Book Lover's Holiday #Giveaway #Hop

Ho-ho-ho! It's about that time! Christmas is just around the corner, so we're participating in another awesome giveaway hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Chapter by Chapter!

Up for grabs and the perfect holiday gift is ::drum roll:: a ***signed*** copy of TEAM HUMAN by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan!

Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below to enter for your chance to win!

Just because Mel lives in New Whitby, a city founded by vampires, doesn't mean she knows any of the blood-drinking undead personally. They stay in their part of town; she says in hers. Until the day a vampire shows up at her high school. Worse yet, her best friend, Cathy, seems to be falling in love with him. It's up to Mel to save Cathy from a mistake she might regret for all eternity!

On top of trying to help Cathy (whether she wants it or not), Mel is investigating a mysterious disappearance for another friend and discovering the attractions of a certain vampire wannabe. Combine all this with a cranky vampire cop, a number of unlikely romantic entanglements, and the occasional zombie, and soon Mel is hip-deep in an adventure that is equal parts hilarious and touching.

Acclaimed authors Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan team up to create a witty and poignant story of cool vampires, warm friendships, and the changes that test the bonds of love.  


This is for US participants only. Sorry, everyone else! 


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Thankful for Books #Giveaway #Hop

Let's face it. We're all thankful for books! What better way to share our appreciation than to give away something awesome. So that's what we're doing.

We have a $10 Amazon gift card up for grabs! Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below for your chance to win.

Many thanks to I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Tristi Pinkston for hosting this fun hop!

This giveaway is open to our international friends as well! See the Linky below to follow along with other bloggers who are participating.


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Meeting Kelly Creagh

My friend, Hope Collier, (AKA Izzie) and I try to attend every author event we can. We love meeting authors, listening to them read from their work, and then getting a signed copy of their books.

Writers are a genuine bunch. I think it's because writing it so personal. Stories are a part of us, and once someone has read your work, they've experienced your creativity, your mind. Honestly, there is such a kinship between reader and author that most book signings I've been to feel more like a family reunion instead of a bunch of strangers in a room. 

One of Izzie's favorite books is Nevermore, by Kelly Creagh. When we heard Kelly was going to be at Carmichael's, a wonderful little Indie bookstore in Louisville, we knew we had to go.

In complete nerd fashion, we showed up few hours early and found an overpriced restaurant. Meeting another author should be celebrated, after all. :-) After spending way too much money on a few appetizers and Long Island teas, we finally made our way to the corner store.

Kelly read a few excerpts, one from Nevermore and one from the sequel Enshadowed. She told of her adventures exploring the strange world of Poe, and had some pictures scrolling on her laptop. I loved her stories of the Poe toaster and that she actually spent the night in front of a cemetery trying to get a picture of him leaving roses on Poe's grave.

While the others lined up to get their books signed, Izzie and I sat and talked with Kelly's mom. I now know where Kelly gets her likability. The three of us laughed and shared stories like we were old friends. Pretty soon the line dwindled, only a few people remained, the chairs were being folded and put away, and yet we kept talking. I found myself wanting to invite her out for a bite of pie, but we still had to drive home. That, and I didn't want her to think I'm a stalker. :-)

If Kelly is ever in your neck of the woods, I'd definitely stop by and say hi. And who knows, if you're lucky you may meet her mom too.

Posted by: Chi

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop!

It's rare we are able to give away a hardback of anything, but add to that a signed book and it's a major score!

Mae Crawford's always thought of herself as in control, but in the last few weeks her life has changed. Her younger brother, Jamie, suddenly has magical powers, and she's even more unsettled when she realizes that Gerald, the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, is trying to persuade Jamie to join the magicians. Even worse? Jamie hasn't told Mae a thing about any of it. Mae turns to brothers Nick and Alan to help her rescue Jamie, but they are in danger from Gerald themselves because he wants to steal Nick's powers. Will Mae be able to find a way to save everyone she cares about from the power-hungry magician's carefully laid trap? [From Borders.com]

Just fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter to win.

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Check out the other blogs on this hop!

