Tag Archives: Paranormal Fantasy

Student Book Review: Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

26 May

I assigned the second set of book reviews in my Y.A. Lit class, which means it’s time to feature a new student book review.  My student, Zach, was telling me about books he’s read and enjoyed when we were discussing his trimester project and thinking about potential books to read.  Once he mentioned enjoying The Picture of Dorian Gray, I immediately handed him Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber.  I wasn’t sure if it would be for him, but based on his book review and his book talk, I know he enjoyed it.

Title: Darker Still

Author: Leanna Renee Hieber

Student Reviewer: Zach H.

Summary (From Goodreads):

I was obsessed.

It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I’d ever seen–everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable…utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I’ve crossed over into his world within the painting, and I’ve seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked–bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. Unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.

Student Review:

Everyone has believed in the concept of spirituality at least once in their lives. Well, even if one is not a believer currently, they will become one after reading Darker Still. I was drawn to this book originally because I had heard that it was inspired by Oscar Wilde’s groundbreaking novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Having enjoyed Wilde’s novel not even a month before, I was eager for a new twist on the story. By the time I finished this book, I determined that it wasn’t only a unique twist on Wilde’s story, but surpassed it in terms of an engaging story as well.

Darker Still follows Natalie Stewart, an eighteen-year old girl who has been mute ever since her mother died years earlier. Over time, she feels extremely drawn to a painting of the handsome Lord Denbury, who supposedly committed suicide. However, Natalie comes to find out that Denbury is still alive and trapped in the painting, having fallen backwards into a plot that is so much bigger than simple magickry. At the core of this captivating tale is a very engaging plot which I would love to elaborate upon, but sadly can’t.

Besides the plot, the characters were what really sold the story in Darker Still, especially Natalie, Denbury, and Mrs. Northe. For instance, seeing the whole events of the story from Natalie’s point of view was quite fascinating, mainly due to the fact that, being mute, she sees the world and handles interactions differently from the average Jane. Denbury, on the other hand, provides a tender and loving air that exudes strength even when things seem most dark. Additionally, Mrs. Northe serves as an excellent supporting protagonist as her knowledge of most things supernatural makes her the perfect helper to both Natalie and Denbury despite the increasingly dark situation.

Despite how good the plot and characters are, like all great novels, Darker Still does have its occasional drawbacks. For example, some of the characters, such as Maggie, are so wooden and unimportant that I feel the novel could have gotten along perfectly well without them. I was also disappointed that Natalie’s father wasn’t fleshed out too much considering the fact that her mother is dead. If the novel could have focused just a little bit more on Natalie’s relationship with her father, I would’ve felt just a bit more emotionally attached. Additionally, I didn’t like how the whole novel is basically a diary kept by Natalie recounting the events because it sometimes it showed a feeling of emotional detachment from Natalie. Not always, but just enough.

Despite these significant shortcomings, Darker Still is a very good book. The often disturbingly detailed imagery and prose leaps off of almost every single page. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good, mystery, or even supernatural fiction. Darker Still is a novel for everyone.

Flash Reviews (13)–Audiobooks Edition

18 May

As always, thank you for the Flash Reviews idea, GreenBeanTeenQueen!

Since January my reading as been in a general slump because I’ve been overwhelmed with work, my Masters, and health stuff.  In April I decided to give audiobooks a try and can’t believe I didn’t start listening to them sooner!  I’ve created an Audible account and now listen to audiobooks while I’m getting ready for work, driving to and from work, sometimes during my lunch at work, while I’m cooking, etc.  It makes me feel SO PRODUCTIVE to be “reading” while I’m doing all of these things because those are all of the things that distract me from reading.  I’ve even wanted to start walking more so I can listen to my audiobook of the moment since I have the Audible app on my phone.  Anyway, since I’ve listened to a few already I decided to try some flash reviews since I’ve never tried writing a full review of an audiobook before.

