Born At Midnight by C.C Hunter

Who: C.C Hunter
What: Born At Midnight
When: March 29th, 2011
Where: St. Martin's Griffin
Why: Hype
How: For Review One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Born At Midnight is an easy, quick, and fun read that lovers of Paranormal Romance will devour.

Kylie life is a bit crazy these past few days. Her boyfriend broke up with her because she wouldn't put out, her parents can't stand each other and are getting a divorce, and her mother has decided to send her to Shadow Falls, a camp for troubled teenagers, after she gets caught at a drug-filled party even though she hadn't consumed anything. At first, I thought her mother was totally insane, but after a while, she grew on me. The problem, thinking about it, is that while I enjoyed reading this, it didn't leave a lasting impresson. It's your typical paranormal romance love triangle.

One thing I did love was how relatable Kylie was. Even though this has, you know, vampires and werewolves and all those things, at the core, it was a story about Kylie trying to find herself amist all these crazy things happening to her. Even though she frusterated me sometimes with her complete denial that she was anything supernatural, I understood all her reactions and knew if I was in that position, I would've done the same thing. The plot at times took a backseat to Kylie's inner broodings, mostly about the three conflicting males in the story, which surprised me.

Now, what confused me was that love square. Yeah, it's not a triangle, it's a square. Kylie is trying to choose between Derek (who I told you I was going to like), Lucas (who they say she had a secret past with but it's not exactly that secret or dangerous or even...important.) and Trey (her FRIGGING exboyfriend who annoyed the freak out of me and gah.) I understand her still pining a bit for Trey, because it's something all teenage girls go through. Your boyfriend dumps you and even though you're in the process of moving on, the thought of him tugs on your heart strings a bit. Lucas was your typical bad boy werewolf, which isn't fairing well with me anymore, especially since I wasn't a fan of him from the start. Derek was sweet, funny, and most importantly, respected Kylie's wishes (this is an important must for me), even when he knew she wanted differently. He gave her time to get her thoughts straightened out and I admired that about him. Plus, he's half fae!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Interview with C.C Hunter; Born At Midnight

Hey guys, I have a special guest today celebrating the release of her YA debut, Born At Midnight! Welcome, C.C Hunter!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself! Where should I start? First, I should tell you that C.C. Hunter is a pseudonym. My real name is Christie Craig, which is where the “C.C.” comes in. In addition to my Shadow Falls series, I write freelance and book-length non-fiction as Christie Craig. I also write humorous romantic suspense novels under my real name. I’m married, have two kids, and live with my hubby, four rescue kitties, a puppy who sometimes thinks my furniture tastes better than his kibble, a rabbit named Floppy Skivvies whom the cats think is just a funny-looking feline. Of course, there is also a wild assortment of outdoor critters, like raccoons, opossums and the occasional turtle. Now, that may sound like a lot of crazy, but you know, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. If you could live with three YA characters, who would they be? Hmm. Okay, this is a tough one. I don’t know if I’d really want to live with them, because that sounds like it would last forever and I’d miss everybody—and one of my rescue cats would really miss me—but I’d like to spend a week with the following:

First, I’d choose Mia from The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. I mean, what’s not to love about Mia and her life? Sure, she’s got all the problems a typical teenager has but she’s also a princess. How totally cool is that? And I really think I could get into living like a princess, for a week or so. Maybe even a little longer.

Next, I’d probably choose Bella from the Twilight series. Now, honestly, I did love the books, but Jacob . . . okay, Jacob was one smokin’ hot werewolf. I’d like to spend a week with Bella so I could ask her what the heck she was thinking when she chose Edward over Jacob. LOL.

And finally, I’d go with Wilbur and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Yeah, I know it’s not technically a YA but it’s one of my all-time favorite books, and I loved those characters. And in a crazy way, seeing all these different species learn to love each other, reminds me of Shadow Falls.

