Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Who: Sarah Ockler
What: Fixing Delilah
When: December 1st, 2010
Why: Tour
How: For Review

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to
fall apart. She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it
together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother
refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling
apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new
friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between
mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her
most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Fixing Delilah is a young adult contemporary novel about a girl who's dealing with the loss of her grandmother, the busy life her mom has that barely leaves time for her, new love, new friends, and a secret family past that had long since been kept from her. Sounds awesome, right? Well, if you know me, I wasn't a big fan of contemp when I agreed to review this book. But Sarah Ockler is super sweet, so I gave it a try. Oh. My. God. I loved it, so much. This is the reason I read Contemp now people! Now unto the actual review!

Sarah knows how to write about loss. Though I haven't read Twenty Boy Summer (but it's on my TBR pile!), it was especially apparent reading Fixing Delilah. The main theme in this book is family problems, and how every family has their closet secrets and problems. Delilah's mother, who is too busy with her work to pay attention to pretty much anything else, plays a major role in the book as something that Delilah is trying to understand. And I think she portrayed that mother-daughter relationship perfectly, how sometimes when you need them, they're too busy, but they still love you anyway.

Delilah was a well-rounded character, and I loved reading her story. I liked how she went looking for answers, with or without help from other people. She decided for herself that if no one else was going to tell her anything, she had to go figure things out herself. She didn't go for the whole 'Ignorance is bliss' thing, so kudos for her. Delilah's life is a lot about her trying to discover herself and who she is, and that's a major part of being a teen! The emotions and especially the imagery that Sarah wrote into the story was beautiful and I felt that I was really in that small town.

And then of course, I must talk about Patrick. Can I have one? Their relationship was one of my favorite parts of the book, mostly because it was something that you know grew over time. It didn't just materialize into thin air, they'd known each other since childhood. This fun summer-time romance turns into a meaningful relationship and you get to see it all unfold. What can I say? I'm a romance whore and Fixing Delilah totally gave me enough in the romance department.

My rating? AWESOMESAUCE. Pick up anything by Sarah definitely!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Who: Sarah Dessen
What: The Truth about Forever
When: April 6th, 2006
Why: Hype
How: Contest win

Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is looking forward to a
long, boring summer. Her boyfriend is going away. She's stuck with a
dull-as-dishwater job at the library. And she'll spend all of her free time
studying for the SATs or grieving silently with her mother over her father's
recent unexpected death. But everything changes when Macy is corralled into
helping out at one of her mother's open house events, and she meets the chaotic
Wish Catering crew. Before long, Macy joins the Wish team. She loves everything
about, the work and the people. But the best thing about Wish is Wes—artistic,
insightful, and understanding Wes—who gets Macy to look at life in a whole new
way, and really start living it.

I had heard a lot about this book, and Sarah Dessen in general. But yet I had never picked up one of her books. Why? As i've mentioned before, i'm not much of a contemporary nut. Probably because I wasn't picking up the right ones. This was a book that there's no concrete reason why I liked it, it was just a beautifully emotional book to read.

The plot wasn't something epicly amazing and full of complex inter webbed lives and difficulties or nothing like that. But I think simplicity helps a lot in contemporary fiction. I mean, how many of us have lives such as in Paranormal Romance novels? Yes, we wish. Contemporary is life, and we want it to me something we can relate it. I related to Macy

Macy is something that's instantly likeable, at least to me. She was dedicating to keeping her life perfect and absolutely non-wild. She has an obnoxiously perfect straight-A boyfriend (which is urgh) and a mother who is always working plus a sister who moved. Her boyfriend is luckily absent for most of the book, but she takes up his job as Informant of all things library. And she sticks to it, even though his co-workers torment he, which I really admired. Though I would've wanted her to smack both of them, I liked the way she handled things.

The Truth about Forever being a character-driven story, loved all the characters. Macy's dad never actually appears in the story because, you know, he's dead. But with the way Sarah describes him and all the stories from Macy's past, even he was a very well-rounded character. I loved how Sarah made Wes and Macy get to know each other, by playing Truth. Truth is where you have to ask a question and the other person has to answer it truthfully, or they lose. You find out a lot about both of them for it. Also, Wes is saaaaaa-woon.

Sarah writes the type of books that "Chick-Lit" readers LOVE, with wonderful characters and swoon-worthy loves, but with a much sadder-in-a-good-way undertone.

My rating: AWESOMESAUCE. Also, if you like Sarah Dessen, you should read Sarah Ockler. Just saying.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

This week is PERSONAL DEMONS week on the blog!

Who: Lisa Desrocher (who is epic)
What: Personal Demons
When: September 14, 2010
Why: Epic-ness.
How: Gifted by Kelly Hobbs.
Cover note: Still think the people in this cover are WAY too old to be in High School but..it's growing on me.

Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak.
She's spent years keeping everyone at a distance—even her closest friends—and it
seems her senior year will be more of the same...until Luc Cain enrolls in her
class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can't seem to stay away from
him. What she doesn't know is that Luc works in Acquisitions—for Hell—and she
possesses a unique skill set that has the King of Hell tingling with
anticipation. All Luc has to do is get her to sin, and he’s as tempting as they
come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance.

Unfortunately for Luc, Heaven has
other plans, and the angel, Gabe, is going to do whatever it takes to make sure
that Luc doesn’t get what he came for. And it isn't long before they find
themselves fighting for more than just her soul.