Title: Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick

Narrator: Joel Johnstone

Summary (From Goodreads): Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally normal life: he plays drums in the All-Star Jazz band, has a crush on the hottest girl in the school, and is constantly annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey.  But when Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia, Steven’s world is turned upside down. He is forced to deal with his brother’s illness and his parents’ attempts to keep the family in one piece.

Salted with humor and peppered with devastating realities, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie is a heartwarming journey through a year in the life of a family in crisis.

Flash Review: I listened to this during my spring break in April because my whole reading plan went down the drain when my grandpa decided to go off the vent he’d been on for a month.  I posted about this during that week after he died, but the reason I decided to listen to an audiobook during this time was that I still wanted to accomplish something even though I was spending four hours in the car driving back and fourth across the state to see him and be with family and go to the funeral.  It’s not exactly the happiest memory attached to this book, but regardless of all that Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie is a fantastic book to listen to in audio.  Again, it probably wasn’t the best choice to start with because it’s sad considering Steven’s little brother Jeffrey gets cancer, so I spent a lot of those four hours driving and crying and being all weepy (not so great to do while driving), but I also laughed and was able to take my mind off what was going on.  Joel Johnstone is a really talented narrator.  He does a great job switching voices, adding emotion to what he’s reading, etc.  He’s just about everything you could look for in an audiobook narrator.

The story itself is wonderful.  Steven is going through a tough time trying to understand the severity of his brother’s condition, and it’s not helping that his mom is almost always gone with Jeffrey and his dad isn’t talking to him about much of anything.  Steven’s grades start to suffer, and he begins to feel angry and depressed and confused.  I was able to relate to Steven because I often felt the same way when my dad was in the hospital with Leukemia, but I was in college at the time and understood how serious it was (thankfully my dad’s now cancer free!).  Jordan Sonnenblick has a firm grip on how teens think and act which shows in his writing.  I not only recommend listening to the audio, but adding the book to your library or class library as well if that applies to you.

5/5 stars for this audiobook!

Title: Beautiful Chaos

Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Narrator: Kevin T. Collins

Summary (From Goodreads): Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena’s Claiming. Even Lena’s family of powerful Supernaturals is affected – and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What – or who – will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He’s being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn’t by Lena – and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself – forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn’t know why, and most days he’s too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn’t just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there’s no going back. And this time there won’t be a happy ending.

Flash Review: This series never lets me down and Beautiful Chaos is no different.  In the fall I bought my copy as soon as it released, but while I was reading it I got distracted and set it down.  The problem though is that I never picked it back up.  Once I started listening to audiobooks I remembered that I wanted to finish reading Beautiful Chaos and sampled the audio.  I liked it right away, but I had no idea what I was in for just by listening to the sample!  Basically, after listening to this in audio I will only listen to the audio when book four releases.  It is awesome!  First of all, Kevin T. Collins is the perfect narrator for Ethan.  He uses his southern drawl and switches between all of the characters flawlessly.  The only voice that didn’t work for me was when he was reading Liv’s parts.  His British girl voice just didn’t cut it, but it did make me giggle.  Other than that he’s really impressive.  Plus, the audio plays background music during Ethan and Lena’s flashbacks, and we get to hear the Sixteen Moons (which has since changed for this book to Eighteen Moons) song.  I can’t sing the praises enough for Beautiful Chaos in audio.

The Beautiful Creatures series continues to be fantastic.  I love Link now as Linkubus and getting to know other characters more like Ridley and Amma.  So many secrets are uncovered about Lena’s family that my head was spinning.  Plus the ending completely blew my mind.  I had to rewind the audio and listen again because I couldn’t believe what happened.

4/5 stars for this audiobook

Title: Marcelo in the Real World

Author: Francisco X. Stork

Narrator: Lincoln Hoppe

Summary (From Goodreads): Marcelo Sandoval hears music that nobody else can hear–part of an autism-like condition that no doctor has been able to identify. But his father has never fully believed in the music or Marcelo’s differences, and he challenges Marcelo to work in the mailroom of his law firm for the summer. . . to join “the real world.”

