Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Lissa and Rose have an unspeakable bond, even by vampire standards. The two ran away from their school, St. Vladimir's two years ago with nothing but each other. Now they've been caught and must return.

St. Vladimir's is not your average boarding school. It's the school for Moroi and Dhampirs. Morois are mortal vampire royalty with a deep connection to elemental magic. They are at a constant risk though. See Strigoi, or immortal vampires, hunt them and are always looking for ways to kill them. That is why there are Dhampirs, or half vampires. A Dhampir's most important job is to protect the Moroi they are assigned to. Rose is Lissa's Dhampir and is dedicated to Lissa in every way. She even tries to protect her from the nasty ridicule thrown at her by students at school.

While St. Vladimir's is supposed to be a safe haven for Morois there is something lurking within the gates that puts Rose and Lissa on edge. Could it be that there is a traitor within the gates?

While battling the social difficulties that arise at the school such as rumors and jealous girlfriends, forbidden romances, and the nasty looks, the girls realize that the most important thing to do is keep Lissa safe and protect her from the threat that she is wanted as a Strigoi.

Yet another great vampire book, of which I am completely addicted to! I really enjoyed this book and was easily swept up into Lissa and Rose's lives. Before I get to all the parts of the book that I liked, I must talk about the beginning. I was completely confused as to what was happening at the beginning. I even had to go back and make sure that I was reading the first book in the series and not a sequel. I felt like that author thrust us into a situation without us knowing anything about the characters. Around the second or third chapter though the characters were explained and I felt like the story really begun. There was no more confusion and I proceeded to completely devour the book. I literally stayed up until all hours of the night in order to finish the book and for me that's saying something! I was really intrigued with the story line which was filled with suspense. While vampires were the central focus, I felt like it didn't take over the entire book and there were also some underlying plots. I liked how there was a love story between Rose and one of the other supporting characters. Overall I was really impressed and I cannot wait to read the sequel Frostbite and future books in the series.

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

Persephone and Penelope Leeland are the twin daughters of a well known English viscount and are getting ready to be thrown into their first season. While you couldn’t tell the girls apart by looking at them, if you talked to them you would know that they are completely different girls.

All Penelope can talk about is the upcoming balls that the girls are planning on going to and the numerous gowns that she is going to wear. She’s loves all thoughts that have to do with future dances and possible husbands. Then there is Persephone. She would much rather hunker down and devote her time to magical studies. She really doesn’t want anything to do with finding a husband or dancing the night away in a dress that she can hardly breathe in.

Just as the season is about to begin the girls governess disappears. It’s up to the girls to figure out what happened. Along the way the girls will discover that the kidnapping of their governess has much to do with the plot to take away Princess Victoria’s power. Encountering many interesting people, including a mysterious Irish wizard and a boy that might just be husband worthy, the girls set off to solve the mystery.

I am a huge historical fiction fan as well as I love books that include magic. Putting the two together created an amazing book that I instantly fell in love with. I thought that the story was completely original and absolutely spellbinding. I was highly impressed with Marissa Doyle’s ability to captivate my attention throughout the whole book. I don’t think I actually put the book down once - which is a big thing for me! I thought it was really neat that the main characters were twins who really didn’t have much in common. The girls’ differences though made the book so interesting and it was really evident that they depended on each other for different strengths. Another really special thing about this book is that the story sticks. The story keeps ringing through my head and I’m still loving it! I was really impressed with Marissa Doyle’s debut novel and absolutely cannot wait for the sequel which will be out sometime next year (why o why does it have to be that far away!). It has definitely become a new favorite of mine and if you haven’t had the opportunity to read the Bewitching Season I highly suggest you run and get it now.

Farworld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage

Thirteen year old Marcus Kanenas has always been tormented because he lives his life in a wheel chair. Everyone sees him as an outcast, even though he really is a survivor and dreamer and he just wishes that he could escape his life as an orphan. In an attempt to escape Marcus creates a world in his head. Here animals talk and tell jokes, trees have personality, and best of all magic fills the air. He’s even appropriately named this far-off world Farworld. Little does Marcus know that Farworld actually exists.

