Waiting on Wednesday: You by Charles Benoit

This wasn't the way it was supposed to go.

You're just a typical fifteen-year-old sophomore, an average guy named Kyle Chase. This can't be happening to you. But then, how do you explain all the blood? How do you explain how you got here in the first place?

There had to have been signs, had to have been some clues it was coming. Did you miss them, or ignore them? Maybe if you can figure out where it all went wrong, you can still make it right. Or is it already too late? Think fast, Kyle. Time's running out. How did this happen?

You is the riveting story of fifteen-year-old Kyle and the small choices he does and doesn't make that lead to his own destruction.

In his stunning young-adult debut, Charles Benoit mixes riveting tension with an insightful—and unsettling—portrait of an ordinary teen in a tale that is taut, powerful, and shattering.

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting Cover!

The sequel to The Body Finder now has a cover, and it's stunning. It goes with the first cover, and the pink on black is very striking.

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life? 

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.


This book blew me away. There's something special about it. 
Going into the book, I hated the main character, and most of the supporting characters. They were annoying, shallow, and a million other things that I don't like. In fact, when Sam died, I wasn't that upset. Not just because I knew she was going to wake up, but because I may have felt, just a little bit, that she kind of deserved it. 
And then she called me out on what I was thinking. After that, I had to keep reading. 
This book will stay with you. It makes you think. Not only about how you may judge someone, but about how your choices could potentially affect yourself or other people. 
This novel is amazingly well written, and is definitely in my top 5 for 2010. 


5/5


I received this book free from the publisher for review.

Sisters Red Launch

Today I got to go down to Atlanta to the Sisters Red launch event.

Jackson Pearce is, of course, amazing. She talked about the book, giving babies alcohol, and her writing process, among other things. She had a Q&A time, where she talked a little about SWEETLY (she should be getting the cover in a few days), Purity, and her historical novel. She also gave some tidbits about Sisters Red. Did you know that Silas originally had another name? She wouldn't say what it was, because it was spoilery. The main guy in Sweetly is Silas's brother, and that's VERY interesting.
Here are a few more pics, but I won't put up the one of myself and Jackson because I look like a hunchback.

Also, Sisters Red was featured this morning on Good Morning America! Check out Jackson's video:

In Defense of Twilight

I was poking around online the other day, when I came across THIS:

Now, I'll be one of the first people to say that I don't particularly like Twilight, but this picture hurts me a little. I don't think that any book should be banned, taken away, or burned. What purpose does destroying a book serve? Nobody profits from this, except the book burner and Stephenie Meyer. Burning books deprives someone, somewhere an opportunity to read it.
Every book has the potential to help someone. They can help people learn to read, or give an escape. Books can teach us things without us feeling like we've been taught. I know that's kind of confusing, so I'll explain. When you read a book, you can empathize with the characters, even though they may be completely different from you. A reader can learn about the difficulties that people go through because of their skin color, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other factor. People can better themselves through books.
Twilight may not be the greatest piece of fiction out there, but it serves a purpose. I know several people who used Twilight as a springboard for other books. It has ignited a passion for reading in countless people who otherwise wouldn't pick up a book.
So, if you're one of those people who hates Twilight or some other book, go on hating. But please don't destroy the book. Donate it to a library, shelter, or some other place where it has the opportunity to reach someone.

Jackson Pearce Signing!

I'm going to see Jackson Pearce again! This time instead of hiding in the shadows, she's having her own shiny Sisters Red launch party! I promise to share pictures and anything interesting that happens. There's a rumor that she'll be liveblogging the event, so keep an eye out!

Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

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.


The Body Finder was a very interesting, creepy read. After reading the prologue, I was hooked. The ability to sense dead bodies isn't something I've seen before, and it was very well done. The writing envelopes you, as does the level of detail in everything. For me - as a guy - that wasn't always a good thing. I sometimes got tired of reading about how Violet wished her hair was straight and not curly, or the details of makeup and dresses. Having said that, I loved this book. It had just the right amount of suspense, and while the ending didn't completely catch me by surprise, I still completely enjoyed it. 
The cover is stunning, and definitely caught my eye when I first saw it. I didn't know exactly what it represented, but it made me want to read it. 


5/5


Recommended if you liked The Midnight Twins, White Cat, and mystery/suspense stories.


This book was received free from the publisher for review.

Contest Alert!

Christine Johnson is having an awesome contest to celebrate Clair de Lune! Bookplates, books, and other awesome stuff! Check it out at her blog!