There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it’s a picture he finds in a file–a picture of a girl with half a face–that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight.

Reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary audiobook is a love story, a legal drama, and a celebration of the music each of us hears inside.

Flash Review: I’m a little torn over this audiobook.  The story itself is beautiful, but the narrator isn’t all that impressive.  His voice is kind of monotonous and he doesn’t do a very good job changing his voice for different characters.  I also had a difficult time distinguishing when Marcelo is thinking something and saying something because there isn’t enough inflection in Lincoln Hoppe’s voice in some of those parts.  Despite those flaws, I was still able to continue listening to the audio because the story is so strong.

I listened to Marcelo in the Real World because we’re using it this year with our To Kill a Mockingbird YA connection unit.  I’m extremely happy we decided on this book because it will tie in nicely.  Just like many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird are misunderstood and judged, Marcelo and other characters are judged and misunderstood also.  Marcelo is very endearing and seeing him lose his innocence about the world was heartbreaking at times.  The characterization is strong in Marcelo in the Real World as well as the writing; it’s an excellent example of literary contemporary fiction.

4/5 stars for this audiobook

Top Ten Tuesday: Student Recommendations I Loved

15 May

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

I view making book recommendations to my students as part of my job as a teacher.  I love reading Y.A. and keeping up with what’s new and what I think will appeal to my students, so it’s extra special when a student recommends a book to me.  I may not pick up the book right away, but I always make sure to listen to them and make an effort to at least try the book, even if it’s outside my comfort zone.

Because it’s a freebie day for Top Ten Tuesday, I thought about it and decided to highlight ten books I may not have read without my students prompting me to read them for one reason or another.  Are there any books students or people you’re close to have recommend you read that you’re thankful for?  I’d love to know which ones! :)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Goodreads):  To be completely honest, I can’t remember which student told me to read this but I’m so thankful it was brought to my attention!  I didn’t think I enjoyed fantasy until I read Graceling.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Goodreads): While teaching my second session of Y.A. Lit I saw a couple students reading this.  One of the girls told me it’s the best book she’s ever read, and one of my reluctant boys read the first two books in a matter of a week.  That was enough for me and I made sure to read it that summer.  I still need to read the rest of the trilogy which I plan to do this summer.

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (Goodreads): I wanted to read Miranda Kenneally’s debut when I bought it for my classroom, but I read it sooner than I probably would have because it was being passed from student to student like rapid fire.  Any book that popular needs to be read!

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer (Goodreads): I really didn’t think I would like this book because I’m not into Glee (which I kept seeing it compared to) or drama or choir, but I bought a couple copies so my students could read it before interviewing Sara for my Students Want to Know feature.  After I heard their enthusiastic reviews I decided to give it a try and positively loved it.  I can’t wait to read another book written by Sara!

Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen (Goodreads): This one kept getting recommended and I kept telling myself I was going to read it.  Then Jake took my Y.A. Lit class this year and wanted sports books so I handed him Leverage.  He updated me and the class almost every day as he was reading, and because of these conversations I started reading it as soon as Jake was finished so we could further our discussion.  It’s excellent and gritty and emotional.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (Goodreads): A student didn’t actually recommend this book, but I’m reading it because of my students.  We’re using it with our Y.A. unit that connects with and follows our To Kill a Mockingbird unit.  I’m just about done listening to it on audio, and while I’m not a huge fan of the actor’s production, I’m a big fan of the story.  It’s a beautiful example of literary contemporary Y.A. and fits with To Kill a Mockingbird wonderfully.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Goodreads): A couple girls from my Y.A. Lit classes in 2010, including Katelyn from Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands, kept telling me about this trilogy and author, but I put it off for whatever reason.  Let me tell you, once I started reading this book I was kicking myself for not reading it sooner. It’s not the best writing in the world, but the story is addicting as well as the trilogy.  Plus, my girls in class can’t get enough of Simone Elkeles so I now have all of her books in my classroom.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Goodreads): I wrote up a Donors Choose fundraiser when I started teaching my Y.A. Lit class so I could expand my class library, and I added Garcia & Stohl’s debut after it received a William C. Morris honor.  One of my 2010 senior boys, Zach, read it right away and raved about it.  He said it was better than Twilight and he loved that it was told from a guy’s point of view.  His comparison and enthusiasm piqued my interest because at the time Twilight was still pretty popular, plus Zach was pretty influential at school.  It’s been downhill since then because I can’t get enough of this series!