But if Luc fails, there
will be Hell to pay…for all of them

I had first heard of Personal Demons by stumbling upon Lisa's blog, where she posted the first chapter of Personal Demons for everyone to read. That got me hooked. When I heard ALA was gonna have ARCs, I asked my friend Kelly, who I knew was going, if she could snag me a copy. She said she would try but no promises. 2 and a half weeks passed and I had given up hope, then I got a tweet that said: GOT YOU PD! And then I did a lot of this: *dance* and this: *flails*. I expected Personal Demons to be awesome, and it WAS.

Frannie is a "good" catholic girl with a wicked streak, and most of the time, I liked her. She was pessemistic and a tad snarky, which is always a plus. But sometimes I was just like: "Really Frannie, REALLY?" She was one of those characters that you love but sometimes just want to strangle! She is really built on the grief of a past family death and along in the book You have Frannie's POV, which really does help you get inside her head because...well you ARE! But then we have Luc's POV, which really helped learn about his character and why he does what he does. Honestly, I would've thought Luc was a coniving bastard if we didn't have his POV.

Luc, while super sexy and streamy and yummm, was sooo endearing once he got over his "I iz Pride, bow down to me." thing. I loved his relationship with Frannie and how his POV shows you not only how he views her, but how he changes majorly as well. I think thats my favorite part of dual POV, because both of the characters are always affected by the relationship, you just almost never see it.

And then there's Gabe. I can't really tell you much about him expect "he's an angel and...I suppose he's nice..." Even though i'm Luc Fangirl Captain all the way, I do want to see more of him and next books and actually see a little bit into his mind! Thrice POV, maybe? Lisa's hinted at more Gabe thoughts in the future so we'll see! But this is a MUST-READ.

My rating: AWESOMESAUCE.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Who: Kiersten White
What: Paranormalcy
When: August 31st
Why: Hype
How: For review from HarperTeen

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal
Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best
friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a
shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals'
glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's
dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon
realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of
deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie
prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for
normal.

BLEEPING amazing. I'm serious guys, you should go out right now and buy this book and then drop whatever else you're reading and read it and love it then email me so we can fangirl about it together! Best debut of the year!


Kiersten wrote a world that had vampires, werewolves, mermaids, all the usual paranormals and wove it into something so unique and original! Evie works for something called IPCA, where instead of killing paranormals, they just track them and keep them confined so they can't do no harm. She's been working on this since she was a kid, not knowing who her parents are because IPCA picked her up from the foster care system.


Evie was an extremely likeable character! I wish she was real because she'd be an awesome friend to have. Getting to be in her mind was extremely funny with her sarcasm and witty quips! But the book wasn't all funny, which I did like. In truth, Evie had sad thoughts for being alone and scared and empty. I liked that her mind wasn't only funny, but it wasn't completely depressed. It created a nice balance within the story.

And then there's Lend. Oh sweet, sweet Lend. He's awesome, like seriously. He was nice and sweet and just in the words of my fangirl email to Kiersten: "the most IMPERFECT PERFECT TEENAGE BOY EVER." Reason for the imperfect? Because he wasn't perfect. He fumbled with his words, was awkward, sometimes didn't know exactly what to say. That goes for the both of them and was one of my favorite parts. The fact that they were so awkward at times was something that happens with ALL relationships, not the constant 'I love you *make out with fierce intense passion thing' going on.

And Reth.......was creepy. But amusing and actually pretty helpful....but still kinda creepy.

My rating: AWESOMESAUCE

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

Blog Tour: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Who: Sophie Jordan
What: Firelight
When: September 7th, 2010
Why: EPIC AWESOME COVER
How: Gifted by lovely Jennifer.

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

hhhhhh

I have no idea how i'm going to explain my blunt love for this book. So you should just go buy it. Like now.

(Anything in green is stuff my co-author, who has already read Firelight, had to say about the awesomeness)

Firelight is about a girl named Jacinda who loves being a draki and flying and breathing her fire. Her mom and sister? Yeah, not so much. Especially her super bitter sister, who never manifested. So they move her to the desert and enroll her in high school and there she meets Will, the super hot, tortured ball of awesome draki hunter.

Now the basic premise for Firelight isn't what's so original about it. I mean Predator falling in love with his prey, we've heard that before. But the way Sophie executes it, and the creatures she uses (i've never heard of draki in my life. Dragons, sure, but dragons are boring. Draki were definitely not) are what really make the book stand out among the rest. And then there's the awesome world-building going on there. Sophie invented a whole secret world for them, with type classifications, and locations, and rules. There's clans and even arranged marriages crap. Oh, i'll get into Cassian later!

Jacinda was headstrong, stubborn, and knew what she wanted and tried hard to get it. Jacinda is one of my favorite debut heroines of the year. I loved how she was so in touch with her draki side, how she never wanted to let it go no matter how much her mother tried to convince it wasn't what she needed. She argued that if her draki died, a part of her did, and the fact that she embraced it so much made me nod. You notice a lot in book that a lot of the time the girl never wants to be what she is. But Jacinda did and was determined to stay that way. Even when Will got into the equation.

Will (in the beginning) was an arrogant jerk as pretty much they all are in the beginning. But once he like, opened up, he was so so sweet and nice and honestly cared and loved Jacinda. Now, he was extremely persistent, and Jacinda was a bit of an idiot to get into some strange kid's car in the middle of the night, but I relent. Love at first (or second) sight is extremely hard to pull off without me not thinking it's genuine but she certainly convinced me.

hhhhhhh

And Cassian. Am I the only one who seriously loves him (or at least, the current and future prospect of him)? I love him too! can't wait to see for more of him in book 2. Agreed! I can't wait! He had that mysterious badass air to him, and.....I like that. Yeah, i'm lame. But Will was still my #1!

