safe while missing all that life holds? Does one take a chance on love, knowing that pain and heartache can follow? This is a wonderful book and it provides a satisfying end to the trilogy. While you can read this one without having read the others in the series, the second book will provide a lot of the story about what has happened in the lives of the main characters prior to this book.

Rating: An excellent book that you will enjoy

Author: Gayle Forman
Published: April 5, 2011
Pages: 208
Rating: 5/5 Stars


When we left Mia in If I Stay she was just waking up from a coma. Her parents and brother have been killed in a car accident and when her boyfriend Adam begs her to stay she decided not to join them but continue living. When this book opens it is three years later and we find that she left for Julliard several months after the accident. She didn't just leave Oregon behind, she left Adam.

"She kissed me good-bye. She told me that she loved me more than life itself. Then she stepped through security. She never came back."

Now he is a famous rock star but his life is a mess because he has never gotten over the loss of Mia. He doesn't know why she left him, or what she is doing now. The book explores the events that have happened in the last three years, in flashbacks just like we reviewed Mia's life in the first book. Why did Mia leave and is there any hope for their love to be renewed?

When I started to read the book I was surprised to find that it was in Adam's voice. At first I didn't like it but I soon realized that it was a genius move by the author to explore life from his point of view. Very few novels view a love story from the male side and I found it very refreshing. The prose is beautiful and the story is emotionally powerful. Forman has created some very compelling characters here, people who have real life flaws and problems. There is no glossing over the problems Adam has experienced since Mia walked out of his life. And the message that fame and fortune are not always the answer was impressive. Flawed though he may be I found myself hoping that things would work out for Adam. The flow of events was very realistic and touching and having worked with people experiencing grief it was clear the author did her research on this subject. The book is a wonderful example of how love can destroy, heal and help overcome life's obstacles. Fans of the first book will find a satisfying sequel, I liked it better than the first book. If you have not read the first book you can pick up this one and still enjoy the it. I highly recommend this one.


Rating: An impressive sequel not to be missed




Note: I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley for review,but did not get any compensation for my review.

Author: Gayle Forman
Published: April 6, 2010
Pages: 272
Rating: 4/5 Stars

A family outing on a beautiful winter day turns tragic when a car accident leaves three dead and one fighting for her life. Mia finds herself outside her body, staring at her dead parents and watching as she is whisked off in a helicopter to a trauma center. What follows is her decision to stay alive or follow the rest of her family in death.

Forman has told a gripping story is such an eloquent way, readers will be thinking about this one long after they finish the last page. As Mia watches her body being worked on she remembers the important parts of her life in snippets of flashbacks. From the birth of her younger brother to her first kiss, we learn about who she is and how her family was the rock of her life. Easy to read prose tells the story in a compelling way, with grief, friendship and love woven throughout. The characters are well developed and jump off the page. They are people you would like to have in your own life. This is a story that evokes emotions and makes the reader stop and think: what would my choice be? A sequel, Where She Went, will be released in early April 2011.

Rating: A gripping story that is wonderfully told. A great read

Author: Andrea Cremer
Published: October 19, 2010
Pages: 528
Rating: 3/5 Stars


In Aspen, Colorado there are three factions of supernatural beings living among the mortal population:

1) The Keepers: a group of witches and warlocks
2) The Guardians: werewolves who are sworn to protect the Keepers, They shift from human to wolf form and can heal with their blood
3) The Searchers: another group of witches/warlocks who are have been fighting against the Keepers for centuries.

There are two packs of werewolves: the Nighshades and the Banes and they are due to merge with the marriage of the alphas on their 18th birthdays. Their union has been planned by the Keepers since their birth, it is their destiny and cannot be changed. They patrol and protect the Keepers from attack. In return for protection the Keepers provide everything the Guardians need, from housing, to clothing to education.