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Goodreads): When this book first released one of my college friends told me to read it, but I wasn’t interested.  Years later the movie releases and my students are going on and on about both the book and the movie.  One of my avid readers and super book club members, Tristan, handed me her copy before spring break last year and told me to read it.  I did and whoa is it awesome!  It’s also been extremely popular in my classroom.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Goodreads): I have Tristan to thank for this one as well.  She read it and told me how wonderful it is and how (I think) she cried.  Let me know if I’m wrong about that, Tristan!  I was hesitant about Jandy Nelson’s debut at first, but I ended up loving her lyrical writing and reading Lennie’s poems.  It’s also incredibly popular among my girls in class.

Flash Reviews (12)

7 May

Thank you for the Flash Reviews idea, GreenBeanTeenQueen!

Title: Timeless

Author: Alexandra Monir

Source: Finished copy received from the publicist

Summary (From Goodreads): When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.
 
Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.

Flash Review: My interest went back and forth when I was reading Timeless.  I was intrigued for the first half because it was mysterious with all of the time travel and romance, but after a while the book really slowed down for me.  Michele meets and falls for the man from her dreams, but it’s tough to make it work considering he’s from another time period.  I enjoyed their scenes together, but eventually it felt like the story stalled and wasn’t moving forward.  I needed more from their relationship and from the mystery behind the time travel.  I set the book down for a bit and eventually came back to it after debating whether I was going to finish it.  Once I picked Timeless up again, I started to change my mind about quitting because the story changed pace and the romance and mystery became more intriguing.  I started getting more answers as more questions developed.  In the end, I’m really happy I finished reading Timeless because the story fleshed out.  If you enjoy reading historical fiction, time travel stories, romance, etc. then I think you should give Alexandra Monir’s novel a try.

Title: Revived

Author: Cat Patrick

Source: ARC received from the publisher

Summary (From Goodreads):

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger—and more sinister—than she ever imagined.

Flash Review: Revived is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that I couldn’t put down.  I’m normally not into science fiction, but the medical technology developed to bring people back from the dead is really engrossing and kept me reading until the very last page.  I love a book that keeps me guessing and making predictions which Revived did over and over again.  I felt like I was on the same page as Daisy because just as she was questioning something or coming to a realization, I was as well.  I can easily see Cat Patrick’s newest novel becoming a big hit in my classroom and with teens in general for the plot alone.  I can’t imagine being brought back to life and then needing to move, create a new identity, and trying to keep all of that a secret.  It forces Daisy to keep close relationships at bay which is difficult for any teenager.  Readers might also be drawn to Revived because some are labeling it dystopian, but I think it’s more futuristic science fiction.  Either way it’s labeled it can ladder between dystopian and sci-fi titles easily.

Title: Bittersweet

Author: Sarah Ockler

Source: Purchased

Summary (From Goodreads): Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances… a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life… and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last…

Flash Review: Bittersweet is now my favorite of Sarah Ockler’s three novels.  It’s the perfect blend of romance, coming of age, and all around fantastic contemporary fiction.  Hudson is trying to balance helping her single mom run a diner, taking care of her little brother, becoming a figure skater once again, and deciding between two attractive hockey players.  Make sure to add on keeping a friendship alive, baking cupcakes to support the diner, and training a bunch of hockey players and you have some difficult situations taking place.  Hudson is a likeable character that teens will relate to for a variety of reasons, especially if they want to do it all without having to give anything up.  Even though Hudson makes some errors in judgment, I couldn’t help but root for her and hope she eventually made the right or best choice.  She’s the kind of girl who doesn’t want to let anyone down, especially her loved ones, so you have to admire her for that.  And of course I can’t write about Bittersweet without mentioning the cupcakes.  I wish I had a recipe for every one because I want to make them ALL!