3. Which character in Born At Midnight do you think is more like you? Least? Oh, wow. These questions are brutal! You’re really making me think! LOL. Okay, the truth is there is a little bit of me inside all of my characters. For example, let’s look at Della, who’s a vampire and Kylie’s roommate. Della is moody and quick to anger, and sometimes I can be that way. (Lucky for my hubby, it’s a rare occasion. LOL.) And then there’s Miranda, who is Kylie’s other roommate and a dyslexic witch who can’t cast her spells right. I don’t know anything about spell-casting but I definitely know about dyslexia and the hurdles it can toss in your path. I’m dyslexic, as well as my son, and we struggle with it every day. But if I had to choose the character that is most like me, I’d probably go with Kylie. I gave her some of the same issues I dealt with when I was a teenager, like fitting in—I always felt a little different from everyone else, like I really didn’t belong.

Also, my parents got a divorce when I was sixteen. Man, did that ever feel like someone yanked away the foundation of my world. And when I was fifteen, I was dumped by a boy who wanted things I wasn’t willing to give him. Now, as for the character who is least like me . . . hmm. I’d probably go with Burnett. He’s a total alpha male and a vampire, and I’m neither one. Burnett, like Holiday, has a lot of secrets he’s not sharing with me yet so I’m still getting to know him.

4. Anything else you’d like to add? I’d like to thank you for having me here at Harmony’s Radiant Reads. Then I’d like to add two more things for your readers, if I could. First, make sure you snag my free short story, Turned at Dark. It’s Della’s story and it introduces the Shadow Falls series. You can read the first three chapters of Born at Midnight, too. All you have to do is visit my Born at Midnight page at Macmillan on March 15th – Born at Midnight Page. Or you can download a free eBook copy of Turned at Dark at all major online retailers. The download also has the first three chapters of Born at Midnight on there as well.

And second, to celebrate the release of Born at Midnight, I’m running a “Tweet my Book and Win a Kindle Contest” from March 22th through March 29th. The grand prize will be the Kindle but I’m also giving away copies of Born at Midnight, some Shadow Falls swag and ARCs of Awake at Dawn, which is scheduled to release in October. All the details will be at my blog beginning March 22nd – Blog. So, please drop by and help me tweet my book and you could win a Kindle! Also, (and I know that makes it three things, my bad math is showing again) check out my website, www.cchunterbooks.com on March 29th for special content: two extra scenes, one from Lucas and one from Derek.

And there you go guys! Be sure to check out Born At Midnight, out today. My review will be up tomorrow.
Happy Reading! -Harmony

In My Mailbox 31

Of course, hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren!

For Review: Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

Traded: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margeret Stohl Illusions by Aprilynne Pike A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Random Buzzers: A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

Happy Reading! -Harmony

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Who: Ruta Sepetys

What: Between Shades of Gray

When: March 22nd, 2011

Where: Penguin Books

Why: Plot

How: Traded

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian
girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night
when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the
comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded
and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their
way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of
Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight
for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in
her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping
these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know
they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and
covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that
Lina ultimately survives.

I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to review this book, because I didn't think my words were enough. But I don't want anyone to be apprehensive to pick it up, because this is some of those rare books that changes lives. Between Shades of Gray is a poignant, beautiful, and absolutely heart-breaking account of a young girl trying to survive during Stalin's reign of terror.

I can honestly say, the major history dork I am? I had no idea about this. I knew Stalin, and what he had done, but the extent of his genocide on the Baltic States? Not unto reading Lina's story. Lina
is forced out of her Lithuanian home by the NKVD and sent to Siberian labor camps along with her mother and little brother, her father taken from them and sent to prison. Between Shades of Gray is her story of survival, love, and most importantly, hope.

Lina was determined and headstrong but at the same time, knew when to be afraid and silent.
Sometimes her slip-ups got her into trouble, but it was her spunk that she refused to lose that keep her surviving during the duration of the novel. Even when things were taken away from her (and heartbreaking enough, a lot of things are), she refused to give up. Her sense of hope and pride for not only Lithuania but the rest of the world to recognize the horrors Stalin was doing, was touching and keep me from bursting into tears in the middle of class.