One night a mysterious man comes to the boys house that Marcus is residing and claims that he is a state attorney. He has come for Marcus claiming that his parents have been looking for him. What Marcus doesn’t know is that this man has an alternate identity, one that could be very harmful to Marcus. When Marcus realizes what he’s up against he tries to escape. Before harm can befall upon him though he is somehow transported to Farworld. After recovering from the initial shock of waking up in new world Marcus meets Kyja, the girl that brought him into Farworld and the girl that is most often in his dreams. Kyja is different though. She is the only one in this world of magic that doesn’t posses any magical skills. While Marcus is an outcast on Earth because of his paralysis, Kyja is an outcast in Farworld because of her lack of skill. The only true friend she has is her skyte (a creature much like a lizard, but don’t ever call them that!) Riph Raph.

Together they must embark on a journey. It seems that Kyja’s good friend Master Therapass has been keeping a secret for the past thirteen years that is particularly dangerous to both Marcus and Kyja alike and could change the fate of both worlds. The Dark Circle, the evil doers in Farworld, have caught wind of this secret and are dead set on finding Kyja and Marcus. As the Dark Circle’s power grows it is harder and harder for the kids to stay away. Their only hope is to convince the mythical Elements- fire, earth, air, and water-to create a drift between the worlds. Their first stop is Water Keep. On their journey they will battle everything the Dark Circle can throw at them. Together they learn much about each other and themselves, forging an everlasting friendship.

Where to start, where to start?? Fantasy has never really been my thing. While I have always loved a good book that centers around magic, the whole alternate world has never really been my choice. When I got offered this book I thought, why not. I mean I feel that since I’m a reviewer now I should expand my genre horizons. With that said I was hoping to find a book that would introduce me into the fantasy world and give me a better look at what fantasy is really all about.

The first couple of chapters started off a bit shaky. I couldn’t really tell where the story was going and I felt like the characters were really mean towards Marcus. As I got further into the book though the story quickly picked up and I found myself enthralled. The author really has a talent for making a faraway place seem realistic. I felt like I was riding along with Kyja and Marcus in their journey across the country land of Farworld. The comments that some of the characters made, especially Riph Raph, were very humorous and I found myself chuckling many times. I also thought that the premise of the book was very interesting. I honestly didn’t think that the plot would appeal to me, but in the end I think it is what made the book so special. Not only did the kids go on a journey to find the Water Keep, but also on a journey of self discovery. I think this is an important theme in books and while it is common, J. Scott Savage was able to put a twist on it and make it original. The one thing that really made this message stand out to me was when Master Therapass said “The real power of magic lies within you. Who you are, what you do, and most importantly of all, what you may become.” I think that this is so true and this message continues throughout the book, but not in a monotonous manner. I also think that the dialogue in the book was great. It wasn’t forced and it seemed to flow well. It also fit the characters. I’ve found that as I read more and more I realize that sometimes the author creates dialogue that doesn’t match the characters personality. In this book however, I could totally picture the characters saying what the author had written. The characters in the book were also good, not the best, but still had more life than many characters. I really found it unique that the main character in the book had a disability, but it wasn’t the main focus of the book. Marcus really came to almost accept his disability and learned to succeed with his disability. Overall I found myself riveted to this book, anxious to see what would happen next. Even now I am anxious to find out what will happen in future books, which I hope to see plenty of! For me this was a great introduction into the fantasy genre, which I will for sure be reading more of!

News!!

First of all I want to thank everyone for entering my birthday contest and giving me all those warm birthday wishes. After tallying up all of the entries (and there were a bunch) I picked 3 winners. And they are.....drumroll please....!!

Melissa Walker

The Story Siren

and

Beth Kephart

Please send me a quick email with your address and I will get back to you with the rather long list of books to choose from!! Thanks again to all that entered.


Now check out this great book trailer of Brooke Taylor's debut novel Undone. For my review of Undone, click here.

Cathy's Book and Caythy's Key by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman

Lately things haven’t been good for Cathy. Her father died, her boyfriend dumped her, and her grades aren’t so hot. While she can’t do anything about her dad and doesn’t really want to do anything about her grades, she is determined to figure out why her boyfriend dumped her and why in the world she has a needle mark on the inside of her arm when she comes home from his house. From the moment she decides to search out Victor and learn his secrets, she is swept up into a mystery involving some shady characters and business. Not only does Cathy have to deal with this weirded out mystery she’s gotten herself into, but there’s her moody mom and her best friend who’s having some problems of her own. In her journal Cathy retells her hilarious tales and takes a twisting journey to solve the mystery that every girl wants to know. Why did my boyfriend breakup with me?