Review: Sea Change by

Sixteen-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science. . .and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship. . .and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

Sea Change. Where to begin? Gorgeous cover, right? Honestly, I'd never even heard of the book when I picked it up, but the cover caught my eye, followed by the intriguing jacket flap description.

The Good: Friedman has a way with words! Wow! She paints a beautiful world, drawing your imagination in. You can see things so clearly, like you're physically on Selkie Island. I adored the fact that Miranda is not only smart, but quasi-geeky in her own way. She's always spouting scientific facts at the most embarrassing times possible, but it's absolutely endearing and relatable. How many times do you catch yourself saying something goofy that you immediately wish you could retract?

I love that Friedman writes for a YA audience but uses more advanced verbiage. It felt great to read something that had more than "so totally" in every other sentence, but only from Miranda's POV. The secondary characters, while a bit cliche, fit their roles (and their verbiage) well.

The Mediocre: Sadly, more disappointed me about this book than I was actually pleased with. There was little to no mystery surrounding the story. You go into it expecting to know "what" certain people are. Aside from the let-down of an ending, there were no surprises. I'd hoped Friedman would explain some things, but SO much went unanswered or even unaddressed. For instance: If Miranda felt a "more than human" connection with Leo, why wasn't she more than human? Having webbed toes meant nothing. What's that about? And if Leo is not quite normal, why isn't it ever spelled out? I feel like a certain character was meant to be a red-herring, but it ended up being epically disappointing. And what about her mom and her "old flame" that she didn't love yet now fawns all over? Make him/her someone worth knowing if you're going to mention it at all!

The secondary characters were irritating and more of a distraction. I hate that such a beautiful story had such shallow plots. Miranda, while smart and capable of standing on her own two feet, oftentimes slipped out of character and fell prey to WTH? moments. I felt a majority of her time with the secondary characters, she found herself waffling over what to do, think, or feel. Too many times, she fell out of character. For instance, one particular argument she had with Leo...that was SO over the top and not at all believable. It was like she had all these suspicions then decided to get mad about it all. Nonsense.

Leo, our main guy: he was cute and sweet, but it pretty much ended there, which is such a bummer considering he could've been phenomenal! That's honestly all I have to say about him.

Now to the ending. I despise books that keep you hanging on till the end, only to be monumentally disappointing. Little is worse than investing 5 hours of your life only to think, "That's it?!" Friedman sparingly builds up to a climax that never happens! Miranda never solves the mystery behind her weird feet, her grandmother's oddness, that moment in the library where the book flies off the shelf, why her mom gets all anal and changes after complaining about how much she dislikes the people on the island, if there are actually sea monsters, mermaids, or selkies...or WHAT, definitively, Leo is! Really?! The whole point of the story, and you aren't even going to mention it? What's the thinking there?

Lastly, the writing. As I've already said, Friedman has a beautiful way with words. I would've loved it if her way with words would've actually been showing versus telling. If we're inside Miranda's head, it needs to feel that way! Don't tell me the air looked hazy. Let me see it through Miranda's eyes. How does it feel, taste, smell? This is the one thing that bugs me about 1st person writing. It has to be sensory driven. Fortunately for Friedman, her gorgeous verbiage made up the gap between frustration and finishing.

In Conclusion: I really did enjoy the actual writing in this book, but the rest was mediocre at best. It's hard to peg a recommend/not recommend on this one, just know that most of your expectations on who/what/how things go, will be left unsatisfied.

Graceling

His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn't shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn't seem human....

Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.

Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed.





What I loved

Graceling is a wonderfully original and is well done. I simply love this story line.  Cashore creates a world that reminds a bit of the Eragon series, but is still fresh and original. Often fantasy worlds are difficult to see in the reader's mind, but the seven kingdoms with seven unpredictable kings sets up clear boundaries that keeps the reader grounded.  

Katsa is a strong protag, and her struggles are believable. One of the things I love most about YA fantasy is that the female roles tend to be strong and independent, and this one does not disappoint. Too, the supporting characters are well written and unique. I love when characters are well rounded. It makes for a better read. 