Side characters such as Andrius were wonderful and the relationships that formed between them and Lina wove together perfectly with the story. Their romance was short, but tinged with desperation and hope that I found myself praying that everything would turn out okay. The Bald
Man, who frustrated me so much that at times, I wanted to kill him off, turned into a necessary evil and a moving one at that. Her mother had me cry, mostly because of how much faith she had that they would be rescued and how she took care of Lina and Jonas.

This is a story that almost never gets told. And I thank Ruta a thousand times for having enough courage to tell it.


Happy
Reading!

Interview with Jenna Black; Glimmerglass, Shadowspell

Today we have Jenna Black, author of Glimmerglass and Shadowspell, novels about a half-fey girl named Dana forced to move in with her father in Avalon, discovering that's she just a bit more different than the average person, or fey.

~~~

1. Describe your novel in three words.
Teen Faerie Intrigue

2. I saw in your bio you travel a lot, how does that affect your writing when it comes to setting?
It doesn't actually affect my writing all that much because I have an atrocious memory. If I want to write about a place I've visited, I have to go look it up online to remind myself of its features. I guess my memory isn't particularly visual. Though I suppose my travels have helped fuel my creative engine, so even if I don't directly use the places I've visited, they have influenced my writing in a more subtle way. For example, I used Mont St. Michel in France as my inspiration for Avalon. I couldn't give you a good description of Mont St. Michel without having to go back and look at my photos and guidebooks, but I remember the feel of the place, and I used that as a basis for my isolated mountain city.

3. If you could live with any 3 YA characters, who would they be and why?
I think I'd enjoy living with Dana, because I understand her so well. Also, I think that my experiences might be helpful to her, might stop her from going through some of the really tough times I had to face. I'm not sure whether I would actually enjoy living with Katniss from HUNGER GAMES, but I do very much admire her character, her willingness to do whatever it takes to survive and to protect those she loves. (I have a feeling she might have a rather hard edge on her that might make us not get along so well, but I could still admire her.) And lastly, I think I'd like living with Cassel, from Holly Black's WHITE CAT. I like his cleverness and his wit--plus, I figure he'd be less likely to con me if I could keep a close eye on him, and I could enjoy watching him bamboozle the jerks of this world.

4. Which character from Glimmerglass do you think is most like you? Least like you?
Dana is definitely the most like me. She and I have a lot in common in that we were both raised by alcoholic single mothers, and we were both the responsible adults in our families from a very young age. We also both have a tendency to think things to death, and have a very hard time turning off that analytical side because of how much time we spent trying to prepare for future disasters as kids. (There's a tendency to think that if you can just figure out everything that might go wrong, you can stop it from happening.)

The least like me is probably Ethan. Even though he's older than Dana, he's not as mature. He tends to act first and think later. I'm more likely to think about my actions so much that I never actually *do* anything.

Thanks for coming over Jenna and it was great having!

Happy Reading, guys!

-Harmony

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Who: Lauren DeStefano
What: Wither
When: March 22nd, 2011
Where: Simon and Schuster
Why: Amazingness
How: For Review

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science,
every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age
twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young
girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population
from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the
Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite
her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister
wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's
eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is
getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order
to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing
dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she
has left.

This is one of those rare books that just leaves me speechless (which A) NEVER happens since I talk a lot and B) is a PROBLEM when you review books) but I'm going to try my best to explain this dystopian masterpiece.

Wither is the story of Rhine, a girl who lives in a world where females only live to 20 and males to 25, so the need to reproduce is urgent and brought on at an early age. Rhine is kidnapped and forced into being a bride along with 2 others girl, Jenna and Cecily, into a polygamous marriage with Linden, their new husband. Rhine was level-headed, tactical, and knew what she needed to do to survive.

Lauren's writing is lush, beautiful, and descriptive in a way that isn't too overwhelming for the reader to engage in. Her description of the manor in Florida made me nod in approval (as a Floridian, I especially approved of the oranges) and her character development touched my heart. Seeing the three sister wives bond over the course of the novel and really become a large support system, particularly Rhine and Jenna's friendship.