Calla is the alpha female of the Nightshades. While on patrol Calla encounters an injured male hiker and cannot bring herself to let him die, so she heals him with her blood, something that is forbidden by the Keepers. The next day he arrives at her school and is introduced as the nephew of one of the powerful Keepers. He recognizes her but agrees to keep the healing a secret, and their relationship begins to develop, setting up a love triangle between Calla, Shay and Ren, the alpha male of the Bain pack. As Calla tries to fight against her desires for Shay she begins to question why the Keepers control every aspect of their lives. As she researches the history of the pack and the Keepers she realizes that everything she has been told is a lie and she has to decide to continue on the path dictated by the Keepers or to break free and follow her heart.

This was a long book. I don't mind longer books, in fact I enjoy them because it usually means there will be more depth to the story. But that was not the case here. The characters were one dimensional and poorly developed. There was nothing that made them interesting and so much time was spent on the love triangle, it was well, boring. Fortunately the author redeemed herself in the last third of the book when the action picked up and the story took off at a fast pace. It made reading the whole book worthwhile. And it made me want to know what happens next. So I will pickup the sequel when it arrives in a couple of months. This is a worthwhile read if you can stick with it through the slower parts of the book.

Rating: A fun read especially when you get to the last third of the book

Author: Marty Martins
Published: September 16, 2010
Pages: 188
Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In Marty Martins's novel, The Blizzard, readers are taken on a journey that touches on questions of morals and ethics, and the need for parents to learn to communicate with their children...

What ensues is an emotional and very important story about parental expectations, the decisions teenagers and young adults must make that impact their self-respect, their confidence, and their relationships with parents and community. This is a novel about coming of age, romantic love, and the importance of trust.


My Review:

Chet Bucek is the new guy in school and Melanie Hondel soon catches his eye. Chet is self assured and reliable, things that are not often seen as ideal qualities to young girls. But when Melanie meets with violence at the hands of another classmate, she becomes lost in a blizzard and in danger of losing her life. Chet is able to rescue her and in doing so finds he is accused of assault and kidnapping.

This book deals with the timely topic of dating violence. Sure we warn our kids of stranger danger but how many girls are warned about violence at the hands of her high school sweetheart? In addition the way to handle problems that arise as the result of misunderstandings is also addressed. The characters were believable and the story was well told. I found the book to have a fast pace and important message that will appeal to an audience of young adults and beyond.

My Rating:

An good read with several important messages

note: I received this book from the author for review, but did not get any compensation for my review

Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: February 1, 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 448
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Description from Amazon:

Lena Haloway is content in her safe, government-managed society. She feels (mostly) relaxed about the future in which her husband and career will be decided, and looks forward to turning 18, when she’ll be cured of deliria, a.k.a. love. She tries not to think about her mother’s suicide (her last words to Lena were a forbidden “I love you”) or the supposed “Invalid” community made up of the uncured just beyond her Portland, Maine, border. There’s no real point—she believes her government knows how to best protect its people, and should do so at any cost. But 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex, a confident and mysterious young man who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to doubt the intentions of those in power, and fears that her world will turn gray should she submit to the procedure. In this powerful and beautifully written novel, Lauren Oliver, the bestselling author of Before I Fall, throws readers into a tightly controlled society where options don’t exist, and shows not only the lengths one will go for a chance at freedom, but also the true meaning of sacrifice.

My Review:

"It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure. Everyone else in my family has had the procedure already. My older sister, Rachel, has been disease-free for nine years now. She's been safe from love for so long, she says she can't even remember its symptoms. I'm scheduled to have my procedure in exactly ninety-five days, on September 3rd. My birthday."- Opening from DELIRIUM.


This novel is set in the future where the government has declared love a disease, known as deliria. In order to control the disease everyone gets "the cure" at age 18, basically a laser guided lobotomy to make you forget about feelings, fears and other things that may make you want to rebel against authority. Strictly enforced by regulators, everyone has to have the procedure and then live the life the government has planned for you, from your job to your spouse to the number of children you will have.

