Spellbinding

Finished Spellbinding by Maya Gold.  I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“There’s more than one way to be powerful . . .

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva–sixteen and nearly friendless–makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush–and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there’s Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history–and her heart–before she can face the powerful truth.”

When I was a kid, I loved Scholastic’s Point imprint.  They published books by R.L. Stine (Fear Street, not Goosebumps) and Diane Hoh and Richie Tankersley Cusick, plus someone named Christopher Pike.  Not sure if you’ve heard of him.

But I read so many of those books and loved them all.  So when I learned that Scholastic was reviving the imprint?  YES.

Spellbinding is the first one to be released, and there were a couple more this month.  (I will get to them soon; thank you Scholastic and Netgalley!)

This isn’t scary in the traditional sense.  It’s creepiness comes more from the question I asked myself, one I bet most readers would share: how would I retain my integrity if I could literally have anything I wanted?

And that’s something that’s now facing Abby.  Thanks to her history and her own powers, she can make things happen.  All of a sudden, she’s better at school and her crush likes her.  (LIKES HER, likes her.)

Which is another interesting thing to contemplate: if you’re used to being invisible, how do you react when all of a sudden, you’re on people’s radar?

But even beyond the deep thoughts/sociological questions behind this book, this is just a ridiculously fun read.  It’s not the kind of book that you’ll be throwing at everyone you know, but it is the kind of book that will make for a great weekend afternoon.  You could put Spellbinding down but you won’t want to.

The Camp (and amazing, AMAZING giveaway)

Finished The Camp by Karice Bolton.  I received a copy from the author for a blog tour.

Before we get to the review, Karice Bolton has provided the best giveaway ever: click on the link to win a Kindle Fire, Nook HD or $100 giftcard.  Good luck!

Summary (From Goodreads):

“Emma has always tried to be perfect in her almost eighteen years of existence, but it has never been good enough. As she finds herself counting the days until she’s officially free from her parents’ reins, her stepfather hands her a plane ticket explaining that she must attend the Re-Boot Camp in the wilds of Alaska.

Once she lands in the middle of nowhere, she realizes the camp is nothing like she imagined, and she wants out immediately. That is until she meets Liam.

The camp is full of teens with dark pasts, but she finds herself drawn to Liam’s ability to see who she really is and who she wants to become. While Emma and Liam begin adjusting to a place neither wants to be, frightening events begin to unfold. When people begin disappearing, it becomes apparent they can only trust one another as they fight for survival.”

This book was a complete delight to read.  I was expecting a fun summer read (very light, a little creepy, some romance) and it was that, but it was also very good.

(Note: I wasn’t expecting it to suck, of course, but I was expecting brain candy.)

I completely adore Emma.  She’s smart, funny, sarcastic and completely capable.  The fact that there’s a potential serial killer on the island scares her, of course (she’s still a person!) but whereas a lot of people would be nearly catatonic, she’s determined to do as much as she can to help.  As opposed to, say, curling up in a corner and waiting to die.

And Emma-and-Liam?  Holy. Crap.  THAT IS ALL.

I know this is supposed to be a standalone but I hope there’s a sequel.

I’ve never read Karice Bolton before, but I definitely plan to seek out her other books (she’s written two trilogies; the first books in both of those are currently free on Kindle and this one is 99 cents—99 cents, people!).

Highly recommended.

Here are the other stops on the blog tour:

May 15 | http://www.memyshelfandi.com/ | @myshelfandi
May 17 | http://thereadingdate.com/ | @readingdate
May 19 | http://kaidansseduction.blogspot.com
May 20 | http://fictionfolio.com/ | @TaraMQ
May 22 | http://littlehyuts.blogspot.com/ | @LittleHyuts
May 28 | http://thecompulsivereader.com | @compelledtoread
May 28 | http://bookwormdream.blogspot.com/ | @BookwormDreams
May 31 | http://prettylittlememoirs.blogspot.com/ | @LittleMemoirs
June 3 | http://sparetimebookblog.blogspot.com/ | @b_ls
June 3 | http://readingandwritingurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/ | @JenniferBielman
June 4 | http://theobsessivereader.com/review-policy/ | @ZeniaRadoor
June 5 | http://whyanot.wordpress.com/ | @whyanot
June 5 | http://mundiemoms.com | @MundieMoms
June 6 | http://bookreaderchronicles.com/
June 6 | http://thekams.wordpress.com/ | @thekams
June 7 | http://bookalicious.org/ | @BookaliciousPam
June 8 | http://www.moonlightbookreviews.com | @MoonlightReview
June 9 | http://goodbooksandgoodwine.com/ | @booksandwine
June 10 | http://ramblingsofabooknerd.com/ | @sarabooknerd
June 11 | http://pageturnersblog.com/ | @pageturnersblog
June 11 | http://alexalovesbooks.com/ | @alexalovesbooks
June 12 | http://www.bookscompleteme.com/ | @bookscompleteme