Well I liked this book, but there were definitely some things that prevented it from being a great book. For me this book started off really slowly and I felt a little confused. As the book progressed it started moving at a lot faster pace and became quite enjoyable. Sometimes the book would switch to the past without a lot of notice and it would get confusing because you would be wondering what this had to do with the story line. Other than those couple of things, I enjoyed the book. Cathy has the ultimate sarcastic and funny attitude that I always appreciate in a book and her ideas are off the wall funny. Then there is the whole mystery. It is seriously the most unexpected thing. I mean nothing foreshadows what is about to happen and it would have taken me millions of years to guess! I can’t give away the surprise, but it was so crazy that I liked it. I also thought it was neat that the book is “interactive.” There is a pocket of evidence enclosed with the book which is the actual things that Cathy finds along her quest. Also there are a bunch of phones numbers and websites that provide other clues to the mystery. I think this is definitely a great book for reluctant readers as it’s short and easy to participate with, making reading fun. I am most certainly looking forward to reading the sequel Cathy’s Key.

Cathy is back and she is as curious as ever! It's been six months since Cathy's seen her boyfriend Victor and she is completely clueless as to where their relationship stands. Out of desperation she sets off to St. Louis in order to meet the fortune teller whose name was sent to her months earlier in a mysterious package. After her meeting with the mysterious Auntie Joe, who claims that Cathy's father didn't really die of a heart attack but that he was murdered, Cathy is as confused as ever. On her way home Cathy meets Jewel. Jewel immediately gets on Cathy's bad side when she tries to weasel money out of her. She's even bold enough to take Cathy's diary pages (recounting her last adventure) while Cathy is out buying food. Despite a bitter start, Jewel and Cathy become pseudo friends and spend the long, boring bus ride home talking. That is until Jewel disappears with Cathy's cell phone and diary pages, virtually stealing her identity. This is really the least of Cathy's problems because when she returns to San Francisco she is determined to find out what really happened to her father and also squeeze in time to find a new job. With the help of her best friend Emma, Cathy embarks on an adventure to find out more about her father and she will learn more than she could have ever fathomed!!

This book was undeniably better than the first. It didn't take me any time to get swept up into Cathy's hilarious adventures and mishaps. Cathy became very real in this book and her personality was absolutely brilliant. Her attitude was hands down one of the funniest I've ever come across in a book and I found myself howling aloud in amusement from the words that came out of her mouth. I also felt like the author was really able to pull off the plot in this sequel. In the first book it was a little questionable, but this time it really made the book shine. What's also great about this book is that it's really not necessary to read it's precedent, Cathy's Book, as it completely holds its own and won't confuse the reader. Overall I was highly impressed with this book and was completely shocked into loving it. It is a great summer read, not too long, but long enough to have substance, and I whole heartily recommend it to all!!

Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss

Ellie is your ultimate band geek. She spends hours of her time practicing and he ultimate high school dream is to become the trumpet section leader. Now it’s Ellie’s senior year and she knows it will be her best. She is the trumpet section leader and even has a killer solo that begins the whole show. Hopefully she will even be able to finally forget about the traumatic crush she had her freshman year. Yes, that’s right, Ellie hasn’t been able to trust or like anyone since 9th grade when her crush on the current section leader got announced.

When the last day of band camp arrives Ellie is anxious to debut her solo. She’s been anticipating this moment for forever and knows that it will rock. That is until her eyes fall on a particular boy in the audience. One she’s never me before but who’s looking at her as is he’s known her his entire life. After that look Ellie is doomed. She proceeds to flub her first note and make mistake after mistake throughout her solo. Little does she know that this won’t be the last time she sees this guy and he will end up messing up more than just her solo. Is it possible tough that the will change Ellie for the better, or will she just retreat more into herself?

This is definitely a fun, light summer read. It has just the right amount of sass, humor and romance to peak anyone’s interest. Overall it was a good read with cute characters and a good plot. But I felt that the story was too rushed. It zoomed from one dilemma to the next without much reasoning. I also felt the book was very predictable and didn’t really keep me guessing. What I did really enjoy was Ellie’s character. She had a great (and very funny) attitude that kept me laughing throughout the book. I only wish she had spent more time making wise remarks and dealing with her feelings, than holding them up inside her an moping about them. While there was one unexpected twist there wasn’t much else there that I hadn’t read before. Despite these things I think that band geeks as well as non band geeks will find an entertaining read in Josie Bloss’ debut novel.