Really, I think I wasn't supposed to love Linden, but I did anyway. He was sweet and loving, though a bit naive, and I just ended up adoring him when it came down to things. His relationship with Rhine, emotionally, was beautifully constructed and had me in tears. Gabriel was an interesting character, though I feel we didn't get to see enough of him in this first installment to make a proper judgement. The parts with him and Rhine were bittersweet, and I loved it that way.

Noticed I used the word beautiful a lot in this post, because really, it's the perfect word to describe Lauren's debut.

My rating? AWESOMESAUCE

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

In My Mailbox 30

For Review:
The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade (signed)
Tweet Heart by Lindsey Rudnick

Contest:
Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

Traded:
The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
Blood and Flowers by Penny Blubaugh

Bought:
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (signed)
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Mentioned in vlog:
YA Addict
Michelle Madow
Book Soulmates
Electrifying Reviews

Confident Heroines and Why I Love Them

I tweeted about this a few weeks ago and got a pretty positive response so I decided to just go ahead and make a whole post about it!

A large percentage of book heroines are shy, flustered, not popular. Hate dancing, hate dressing up, think they're ugly. And my question is: WHY? I mean, I understand why. Heroines are someone you can relate too, and a lot of people are shy and don't think they're pretty and can't dance. BUT, on the other hand, I can assure you that isn't everyone. I love dancing, love dressing up. I'm loud and proud, and I love heroines who are like that as well!

And what surprises me even more is that some people are...annoyed by it. Some people are normally bubbly, and sometimes, it bothers me that so many heroines are hiding in shadows and talking down to themselves until that beautiful boy comes along that makes them feel beautiful! I think it's great that an author will write about that (yes, small but it's THERE) percentage of people and readers that are outgoing and party people and love doing all the things that seems foreign to characters these days.

NOW: I'm not saying it annoys me when character have moments of lack of self esteem because really? Who doesn't? What bothers me is those painstakingly shy characters that think they're not beautiful or confident or special until the boy comes along and changes her mind

Some awesome examples of confident, entertaining heroines are Evie from Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, Ellie from Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton, Emerson from Hourglass by Myra McEntire, and Clare from Clarity by Kim Harrington. These girls are fun, fantastic, and amazing characters.

Sometimes, girls with lack of confidence work in a novel. But I'd love to see some more like the ones above to spice things up a bit!

What do YOU think? And which to do you prefer?
Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Waiting and Wanting (2)

Waiting and Wanting is inspired by Waiting on Wednesday but Wednesday, I usually forget to post so I just decided to make my own!

After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel
(September 5th, 2011 by Bloomsburry)

Sounds really good and just LOOK at that cover. I want a poster to hang on my wall! Possesion, spirits, possible romance? Yay!

The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller
(June 14th 2011 by Atheneum)

Oh historical fiction, how you have my heart. Yay, more Romanov novels! I love three periods of history in YA, and this is one of them!

Falling For Hamlet by Michelle Ray
(July 5th, 2011 by Poppy)
Ah, Hamlet retelling! I love that there will be a modern version for this since i've heard a few historical fiction but no contemp. Passion, drama, love love love.

On The Fringe by Courtney King Walker
(October 19th 2011 by Lands Atlantic Publishing)
I hadn't heard of this one before, but it seems really interesting! Ghosts! Drowning! Romance!

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
(September 20th 2011 by HarperTeen)
I'm REALLY looking forward to this one, even if I don't love the cover. A girl revives her boyfriend with her newfound powers without thinking the consequences? YES please!

Emerald by Karen Wallace
(July 7th by Simon and Schuster)
More historical fiction with courts and Queen Elizabeth and spies! Plus, I love this cover because of that gorgeous dress.

Happy Reading!
What are YOU waiting for?

-Harmony

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Who: Jandy Nelson
What: The Sky is Everywhere
Where: Walker Books for Young Readers

When: March 9th, 2010
Why: Hype
How: Gift from Lanna

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second
clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her
fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted
to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys,
suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend;
his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from
Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For
Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the