My rating: AWESOMESAUCE

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

Interview with Rhode from Infinite Days *insert fangirl squeal*

Today on Radiant Reads, we got Rhode, the super smexy, awesome, sweet, *insert lots of awesome adjectives here* vampire from Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel. If you know me, you know I absolutely LOVED Rhode and he's just awesome and *drools*. Ehmm, anyway here he is!

Summary: Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham
Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough
to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens
to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of
terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to
be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity,
Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she
ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at
Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one
she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each
passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will
open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed
days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But,
to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an
alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the
bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to
pass her biology midterm?

~~~

1) When you were first turned, how did you feel?

I wanted it more than anything else in the world. I feared death - the 14th century was marred by the black plague. I was foolish and I believed becoming a vampire would protect me from death. As you know, it didn't.

2) You know you were going to die during the ritual to save Lenah, but you did it anyway. Why?

There was no question, she is the love of my life. The one thing in this world that I cannot escape.

3) What first attracted to you to Lenah when she was human?

How she touched her world with the tips of her fingers, that she was interested in all the mundane objects most people overlook - I had to have her near me.

4) What did you think when Lenah had first started to form her coven?

I did not hear of it until much later. She created the coven while I was gone but rumors surfaced of a vicious gang of vampires in England led by a gorgeous female. It didn't take long for me to figure it out - I know Lenah very well.

5) Your on my Top Ten YA guys list, what do you think about that?

What's this YA list? I think that's a ranking system of some sort? Am I high up on that list? If so, then I approve.

~~~

Ah, *squeee* Ok, there you go! If you guys don't know who Rhode is, then you must read Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel as soon as possible! Amazing book, here's my review!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Who: Rebecca Maizel
What: Infinite Days
When: August 3rd, 2010
Why: Won
How: Contest

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham
Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough
to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens
to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of
terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to
be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity,
Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she
ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at
Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one
she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each
passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will
open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed
days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But,
to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an
alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the
bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to
pass her biology midterm?

Infinite Days is proof that vampires are not going anywhere! I've stalled writing this review for days, because I have no idea what I was going to say. I finished this novel in tears, my voice quaking and my mom franticlly asking what was wrong. To answer, I paced back and forth in the house going "Just...oh my god. Wow. Oh my god." So you know when i'm that hazed over and amazed, it must be good! I will admit it, it took me a while to really get into. But after 30 pages? I was hooked.

The book starts off with your first sneak peek of Rhode and Lenah's relationship. Rhode (which I will fan-girl about later) sacrifices so much for Lenah to be human and to be able to feel again. She's fully human but still has some vampire senses, like being able to see far distances and knowing the intentions and feelings of people who talk to her. And it was funny seeing Lenah do things that she only did as a vampire as a human. Everytime she would meet someone new, it was customary to check the person's pulse, decide if he/she was healthy or not, and then decide how long it would take to kill them. You'd think it'd be annoying, but it wasn't.

My favorite part to read out of the story really had to be the flashbacks. It was so nice seeing a peek into Lenah's old life, because it really explained a lot about how she is now. It showed you flashbacks for her with Rhode (which meant more Rhode ;) and flashbacks of her with her cover. Speaking of her coven, I kinda liked them too! Song and Heath and Gavin I liked, not so much Vicken. I know I shouldn't like them because they're evil and such but still.

Lenah was a character that I really liked. Not because she was relatable but because, like us, she was learning. You know how when you're a kid, and you think it's all right to pull other kids hair and break their crayons and such? And then we learn that it's not okay to hurt people and how to be kind and fair. Well, Lenah learns too. I liked being in Lenah's mind because it was so based on what was right and wrong. And Tony was an awesomely funny character.

Something did irk me, but that has to do with Justin. You see, Justin had a girlfriend. And while his girlfriend was a b****, you don't FLIRT with other people in front of your girlfriend! For a while there, I didn't believe Lenah and Justin's relationship. It didn't seem genuine (not like her and Rhode's did) and moved kinda fast. They both had their moments but for the most part, their relationship didn't seem authentic and real. Love at first (or second) sight is hard to pull off, and sadly I didn't believe Justin.

Ok, Rhode. *fangirl squeal* It takes a lot to make me fangirlish squeal and it happens with few fictional guys (out of the 10, I only fangirlish squeal when you mention 5). Rhode was amazing and hot and dangerous, which you get a peek of in her old old flashbacks. But he was sweet and loving and actually cared about her, even if vampires don't have feelings. Because if they didn't, he wouldn't have sacrificed so much for her that he did. I could read a WHOLE book about Rhode and not mind in the slightest (Rebecca, i'm pretty sure you'll read this so you should get right on that ;) He left on page 22 and only showed up in some flashbacks, but he was the main man on my mind during the whole book. Sorry, Justin!

My rating: AWESOMESAUCE (The small flaws were no match for the overall awesomeness)

Interview with Rebecca Maizel, author of Infinite Days

Today, we have Rebecca Maizel on the blog talking about her debut novel Infinite Days. The review for it will go up tomorrow but if you see me on my twitter, you know I LOVED this book. I think Rebecca Maizel is one of the most talented 2010 Debuts along with Heidi and I absolutely loved loved her book.

