Book Fanatics: January 2010

Sunday, January 31, 2010

O, Juliet Review (and more)

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

Rating 8/10

Before Juliet Capelletti lie two futures: a traditionally loveless marriage to her father's business partner, or the fulfillment of her poetic dreams, inpired by the great Dante. Unlike her beloved friend Lucrezia, who looks forward to her arranged marriage into the Medici dynasty, Juliet has a wild, romantic imagination that takes flight in the privacy of her bedchamber and on her garden balcony.

Her life and destiny are forever changed when Juliet meets Romeo Monticecco, a soulful young man seeking peace between their warring families. A dreamer himself, Romeo is unstoppable, once he determines to capture the heart of the remarkable woman foretold in his stars.

I really enjoyed this version of Romeo and Juliet. It was really different from Shakespeare's version, and in a good way at that. I liked seeing the story from Juliet's point of view, and occasionally Romeo's too. It really added some depth to this traditional story, at least for me. Just the language in it was good. If you have problems understanding Shakespeare, this book would be great for you. It's written in a way that's easy to understand, but still kept the feel of this time period.

The poetry that's written in this was seomthing I loved. Juliet wrote poems,a dn this was a big thing. Juliet was a very brave, srong woman. There is a lot to her.

The love between Romeo and Juliet was something else. It was different from any other version. It felt real, and it was easy to see there was more than just lust there.

And...
And also, there's the Love Games going on right now over on Robin Maxwell's blog. There's lots of fabuous prizes for the poetry competion. If you're interested, just click the link above.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Falling for Romeo

Falling for Romeo by Jennifer Laurens
rating 7/10

John can have any girl he wants. Jennifer's never been kissed. Everybody thinks he's perfect. She's got issues with pride and jealousy. They were best friends-once. Now, they're playing Romeo and Juliet. Virgin lips Jennifer must have her first kiss on stage with John, the guy every girl in school wants. The pressure and tension build along with each staged kiss. Both are shocked when feelings bloom. Can either tell which kisses are real and which are for show?

This was a cute and charming story. There wasn't much to it. The only real conflict in it was that Jenn and John couldn't be together. Or wouldn't be together is a more appropriate term.

The characters weren't very dense. The story was shown threw both of there perspectives, but it didn't really go much farther than that. From the beggining, John liked Jenn from the beggining, but didn't go for it for whatever reason. Pride. And Jenn was very ignorant and a little self absorbed sometimes.

This is a short novel, and the story kind of seemed short lived. I kind of wich there was more after the two got together and maybe even solved a few of the other problems that were introduced but then forgotten. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable book. I would recommend you try it out, if you enjoy this kind of stuff

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Please Vote!

So now that I've reached 50 followers, I want to hold a contest. Now, I'm not sure what to do, which is why I'm taking so long on actually setting up the contest. I've had a few ideas and I've been debating for at least a week now what I should do. So, to make my life a whole lot easier, I've decided that you can vote on what you'd like me to give away. So the poll is on the sidebar, and you can vote now.

Thanks!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

IN My Mailbox (15)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren

For Review:

So I only got one book this week:

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell- Before Juliet Capelletti lie two futures: a traditionally loveless marriage to her father's business partner, or the fulfillment of her poetic dreams, inpired by the great Dante. Unlike her beloved friend Lucrezia, who looks forward to her arranged marriage into the Medici dynasty, Juliet has a wild, romantic imagination that takes flight in the privacy of her bedchamber and on her garden balcony.

Her life and destiny are forever changed when Juliet meets Romeo Monticecco, a soulful young man seeking peace between their warring families. A dreamer himself, Romeo is unstoppable, once he determines to capture the heart of the remarkable woman foretold in his stars.

That's what was in my mailbox this week

What's in yours?

Friday, January 22, 2010

Chasing Brooklyn

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
rating 10/10

Restless souls and empty hearts.

Brooklyn can’t sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca died a year ago, and now their friend Gabe has died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there, waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca chasing her through her dreams.

Nico can’t stop. He’s always running, trying so hard not to feel the pain of missing Lucca. But when he begins receiving messages from his dead brother, telling him to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

In one word, this book was amazing. Haunting. Riveting. Awe-inspiring.

Okay, so that's more than one word, but it truly is all those things.