other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't
collide without the whole wide world exploding.

The Sky is Everywhere made me feel about 100 emotions at once, many of which consisted of me either yelling at Lennie or closing the book because I was close to tears.

The Sky is Everywhere tells the story of Lennie, a girl stricken by grief after her sister dies, and the consequences of Lennie's bad decisions to handle it. Jandy's writing was beautiful, lyrical, and just absolutely stunning. Definitely my favorite part of the book. Also, I looked the little scraps of paper that Lennie would leave with her thoughts and conversations all over the town and just forget about them. It really showed her frustration and how much she cared for Bailey.

Lennie made me want to hug her but also punch the living daylights out of her. I understand the grief, and how it comes you to crazy things to try to cope with it, which is why I was more sensitive to the situations she put herself in. But sometimes I just wanted to shake and yell "Get yourself together!" But of course, fictional characters don't ever listen to me. Watching Lennie uncover so many things about not only her sister, but herself, was an amazing experience for me to read.

I wanted to punch Toby in the face 98% of the time he was around. I wanted him to leave, to stop causing more problems than Lennie could handle, but without Toby, I don't think Lennie wouldn't have grown the way she does. Though what they did was horrible by any standard, it grew them as people and helped them deal with the at first overwhelming emotions she feels. JOE, on the other hand, I totally loved. He was polite, happy, and really cared about Lennie. I loved their relationship together and that's probably why Lennie made me want to pull my hair out when she'd hurt him. I like that he didn't just gave in automatically when she tried to fix things with him and made her work for it!

And because this quote is so meaningful and beautiful and gah:

Sometimes you must lose everything to find yourself.

My rating? AMAZINGNESS

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Who: Sarah Ockler
What: Twenty Boy Summer
Where: Little Brown for Young Readers
When: June 1st, 2009
Why: Author Love
How: Contest Win

"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me
think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you
won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the
perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day,
there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna
lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told
Frankie—-she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older
brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully
written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it
truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to
make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Having read Fixing Delilah before Twenty Boy Summer, I was already expecting great things and that's what I got! Twenty Boy Summer was beautifully written, romantic, and absolutely heart-breaking.

The story revolves around Anna, who shared a secret romance with her best friend's brother. Matt made Anna promise to keep their relationship a secret from Frankie until he could tell him herself but before he got a chance too, he dies in a car accident. Anna is left with the burden of a secret she feels she can't say and while Matt's family grieves around her, she finds herself feeling like an outsider who doesn't supposed to be hurting as much as she is. Sarah writes in a way that is honest and poignant, never straying me from what this is really all about; Anna trying to move on.

Anna, to me, was someone I'd know in real life, and I love having that feeling because it just means she jumped out of the page for me. She was selfish at times, consumed in her own thoughts, but she also cared a great deal about Frankie and how the loss of her brother was affecting her and the family. Frankie, though vapid and shallow, was one of those characters that everyone knows in real life. Not talking about it was Frankie's way of coping, and while I was enraged by her at times, I understood her reactions to the things that unfolded after a while.

Anna and Sam was the perfect summer romance, and I felt Sarah intended it to be just that. I like how it wasn't two teenagers declaring love or promising to be together forever, but having a bond and sharing it over the course of a summer. It was romantic, sexy but sweet, and I believed every second of it. Matt was extremely close to my heart from all her flashbacks since the beginning, and both these boys were just fabulous.

Finally, Sarah doesn't sugarcoat the ending, which is becoming one of my favorite things about her writing. She doesn't tie the end with a neat bow, and saying how everyone is alright now, because it certainly wasn't the case. She knew and so did we, the readers, that all of them were a long way from completely being healed by Matt, and I love how she was honest about it in the end.

My rating? AWESOMESAUCE

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

GIVEAWAY: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

So Macmillan was nice enough to send me an extra copy to give away to my lovely blog readers, and that means you! I have 1 copy up for grabs! My review for this should be going up in a few days and since I really liked it, here's your chance!

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce's world,
people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years.
By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained into one of three
groups-Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they
bear on their arms.

Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she
can remember. As a Huntress, her purpose is clear--to brave the dangerous
tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading
ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole
life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter
named Fade.

When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's
troubles are just beginning. Down below, deviation from the rules is punished
swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn't like following orders. At first she thinks
he's crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders
don't always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth.

Her partner confuses her; she's never known a boy like him before, as
prone to touching her gently as to using his knives with feral grace. As Deuce's
perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The
mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show
signs of cunning and strategy... but the elders refuse to heed any warnings.
Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and
sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that
carries her far from the only world she's ever known.

Sorry for my international readers, but this one is only the US and Canada!
The deadline for entries is midnight of March 30th and to enter, fill out THIS FORM.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

In My Mailbox 29

Hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren --who is fabulous-- to raise awareness about upcoming books and new releases!
(NOTE: For the record, I had been trying to record this for 2 HOURS without someone walking in and FAILED. So you'll see.)

For Review:
Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer (April 2011 Harperteen)
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young (July 2011 Harperteen)
Lark by Tracey Porter (May 2011 Harperteen)
Enclave by Ann Aguirre (April 2011 Macmillan)
Born At Midnight by C.C Hunter (March 2011 St.Martins)

Traded:
Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
Trance by Linda Gerber

Happy Reading! What did YOU get?
-Harmony B.

Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

Who: Jennifer Archer
What: Through Her Eyes
When: April 5th, 2011
Where: Harperteen
Why: Plot love
How: For Review

Sixteen-year-old Tansy Piper moves with her
grandfather and her mother, a horror writer, to the setting of her mother's next
book--a secluded house outside of a tiny, desolate West Texas town. Lonely and
upset over the move, Tansy escapes into her photography and the dark, seductive
poems she finds hidden in the cellar, both of which lure her into the mind and
world of a mysterious, troubled young man who died sixty years earlier.

When I heard the concept of Through Her Eyes, I definitely wanted to give it a try. I mean, a ghost story with pocket watches and twisted time slips? Yes please!

Honestly, the summary doesn't really do this plot justice. Henry, the dark and tortured boy? Scared the CRAP out of me. But in a way that kept me reading, because I wanted to see what he'd do next. When Tansy would go into her photos, she was transformed into his past life, taking the form of the girl he loved. I loved those scenes, because they really showed an insight into Henry's life and the struggles he caused not only himself, but his friends and the people who sincerely cared about him. Tansy's worlds bleed together, and I think that's one of the best consequences for time-slips there is. She couldn't have one world without the other, and choosing one was her biggest decision.

Tansy was a pretty relatable character, sick of moving around to follow her horror-writer mother's crazy whims, and terrified of losing her grandfather, who used to be bright and strong but now has dementia. Though I've never moved, I understood the way Tansy put herself so distant from people knowing that she'd be picking up and leaving at a moment's notice. One thing though, I wanted her to have handled the situation with her old best friend better than just not picking up the phone.

Note: Are there NO good old friends anymore? Lately in YA, every time the character moves, the old best friend betrays her! No! If you know one where she doesn't, leave it in the comments because I wanna read it!

Finally, Tate! While I liked him, I didn't feel I got enough of a chance to actually sum up him and Tansy's relationship. I loved all the parts with them together, especially since it was so up-and-down between the two of them. I understood where Tate was coming from when he explained why he had acted the way he did in the beginning, and I liked them!

My rating? AHHHHH-GREAT

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Beastly by Alex Flinn (Book+Movie review)

Who: Alex Flinn

What: Beastly

When: October 1st, 2007 (Movie came out March 5th, 2011)

Where: Harperteen

Why: Movie was released

How: Borrowed

I am a beast.
A beast!
Not quite wolf or
bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. I am a
monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York
City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll, stay this way