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?

~~~

1) Vampires are a very used-up subject, but you brought an amazing twist into a large market. What gave you the idea for this story?

Lenah - I wanted to write about a character who went from someone irrevocably evil trying to find their way back into the light. I was obsessed with that change . What kind of person would she be?

2) If you could live with 3 fictional YA character, who would they be?

1. Harry Potter
2. Arnold in Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian
3. Aragorn from Lord of the Rings in the hope he might want to make out.

3) Describe your book in 3 words.

Break your heart.

4) The love between Rhode and Lenah is unbreakable, mortal or not, but the bond is what brought them together. How exactly does that bond work?


In my vampire lore, when a vampire falls in love with another vampire, magic is formed, bonding those two vampires for their entire existence. It's a curse that can't be broken...that is until the ritual is performed. What's beautiful about Lenah and Rhode's relationship is that she remains in love with him after the ritual is completed and that magic bond between them is broken. She loves him even when that bond is broken. Yes, she falls in love with Justin Enos but it's a different kind of love - not marred by black magic. It's pure, human.

5) Lenah was a pretty evil but successful vampire, do you think if you were a vampire, you'd be the same?

Hell yes. She is bad ass! Oh, woops. Should I say bad a**?

6) You should! How insane was your publishing process and finding an agent?

Pretty insane - I mean, I was rejected 58573759257382493820 times with other projects and ideas. You have to believe in your work, even if it never sees the light of day. The process has to be enough.

Thanks! This was fun!

~~~

Thanks Rebecca, I had fun too! Hope you guys liked it!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

Sea by Heidi R. Kling

Who: Heidi R. Kling
What: Sea
When: June 10th, 2010
Where: Amazon Barnes & Nobles
Why: Hype
How: Bought

Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s disappearance over the
Indian ocean three years before, fifteen-year old California girl Sienna
Jones
reluctantly travels with her psychiatrist father’s volunteer team to
six-months
post-tsunami Indonesia where she meets the scarred and soulful
orphaned boy,
Deni, who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.

She knows they
can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from
him? And what about her old
best friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may
or may not be waiting for her
back home? And why won’t her dad tell her the
truth about her mother’s plane
crash? The farther she gets from home, the
closer she comes to finding answers.

And Sea’s real adventure begins

~~~

This was the original review for Sea:

ZOMG ewu ingruidngtdmin. BUY NAO, LOVE NAO, AMAZING. Heidi is a Genius. kthanxbai

But you know....that's not very informative. So pretty much, I absolutely adored Sea. I don't usually like contemporary novels and am very very iffy about them, but after Erica and Julie telling me I had too, I did. And i'm soooo glad I did because it was amazing.

Heidi has wrote a stunning debut that I would recommend to everyone!

All the the characters were sweet and wonderful and I loved them all. Sienna was the one that stood out the most for me. She had such a tragic past but she was compassionate and wanted to help people who had experienced things that she had. She was caring and a lovely Main Character. I'd totally want her to be my friend. Elli was the most adorable little girl I had ever seen. It shows how someone can have terrible things happen to them, but still be so full of life. Even though Elli was a child, I kinda admired that in her. Her ability to still be able to smile even though that had all happened. I admired that about a lot of the people in the orphanage.

And then you have Sienna and Deni. That is what drew me in to Sea in first place and it did not let me down. Sienna and Deni had a real connection, that was intense and beautiful. They were brought together by their similarities, both having tragic things in their lives happen and working through it. They were wonderful together and I just loved seeing them talk. I also loved Deni, he was so sweet and passionate and caring of the younger ones.

I also liked the small introductions to Indonesian culture that Sea gave you. You learned a lot about there temples and customs and the way you must act in a different place. It was nice seeing Sienna get accustomed to it all! I had never read anything in Indonesia so it was a refreshing change of setting!

All in all, Sea was a fantastic debut that you wouldn't even except it to be a debut. Anything else Heidi writes is now on auto-buy for me because she truly is a magnificent writer!
My rating: AWESOMESAUCE

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

Author Interview: Heidi R. Kling

As you guys know, I absolutely LOVED Sea (the review for it is going up on Thursday!). And Heidi is sooooo nice (and efficient!) so I just had to interview her:


Summary:

Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s disappearance over the
Indian ocean three years before, fifteen-year old California girl Sienna Jones
reluctantly travels with her psychiatrist father’s volunteer team to six-months
post-tsunami Indonesia where she meets the scarred and soulful orphaned boy,
Deni, who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.

She knows they
can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from him? And what about her old
best friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may or may not be waiting for her
back home? And why won’t her dad tell her the truth about her mother’s plane
crash? The farther she gets from home, the closer she comes to finding answers.

And Sea’s real adventure begins

A note: A lot of people seemed turned off by the touchy subject of an actual tsunami that took place in 2004. But this book isn't ONLY about the tsunami. It's more than just a story of tragedy. It's a story of hope and love and epic-awesomeness. I was iffy about picking it up too (but then Erica and Julie told me i'd be shunned if I didn't pick it up) and I LOVED it!

~~~

1. Where'd you inspiration for Sea come from? When did you decide to write about such a tragic event?

SEA was inspired by my husband's real life volunteer efforts in Indonesia after the tsunami. I wanted to write a story which would make teens and adults everywhere be able to connect to the event. It happened so far away from us, but natural and manmade tragedies happen all over the world. I think global awareness is really important.


2. Which character would you say is most like yourself?

Vera. Definitely Vera.
Kidding! I can't stand Vera. I'd go with Sienna. Hands down.

3. If you could live in a house with 3 fictional YA characters, which would they be?

OOOH boy. Um.
Hmm...Damon from The Vampire Diaries (though I haven't read the books, I'd like to assume he'd be Ian Somerhalder), the main character from 20 Boy Summer, because I think we'd get along well, and Nick from The Demon's Lexicon and sequels, because I'd like to see him and Damon RUMBLE.

4. Describe your novel in 3 words?

Hope after tragedy.