 

Review: The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

16 Apr

The Last Echo coverTitle: The Last Echo, 358 pages

Author: Kimberly Derting

Publisher: Harper (HarperCollins)

Release Date: April 17th, 2012

Interest: Favorite Series

Source: ARC received from the publisher

Summary (From Goodreads): In the end, all that’s left is an echo…

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye….

First of all, if you haven’t read this series yet then you shouldn’t read this review, but you SHOULD read The Body Finder pronto!

For those of you who are up to speed with Kimberly Derting’s fabulous series, I positively loved The Last Echo!  It has all of the normal goodies from The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead (mystery, suspense, romance, Jay, etc.), but The Last Echo also feels more mature which fits with where Violet is in her life.  She’s joined Sara Priest and others to help the police find murderers which is a very adult job to take on as a teenager.  This means Violet’s working more closely with Rafe and consequently there’s more tension between those two and also between Jay and Violet.

I like where Kimberly Derting is taking the story and how she’s developing Violet’s character.  Watching Violet trying to navigate through her life as a teen, but also as a teen with a supernatural ability and adult job is really intriguing and has kept me reading the story.  One of the reason I enjoy The Body Finder series so much is because while it has a supernatural element, I feel like I’m still reading something realistic.  Jay isn’t the typical paranormal guy love interest who acts like he’s 30 even though he’s a teenager.  He still rings true for me as a regular teen guy who’s really in love, and just a bit jealous as well.  Violet’s life isn’t exactly normal, but she she still has common worries like other teens her age.  Keeping these characters grounded in the story makes it more believable and entertaining.  I feel like I’m watching Violet grow up and I can’t wait to see where the story takes her in book four.

Of course, while I love the reality, I was completely engrossed in the mystery!  Like always, I had so many predictions and only some were close to accurate.  This “girlfriend collector” is creepy!  As in the past books we get to read sections from his point of view, and when I read those sections I kept making sure my door was locked.  He seems so unsuspecting, but not someone I would want to cross paths with.  The Body Finder had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, but not as much in Desires of the Dead.  I’m happy to report that The Last Echo is very similar to The Body Finder (and then some) in regards to mystery and suspense!

Violet and Jay’s relationship in these books is swoon-worthy.  It didn’t feel quite as steamy in The Last Echo, but it’s becoming more of a relationship of understanding and acceptance while still maintaining a strong sense of romance.  Jay is still always by Violet’s side and supporting her, but the tension with Rafe in the picture and Violet’s new job adds new levels of stress.  Both Jay and Violet are working on trusting each other and working together to be more supportive and understanding.  Jay is still one of my all-time favorite Y.A. crushes.  I won’t say too much more about the relationship because there’s so much left to ponder at the end of Desires of the Dead.

Overall, I am incredibly thankful that HarperCollins sent me this ARC because The Body Finder series is one of my favorites and continues to be.  This book rocked and left me excited for the fourth book!

Author Guest Post: Thirteen Things Learned From Taken at Dusk by C.C. Hunter

14 Apr

I’m very excited to have C.C. Hunter as a guest on my blog today!  Her newest book in the Shadow Falls series, Taken at Dusk (Goodreads), has recently released and today she has a post for us about things learned from Taken at Dusk.  C.C. Hunter is also kindly giving away a copy of her newest release to one lucky winner (giveaway details at end of post)!

