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Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard

17 Feb

Try Not to Breathe
Jennifer Hubbard
Publisher: Viking
Release Date: January 19, 2012
Pages: 272
Challenges: Sophomore Challenge, Completely Contemporary Challenge

Rating: 4 stars

Ryan spends most of his time alone at the local waterfall because it’s the only thing that makes him feel alive. He’s sixteen, post-suicidal, and trying to figure out what to do with himself after a stint in a mental hospital. Then Nicki barges into his world, brimming with life and energy, and asking questions about Ryan’s depression that no one else has ever been brave enough—or cared enough—to ask. Ryan isn’t sure why he trusts Nicki with his darkest secrets, but that trust turns out to be the catalyst that he desperately needs to start living again.

Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard was a really great read. I was very interested in this one when I heard about it, since I had liked Jennifer Hubbard‘s debut, The Secret Year. Try Not to Breathe was a really touching read that was just a really great book and I am happy to have read it.

I really loved the characters. Val, Jake, Nikki, they were all just great. The relationships between all the characters were so complex, and I loved seeing how everything would pan out between them. I really liked Nikki – she was no nonsense when it came to Ryan; she wasn’t going to let him just hide within himself. I really admired her.

Jennifer Hubbard‘s prose is absolutely beautiful. She really has written just an enchanting story. It deals with such a raw, emotional topic, yet there was a very hopeful light about it. The characters all support each other and will not let anyone fall into darkness, and I loved that about this book.

I would quite recommend Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard. I loved the characters and the story they had to tell. Jennifer Hubbard‘s writing really grew from her debut in this one, and I really am excited to see what is next from her.

Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale

16 Feb

someone elses life by katie daleSomeone Else’s Life
Katie Dale
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Pages: 512
Challenges: Debut Author Challenge

Rating: 4 stars

When 17-year-old Rosie’s mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington’s Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother’s best friend, “Aunt Sarah,” that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn’t her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die.

Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family’s deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.

I was so excited for Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale since I had heard about it. I started reading and there was something missing. I was so bummed. Then about a third of the way into it, something clicked and suddenly, I couldn’t put the book down and I started up til 2 AM just so I could finish and see how this amazing story would end.

Katie Dale is not afraid to pull at your heart strings with this one – this is SUCH an emotional read. I had some intense reactions towards so many things that happened. Someone Else’s Life is a really eye-opening book and I think makes you appreciate what you have in life.

The plot of Someone Else’s Story revolved so much around the characters developing and finding out who they were, which was something I really liked about it. The beginning was a bit confusing for me, but everything soon made sense. I loved all the scenes with Rosie and Andy – they were so fun.

I was not crazy about the two main characters, Rosie and Holly. They both bothered me, Holly more than Rosie. So for me, it was the other characters that really stole the show. I just loved Andy – he had his moments where I did question him, but overall I really just loved him. Ben was another character who had a very minor role, but every scene he was in was absolutely adorable.

Katie Dale is definitely an author to watch. While I had a few issues with Someone Else’s Life, overall, it was a good read. Someone Else’s Story was a story worth telling, and is really worth the read.

Tour: Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler

15 Feb

Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane ZahlerPrincess of the Wild Swans
Diane Zahler
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Pages: 224
Challenges: 2012 YA/MG Fantasy Challenge, 2012 YA Historical Fiction Challenge

Rating: 3.5 stars

Princess Meriel’s brothers have been cursed. A terrible enchantment–cast by their conniving new stepmother–has transformed the handsome princes into swans. They now swim forlornly on a beautiful heart-shaped lake that lies just beyond the castle walls.

Meriel will do whatever it takes to rescue her beloved brothers. But she must act quickly. If Heart Lake freezes, her brothers will be forced to fly south or perish.

With help from her newfound friends Riona and Liam–a pretty half-witch and her clever brother–Meriel vows to finish a seemingly impossible task. If she completes it, her brothers may be saved.

But if she fails . . . all will be lost.

Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler was a super cute, fast read. I had so much fun reading and am excited to check out Diane Zahler’s other books after this.

The beginning was a bit disjointed for me, and I didn’t really get into Princess of the Wild Swans until probably a third of the way in.  Then I was super invested in it, and didn’t want to put it down. I loved trying to figure out what would happen next. I wish this one had been a bit longer, as I would have loved to know what happened just a bit beyond the conclusion of the book.