5. Has it difficult to write about such a tragic things that happened? What research did you have to do to write this?

I picked my husband's brain, and our friend, a volunteer who spent 6 months in an Indonesian orphanage. Several of the tsunami survivors themselves are my pen pals. SEA was definitely emotional to write, but I don't find "sad" necessarily "depressing" so there's a big difference there. Sea is a book about a disaster and loss and what people are doing to try and pick up the pieces and move on. Plus, there's a lot of lighthearted moments sprinkled through so readers and me (hopefully) don't feel bogged down with the tragedy.

6. Finally, Team Spider or Deni? ;)

Like Sienna, I love them both. Equally. ;)

~~~

I'm Team Deni, just saying ;)
Hope you guys enjoyed the interview, because it was great interviewing her!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Who: Maggie Stiefvater
What: Linger
When: July 13th, 2010
Where: Amazon
Why: Sequel to awesome.
How: Gifted by Eleni from La Femme Readers

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in
Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her
parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam,
this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to
survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past
has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her
brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.At turns harrowing
and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of
love - the light and the dark, the warm and the cold - in a way you will never
forget.

At this very moment, I have finished Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. I’m writing this review the moment after (which I never do) because I need to get this off my chest. (My hands are shaking writing this review)

Everytime I think Maggie can’t write anything better, she gives me something to marvel at. I was afraid Linger wouldn’t meet up to the amazing standards I had set reading Shiver, but Linger surpassed them. Linger was everything I love in Maggie Stiefvater’s writing—angst, beauty, longing, love, heart-wrenching writing, and that strange sensation of hope when you read her words—and then some.

Linger picks up where Shiver left off, but instead of 2 POVs, we have four. NEVER once, did I have to look up at the header to see who was speaking. Maggie has a way of giving everyone such distinct voices that I always knew when it was Isabel talking or Sam.

If you know me, you know that I consider Maggie Stiefvater the Writing Goddess, and Linger reminded me why. It’s just her words. The way they can make your heart flutter or instant tears prick your eyes. She writes beautifully, decorating her words while not trying to distract you from the point of them.

Linger had everything that I loved from Shiver, that beauty of love that was so present in the first. The way you just know Sam and Grace love each other through the looks they give, the way a small touch could mean so much more than words. I've always thought that was the most beautiful aspect of Sam and Grace’s relationship.

We’re also introduced to two new voices, Isabel and Cole. I liked being able to go into Isabel’s mind because I’ve always been fond of her. She always seemed so….untouchable to me when reading Shiver and being able to see into her mind, see the vunerability and rebellion that boiled inside her, was refreshing and intriguing.

Cole was…complicated. I think that’s the word that sums him up. There were times were I loved him, times where he ticked me off, and times when I wanted him gone. But he was beautiful in his own way, broken and damaged. He was cocky and annoying and didn’t show that he cared, but I think that’s the good thing what Maggie did. I think if Cole’s POV wouldn’t have been added, his character wouldn’t have the impact it had being able to look into his mind. He would’ve just been annoying cocky guy with a broken, caring side. But being able to see inside his mind gave a new light to the world of the wolves. Showing someone that, unlike Sam, wanted to be a wolf more than anything. And I LOVED when he met Grace. I loved reading his reaction to her =P

A lot of people are irritated by Grace’s parents and how it’s unrealistic about how they don’t care, and I don’t agree at all. I have parents who care like hell, who are protective and tell me a thousand times not to open to strangers even though I already know that. But some people don’t. Some people have parents that they never know when they’ll come home. That don’t come for dinner and don’t call to say they’ll be out late. Those people exist, whether you want to admit it or not. It sucks majorly, but it’s something we can’t ignore. I think Grace’s parents portray a type of parent that does exist in this world, even if it’s not you, it’s someone.

Linger was a wonderful, heart-breaking, beautiful read that I will be re-reading a bunch of times. Maggie Stiefvater doesn’t disappoint with the next installment in The Wolves of Mercy Falls.

And the ending? If that doesn’t leave you wanting more NAO, I don’t know what does. As I did for Linger, I’ll be eagerly awaiting the arrival of Forever! Maggie leaves you at an impasse, stuck between not believing what you just read and knowing that it really did just happen. My face= O.O (expect with tears in it.) (But I cry for anything, i'm a big softie)

I already know anything she writes is on automatic buy for me, because she really is an absolutely outstanding writer. This is a book that people aren’t going to forget. In Sam’s word, this is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one. This is beauty. This is love. This is LINGER.

My rating: AWESOME SAUCE

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

The day: Top Ten YA Hotties ;)

Ah, admit it. The boys in YA just make you gonna swoon. They capture our hearts, and each are different (or the same) in many ways. You might see a trend in my Top Ten though :P Let me know if you spot it ;)


**this is in no particular order, I love them all the same ;)


Top Ten Boys:
1. Adrian, The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
I LOVE THIS GUY. Seriously, I do! He's sardonic and charming and just makes me laugh! Yeah, he drinks and is very suggestive, but you know that down inside, he cares. He cares about Rose A LOT. Adrian swayed my heart! I was a Dimitri girl until he showed himself more and i've always loved his character since when he first appeared in Frost Bite. My favorite lines in the Vampire Academy series are mostly things he says and he's just over-all an awesome, charming guy!




2. Ari, Thief Eyes by Janni Lee Simmer
While this isn't one of my favorite books, it is one of my favorite guys. What I love about Ari besides being a bit of a smart-aleck and being a cool berserker is that he actually like cares. I don't mean in the way you guys think. In this book, heroine already has a boyfriend back home. But as soon as they both realize they like each other, he doesn't ravage her or anything like that. He steps back and goes, "You have a boyfriend and I don't want to be the reason you two break up." I thought that was very mature and it showed that he really cares about her and her life!