Wasteland

Finished Wasteland by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan.  I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“Welcome to the Wasteland. Where all the adults are long gone, and now no one lives past the age of nineteen. Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan’s post-apocalyptic debut is the first of a trilogy in which everyone is forced to live under the looming threat of rampant disease and brutal attacks by the Variants —- hermaphroditic outcasts that live on the outskirts of Prin. Esther thinks there’s more to life than toiling at harvesting, gleaning, and excavating, day after day under the relentless sun, just hoping to make it to the next day. But then Caleb, a mysterious stranger, arrives in town, and Esther begins to question who she can trust. As shady pasts unravel into the present and new romances develop, Caleb and Esther realize that they must team together to fight for their lives and for the freedom of Prin.”

This took me a bit to get into, but once I did, WOW.  This is a book that made me happy that I’m a very patient reader, because otherwise, I think I may have given up.  (I say that to tell you this: stay with this book.  You’ll be happy you did!)

I loved Esther, but the book has multiple narrators (primarily Esther and Caleb, but not exclusively) and I didn’t click with any of the others at first.

This is an interesting world and you should know that there are very creepy parts.  (It’s a plus for me, but it may not be for you.)

This is apparently the first book in a trilogy.  I’m not sure where the other books will go; I thought this worked very well as a standalone.  But I am also not unhappy with this news because by the end, I was fully invested in the world and the characters.

Period 8

Finished Period 8 by Chris Crutcher. I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“In this full-length novel from Chris Crutcher, his first since the best-selling Deadline, the ultimate bully and the ultimate good guy tangle during Period 8.

Paul “the Bomb” Baum tells the truth. No matter what. It was something he learned at Sunday School. But telling the truth can cause problems, and not minor ones. And as Paulie discovers, finding the truth can be even more problematic. Period 8 is supposed to be that one period in high school where the truth can shine, a safe haven. Only what Paulie and Hannah (his ex-girlfriend, unfortunately) and his other classmates don’t know is that the ultimate bully, the ultimate liar, is in their midst.

Terrifying, thought-provoking, and original, this novel combines all the qualities of a great thriller with the controversy, ethics, and raw emotion of a classic Crutcher story.”

I don’t know what it was with this book, but I didn’t connect to it at all.

If you read the synopsis, you’ll see that it has a lot of the things I generally love in books: creepy people, a serious issue (in this case, bullying), a good teacher, and it’s YA.

And yet it fell short for me. Ultimately, I didn’t care about the characters or what happened to them.

And I am sure the problem is me. If you look on Goodreads, you’ll see that it’s almost at four stars.

But even though I wasn’t in love with the story or characters, I still kept reading to find out what was happening. There’s definitely something to be said for that, right?

A lot of people are absolutely in love with Chris Crutcher’s books, so I would be open to trying another one. This one, though, didn’t work for me.

Criminal (AND Giveaway!)

Finished Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy.  I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.  I received a copy for a blog tour.

Before we get to the review, there’s an excellent giveaway for a copy of the book.  Five people will win a signed copy!

Click here to access the Rafflecopter giveaway (your friend me can’t make the HTML work).  Sorry, but clicking a link isn’t that much harder and this is a book you want to win!

After my review, learn more about where to follow Terra Elan McVoy and the other stops on the blog tour!

Summary (from Goodreads):

“Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.

So when Dee pulls Nikki into a crime—a crime that ends in murder—Nikki tells herself that it’s all for true love. Nothing can break them apart. Not the police. Not the arrest that lands Nikki in jail. Not even the investigators who want her to testify against him.

But what if Dee had motives that Nikki knew nothing about? Nikki’s love for Dee is supposed to be unconditional…but even true love has a limit. And Nikki just might have reached hers.”