From the moment I started this book, I couldn't put it down. I read the whole thing in one sitting, despite the length.

This is the first book I've read that is in verse. I wasn't sure how I would like it, but it looked so good I jumped at the chance when it turned up in my library. As it turns out, I really liked it written in verse. It felt very real that way, and since everything about it is poetic, it just makes sense.

Overall, this is a must read. It's my first book by Lisa Schroeder, and now I want to go read more by her. This book was absolutly mesmerizing and enchanting. It's one of those books that leave you breathless at the end.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

In My Mail.box (14)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren

Won:

A signed copy of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting!

"A serial killer on the loose. A girl with a morbid ability. And the boy who would never let anything happen to her.

Violet Ambrose can find the dead. Or at least, those who have been murdered. She can sense the echoes they leave behind... and the imprints they leave on their killers. As if that weren't enough to deal with during junior year, she also has a sudden, inexplicable, and consuming crush on her best friend since childhood, Jay Heaton.

Now a serial killer has begun terrorizing Violet's small town... and she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him."

Thanks Kimberly!

Library:

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder- Restless souls and empty hearts.

Brooklyn can’t sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca died a year ago, and now their friend Gabe has died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there, waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca chasing her through her dreams.

Nico can’t stop. He’s always running, trying so hard not to feel the pain of missing Lucca. But when he begins receiving messages from his dead brother, telling him to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

Dawn by Kevin Brooks- Dawn Bundy lives in a cave. In her head. Where's she's been hiding for two years. Hiding behind headphones. From the two hottest girls at school, in their impossibly short skirts and unbearably tight tops, their skin close enough to touch. Not talking to her mother, not about what matters. Not thinking of her dad, the drug addict, the ex-con, born-again but far gone. Two years is a long time. Enough for the cave to grow so small that her breath feels like stone in her throat. Two years is no time at all. Nowhere near enough to forget. To pretend that nothing happened. Deep one perfect morning.

Irreverent, edgy, laced with dark humor – and punctuated by Jesus and Mary Chain song lyrics — DAWN pulls no punches. A provocative dissection of family, friendship, and faith by the acclaimed Kevin Brooks.

Candy by Kevin Brooks- When Joe meets Candy, it seems like a regular boy-meets-girl scenario. They chat over coffee, she gives him her number, and he writes her a song. But then Joe is drawn into Candy's world --- a world of drugs, violence, and desperation. As the dark truth about Candy's life emerges, Joe finds himself facing real danger at every twist and turn. Soon Joe's conflicting emotions begin to mirror Candy's, and he understands that falling in love just might be worth the struggle. This intoxicating tale of heartache, danger, and hope will enthrall teen readers.

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler- Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all at Paradise—the resort in the Caribbean, that is—for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Over the course of four months, through four voices and four stories, what happened in Paradise will change them all.

In this extraordinary novel, the Printz Honor–winning author brings us her most accomplished work yet. Tangled is a story of the secrets we keep, the risks we take, and the things we do for love.

A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce- "If you'll allow me to demonstrate, I do think I could be of some help to you here."

I smiled tightly. "You'd have to be able to make gold appear from thin air to be much help to us now, I'm afraid."

"Gold, you say?" he said quietly. "Well, not out of the air, maybe, but--" He reached toward Rosie and drew a length of straw free from her hat. From out of a pocket in his jacket appeared an old-fashioned handheld drop spindle, the kind no one uses anymore, and he sent it spinning with a turn of his hand. Slowly, as we watched, he drew out the straw and spun it--spun it!

As if it were a roving of wool! Rosie and I stood there and watched him, moment by moment, as the spindle bobbed and twirled. Something pulled out from the brown straw and through his knobby fingers, and where it should have gone onto the spindle, the finest strands of gleaming gold threads appeared. Round and round the spindle went, and the gleaming of gold turned with it. I don't know how long we watched it, turning and turning, flashing gold with every revolution. I could not take my eyes away.

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman- 16-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?

Borrowed:

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancy- These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me...and the one who cursed me.

So begins the journal of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore War throp, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

Critically acclaimed author Rick Yancey has written a gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does a man become the very thing he hunts?

50 Followers!

Thank you all so much.

I've reached 50 followers!

Now, I'm not going to have a contest yet, but I've got something in mind so keep checking back.