3. Po, Graceling by Kristin Cashore
How can he NOT be on this list? Seriously?! He's just soooo awesome *sigh*. You guys know this is my all-time favorite book of life so i'm probably gonna gush about him a little :P Ok, well let's start. He's kinda arrogant/a smart-aleck (which for some reason is a must for me. See the trend yet?) but it's not like mean and annoying. It's charming! And he's humble, even admitting that he knows Katsa can beat him in a fight blindfolded. How many guys do you know that will admit a girl can kick his butt? Even if it's true? Yeah, I don't know any! He's a sweetheart and caring and goes to great lengths for his friends and family.




4. Peeta, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Ah, my lovely baker boy :) If it wasn't obvious in my Why Am I Team Peeta post, i'm Team Peeta. He's so cute and sweet and proves you don't have to be tall, dark, and brooding to be a favorite! It's adorable that he's liked Katniss for a long time but hasn't had the guts to tell her and you know why? BECAUSE THAT'S REAL. There's lots of guys out there that like girls and don't have the guts to tell them! Like 99% of the population have that! Especially with girls like Katniss who are so headstrong and emotionally distant. So that's normal for him to be shy when he admits it and he's a totally charming awesome guy!

5. Sam, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
This guy is perfectly emo enough that it's not annoying, which is awesome! He reads poetry and plays guitar and sings! AND he's a werewolf! He's awkward, which is again normal, and a lot of times he's unsure whether Grace wants him or not. Which is, again, normal! I'm all for abnormal, but I like human reactions that make sense.












6. Jace, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
If you have noticed in my Quotes from my Goodreads page, most of them are from this guy right here. I LOVE HIM. He's arrogant, a major smart-aleck, sarcastic, charming, and *squeee*. And yeah he's all of those things, which makes him awesome and laugh-out-loud funny, but he's also nice and complex and gets jealous and is bi-polar like pretty much every other dude out there! =P But he's just awesomely special!

7. Ash, The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Cold, brooding, lovely. Nuff' Said ;)











8. Sonny, The Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
I have expressed my love for Sonny in the review but i'll do it again here. Seriously! He kicks fey butt for a living! He's a human that has raised by King Obernon! But he also has a wonderful sweet side that gives him lots of brownie points with me. He's insanely cute and even though Kelley laughs in his face when he says she's a faerie, he's still determined to help her!



9. Luc, Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
I can't say much about him since this book doesn't come out until September but OMG, *swoon* You don't know the definition of hot until you read Personal Demons. Luc is the epitome of hot-ness. Ah, and he's sweet when he wants to be ;) I joke around a lot with Lisa about him being so hot, he might burn my computer from talking about him so much ;)













10. Rhode, Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
Yeah, he doesn't come out much in the book, mostly in flashbacks and 23 pages in the beginning (in which I cried). He's so SWEET and and nice and even thought they were bonded just because he turned her into a vampire, he loved her anyway (and vampires can't even feel those kind of emotions, so that's big) And he did all of what he did (Infinite Days comes out August 3rd!) and sacrificed all of that because he wanted the best for her :)




Tada!! Any you guys want to add to the list? Put them below in the comments!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

The day: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Who: Beth Fantaskey

What: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Where: Barnes & Nobles Amazon

When: December 1st, 2008

Why: Interest

How: Borrowed

The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a
vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life”
plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius
Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by
birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy
of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions,
Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam
European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on
Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a
global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction

If you have never read this book before, get your butt to a bookstore and buy it! I HATE the summary, because it makes the story sound light and fluffy, and because of it, I had been expecting a chick-lit book about vampires. I. WAS. SO. WRONG. This book was perfectly angst, full of tension, consequences, all that good stuff. And it was surprisingly....dark. LOVED it!
The beginning pretty much starts out like any average vampire book. Girl does to school, blah blah blah, feels like something mysterious is going on, blah blah blah, THEN meets boy. But don't let that discourage you because Beth completely re-wrote this genre. Seriously, I never once went "Hey, this kinda sounds like _____ or _____" because it never did. Beth gave me a new, refreshing world with a unique take on vampires.
Jessica's character is strong, determined, and not annoying. Because really, there are a lot of heroines that just annoy. But she was logical and thought Lucius was high when he said she was a vampire, which actually MAKES sense! I love it when the heroine is shocked when they're love interest is a paranormal creature, because you are seriously not just going to go: "Oh, really? That's cool." Your going to either 1)Scream 2)Laugh or 3)Be in denial. Jessica was insecure (like most girls are), headstrong, and stubborn. Loved her.
And Lucius *swoon*. Is it weird to find him especially smexy when he's angry? He was a gentlemen, kind yet arrogant (which I kinda really love in fictional guys) and perfectly scarred. He wasn't emo and depressed all the time because of his past, but instead accepted it as part of him and didn't try to push it away. And he's perfectly dangerous ;)
I really, really, really loved this book. It was the perfect combination of love, freedom, consequences and the right to be one's self, not the person people have molded you to be.
I rate: AWESOMESAUCE

Comment! Discuss! Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

ETA:
I read my friend's review of Jessica's Guide and remembered something. I was a bit ticked off about the whole sob-plot with Faith and did not like it at all. That was something I did not like at all.

The day in which I am Wondrous Strange

Who: Lesley Livingston

What: Wondrous Strange

Where: Barnes & Nobles Book Depository Indie Bound

When: 12/23/2008

Why: Had already read it, wanted my own copy.

How: Bought

Since the dawn of time, the Faerie have taken. . . .

Seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow always thought faeries were
just something from childhood stories. Then she meets Sonny Flannery. He's a
changeling—a mortal taken as an infant and raised among Faerie—and within short
order he's turned Kelley's heart inside out and her life upside down.

For Kelley's beloved Central Park isn't just a park—it's a gateway
between her ordinary city and the Faerie's dangerous, bewitching Otherworld. Now
Kelley's eyes are opening not just to the Faerie that surround her, but to the
heritage that awaits her . . . a destiny both wondrous and strange

Review:

I'm gonna say something: I HAVE AN OBSESSION WITH FAERIE BOOKS. Seriously, love them so much. And Wondrous Strange was no exception! I love love love loved it!

The thing that grabbed me the most about this book is the way Lesley weaved together perfectly the world of Theatre and the world of the Fey. The fact that she is performing in A Midsummer Night's dream which just happens to have Puck/Oberon/Titania in it made me laugh.

The plot was very unique actually, even though it does keep to the whole, "fey royalty" that goes on in most Faerie Books. But there's something special about it, the way Lesley writes about Faeries had me flipping the pages quickly to see what was next. I loved how she mixed so many myths, so many creatures in the plot, weaving them perfectly together so it didn't seem weird at all. THERE WAS EVEN A SIREN IN IT. If you guys didn't know, I kinda have an obsession with Sirens. I think they're cool :P

Now I'll talk about Kelley, because she was one amazing heroine. I mean, she was perfectly stubborn (because sometimes they're too stubborn and it's annoying.) Also I love how when Sonny tried to convince her he was a faery, she didn't just accept it or stare at him wide-eyed. SHE LAUGHED! Honestly, if someone told you they were a faery changeling, you'd laugh too! I would! She was head-strong, did what she believed was right, and even though she fumbled on her lines the first time around, is an amazing actress! I always love seeing pieces of the authors coming out in the characters. Lesley is an actress as well!

Speaking of Sonny, *swoon*. Can I have one? Like seriously, are they for sale? Because I WILL buy! I mean: he kicks MAJOR faerie-butt, he's insanely cute, and even though Kelley laughs in his face, he still helps her! Again, TOTAL SWOON-AGE!

The ending wrapped up nicely, and DEFINITELY wanting more. Good thing Darklight had already come out when I read it.

COVER: Do I even have to say anything about this absolutely BEAUTIFUL cover! I mean, it reflects Kelley perfectly and has that air of mystery that the words have as well!

My rating: AWESOMESAUCE. From the characters, to the plot, to the romance (which you know is a must for me), everything was AWESOME! I have no complaints from this book.

Comment! Discuss! Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

p.s THIS HAS A KELPIE IN IT! If that doesn't convince you to get it, I don't know what will.

The day in which I have Perfect Chemistry

Sorry I haven't been posting reviews lately, I'm preparing for my first year of high schools and orientations and summer reading is taking up a lot of my time!


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Perfect Chemistry
Simone Elkeles


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When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.
In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

I've had countless friends tell me to read this, seen it around hundreds of time, but finally when I saw on my good friend Julie's blog (http://www.bloggers-heart-books.blogspot.com/) I said THAT'S IT, and borrowed it from a friend.
And GEEZ, it did not disappoint. Perfect Chemistry had everything it was supposed to have: fast-paced action, romance, and everything in between. If your seriously doubting buying it, JUST DO IT. NOW. Seriously, like go. But finish reading first ;)
I loved Alex and Brittany's personalities. They were both stubborn, fiery, and did what you felt was right even if it hurt them.
The side characters really made me smile. Paco, Sierra, Isa, Luis. They all made me want to hug them :)
This is possibly one of my favorite contemporary books. No, IT IS!
There romance felt so real! They were a true couple, not one that were too controlled with each other (not by a long shot ;) but they also weren't "AHHHH take me away!" They're relationship was careful and beautiful and THE LAST CHAPTER MADE ME CRY!
Ah, even if Alex was a gang banger, he is high on my list of favorite guys.
I rate: AWESOMESAUCE.
The companion novel, Rules of Attraction, is already out!
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Comment! Discuss! Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

The day in which I have an amazing guest

Welcome to Shannon Delany's Start Your Day with Serial Tour! Shannon's debut novel (and first in her YA paranormal series) 13 to Life started as a winning cell phone novel written in serial segments. During the tour you can read bits of the book in order. Miss a day? Go on to Shannon's blog and check the link to the blog tour calendar in her sidebar.


She's so nice and sweet and her book just sounds amazing! Look at this summary!

Everything about Jessie Gillmansen’s life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing. Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wants is to avoid more change. But showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she’s about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent—he’s a guy with a dangerous secret. And his very existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie’s small town. It seems change is the one thing Jessie can’t avoid…

Hey Shannon, and love having you here on Harmony's Radiant Reads! Have you always wanted to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be?

I always wanted to do something where I could express myself. Writing was one of my top choices but it (and art) didn't seem like steady enough employment , so they encouraged me into teaching. I loved teaching, but not all the headaches that go with the profession (once you've had to sit in a parent-teacher conference with a deputy present for your safety you kind of start wondering about your career choice--and that's only the tip of that iceberg). Eventually my husband and I moved north again and realized I was pregnant. I fell back into art and did a little writing on the side. My hubby went back into teaching. We moved farther north, got a farm and I did serious freelancing then--poof!--book deal!
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Sounds amazing! If you had to live with three fictional YA characters, who would they be?