Taken at Dusk cover

Thirteen Things You’ll Learn From Taken at Dusk by C.C. Hunter

1. The only thing worse than trying to help a woman with amnesia remember her name and life is trying to help a dead woman with amnesia remember hers.
2. Be careful what you wish for—you might just get it . . . and the reality will probably not be anything like the fantasy.
3. The person you think is your enemy could just turn into a friend who’ll do anything to save you.
4. The scariest thing in the world isn’t ghosts or rogue vampires bent on murder—it’s falling in love.
5. Explaining why you have a skunk curled up in your arms to your mom and your old best friend is as easy as eating a brownie while brushing your teeth.
6. We all make mistakes, which is why it’s so important to practice forgiveness.
7. The only thing worse than a pissed-off shapeshifter is a pissed-off shapeshifter in love.
8. Sometimes the earth really does have to open up and swallow you whole before you can accept the truth that’s right in front of you.
9. Vampires have no sense of humor . . . especially when they get turned into a kangaroo.
10. Free will gives us choices, but even making the right choices can’t change destiny . . . and learning to accept that can be the most painful lesson of all.
11. People aren’t always who they say they are, even if you really want them to be.
12. Sometimes when you try to save someone, they end up saving you instead.
13. Never get between a dragon and a warlock on the war path.

Which of these is your favorite?  I like numbers 8 and 9 best!  Thank you for this, C.C. :)

Taken at Dusk by C.C. Hunter Giveaway!

** You must be 13 years of age or older **
** Only residents of the U.S. and Canada may enter **
** Leave a comment to enter (include your email in the email section, not in the comment section) **
** Only one entry per person **
** Giveaway ends Saturday, April 28th at 11:59 EST **
** Winner will be chosen using Random.org and contacted via email **

Book Trailer Thursday (60)–The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

12 Apr

I am so excited that I found this book trailer because I LOVE this series!  Of all the series out there, The Body Finder series is one of my favorites.  I love the mystery and suspense and of course the romance.  Thankfully HaperCollins sent me an ARC of The Last Echo (releases on April 17th!!) which I read right away and am currently finishing my (very positive) review.  If you haven’t read the series yet, I don’t think this trailer will give anything away, but just in case I’m including the trailer for The Body Finder below The Last Echo trailer.

The Body Finder series:
The Body Finder
Desires of the Dead
The Last Echo
Book #4 untitled

The Last Echo coverSummary of The Last Echo (From Goodreads):

In the end, all that’s left is an echo…
Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye…

 

 

 

The Body Finder coverSummary of The Body Finder (From Goodreads): Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world… and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer… and becoming his prey herself.

 

Spring Break #BookaDay Goals

1 Apr

I didn’t know if spring break would ever arrive, but it’s finally here!  Keith and I talked about going to Chicago for a few days, but because of the weather being a tad sketchy lately we decided to stay home.  I love taking trips with my husband, but I also love being at home with him while relaxing and reading.  Spring break officially starts tomorrow, but I’ve been organizing and starting my #bookaday goals this weekend.  I will admit, however, that I was pretty darn lazy yesterday (I slept for most of the day) and didn’t get much reading done.  The laziness has continued today, but I’m determined to finish a book!  I think I have my list pretty much narrowed down, even if it’s a lofty list.

A majority of the reading I’m doing this week is work-related.  When I say work-related, though, I’m referring to Y.A. titles I need to read for work, which is quite happy-making!  My freshmen are in the middle of reading Romeo & Juliet, but this year we’re including a group of Y.A. titles to read with To Kill a Mockingbird that fit with some of the themes and issues (prejudice, maturity, loss of innocence, etc.).  Most of them I’ve already read, but there are some titles that others in my department have read and I have not, or titles my friends on Twitter recommended when we were deciding on this list that I still need to read.

I’m also working on narrowing down ideas and titles for my Y.A. Lit II class that I’m teaching next year.  My goal for the class is that we’ll still read three novels as a class, but this time the novels will be genre-focused and the students will read an additional title that fits that genre.  I’ll be pretty flexible when it comes to which title they pick as their additional title, but I’d also like to have some new titles that the school can purchase extra copies of for my students.  I know for sure that we’re reading dystopian and fantasy, but I haven’t decided which genre to read for the third genre.  Historical fiction really isn’t very popular, but paranormal fantasy is, so I was thinking about  a title that mixes both of them.  Then I could allow students to choose either another like that or either a paranormal fantasy or a historical fiction title as their additional choice.  I was also thinking about verse novels even though I don’t consider those a genre.  I know sci-fi is a good choice, but I already have a hard enough time reading those that I don’t know if I really want to teach one.  I feel like a bad teacher saying that. :/

Anyway, the real reason behind this post, the books!

