I am super excited to finally sign up for the Completely Contemp Challenge. All the information about it can be found here.
My goal is going to be reading 3 books from each year – though I know my 2012 releases are going to far outweigh the other years.
Here’s all the Contemps I’ve read this year so far:
2012 Releases:
Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard
Don’t Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
Getting Dumped by Tawna Fenske
Girl Meets Boy by Kelly Milner Halls
The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams
In Too Deep by Amanda Grace
Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale
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.
Bargain Books is a feature here at The Book Cellar, on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month. I’m a huge bargain shopper, and I’m always finding tons of book deals on various sites (usually Amazon), so I decided to share them here. (Sorry this one is a bit shorter than my typical bargain books, school is keeping me crazy busy)
The Coliloquy books are on sale for 1.99 all month, so I’m sharing them again. Because I really adored them all
Jess Rothenberg is the author of The Catastrophic History of You and Me. You can find her on the web at her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and blog.
Who was your favorite character to write in The Catastrophic History of You and Me?
I really loved and cared about Brie. I know her emotions and actions were sometimes selfish and immature, but I loved watching her grow and change in different ways throughout the story. And even in the moments when I was mad at her, I always tried to stay true to Brie’s age and what she was going through. After all, being sixteen by itself is already a pretty emotional rollercoaster, much less when you’ve died of an actual broken heart!
Is there a book you’ve read recently and loved?
I’m reading a book called Cloud Atlas right now that I’m really savoring. But as for YA, the last thing I read and loved was All Unquiet Things, by Anna Jarzab.
If you could be any mythology creature, what would you be?
Unicorn all the way! I used to tie my ponytail at the top of my head when I was little and go galloping around the house. The Last Unicorn is still one of my all-time favorite books and animated films.
Would you say The Catastrophic History of You and Me had a theme song at all? If so, what is it?
Actually, the book has a whole playlist of songs that inspired and influenced the story as I went along (you can listen at http://jessrothenberg.com/playlist.html) so it’s hard to pick just one! But if I had to, I might go with Walking with a Ghost by Tegan and Sara. I’ve always felt it really captures the way heartache can linger. And then also, in the literal sense, Brie really is walking with a ghost.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwwytVceo8Y
Which is harder for you to write: The first line? or the last line?
I knew the last line of CatastrophicHistory from the very beginning because it is taken from a poem my grandpa wrote for me when I was Brie’s age. So in this case, the first line was probably a little harder. : )
Someone 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.
Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last
person she expected hovering above her bed – arrogant Jackson Locke, the
most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind
of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help
him, or everyone on Earth will die.
Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her
question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts,
she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more
than her attention. She¹s a military legacy who¹s been trained by her
father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can
know – especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the
information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping
silent will start a war.
I am advocating for Kiss of Frost and Touch of Frost both over in the YA Book Genre Book Battle. YOU SHOULD ALL GO VOTE, if you love the books, and if not, you can check out what I have to say as well Kiss of Frost is up for vote today, and Touch of Frost tomorrow!
Logan Quinn was trying to kill me. My Spartan classmate relentlessly pursued me, swinging his sword at me over and over again, the shining silver blade inching closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes practically glowed with the thrill of battle…
I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Academy, and I have no idea how I’m going to survive the rest of the semester. One day, I’m getting schooled in swordplay by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gorgeous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invisible archer in the Library of Antiquities decides to use me for target practice. And now, I find out that someone at the academy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword…
My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.
But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .
So go VOTE and spread the word for the awesomeness of these two books
Princess 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.
Waiting on Wednesday is a topic brought to life by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. With Waiting On Wednesday you get to introduce to everyone upcoming books you’re excited about!
Illuminate by Aimee Agresti coming March 6, 2012 from Harcourt Children’s Books
Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.
As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?
Illuminate is an exciting saga of a teen’s first taste of independence, her experience in the lap of luxury, and her discovery she may possess strength greater than she ever knew.
I love the sound of this one! There are just so many fantastic sounding books coming out this year! And the cover? Can you say gorgeous?
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.
Recent Comments