The characters were a lot of fun. I just loved Liam and Riona – both were such good hearted people. Meriel was such a strong character and I loved seeing her grow over the course of the book.

I just love this cover of this one – it is such a image and it fits the book so well. I would recommend Princess of the Wild Swans to people who love fairy tales retellings, because this one had such charm.

Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany

14 Feb

"Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany"Destiny and Deception (13 to Life #4)
Shannon Delany
Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Pages: 356

Rating: 5 stars

The sensational fourth novel in the 13 to Life series sees Jessica and the Rusakuvas fighting to overcome one of their biggest challenges yet–the possibility of a cure for lycanthropy.   With the threat of the mafia seemingly gone and the company’s headquarters in Junction destroyed, Pietr Rusakova is adjusting to being a normal teen and Jess is realizing normalcy may not be what she wanted after all. But both Jess and Cat know the truth–that normal can’t be taken for granted. Their precious cure isn’t permanent–and when a new danger stalks into their small town, Alexi decides he must overcome his issues with the mother who abandoned him to be raised by wolves and make a brand new deal to save his adopted family.

Destiny and Deception…how do I even begin to explain this one? The last book, Bargains and Betrayals, was pretty epic, but Destiny and Deception has upped the stakes and made for an absolutely mind blowing read.

After the thrilling end to Bargains and Betrayals, I was eager to dive into this one. The plot got more exciting with each chapter, and I was so into the storyline. Destiny and Deception introduces quite a few new characters, and I was intrigued by them and what they bring to the story. With the new characters, that also brought a new POV which was interesting to see.

The characters of this series are so fun. I love Cat and Max and all the crew. Alexi was a character who really grew on me in this one. I am very curious to see how the new characters, like Marlaena, will bring to the concluding book in the series.

The ending made me literally sick there with my mouth hanging wide open. I was completely dumbstruck – I had NO idea it was coming, and it has set up the insurance that the last book, Rivals and Retribution is going to be absolutely brilliant. I want it to be August right now, because I cannot stand to wait a moment longer to see what is going to happen after the ending of Destiny and Deception.

This series is so great, and Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany is sure a must read. I loved this installment in the series, and am counting down the days til the next one is released. It has a ton of action and a really unique looks at werewolves.

This review is cross-posted from YA Books Central, where it was originally posted.

Tour: The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams

12 Feb

The International Kissing Club
Ivy Adams
Publisher: Walker & Company
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Pages:  400
Challenges: Debut Author Challenge

Rating: 3.5 stars

Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. And they’ve always agreed on one goal: to get out of tiny Paris, Texas, and see the world. The school’s foreign exchange program seems like the perfect escape: Piper will go to the original Paris; Mei will go to China; Cassidy will go to Australia; and Izzy, unable to afford the program, will stay at home. To add spice to their semester away, and to stay connected to their best friends, the girls start The International Kissing Club, a Facebook page where they can anonymously update one another and brag about all the amazing guys they’re meeting. After all, these girls are traveling abroad: amazing guys abound at every turn! But sometimes fun, flirty vacation flings turn into more serious romances, and sometimes you don’t return from abroad the same person you were. Will the girls’ relationships-and their friendships-be able to survive?

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams was an interesting read. It turned out to be a very different book from the one I was expecting. Once I got well into the book, I found the story to be very cute and I didn’t want to put it down.

The International Kissing Club had a very slow beginning. Nothing much happened until well over 100 pages into the book. Then I found that things picked up. Even then I definitely favored Cassidy and Izzy’s storylines, they were my favorite. Mei also had a ton of great moments. I just wasn’t as crazy about Piper’s storyline, I am not really sure what that was about. I did have a bit of a hard time believing some of the reactions towards the girls facebook page for The International Kissing Club – I just thought some instances where it was addressed would not go so smoothly.

I was so mad at the end – I had gotten so invested in the storylines, and then it ended! I wanted to know more and find out what happens for each of them. I felt like each of the girls had hit a high point, then it just ended.

The characters were a lot of fun. All the guys the girls found in their travels were great. I particularly loved Lucas, and that was the storyline I wanted to see more of the most I think. I really loved the development of the characters over the time-span of the book.