This is the world where Lena Haloway lives. She is weeks away from high school graduation and her 18th birthday, when she will be "cured". Her past harbors a dark secret: when Lena was eight years old her mother committed suicide because she was infected with love. Despite three attempts at a cure, none worked and she was left to suffer all the emotions associated with the disease. Lena's memories of her mother include laughter, gleeful dancing and her whispers of "I love you," something unheard of in their world. As she prepares herself for the cure she begins to notice the world around her. She notices how calm and serene those who have been cured seem. In fact they are robotic people, void of emotion and who mindlessly follow what the government tells them to do. Then she meets Alex who introduces her to an underground world where people believe that love is not a disease and that the cure should be avoided at all cost. She learns how they live in the world beyond the restricted borders of her town.

Lena begins to question everything she has been told about the disease of love, especially when she begins to fall for Alex. We follow her awakening to the feelings of love and to her realization that her mother was not crazy, just a woman in love. We follow her journey as she learns more about her mother and tries to escape the mandated cure.

I found this to be a terrible premise that could happen in a society where people do not have the ability to question authority. It would be so easy for a government to control people who feel no joy, love or pain. And I think there are leaders in the world who would welcome having this type of control.

The book is beautifully written and a joy to read. It made me think about how emotions can alter your perception of the world and how different the world would be without love. Lena's journey and her discovery of love reminded me of those early feelings of love one discovers during the teen years. A sample of the wonderful prose is found when Lena realizes she is falling in love:

"I know what the problem is, of course. The disorientation, the distraction, the difficulty focusing - all Phase One signs of deliria. But I don't care. If pneumonia felt this good I'd stand out in the snow in winter with bare feet and no coat, or march into the hospital and kiss pneumonia patients." (p.237).


The book stayed with me for days after I finished it, thinking about Lena's heartbreaking and painful journey to discover herself. In fact, the more I thought about it, the better the story became and I came to appreciate the deep inner meaning of the book. I was sorry to see the story end, but pleased to learn that there is a sequel in the works. I can't wait to find out what happens next for Lena.

Rating:

An outstanding, thought provoking read, don't miss this one

Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Published: September 14, 2010
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Romance
Pages: 592
Rating: 4/5 stars

Description from Goodreads:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Ethan Wate cannot wait to get out of his small hometown, Gatlin, South Carolina, where things have remained the same since the War Between the States. But as he starts his junior year in high school things begin to change. He is grieving the death of his mother in a car accident. A new girl has started school and she immediately catches his attention. Lena is the niece of Macon Ravenwood, the town recluse. Soon everything he thought he knew about his small town will be turned upside down and he will never be the same.


When Lena arrives Ethan begins to have strange dreams about her. When they finally meet he realizes that they can communicate in their minds without speaking. Strange events start happening and Lena finally reveals that she is a Caster, or a modern day witch hiding in plain sight. She introduces Ethan to the parallel world of the supernatural that exists right in the streets of Gatlin, alongside the normal ordinary world that he has always known. Lena is about to turn sixteen and when she does her fate as a either a Light (good) or Dark (evil) Caster will be determined. But as the day approaches events occur that will change them both forever. To get into more detail would spoil the book, just know that there are lots of surprises along the way.


This is a tender, realistic love story that is told in the first person by Ethan, an unusual twist as these types of stories are usually told from the female point of view. The writing in the book is wonderful and a treat to read. Set in the Deep South, the authors make the town come alive with detailed descriptions, traditions and social norms one would expect to see in a small southern town. The fast moving events held my interest and kept me wondering what would happen until the very end. Also included is the theme of cruelty to anyone who is different than the norm, a timely topic with the current focus on bullies. The hypocrisy found in small minded people is also explored. At 592 pages, it is quite a bit longer than similar YA novels, but it allows for full story development and I enjoyed having the story told in such detail. I never felt like the story was too long or that pages were added just to make the novel longer.


The book was named a New York Times best youth book for 2009, a well deserved award. The ending screams for a sequel, and one has been released, Beautiful Darkness, which I will review later next week.

Rating: An excellent, fun read, you will enjoy this one