Terra Elan McVoy’s first novel, Pure, is one of my favorite books ever.  Her next two were good but nowhere near as great as Pure was (I haven’t read her fourth novel, the one before this one).  And so when I was accepted for the blog tour for Criminal, I was excited and nervous.  I wasn’t sure if she’d ever write something I loved as much as I do Pure.

This one isn’t up to Pure status, either, but it was close.

Reading this as a grownup, I wanted to shake Nikki.   It was SO OBVIOUS that Dee is bad news and just a complete asshat besides.  He treats her horribly and she doesn’t care—or even, really, notice.  She wrecks the good relationships in her life to keep chasing after Dee, and that would be bad enough until he drags her into the murder.

Even after she knows what kind of person he is (the kind to kill someone else in cold blood and broad daylight), she still is begging for scraps of his attention and I was just like, “NIKKI, NO.”

I think this is such an important book for teen girls to read because while most people won’t be in this particular situation, it still serves to show the potential consequences of chasing after people who will never make you a priority.

But even beyond its purpose as a cautionary tale, Criminal is a fun book to read.  Even though I knew that things wouldn’t go well for Nikki, I wanted to see what would cause the house of cards to collapse and just how bad said collapse would get.

And even though I knew better, I hoped that things would end well for Nikki.  (And that Dee would get everything that was coming to him and more.  Because I hated Dee SO MUCH.)

Highly recommended.

You can learn more about the book here or buy the book from Amazon, IndieBound or Barnes & Noble.  Terra Elan McVoy is on Facebook and Twitter; here is her webpage again.

Here are the other stops on the blog tour:

May 08 | http://readnowsleeplater.com/ | @frootjoos
May 09 | http://hobbitsies.net/ | @hobbitsies
May 10 | http://tableforseven-julie.blogspot.com/ | @aprilmom00
May 11 | http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/ | @alexalovesbooks
May 13 | http://fictionfolio.com/ | @TaraMQ
May 16 | http://www.intothehallofbooks.com/ | @bookworkasheley
May 17 | http://www.areadersadventure.com/ | @readeradventure
May 20 | https://andiabcs.wordpress.com/ | @andi_s13
May 21 | http://ratherbereadingblog.com/ | @readinggals
May 22 | http://thebookcellarx.com | @thebookcellarx
May 23 | http://www.ramblingsofabooknerd.com/ | @sarabooknerd

May 24 | http://thegrownupya.wordpress.com/ | @grownupya

May 28 | http://chickloveslit.com/ | @shanynlee
May 29 | http://www.bookswithcass.com/ | @bookswithcass
May 31 | http://thecompulsivereader.com/ | @compelledtoread

Again, please check out this book.  It’s amazing!  (Read her backlist, too.)

BEA Survival Tips

This will be my fourth year attending BEA and so I thought it might be fun to talk about what to do in case you’re attending for the first time.  (And if not, try to go next year; it’s so fun!)

1)  COMFORTABLE SHOES.  Javits is huge and you will be on your feet for most of the day.  There are places to sit, but you’ll probably still be upright and moving for multiple hours and toting several books, as well.  Do all you can to help yourself out.

2)  Business cards!  Mine have my name (obviously), blog name and URL, address and Twitter and Facebook URLs, too.  Some people go back and forth over whether to include their address, but I feel like the less work publicists have to do, the more likely they are to help you. 

3)  Plan.  My BEA BFF Kathy and I have been planning for months now and since they’ve finally started releasing signing information, we have kicked that into overdrive.  Obviously not everybody is going to plan as thoroughly as we do, but it’s a good idea to have at least a basic idea of what you want to do each day (galleys you want; signings you must attend, etc.) so that you’re not running around completely overwhelmed.

4)  Accept the hard truth of BEA: you will not get everything you want.  This is where prioritizing comes into play.  This year, for example, Kendare Blake, Diana Peterfreund and Gretchen McNeil are all signing at more or less the same time.  And all are pretty likely to have ridiculous lines.  I will probably not be able to get all three, but I’m probably going to be able to get two. 

Dear Life, You Suck

Finished Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden.  I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“Irreverent, foulmouthed seventeen-year-old Cricket is the oldest ward in a Catholic boys’ home in Maine—and his life sucks. With prospects for the future that range from professional fighter to professional drug dealer, he seems doomed to a life of “criminal rapscallinity.” In fact, things look so bleak that Cricket can’t help but wonder if his best option is one final cliff dive into the great unknown. But then Wynona Bidaban steps into his world, and Cricket slowly realizes that maybe, just maybe, life doesn’t totally suck.”