My Pinch Points

 I have a no spoilers policy, but I will say I did find the ending a bit disappointing. Too, there were several times I wanted Cashore to really slow down, dig deep, and allow the reader to experience what the characters were going through. One of my biggest pet peeves is to get to a pivotal point in a story and have the writing skim the surface, not submerse the reader in the experience. While I understand YA often does this because it may be inappropriate to delve into certain subjects, I still walk away from the scene dissatisfied.  

Overall 

I do love a good fantasy that is chalked full of action and adventure. While Cashore could have sunk into the storyline and explored a few places, overall it was a great read. If you like fantasy with action, adventure, and a bit of romance, Graceling is the book for you.  

Review: The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Being the good girl isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Ashton Gray has grown weary of playing the part to please her parents, and to be worthy of the town’s prince charming, Sawyer Vincent. Maybe That’s why she’s found herself spending time with Sawyer’s cousin, Beau, while he’s away for the summer camping with his family.

Beau is nothing like her perfect boyfriend. He’s the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, dangerous in ways she’s only day dreamed about, and the one guy she should stay away from.

Beau never envied Sawyer his loving parents, his big nice home, or his position as quarterback. He loves him like a brother. Which is why he's tried everything in his power to keep his distance from Sawyer’s girlfriend. Even if he has loved her since the age of five, Ashton is Sawyer’s girl, so therefore she’s off limits. But when Sawyer leaves for the summer, Ashton, the one girl Beau would move Heaven and Earth for, decides she wants to get into trouble. Stabbing the one person who’s always accepted him and stood by him in the back, is the cost of finally holding Ashton Gray in his arms. Is she worth losing his cousin over?.... Hell Yeah.

I've been mulling over this review for about a week now. I don't read a lot of contemporary YA, so this is relatively new ground for me, and I want to portray The Vincent Boys in the right light. Here goes!

The Good: Abbi has an absolutely incredible grasp of humanness. I know that sounds weird, but hear me out. Her insight into teens' emotions and thought processes, their reasoning and reactions, it's just awesome! Her characters, 98% of the time, are entirely relatable and believable. You understand their angst and why they make the choices they do. You really feel for Ashton as she struggles to make the right decisions regarding her feelings and actions. Abbi paints a beautiful character in Beau as well. Not only is he dreamy, he feels real...like someone you could see yourself loving, too. You get an intimate look at his life, leaving you hopeless not to cheer for him!

The story has a laid-back pace, and is a great "fun" read! I really enjoyed the dual character POV. I thought we got nice insight into the characters' personalities, being in both Ashton and Beau's heads. Abbi did a nice job of hopping back and forth without losing perspective or voice.

I also adored the way she wrote the fun, Southern colloquialisms. It reminds me of talking to my own family. Abbi did a beautiful job of including that distinct touch without it being confusing or pulling you out of the story.

The Mediocre: Story wise, I enjoyed 90% of it. At the point Ashton decides to tell Sawyer what happened, I feel like the characters went a little soft. By that, I mean this: Ashton refused to stand up for herself when everyone turned on her, which really bugged me. If she'd had a legit reason for letting everyone run over her, I could've gone with it. But she disappointed me as a character when she just rolled over. It didn't seem consistent with this spit-fire of a girl I'd grown to love.

The other guy, Sawyer. The "good" one. With Sawyer, I didn't feel as connected. In all reality, I didn't real care for him that much. He has a brief, shining moment near the end of the story where he finally mans up, but give me Beau all day long! He fights for what he wants! I understand who he is as a character, but still, Sawyer's kind of a douche-canoe.

Now then, the part I don't like to analyze: the writing. Abbi has a phenomenal talent for storytelling. The story is delightful and has a voice of its own, but an editor could spiff it up SO much more! There were numerous times I didn't know what was meant or who was talking because there weren't commas or the dialog ended where someone else's actions picked up. Commas, commas, commas. I missed them so much I nearly quit reading. There were other problems such as formatting or dialog tags. Once during the read, an entire paragraph slipped from past tense to present. It made it choppy and very frustrating. Thankfully, Abbi's mad skills in character development and voicing made up for it!

In conclusion: Abbi is a great storyteller! I would never not recommend her, but I would very much suggest a rockin' awesome line editor. I would've rated this even higher had it been a little neater. I'd hate for anyone not to enjoy her delicious stories over something like commas. Write on, Abbi. Write on!