Timeless by Alexandra Monir (Goodreads)–The publicist sent this to me, so I’m reading it now and enjoying it so far.  I think there might be a giveaway in the near future as well!

Cover BittersweetBittersweet by Sarah Ockler (Goodreads)–My girls in book club chose this as our next title, and we’re meeting to discuss this after school on the Tuesday we get back from break.  I need to read it ASAP!  I started it a while ago and it’s pretty good, as I expected, so I’m looking forward to finishing it.

Book Cover Out of the PocketOut of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg (Goodreads)–Homosexuality isn’t an issue in To Kill a Mockingbird, but the prejudice involved compares with the prejudice in TKAM.  We also wanted to include some LGBT novels because it relates to some of our students and it’s often ignored or misunderstood.  There’s a good chance there will be upset parents, but we’re preparing ourselves for that.

Book Cover Marcelo in the Real WorldMarcelo in the Real World by Franciso X. Stork (Goodreads)–This is another title we’re using with our TKAM unit.  I think the students should read this book because we have some many autistic students in our building, and the summary makes me think of Boo.  I could be wrong, and that might be a stretch, but it still has many of the issues that TKAM does.

Book Cover StartersStarters by Lissa Price (Goodreads)–I’m thinking about this for my dystopian unit in Y.A. II.  I’ve heard great things about it, so I’m excited to try it.  I hope it’s as good as everyone says it is!

Book Cover The Girl of Fire and ThornsThe Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (Goodreads)–I have this at school right now, so I bought a copy for my Kindle.  Ever since I challenged myself to read more fantasy, I’ve found that I really enjoy it.  I’ve read mostly good reviews for this debut.  One of my freshmen read it and asked about the second book as soon as she returned it because she enjoyed it so much.  I hope it’s a winner because I’m considering this for the Y.A. II class.  I’m trying to choose a novel that’s newer for this genre study because I have so many avid fantasy readers, and it’s difficult to find a book that none of them have read.  Or at least most of them haven’t read.

This is a pretty ambitious list considering I still have a number of plans this week which involve travel, so I don’t know if I’ll actually read all of these in a day each, but I’m going to try!  I challenged my students to try #bookaday, even if it meant reading 20 pages, one book, or five books.  I hope they update me in the comments of this post, or at least have some exciting stories to tell me when we return from break.  Are any of you on spring break and setting up a reading challenge?  Have you already had spring break?  I know not all of my readers get a spring break, so maybe you’ve read some of these books.  I’d love to hear from you! :)

Books I’d Play Hooky to Read

27 Mar

Ssshhh!  Don’t let my principal know this (j/k), but I’d definitely play hooky to stay home and finish a book.  Wouldn’t you?  Or maybe skip out on some plans so you can read that last chapter?  This week’s Top 10 Tuesday post is all about being excited for spring and picking the books we’d play hooky to read. I’d love to know which books you’d add to this list!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins (Goodreads)—I <3 Sophie.  The cliffhanger endings at the end of the chapters keep me reading, and I can easily see myself skipping something so I can finish reading this book.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Goodreads)—Is there really an explanation needed for this one? ;)

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (Goodreads)—All I’ve read are positive reviews for this book, so it must be a book worth playing hooky to read.

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood (Goodreads)—I’m kind of obsessed with Born Wicked. This doesn’t come out until February, but I was so hooked when reading Born Wicked I know I’d skip something to read this sequel. (The cover isn’t available yet.)