This is definitely the read for someone looking for a light, fluffier read, and doesn’t mind a slow start. Once the book picks up, it’s one of those addicting reads. Overall, The International Kissing Club was a cute read.

From the Back of My Shelf (10): The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin

10 Feb

From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2009 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.

The Orange Houses

Paul Griffin

Publisher: Dial

Release Date: June 11, 2009

Pages: 160

Rating:  2.75 stars

Meet Tamika Sykes – Mik to her friends (if she had any). She’s hearing impaired and way too smart for her West Bronx high school. She copes by reading lips and selling homework answers, and looks forward to the time each day when she can be alone in her room drawing. She’s a tough girl who never gets close to anyone, until she meets Fatima, a teenage refugee who sells newspapers on Mik’s block. Both Mik and Fatima unite in their efforts to befriend Jimmi, a homeless vet who is shunned by the rest of the community.

The events that follow when these three outcasts converge will break open their close-knit community and change the lives of those living in the Orange Houses in explosive and unexpected ways.

I was very excited for The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin after reading his novel Stay With Me. Sadly, this one did not live up to the expectations I had for it.

I was not crazy about The Orange Houses being told in third person. It made the story very hard to get into as it was so disjointed. The story was also told from 3 POVs, and that was too much for this book. I liked the idea of it, but considering the book was only 150 pages, it was too little for each character.

Most of the characters were great. I had a bit of an issue with Tamika, as to me, it felt like she didn’t have the strength and courage to keep going. There was nothing holding her back but her own attitude, and because of that I was not too keen of her. I really liked both Fatima and Jimmi. They were definitely my two favorite characters of the book. Fatima was such a good soul.

There was definitely a plot, but there wasn’t much to it in my mind. The characters all had a worthy story to be told, but there wasn’t a lot of continuity between the plot points.

The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin was a book that had a lot of good things about it, but was not executed the best. I had a hard time getting past the writing, as it was just so disjointed that I couldn’t get into the story.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

9 Feb

Everneath by Brodi AshtonEverneath
Brodi Ashton
Publisher: Harper Collins / Balzer + Bray
Release Date: January 24, 2012
Pages: 370

Rating: 4 stars

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…

Everneath by Brodi Ashton was a super cool take on the myth of Persephone and Hades. It was treat to read, and I couldn’t put it down. I read this one through work, through class, and while I was supposed to be doing homework. The story really just had an addictive quality about it.

I loved the relationship between Jack and Nikki. The story surrounding it was so much fun to read. I loved and hated  Cole at the same time. And I think that was the brilliance behind his character. I would’ve liked to get to know more of the more minor characters in Everneath, as I felt like some of them were great characters, but just didn’t get to see enough of them.

The way Everneath was written was great. There was the present, but also the past in alteration, which I loved. You didn’t know the whole story to start off, so you were piecing things together and trying to come up with a bigger picture.  With the fresh take on mythology Everneath took, that was another aspect that kept me so eager to keep reading. I wanted to know how the plot would flow.

The ending was super dramatic. But I don’t feel that it left completely satisfied. I was looking for more. It was almost as if the big moment happened a bit before the end, and then it trailed off. That doesn’t mean I’m not extremely excited for the sequel though. There was just something missing from the end for me.

I really loved Brodi Ashton‘s take on this myth – it made Everneath one of the most unique books I’ve read in awhile! This really was a great, fast read that I didn’t want to put down the entire time I was reading.

A Flight of Angels by Rebecca Guay

8 Feb

A Flight of Angels
Rebecca Guay, Bill Willingham Alisa Kwitney, Louise Haws, Todd Mitchell
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: November 8, 2011
Pages: 128

Rating: 3.5 stars

The diverse mythology of angels is explored in this lushly painted graphic novel from high-profile fantasy authors including Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles) and Bill Willingham (FABLES).
Deep in the woods outside of a magical kingdom, a strange group of faeries and forest creatures discover a nearly dead angel, bleeding and unconscious with a sword by his side. They call a tribunal to decide his fate, each telling stories that delve into different interpretations of these winged, celestial beings: tales of dangerous angels, all-powerful angels, guardian angels and death angels, that range from the mystical to the mysterious to the macabre.
This original graphic novel spotlights the painted work of award-winning artist Rebecca Guay, whose other works include the Vertigo titles VEILS and DESTINY: A CHRONICLE OF DEATHS FORETOLD, as well as World of Warcraft, Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons.