Again, a HUGE thanks to you all!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Dear Big V

Dear Big V by Ellen W. Leroe
rating 5/10

Courtney Condon, a funny, off-beat junior, is caught smack in the middle of the war between the Lewds and the Prudes at Delaware-Valley High School. Court's the founder of an abstinence club at Dull-Val. But when she's assigned an Op Ed piece for the school paper that forces her to work with Lance, the major player and hottest guy at school, this up-close and personal contact with Lance throws her into a Whirlwind of Confusion over her chaste ideals. Meanwhile, Courtney's staunchly devout, strict-Catholic mom is pushing her own form of prudishness to the point of alienating the entire family, especially when Mom catches Court in a lip-lock with Lance in his car, right in her very own driveway! Laugh-out-loud funny, Dear Big V illuminates the conflict between hormones and values that teens face every day.

I guess all I can say is I really did not like this book. I found it boring and very hard to get into.

The main character, Courtney, is one of the main problems I had with this book. She really annoyed me. There was just something about her her that I didn't like. She was irrational, a little bit obsessed, and just plain stupid at times. For example, her relationship with Lance. At one point she claims she thinks she is in love with him, but in truth they only even talked a couple of times.

This book may be okay for some people, but just not for me. I didn't like the writing style or any of the characters and it just seemed, in a way, kind of plotless.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Darklight

Darklight by Lesley Livingston
rating 8/10

Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful—but cut short. For they’ve been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering allegiances in which the next move could topple a kingdom...or part them forever.

Darklight is the sequel to Wondrous Strange. I absolutely loved Wondrous Strange, but Darklight didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Darklight was filled with mystery, suspense, romance (though not as much as the last), action...the whole shabang. I couldn't stop reading it. There was so much that happened in this book that I was not expecting at all. I won't say what exactly because I don't want to give away anything.

Like I said before, it wasn't as good as the first, but it was still pretty good. Kelly and Sonny's relationship in no way grew throughout the book. It ended with a cliffhanger, and I'm dying to read the next one.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

In My Mailbox (13)

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren.

So I only got one book this week:

Darklight by Lesley Livingston: Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful—but cut short. For they’ve been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering allegiances in which the next move could topple a kingdom...or part them forever.

So that's all I got this week. What did you get?

Heavenly

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
Rating 7/10

Zoe's life is a mess. Her sister, Abria, has autism and never lets anyone in the family have some peace and quiet. Her brother, Luke, is an addict who is always high. With no attention from her loved ones, Zoe forgets all of her worries through drinking and partying.

But her life changes on one faithful day when she encounters Matthias. She first thinks he is a weirdo that might be after her baby sister. But then she discovers that he is an angelic guardian, sent to watch over Abria. It is hard to believe at first, but eventually she realizes that he is the real thing.

The more time Zoe spends with Matthias, the more she is drawn to him. It is not long before she falls head over heels for him. He is too perfect and wonderful for words. He is a heaven-sent gift. Except, they can never truly be together.

One thing that I really liked about this book was the autistic part. A big part about this book was how Zoe's little sister was autistic and how she dealt with it and the effects on her. This part was really real. There were parts that were heartbreaking yet beautiful at the same time.

This rest of this book had both the goods and bads. Some parts were a little slow at times yet there was a lot of parts that moved quicker.

Even after I finished this book I'm still not sure how I feel about Zoe. I want to like but at the same time she kind of annoyed me. I found her hard to relate to, despite what she was going through. Also, I didn't really like her and Matthias' relationship. In my opinion, it moved way to fast and just wasn't that real.

I did enjoy reading this book. I absolutely loved the ending. That would probably my favorite part aobut the book(and I don't mean for that to sound like "I hated this book so much the best part was when it ended." I really did like this book). It was unexpected and perfectly set up for a sequel.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren

won:

Fallen by Lauren Kate- There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Bought:

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick- For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent- The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld — a consequence they can’t possibly understand. Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk....

Around the World Tours:

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens- I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoë's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoë lost in her broken life. Zoë escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoë's autistic sister. After Zoë is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

2010 Debut Author Challenge

This year I'm going to do the 2010 Author Debut Challenge over at The Story Siren. I'll probably add a lot more as I find them, but here is just a few that I found so far.

Here's My 2010 Debut Author list: