This is a special edition of WoW as... well, I can't wait for Wednesday to post this. I've been wanting to read this since I've heard of it, but the trailer really just put the "WHAM! BAM!" in "WHAM! BAM! Thankyoumummydaddyforbuyingthisformeafterthemonthsofwhining. This book is friggin' AWESOME!"*.
Behold, the trailer for Fallen by Lauren Kate.
on Sunday, 25 October 2009
Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns…
The sparkly, innocent creatures of lore are a myth. Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. And they can only be killed by virgin descendants of Alexander the Great.
Fortunately, unicorns have been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.
Or not.
| Title: Dancing With Ana |  |
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| Author: Nicole Barker | ||
| Genre: Contemporary | ||
| Publisher: The Golden Road Press | ||
| Elements: Eating Disorder | ||
| Series: Stand Alone |
Ana? Who is this Ana we're talking about? This story is in fact, about a 16 year old girl named Beth. She's smart, has 3 best friends and seems to have a prefect life: surfing, lounging, hanging out with friends etc.Beth is a lucky girl. She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she’s grown up with has the most amazing green eyes. Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed.
Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat?
Sixteen year old Beth Baxter’s life merely resembles the one she’s always known. Her father has left. She is falling for Jeremy Duscana and the diet she started has somehow turned into an obsession.
Yet her three best friends remain the same, always there for her. But even their love can’t save her from herself.
But that's all on the outside, and we all know how much looks can be deceiving. For Beth is deeply unhappy inside, having to come to terms with her parents' divorce and her eating disorder while pretending that everything's A-okay.
With every dark cloud, there's a silver lining (What's with me and all these idioms?) and Beth's silver lining comes in the form of Jeremy. Their love blossoms slowly and innocently, and it's one of the bright sparks in Beth's life. Well developed and realistic, the romance still makes me "awwww" at times, even though it might seem a bit rushed.
Okay, after some Googling, I found out that Ana is a character in the book, though not in the conventional way. It's the short form for Anorexia Nervosa, the eatin disorder that Beth suffers from. There's no real reason for her to diet, except for the fact that she just wants to lose weight.
As for the dancing, there is both a figurative side to it (the way Beth 'toyed' with her unhealthy diet taking 2 steps forward and very rarely, one step back), but there is also a literal dance - in the way she danced her heart out at the end of the book. Dancing away her pain, sadness, anger, frustration and disappointement. The way she released her demons to the sky.
Colour me slow, but isn't this supposed to be about bulimia rather than anorexia? Thus shouldn't the book be called "Dancing with Bul" instead?
| Title: Wait Until Twilight |  |
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| Author: Sang Pak | ||
| Genre: Paranormal | ||
| Publisher: Harper Paperbacks | ||
| Elements: - | ||
| Series: Stand alone |
Coming of age stories aren't my thing. Especially not one which has stark scenes of cruelty, even though they were necessary for the development of the book. That's not to say that this isn't a good story. It was haunting, especially seeing Samuel battle both his inner and outer demons. He was courageous, and he was compassionate, choosing to help fix problems that weren't his own to begin with.Not long after his own mother’s death, sixteen-year-old Samuel discovers a set of deformed triplets hidden behind closed doors in his sleepy Georgia community.
The babies – whose shut-in mother believes they were immaculately conceived and whose menacing brother is a constant threat – take control of Samuel’s every waking and sleeping thought. His only escape, he realizes, will be to save the monster children.
But to do so, he must rein in his darkest impulses as he undergoes a profound transformation from motherless boy to self-defined man – because sometimes the most terrible monsters are those that live inside us all.
When we first meet Samuel, he's a little bit lost, losing his mother and having to deal with family members who choose to deal with their grief separately. The story really starts with a school assignment for Samuel. He's supposed to make a video for school, and he decides to find out the truth about the town's urban legend: a trio of monster babies.
Wait Until Twilight made me feel a lot of discomfort and the emotional conflict was more than I could bear, which says a lot for the author's talent for writing vivid scenes and telling a haunting story.
Why haven't I signed up for the 24 hour Read-a-thon, which is going to start soon?! (Okay, 9pm, which is in...10 hours. Nevermind, now. It's noon.) Whhhyyy?! Okay, I have no idea why too. I've signed up both as a reader and a cheerleader, so I'll probably be spamming your inboxes with lots of updates and comments. Here's the list of books I'm planning to hit in the next 24 hours:
on Thursday, 22 October 2009
on Wednesday, 21 October 2009
There's 1 hour and 46 minutes left of Wednesday, so let me squeeze in this bunch of books to make up for the lack of... waiting the past few weeks. I was going to limit myself to ten books, but well, you see! A whole bunch of Tenners and Elevensies are being featured this week.
Over-wanting may cause side effects, of which I am not totally clear about, so please, take a deep breath before proceeding down this list.
Over-wanting may cause side effects, of which I am not totally clear about, so please, take a deep breath before proceeding down this list.
on Friday, 16 October 2009
Hi Patch! It’s great to get to interview you. *cough* Describe yourself--what is your best quality? What is your worst?
Best – math. I'm a stone-cold logic kind of guy. Nora would tell you the worst thing about me is my lifestyle. It doesn't lend itself to relationships.
What is the one thing you wish other people knew about you?
on Thursday, 15 October 2009
What’s your worst subject in school, and is this in any way related to Patch?
Science is my worst subject, and my biology grade wasn't helped any by sitting beside Patch. Let's just say it's hard to concentrate on school with him sitting twelve inches away.
Okay, I know there are girls out there who think that having a guy who knows everything about you is pretty darn sexy, especially if the guy in question is as hot as Patch. What are your views on that?
on Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Becca Fitzpatrick: A darkly romantic tale about a girl who falls for a fallen angel with a dark agenda to become human.
When and how did the idea of Hush, Hush come about? How did it go from there to publication?
The very first inspiration for the story came from an experience in my own tenth-grade biology class. We must have been studying human reproduction, because my teacher asked me, in front of the whole class, to name characteristics I would be attracted to in a mate (I know!) The experience always stuck with me, and when I sat down to write Hush, Hush, that little piece of my history evolved into an early scene in the book. I wrote the first three chapters in the fall of 2003, but I was a brand-new mom, and time was short. It wasn't until I went to Left Coast Crime (a conference for suspense and mystery writers) in March 2008 that the story really came together for me. That conference was magical. I was away from home for a few days, hanging out with friends, and I outlined the entire plot. I went home and wrote the story, and three months later signed with my agent.
Were there any notable changes from the first drafts of the book to the published manuscript?
on Sunday, 11 October 2009
| Title: 1st to Die |  |
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| Author: James Patterson | ||
| Genre: Crime | ||
| Publisher: Grand Central Publishing | ||
| Elements: Serial killers | ||
| Series: Book 1 in the Women's Murder Club series |
I knew of the games before the series, and 1st To Die really doesn't disappoint. As the first book in the series, we're introduced to a wonderful ensemble. I especially like the fact that the main characters are powerful women. That's something I rarely read about. This is a page turner, a novel that you just can't put down. 1st To Die introduces us to the Women's Murder Club, a club brought together by friendship and tragedy.As the only woman homicide inspector in San Francisco, Lindsay Boxer has to be tough.
But nothing has prepared her for the honeymoon murders. A brutal maniac begins a killing spree, slaughtering newlywed couples, and Lindsay takes on the case.
She is sickened by the deaths, but her determination to bring the murderer to justice is threatened by a personal tragedy.
So she turns to Claire, a coroner, Cindy, a journalist, and Jill, an attorney, for help with both crises: and the Women's Murder Club is born.
Consisting of a police inspector, an assistant D.A., a reporter and a medical examiner, these women work together to find the person behind a spree of murders of newlyweds. It's pretty convenient and great that the club members just happen to have members of the professions needed to conclude a murder investigation, eh? Great start to the series, with many twists and turns, unwavering intensity, characters with care about, a touch of romance and witty dialogue. What else could you ask for?
(Lili, I finished my 5 challenges! Woo, I get to see you sing in a vlog now! Just nice, your birthday IMM vlog. :P)
on Saturday, 10 October 2009
| Title: Snitch | |
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| Author: Allison van Diepen | ||
| Genre: Contemporary | ||
| Publisher: Simon Pulse | ||
| Elements: Violence, Gangs | ||
| Series: Stand alone |
I didn't have high expectations for Snitch. Comparisons to Raven, another YA novel by Allison van Diepen, was inevitable. How would Snitch hold up to Raven, which isn't one of my favourite books but had an interesting setting and plot.In a school run by gangs, staying out was harder than joining.
We knew who our friends were, and were careful what we said. If people thought we were haters, it would only be a matter of time. Lines are clearly marked at South Bay High School. It's mixed territory for the Crips and the Bloods, which means the drama never stops.
Julia DiVino wants none of it. No colors, no C-Walks -- it's just not her thing.
But when Eric Valienté jumps into her life, everything changes. Lines are redrawn. And then they're crossed.
I've never read a book involving gangs before so I didn't know what to expect. But when you remove the gangs setting, you find that at heart it's a book about having to make choices. Not really original in that aspect, but it was written wonderfully.
Julia's going along fine in her life. She's an all around good girl, with good grades and graduation right around the corner. She has friends in major gangs, but she's steered clear of being a part of it so far. When she falls for McHottie Newbie Eric, who's involved in a gang faster than you could finish reading this, she gets thrust into the action. What's a girl to do?