A Flight of Angels by Rebecca Guay was a fun read that I quite enjoyed. Once I got a sense of the story, I read straight through, and when I finished the last page, I was sad to see it end!

I had a bit of a hard time following the story for the first chunk of the book. There wasn’t a story set up, and then from there I had an issue grasping at the plot, since it wasn’t fully developed. Basically, there was one long plot and shorter stories told by the characters interspersed within it.The third story told was my absolute favorite. It was so beautiful and touching. I didn’t want it to end.

The pictures in this one were just GORGEOUS. I could sit here and look at them all day! This was a really fun read, despite the fact I had a bit of an issue following the story for a good portion of the book. I would definitely recommend this one.

First Day on Earth by Cecil Castelucci

4 Feb

First Day on Earth
Cecil Castellucci
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Pages: 150

Rating: 4 stars

A startling, wonderful novel about the true meaning of being an alien in an equally alien world.
“We are specks. Pieces of dust in this universe. Big nothings.
“I know what I am.”
Mal lives on the fringes of high school. Angry. Misunderstood. Yet loving the world — or, at least, an idea of the world.
Then he meets Hooper. Who says he’s from another planet. And may be going home very soon.

First Day on Earth by Cecil Castelucci was a cute read. I really enjoyed the characters, but I wish it had been a bit longer. I felt like the book was over much too fast. It was my first Cecil Castellucci read, but by no means my last.

This was a book of extremely short chapters. Usually, I think this may bother me, but it really worked well for this one. I loved the formatting too. Some pages only had a few sentences, but it was always meaningful when that happened.

The plot was fun. It was very simplistic, yet I still was never exactly sure where it would go. There wasn’t a lot of substance to it, and I do wish it had been a bit more fleshed out. The book was only 150 pages, so to me, there wasn’t really room for all of that.

The characters were fun. I loved the relationship between Mal and Posey – it was such an odd relationship, yet they had an invisible bond almost. Hooper was a riot. I loved him. I felt so bad for Darwyn! He was always doing everyone’s grunt work or being made fun of.

This was a super fast paced book that was really cute. I would recommend First Day on Earth by Cecil Castelucci if you are looking for one of those reads that you don’t have to think a lot while reading. I am very curious in seeing more from Cecil Castellucci after this one!

Tour: Girl Meets Boy by Kelly Milner Halls

2 Feb

Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story
Kelly Milner Halls
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: December 28, 2011
Pages: 204

Rating: 3.5 stars

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.

First off, I just want to say I LOVE the concept of Girl Meets Boy by Kelly Milner Halls. The whole idea of hearing both the girl and the boy’s side of the story – brilliant. So many times you read a story, and you sit wondering “well I wonder what SO and SO thought” and this is your perfect chance to do so!

Girl Meets Boy had a really great mix of stories, which I loved reading about. There were definitely some stories I liked more than others, but overall there really wasn’t a story I disliked. The two stories by Rebecca Fjelland Davis and Terry Davis were definitely my favorites of the book! I just loved the story they set up – it was so unique and overall just great. Some of the stories weren’t everything I was hoping for, but were still a good read.

Girl Meets Boy definitely introduced me to some new authors. I hadn’t read anything by any of the authors prior to Girl Meets Boy, and had only heard of a few of the authors.  It was a really quick read, and was so much fun to read!

Buy the Book: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Check out the next stop on the tour at Page Turners Blog!

Check out the trailer for the book:

There is also a super cool Wattpad Contest running!

Wattpad is featuring the guy’s side of the story, and inviting their members to write same scene from the girl’s perspective. Stories should be no more than 300 words long, and the deadline is February 8th. Winners will be announced on February 14th.

One Grand Prize winner will get:

  • A copy of Girl Meets Boy signed by all 12 contributors
  • A critique of 25 pages of writing by editor Kelly Milner Halls
  • A 30-minute Skype consultation with Kelly
  • A copy of Kelly’s favorite how-to book on writing

Four runners-up will win a copy of Girl Meets Boy signed by all 12 contributors

 

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