I wanted so badly to love this book and I just couldn’t do it.

I will admit that part of this problem is likely the fact that I am neither a teenager nor a boy, so instead of finding Cricket clever, I mostly just found him obnoxious.

But then he’d do something completely sweet and I would like him…but then he’d go out of his way to be an even bigger creep than before, so then I’d hate him again.

To be fair, I know a lot of it has to do with his backstory (two awful parents and a dead little brother) and so yes, a lot of his swagger is to keep people at arm’s length so he doesn’t run the risk of being hurt or left again.  But understanding this doesn’t make liking Cricket any easier, and it’s very hard to like someone who goes out of his way to annoy other people.

This is still an interesting book and I know a lot of people enjoyed it (including my friend Darby!) but it wasn’t for me.

You Know What You Have to Do

Finished You Know What You Have to Do by Bonnie Shimko.  I received  a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“This quirky, appealing YA novel turns formulaic teen fiction on its head as funny, feisty fifteen year-old Mary-Magdalene Feigenbaum (otherwise known as Maggie) suddenly faces more than the usual typical YA concerns: a voice in her head that is telling her to kill people. Not just anyone—each time the target is someone who has done something terrible to a person Maggie cares for. You know what you have to do, the voice commands. Maggie struggles to resist, but the voice is relentless.

With rising suspense, this story of psychological horror introduces a narrator whose own unique voice and irreverent humor are unforgettable—an unlikely hero fighting a desperate battle against incomprehensible evil.”

I think I was expecting something a little closer to Serial Mom.  What I got was a truly creepy novel about a girl who is told to kill—by a voice in her head.

I do wish we had seen Maggie try to resist the voice in her head (like REALLY try) because I feel like most people would need some major coercing in order to murder someone else.  Even if that person was an awful human being.

And that was the part of the story that interested me the most—the Dexter-ish idea of killing people who “deserve it.”

I hope there will be a sequel.  I’d like to see if (a) Maggie gets the help she needs and (b) can continue to get away with the killing.

(Because honestly, she’s got a knack for it.  Multiple murders and no one even looks in her direction!  And she feels guilty, yes, but not as guilty as you’d think someone would feel after having committed multiple murders.)

Definitely a very interesting book, but I think it would’ve benefitted from being a little bit longer.

If You Find Me

Finished If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch.  I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.”

This is one of those books that will break your heart.  For pretty much Carey’s entire life, she’s been responsible for her younger sister Jenessa, as their mom comes and goes from their lives.  Their life isn’t easy, but they have each other and she’s managed to keep Jenessa safe and fed.

And then their mom doesn’t come home.

And THEN people come to take them away.  Not in a kidnapping sense—although that’s sort of how it feels like, especially at first.  Mama told Carey that her dad was abusive and that’s why they were on the run and living in the woods.  But that may not entirely be the truth.

Either way, though, Carey and Jenessa now have to adjust to a world that’s completely foreign to them.  (They lived in a camper in the woods, so even indoor plumbing and electricity is a novelty—so imagine what living in pretty much anywhere in 2013 America would be like for them.)

Even if Mama wasn’t telling the truth about her dad, though, Carey knows that if he knew everything she had to do to survive, there’s no way he’d let her stay.  So she keeps quiet because she knows that (a) Jenessa needs to stay and (b) they need to stay together.

I loved this book and can’t wait to read whatever Emily Murdoch writes next.

Highly recommended.

Going Vintage

Finished Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt.  I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley.

Summary (from Goodreads):

“When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous
But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.”

I loved Lindsey Leavitt’s other YA contemporary (Sean Griswold’s Head) and this one is just as cute, sweet and fun.

But like that book, this is also got a lot more going on under the surface.  Mallory’s attempt to get back to a simpler time is a fun story (and would make for a great college admissions essay) but is also driven by a lot of angst.

While obviously Mallory’s relationship with Jeremy is the catalyst for the narrative, her relationship with her little sister Ginnie is at the heart of the book.  The sisters are incredibly close and while they do still fight, it’s obvious they’re also best friends.  Mallory isn’t that close to her parents, so it was nice to see that she had good relationships with her sister and grandmother.

And of course, there is a new guy on the horizon.  I wish that Oliver Kimball were real and that he had an older sister.  That’s all.

Recommended.