Bad Hair Day by Carrie Harris (Goodreads)—I’m not a zombie fan at all, but I’m a big fan of Kate Grable and Bad Taste in Boys. It’s a hilarious book and a fast read, so I expect the same from Bad Hair Day.

Insurgent CoverBad Hair Day Cover

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson (Goodreads)—This book sounds like it has major playing hooky potential.  I love that there are secrets, relationship & cheating issues, a boyfriend serving in the war, etc.

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin (Goodreads)—I skipped yoga so I could finish reading this J  It’s so stinkin’ funny!

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay (Goodreads)—I didn’t need to skip anything to finish reading this, besides maybe missing sleep because I stayed up until 2am to finish it.  It’s a fantastic book!

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (Goodreads)—Have you read anything by Courtney Summers yet?  If not, you really need to pick up one of her books.  She writes gut-wrenching stories, and I know this one won’t be any different.  Like I said before, I’m not a zombie fan, but I’ll read this simply because it’s written by Courtney Summers.  And if you’re like me, you’ll expect to possibly play hooky to finish reading it because I’ve been in that situation with all of her books.  Every one has been an “I can’t put this down” book.

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach (Goodreads)—I skipped doing work during my prep hour so I could finish reading this, and in the teaching world, prep time is vital.  Felton is a character I adore and really enjoyed reading.  I can’t wait to read the sequel Nothing Special.

If I Lie CoverLove & Leftovers CoverThis Is Not a Test CoverStupid Fast Cover

Students Want to Know Robin Bridges

23 Mar

Robin Bridges, author of The Gathering StormNecromancy, historical fiction, tzars, and romance?!  Count me in!  Robin Bridges is the 2012 debut author of The Gathering Storm.  I told my students about the book, showed them the book trailer, and one of them read The Gathering Storm before composing questions for Robin Bridges.  Quite a few of my students were intrigued by the trailer and started asking me lots of questions about necromancy and tzars.  Thankfully my students will get some of their answers today!  Thank you, Robin, for participating with us!

Summary of The Gathering Storm (From Goodreads): St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe’s royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina’s strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar’s standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina’s help to safeguard Russia, even if he’s repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

** Robin Bridges’ Website **
** Follow Robin on Twitter **
** The Gathering Storm released on January 10th **

Taylor:

  • In the beginning, why did you introduce so many characters all at once?
    TGS has a large cast of characters, so I had to introduce them in groups- first Katerina, then her school mates, then the members of the Imperial Courts at the Smolni ball.
  • Between George and Danilo, who do you like better?
    Ha!  I really am fond of each of these boys, for different reasons.  George is stubborn and quiet, but has a strong sense of duty, both to his father and to his country. Danilo is mischievous and suave, but his loyalty is only to himself.  As an eldest son, he’s been spoiled much more by his family than George.
  • What are your top five favorite books?
    Ack, just 5?  The first ones that come to mind are:
    Pride and Prejudice (both with and without zombies),
    Anna Karenina,
    Howl’s Moving Castle,
    The Scorpio Races,
    Good Omens

Ashley:

  • Have you ever been to Russia?
    Not yet!  But hopefully within the next year or two.  I have a long list of palaces and museums that I’d like to see there.
  • Do you enjoy history?
    Definitely.  I’m always interested in learning about different time periods.

Zach H:

  • How did you come up with the idea of blending the supernatural with historical fiction?
    I love reading historical fiction with supernatural or fantastic elements:  Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy, Scott Westerfield’s Leviathan series, and Sorcery and Cecelia (or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot) by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer.

Jared:

  • How do you become a necromancer?
    In Katerina’s case, it was an ability she was born with.  But there are dark spells and rituals that only the most powerful mages or sorcerers can use.
  • Why is necromancy scorned?
    Katerina hates her ability because she’s afraid it makes her a bad person.  Bringing the dead back to life upsets the balance of nature.  And it’s a nasty, dirty type of magic- something the fashionable fae of Saint Petersburg look down their noses at.  It has nothing to do with glamour or romance. 
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