forever ruined unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the
witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides
by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle
Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the
perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became
perfectly...beastly.

So I'm gonna be something special today, and that's review both the book Beastly, as well as the movie. Since I read and saw both of them in the past 2 weeks, I'm gonna have a bit of fun with this!

Book:
Beastly was a cute and quick read, with all the charm of Disney's Beauty and the Beast with a more modern tone. Now, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie, so I was more than a bit excited to get this one started. Kyle (or Adrian, which you prefer) starts out as a selfish, obnoxious and arrogant character, and I kinda love the fact that while he did learn a lot by the end of the book, I felt he wasn't totally and completely free of all his flaws. Lindy, on the other hand, just didn't feel genuine to me. She was a Mary-sue with outer problems, meaning her father's drug addiction. But I didn't feel that Beastly gave Alex enough time to flesh Lindy out more. I saw all the pieces laid out for her to be a well-fleshed out character, but didn't see them put together enough for it to work.

By the middle-end of the book though, I was totally hooked. I was rooting for Kyle and Lindy the whole way, and Kyle's funny and mostly frustrated reactions to the things that happen to him kept me laughing and engaged. Also, those chats? Were fantastic. Before some chapters, Alex Flinn writes a chat room where various fairy tale characters (The Little Mermaid, the Frog Prince...etc) share their problems, including Kyle.

My rating? AHHHH-GREAT. (Also, I LOVE that she used the original version of The Little Mermaid for the chats instead of the Disney version. Not the same one people! They morphed it a lot for Disney)

Movie:
You typical cute, cheesy movie about love overcoming obstacles and such. If I hadn't read the book, I don't think it would've made much of a difference in my liking the movie. I recommend watching it, but not if you're looking from something that will blow you away. There weren't any major changes from book to movie, but small things that you'll probably catch if you've read it.

I don't really understand the point of changing his second name from Adrian to Hunter, but hey? What can you do. Vanessa actually did a really good job, as did Alex. The one thing that irked me was the fact that really, when he was a beast? He was NOT that ugly. In the book, he resembles a werewolf while in the movie, he looks like someone drew on him with gel pens then gave him a bunch of tattoos. Also, Neil Patrick Harris? LOVE him. Even though he's not really supposed to be the funny one, that's more Kyle, I liked the set up and how it panned out in the end.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

In My Mailbox 28

(NOTE: I KNOW I say Persephone's name wrong, but I'm trying to get used to saying it like it's supposed to and it's not working out too well!)

For Review:

Abandon by Meg Cabot (Scholastic, April 26th)
Enclave by Ann Aguirre (Feiwel & Friends, April 12th)

Discussion: Why Dystopians will never get old

I, personally, love dystopians. I love being able to dive into a book where either government or economy has stripped us from the freedoms we have today. Whether it's horribly gut-wrenching like The Hunger Games or heart-breaking like Delirium, dystopians are never gonna get old. And here's why:

We never know what the futures gonna hold.

I think it's that fear of not knowing what's gonna happen in a few years that aways gives us that pull to keep reading dystopians. Will we be controlled? Or a better world? Or will we starve, or die out, or be forced into hiding from outside sources? Our answer is by reading. And while we're reading, we're imaging what it would be like to live in a world like that, since we can never know if such a thing could even happen to us. And most of the time, praying that it can't.

That's one reason why Historical Fiction will never get as crazy popular. Whether it's the French Revolution, or the Greek Myths, we know how those are gonna end. However great the story (and man, I love historical fiction); we know that Marie Antoinette will be beheaded, Athens will win against Troy, and Persephone will bit into the fruit that'll leave her stuck in the underworld. And while no matter how many dystopians we read and write, we'll never really know what's gonna happen. But we're human, so we keep on trying!

On a second note: I love how in dystopians, much like High Fantasy, every story is unique. Paranormal Romance kind of gets me with that,the predictability of the situations. Vamp, fey, werewolf. You know what the conflict is gonna be, and in most occasions, it's a similar story-line (of course, there are magical and fabulous exceptions).

But in dystopians? You can be forced to marry young to reproduce in time before your passing (Wither by Lauren Destefano), brainwashed by the government to do it their way (Possession by Elana Johnson), or forced to live underground (Enclave by Ann Aguirre)

Now the question for you is: Why do you love reading dystopians? And go ahead and recommend something if you think I haven't read it!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony