In My Mailbox - 10 October

I have two days until school's back and I don't feel like I have achieved all that much. It's been a fun week between visiting my Nan, discovering Owain Yeoman on The Mentalist, reading MANY angel and faery titles (Wing-Lit) and being called a jerk for a review. (Also a big congrats to Rhiannon for signing with a literary agent this week - yay for Aussie YA bloggers/writers!)

And on with the Kristi and Alea show, aka IMM...

The Pact - Jodi Picoult

Until the phone calls came at 3:00 A.M. on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbors, the Hartes, had been inseparable. It was no surprise to anyone when their teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends. But now seventeen-year-old Emily has been shot to death by her beloved and devoted Chris as part of an apparent suicide pact -- leaving two devastated families stranded in the dark and dense predawn, desperate for answers about an unthinkable act and the children they never really knew.

I proudly announce that I have never wanted to read a Picoult novel. I get that she's astoundingly successful, a writing machine if you will but none of her stories interested me enough to pick up a copy. To be painfully honest, if I wanted to read a book about teens killing one another (without supernatural forces at play) I would prefer to get my hands on Hate List.

Zombie Blondes - Brian James

From the moment Hannah Sanders arrived in town, she felt there was something wrong.

A lot of houses were for sale, and the town seemed infected by an unearthly quiet. And then, on Hannah’s first day of classes, she ran into a group of cheerleaders—the most popular girls in school.

The odd thing was that they were nearly identical in appearance: blonde, beautiful, and deathly pale.

But Hannah wants desperately to fit in—regardless of what her friend Lukas is telling her: if she doesn’t watch her back, she’s going to be blonde and popular and dead—just like all the other zombies in this town. . . .

Not really interested...I think the anime style cover annoyed me from the beginning and the concept didn't really grab me.

The Genius Wars - Catherine Jinks

In a thrilling conclusion to the Genius trilogy, Cadel must think like a criminal mastermind.

After abandoning a life of lies and mistrust, fifteen-year-old Cadel has finally found his niche. He has a proper home, good friends and loving parents. He's even studying at university.

But he's still not safe from Prosper English, who's now a fugitive from justice and determined to smash everything that Cadel has struggled to build. When Cadel's nearest and dearest are threatened, he must launch an all-out attack on the man he once viewed as his father.

Can he track down Prosper before it's too late? And what rules will they both have to break in the process?

I haven't read the titles that predated this one so I am not sure how much I will follow.

Betrayals - Lili St. Crow

Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf, and she's just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn't entirely human. (So what else is new?)

Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England Schola for other teens like her, and there's a big problem - she's the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn't be so bad, but Dru's killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide. . .

Can Dru survive long enough to find out who has betrayed her trust - and maybe even her heart?

Note to publishers...do not make the protagonist a pity-fest in the first line of your blurb. It angers me, especially having read the first title and not really empathising with Dru all that much. I will read it just to find out if Christophe is really as delightful as glimpses show him to be - fingers crossed he's an evil, arrogant son of a gun.

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld

In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.

I have been offered the chance to interview the author some time this month and I am so glad that I will be able to do so AFTER reading the book. I am really excited to see Westerfeld's take on steampunk and the first world war. Yay...the illustrations are great.

Two more days (and +$70) until I get my hands on HC copies of Willow and 20 Boy Summer...very excited.

Review - Hush Hush / Becca Fitzpatrick

Summary - 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.

Review - Having eagerly anticipated this novel for a few months, I found that the combination of gushing tweets and online reviews tainted my enjoyment of the book. I was expecting a story that would floor me with mystical undertones and a toe curling bad boy. That's not really what I found myself reading.

Bec Fitzpatrick has an intriguing concept in that of a fallen angel attempting to gain something out of his reach. Patch has an interesting back story, one that it set up cleanly in the prologue and then elaborated on later in the story. His current story wasn't all that interesting. He was provided with some smouldering looks, some cool life skills and a need to speak in creepy cliches and yet he didn't really become fully formed in my eyes. Many see him as the ideal bad boy but the depth of emotion wasn't present enough for me to engage with him. Declarations of loyalty and love felt a little off kilter with his actions. I never felt that he "loved" Nora, rather that he wanted or lusted after her.

As evident in the blogosphere, people have gravitated towards these characters. In my case, I found it hard to engage with the characters as I didn't feel that were well rounded or dynamic enough. Vee was a character that infuriated me on the pure basis of her reaction to an incident between Nora and a guy. It's not one that would be expected from any best friend, especially one who has been touted to be the best best friend ever. Nora herself is a little blah but that's how she's set up from the beginning. At times she resembled a blindfolded nincompoop as she wandered through the truly bizarre situations that were occurring to her. To be honest though, there is no good way to react to enforced visions, sleazoid boys and a couple of attempts on her life. She's got it rough. Her father has recently deceased, her mother works all the time and she's got one friend. Her grief at her father's recent death could have provided the character with a great grounding for the events that occur but it's never really explored.

Hush Hush has a fantastic premise, some action packed scenes filled with shadowy dread and a guy that makes most girls go weak at the knees. It's a fun read, one that takes one teen girl's grief, desertion and loneliness and takes it to a spooky place.

Published: November 2009
Format: Paperback, 400 pages
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Aust.
Origin: USA
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www.beccafitzpatrick.com

Review - The Summoning / Kelley Armstrong

Summary - Chloe Saunders sees dead people. Yes, like in the films. The problem is, in real life saying you see ghosts gets you a one-way ticket to the psych ward. And at 15, all Chloe wants to do is fit in at school and maybe get a boy to notice her. But when a particularly violent ghost haunts her, she gets noticed for all the wrong reasons. Her seemingly crazed behaviour earns her a trip to Lyle House, a centre for 'disturbed teens'.

At first Chloe is determined to keep her head down. But then her room mate disappears after confessing she has a poltergeist, and some of the other patients also seem to be manifesting paranormal behaviour. Could that be a coincidence? Or is Lyle House not quite what it seems...? Chloe realizes that if she doesn't uncover the truth, she could be destined for a lifetime in a psychiatric hospital. Or could her fate be even worse...? Can she trust her fellow students, and does she dare reveal her dark secret?

Review - Settling somewhere between a thriller and a paranormal spectacle, The Summoning is a curious beast. Whereas I should feel great sympathy for the predicament of our protagonist, I don’t. Yet with the brief glimpses of her mother and that of the delectably diabolical Tori, I want more. Armstrong has made her own Dream Team of misfits, who also happen to have supernatural inclinations.

Perhaps the big problem could be the setting, Lyle House. This group home for teens with psychological issues is the setting for the majority of the book and as such should have been crafted as another character in the book. Despite the many “secrets” it contains, the house never really feels completely realised.

Yet there are a plethora of complex characters in this story, Chloe’s fellow misfits are an interesting bunch. All could be tagged as prickly, having been dealing with problems of their own for far too long. By far the most compelling is that of Derek. Built like a brick house, with a attitude a touch below volcanic. Yet we don't really get to know them all that well other than their inevitably sad stories of desertion and rejection.

The Summoning is an interesting tale but doesn't set the world alight as Chloe isn't all that compelling.
Published: 2008
Format: Paperback, 390 pages
Publisher: Harper Teen
Origin: USA
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http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

Contest Winners

A big congrats to the two winners of my most recent contests.

BBAW Pink & Beatle Meets Destiny

-Congrats to April!

Hollywood Ending

-Congrats Brizmus!

Please respond to the emails asap and these fantastic books will be on your way :)

Review - Graceling / Kristin Cashore

Summary - Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight; she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace--or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away. . .a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Review - This much adored novel had sat all by its lonesome on a shelf, ignored, for way too long. Telling the story of Katsa who as a child was deemed to be a Graceling “gifted” with killing. Having been at the beck and call of the King's wishes for years, Katsa's had enough. In the interest of not giving much away, it's this helplessness that acts a catalyst for her actions in this tale.

Katsa's adventures are something that whisk reader's along with their pace, danger, intrigue and romanticism. There's something for everyone (and plenty for those who have good taste). In her travels Katsa comes across a foreign prince, Po, who is searching for his beloved grandfather. This kidnapping brings attention to larger issues that are afoot in their lands and one that will ultimately start impinging on the safety of Katsa and her new friend.

Katsa is a strong, vibrant and angsty female who is fascinating on her own and as half of a romantic entanglement. Katsa and Po have great chemistry, both finding in one another, a person that understands their predicament in life. It's a slow burn relationship that rewards the reader throughout and at it's interesting conclusion. Most interesting is that Po understands and accepts Katsa's dominance over him in fighting and loves her regardless. He is a character of great strength in his particular grace and his ability to support Katsa.

Kristin Cashore has created a world brimming with vivid characters, all well rounded with understandable motivations. She's gifted at bringing grace, speed and vivacity to the physical aspects of Katsa's grace and the adventure as a whole. The pacing of the story in general was a little uneven, some parts drawn out, some startling fast but it added to the intrigue of the story. It is a title that should grace your bookshelf...I am now eager to get started on Fire.

Published: 2008
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Publisher: Orion Publishing
Origin: USA
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http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/

In My Mailbox - 4 October

Just one darling this week....Hush Hush. I have to state for the record that that Simon & Schuster Australia brought a huge smile to my face as I opened the package and feathers drifted out. Nice work!

Hush Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick (November 2009)

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.

On that note, I want to wish everyone a happy week of reading!