Waiting on Wednesday: Freefall by Mindi Scott

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend Isaac alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time where Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn’t wake up. 

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend’s death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely. 

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he's ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth will soon realize he isn’t the only one who needs saving . . .


Just look at that cover! It looks amazing. I've been waiting for this one for a while. Look for it on October 5th, 2010.

Beautiful Darkness Contest

Do you want an ARC of Beautiful Darkness? Of course you do. So do I. The Here, The Now, And The Books is having a BD ARC contest! Go check it out!!

Review: The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

Here's where I'd normally put a synopsis for the book, but this review is going to be short and non-spoilery.

This is the second book in Sarah's Demon trilogy, and I can't wait for book three. The Demon's Covenant is one of those books that takes you on a journey. It's very much story and character driven, but that's not to say that it's boring. On the contrary, it's filled with secrets, fighting, magic, swords, demons, dancing, humor, love, lust, and betrayal. I was taken by surprise multiple times, especially at the beginning, when I found out that this book was from a different character's perspective than the first one had been. I think I like this one even more than the first book...
If you haven't read The Demon's Lexicon, I suggest you do. It'll knock your socks off.

This book was provided free from the publisher for review.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Mizb at Should be Reading

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's TT comes from The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan.

"Well, speaking as a feminist, I'm glad that women can lead - uh, groups of unspeakable magical evil."

"Yes," said Alan gravely. "It'd be shocking if the evil magicians were sexist."

Question of the Week #2

So, I had the idea to ask a question every week, and let you guys answer. I have no clue if this is a meme somewhere already, but if there is, let me know so I can give credit/have an awesomer name. :)


This week, My question was kind of inspired by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter sneak peak special that came on tv last night. (I know more Harry Potter, but whatever.)


Which world from a book would you most like to live in? 
Which world would you NOT want to be stuck in?


My obvious answer would be Harry Potter, but I think the world of D.J. MacHale's Pendragon series is fantastic. All of the different territories would be amazing to visit. 


As for the world I wouldn't want... I'd probably have to say Panem from The Hunger Games. Being forced to watch someone you know kill and/or die every year on television is horrific. 


I'm curious to see what you guys say.  :)

Heavenly+Penitence By Jennifer Laurens

Jennifer Laurens is having a Heavenly giveaway on her blog. Just link the trailers from Monday - Friday, and you get Heavenly! If your post gets 20 comments, you get Penitence too! So can you guys leave some comment love please? I'll return the favor if you post the trailers too! ;)

Book News and Stuff

First, Beautiful Darkness (the sequel to Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl) got a new cover, and it's fantabulous.

Second, Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce comes out today! If you missed my review, here it is.
If you don't wanna click back to read it, just go out and buy it, mkay? I promise you'll like it.

Review: Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons?


I've been anticipating Hunger for a while. The synopsis had me from the moment I read it, and the cover is gorgeous. When I got the book a few days ago, I immediately tore into it. I thought I knew what this book was about, but there was a lot more to it than that.
Lisa has an eating disorder. She doesn't want to admit it to herself or anyone else, but the little voice inside her head is there. It's always telling her she's fat, always telling her she's weak, and always making sure she knows just how long she's going to have to work out to get rid of those calories she just ate. When Death (who's awesome, by the way) shows up to make her Famine, she accepts, not really knowing what she's doing.
That's the plot, but like I said, there really is more to it than that.
I've never read a book about an eating disorder, although I know a little about the subject. They're serious. This book doesn't shy away from the details. People suffering from Anorexia or Bulimia need help, but some of them don't even know it. Lisabeth believes she doesn't have Anorexia, because anorexic girls are skinny.
I liked the fact that this book was a fantasy book. Presented this way, people who normally wouldn't read a book about an eating disorder will, and maybe one of them will realize that they need help and get it. Plus, a portion of the proceeds from this book will also go toward organizations that help people with disorders, and that's pretty awesome.
Now, on to my actual review.
The book is pretty short. You could easily knock it out on a lazy afternoon. I loved the concept of the Horsemen, but I thought more could have been done with it. I wish that more detail had gone into the powers, and even the Horsemen themselves. I'd like to know how the others became War, Pestilence, and Death.
The writing was very witty, and the descriptions of the different cities and towns were nicely done.


I give Hunger a 3.5 out of 5.

Contest!

As some of you know, I'm itching to get my hands on Beautiful Darkness and Matched. Michelle Hodkin is having a contest on her blog to win these, and an ARC of The Duff! Go enter and tell her I sent you!  :)