And Another Awesome Author Visit: Brooke Taylor

Yeah for another awesome author!! Today Brooke Taylor is in the hot seat and has a fabulous guest blog for us!! Brooke's debut novel Undone will be out on July 18. It is a completley amazing book and I hope you all get a chance to read it. To read my review click here. Brooke is also a member of the Class of 2k8, which is a fabulous bunch of authors all releasing their first YA or MG book this year. I hope you all enjoy the guest blog as I thought it was simply great!! Thanks again to Brooke for stopping by.

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Have you ever asked—are they real?

Um… maybe I should clarify—have you ever wondered if the characters in a book were based on real people or how much of a book is based on real life?

There is a lingering fear in the friends of writers that they will somehow turn up in a book, like as the bad guy.

Popular advice amongst writers is: “Write what you know.” But do writers really do this? The short answer is yes. In probably every fictitious novel there is some amount of reality. My debut novel Undone is no exception.

So let’s look a little closer at what is real and what is fake…

Kismet, Colorado: Fake! (Well, sort of real too)

Kismet is a fictionalized mish mash of cities in Colorado. One is Evergreen, Colorado, which is an upscale bedroom community just up the hill from Denver, much like Kismet is. Another is Vail, Colorado, which is much further into the mountains, but has more of the luxuries that Kismet has, including a full service hospital (one that I had my knee operated in, believe it or not).

The trip Serena took with Cole to The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is sort of real. I used to work in Estes Park and of course no visit there is complete unless you go to the haunted hotel made more famous by Stephen King’s The Shining. The other real part is that I had a friend who, like Cole, forced me against my will to watch the movie like a thousand times and then she obsessively quoted it for weeks. And let’s just say that all Shining quotes and no play, make Brooke a very dull girl! I’m also very creeped out by twin children.

Many of the details that turn up in Kismet came from my years living in the mountains of Colorado. The extreme degrees of difference between the wealthy and the working class is very much a factor in most of Colorado’s mountain towns—you either live in a mansion of a log home or an apartment that hasn’t seen new carpet since the 1960’s. There is no in between. Both Vail and Aspen used to have Saab’s for police vehicles, just like Kismet was trying to get. And my favorite pizza place, Beau Jo’s, even makes an appearance. In RL, the original location is in Idaho Springs, Colorado. You must go if you ever are heading up I-70 on a ski trip.

The List: Real!

When I worked at Keystone Resort I was sent, along with the whole IT department, to Denver to listen to a motivational speaker. One of the things they had us do was to write a list of five things we didn’t think we could obtain, but wanted to. I wrote down things like: Earn XYZ amount of money (double what I’d currently been making), Get out of debt, Finish writing a book, and Travel (something I couldn’t afford to do at the time). I folded up the list stuck it in my notebook and promptly forgot about it. (I’m sarcastic and skeptical, much like Serena is.) But just as the speaker promised, something in my brain refused to let go. Within two years I’d taken a job for 3 times my salary and it was on a cruise ship where I would spend the next five years traveling, not only getting out of debt but saving money, and finishing writing my first book. Amazing what a Post-it note can do!

The Car Crash: Real!

When I was in high school, there was horrible car crash. It didn’t occur on school property, and none of the students actually saw it—but the details were known to everyone. Two boys, brothers, were in a car driving ahead of their parent’s car when a drunk driver hit them head on. I’ll never get the images out of my head of the boy’s parents witnessing this happen. I remember what it was like at school, what was said and what was not said. I remember feeling a little bit differently about my plans for the day, about the dramas with my friends. It was a horrible day, but it was also a day that brought about changes in each of us.

Kori and Serena: Fake!

A part of me is each of my main characters, and their friendship reminds me of some of my own, but neither Serena nor Kori are based on anyone I know. They are their very own people, with their very own relationship, and their very own story. With just a little bit of detail stolen from the author lady.

So now you know what is real and what is fake!

~Brooke

UNDONE (Walker, July 2008)

Nominated for ALA's 2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers!

BrookeTaylorBooks.com

Classof2K8.com