What struck me the most about Snitch was the gang proceedings. I liked reading the inside scoop on what happens in gangs. It was informative, but it wasn't preachy at all. Gang proceedings aren't embellished, are prettied up in this novel. You get to see all the harsh truth in one book, and for someone who's a goody two shoe herself, this is probably as close to knowing about gangs as I can get.
on Thursday, 8 October 2009
Me: How does it feel like to have your hands on the ARCs of your very first novel?
Heidi: Very surreal. And exciting! I'm so grateful to the people at Putnam for creating such a lovely image for my words.
Me: How does it look like, RIGHT NOW? Shineee, in a box, hiding in a safe...
on Wednesday, 7 October 2009
The Demon's Covenant (out June 2nd, 2010)
Mae Crawford always thought she was in control. Now she's learned that her little brother Jamie is a magician and Nick, the boy she'd set her heart on, has an even darker secret. Mae's whole world has spun out of control, and it's only going to get worse.
When she realises that Jamie has been meeting secretly with the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, and that Gerald wants him to join the magicians, she's not sure how to stop Jamie doing just that. Calling in Nick and Alan as reinforcements only leads to a more desperate conflict because Gerald has a plan to bring Nick down - by using Alan to spring a deadly trap.
Mae Crawford always thought she was in control. Now she's learned that her little brother Jamie is a magician and Nick, the boy she'd set her heart on, has an even darker secret. Mae's whole world has spun out of control, and it's only going to get worse.
When she realises that Jamie has been meeting secretly with the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, and that Gerald wants him to join the magicians, she's not sure how to stop Jamie doing just that. Calling in Nick and Alan as reinforcements only leads to a more desperate conflict because Gerald has a plan to bring Nick down - by using Alan to spring a deadly trap.
on Monday, 5 October 2009
| Title: My Soul To Take | |
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| Author: Rachel Vincent | ||
| Genre: Paranormal | ||
| Publisher: Harlequin Teen | ||
| Elements: Banshees, Death | ||
| Series: Book 1 in Soul Screamers series |
There were some good points, and a lot of bad points about My Soul To Take. Firstly, the plot was interesting. There was a lot of potential for it to grow into something truly astounding. The first third was very promising. A girl starts uncontrollable screaming whenever someone is about to die. Now it seems like people are dropping dead for no reason. While the premonition factor has been played many times, the part about screaming definitely hasn't. With a plot like that, what could go wrong? Instead, it fell flat and just became one of many generic paranormal stories around, and boy was that a huge disappointment.Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh. She doesn't see dead people, but... She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder.
Literally.
Kaylee just wants to be a normal girl, basking in the joy of having caught the attention of Nash, the hottest guy in school.
But getting through a first date isn't easy when he seems to know more about Kaylee's need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only she knows who'll be next...
The protagonist, Kaylee, doesn't have a lot of personality. To all appearances, she's like a charity case, living in her uncle's house. Her aunt and uncle sent her to the mental hospital when she started screaming the first time. Her younger cousin, Sophie, is a snarky b*tch who exists solely to be the wrench in any potential relationship Kaylee might have.
Now when Kaylee finally meets Nash, the jock she's been crushing on, things seem to turn out for the better. Her personality finally shows, but it only appears when she's being snarky to Nash and then disobeying her uncle and aunt's house rules. And Nash, Kaylee's love interest wasn't even remotely appealing. He was broody, he "had to follow Kaylee because her voice called him (wtf?)" and he definitely didn't act like the jock he supposedly was. He's what my friend would call an "emo kid": dark, broody and trying to act all mysterious. Not like a jock at all.
Now, I don't know about you, but
1) If the guy I've been crushing on for a long while suddenly talks to me, I'll be nice to him, no matter what he wants.
2) I'll be suspicious, and then creeped out if he says that he was drawn to my voice and thus had to follow me to a club. What, didn't he notice me for the past years we were in the same school?
3) After hearing a "truth" from him, I wouldn't just brush off my past as a lie and believe him.
4) And worse, I wouldn't be making out with him after only 4 days and acting like we've known each other for years, flaunting the relationship, disregarding rules and so on. It just makes me seem desperate and frankly, silly and nauseating.
It just went downhill from there. There were a few plot holes that I was willing to overlook, but not when two of them occured within five pages of each other. And the plot arcs could be seen from the start. It could be the use of the same wording and phrases, but I guessed the whole plot from the start.
I'm not sure what's more disappointing: the fact that the characters were flat and not much made me care about what happens to them, or that an interesting plot was ruined by such trivial things. Nonetheless, My Soul To Take's worth a try. If you're interested in reading Kaylee's backstory, here it is.
on Saturday, 3 October 2009
I was one of the lucky people to be at a personal meet and greet with the lovely Julie Kagawa and the insane wonderfully creative in all sorts of ways Puck, Ash and Meghan from Julie's book The Iron King. Now, this is one book I'm really excited about, so getting to interview all of them is just a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. Imagine my surprise when it turns the other way around, and I'm the one who's interviewed!
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