I'll absolutely cheat and use my own characters because I know what makes them tick (and what could potentially tick them off). I'd gladly be stuck with Pietr, Max and Amy. Jess and I are just similar enough in attitude we'd annoy the heck out of each other. But with Pietr I could have generally intelligent conversations. Max would just be fun to hang out with and Amy would keep me in line.
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I'll allow that cheating, just this once! Besides your own character, who's your favorite? And why?

I adore Heather Brewer's Vladimir Tod (Eighth Grade Bites, etc.). I didn't think I would like him at first. He seriously irked me at first but then quickly grew on me. He's sensitive, has some major issues he's dealing with (that prophecy's no walk in the park!) and connections to Russian culture. Heather's stuff is an auto-buy for me now. If you haven't checked out that series, I definitely suggest you give it a look.
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I certainly will! Ok, cell phone contest? How did that work and how did you feel winning something crazy like that?

It was crazy! I submitted two short chapters each day to Textnovel.com, had no clue where the story was headed (and letting the Rusakovas take the lead equals trouble) and was shocked when I won. I walked around in a bit of a daze when I was told. Everything happened really fast with interest from movie producers and publishers. I was seriously in a whirlwind for about two months.
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That sounds crazy and so hectic! How's your writing schedule? Hectic?

I have a small farm and a small child, more than my writing schedule's hectic--life's hectic! ;-) But everyone can pretty much say the same thing. I write whenever I can. Notes are jotted down everywhere (which perturbs my hubby). When I'm on a deadline I buckle down and get serious. The moment my son's on the bus headed to kindergarten I throw it into high gear.
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As a teen, did you go through a lot of what Jess goes though? (Besides the whole werewolf thing of course....of course right?)

LOL! I have weird stories from my teen years, but not werewolf-weird (not quite). Jess and I do share some similarities. I was an editor for my school paper and I did write the editorial Jess references in Chapter One (and nope, my fellow editors never ratted me out even when we were all grilled in the principal's office). I was a high level competitor in marksmanship starting at an early age. I got decent grades and was probably too self-absorbed (ah, my teen years ;-). I loved horses and rode when I could but am (unfortunately) allergic to them. The big, life-altering event Jess goes through (man, this is tough without spoilers...) was similar in many ways to something I went through just a couple years ago. And the nightmares Jess has--the reliving the fact you can't do anything to stop it or fix it? Been there. Done that. Just not exactly the same way Jess does it. But there are Jess and I are different (and many ways she's built off the teen experiences of others and just random stuff floating around my head).
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Finally, what's your most recent YA read?

I'm finishing up fellow Class of 2k10 classmate Kitty Keswick's novel Freaksville. It's a cute book with a clever heroine, werewolf issues and a hot English boy who seems quite happy to spend time kissing. Oh, and there's some ghost action and peer issues and... Anyhow. I'm *nearly* done. :-)

Ah, thanks so much, Shannon! Now you can visit her blog at http://www.shannondelany.com/ and you can also pre-order her book which comes out JUNE 22!

Shannon's hosting several contests during the Start Your Day with Serial Tour. The big contest will award one lucky winner with a royal amber pendant, pietersite jeweled bookmark, stuffed wolf, 13 to Life mousepad, pen, tote, signed poster, personalized copy of 13 to Life and both of the 13 to Life pins. All you need to do is comment at 13 of the blogs hosting Shannon during her 30 day tour. Everyone who does so will be entered into a random drawing. Winner may be international.
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For information on the previous section, visit Pirate Penguin’s Reads! (http://piratepenguinreads.blogspot.com/)

13 to Life: Chapter 3, part L (used with the author’s permission)

My hand shook, holding the fork. I could tell without looking that Amy's fingers had gone white in her effort to restrain me. It was the most Pietr had spoken to me, and every word sliced like a knife.

Because he was right. Derek definitely wanted something

Happy Reading!

-Harmony B.

The day in which I throw a FireSpell

Thursday. O6.1O.1O

FireSpell
Chloe Neill

As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…

When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…

Long summary for a short book. It's small, can fit into a purse easily, and is 246 pages of action-packed magic!
Lily is a loveable, stubborn and amazingly witty character. I loved her quick retorts and sarcasum, which were mostly directed to the "brat pack", those 3 popular girls that no novel in high school can do without. And I also love Scout, wish I had a frind like her. She was spunky, didn't care what other people thought, and a perfect blend of mystery and trust.
It was one of those reads where you just can't explain well but it made you squeal with excitment. It was the perfect blend of romance, tension, mystery, and magic all cooked into the same stew! The plot was fasinating, as was the hidden society in Chicago's oblivious streets. The Dark Elite are equal parts terrifying and thrilling and I loved immersing myself in it's complicated world. The Reapers, which are absolutely evil, sent chills down my spine and Enclave Three made me so want to be part of it.
Oh, and Jason. Ah, I loved him. His type of magic, I totally suspected right. When they said it, I was like: "I knew it!" And I loved Micheal as well. He made me laugh and he also spoke Spanish! Which is awesomely cool. Both of them were funny and cute and smart and just make me sigh :)
My rating: AMAZINGNESS!

Comment! Discuss! Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.

The day in which i am Spirit Bound

Thursday, O6.O3.1O

I am so sorry for not posting for the past few days! I've been plummeted with exams and such and now i'm free :)

Spirit Bound
Richelle Mead
~ Penguin Books ~
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Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong…
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After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives beyond the Academy’s iron gates to begin. But Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri, and he's out there, somewhere.
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She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.
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Don't like that summary a lot, but ehh. Just saying, THIS IS THE BEST VA BOOK SO FAR! It had the perfect mix of romance, action, butt-kicking, friendship, and mystery all packed into one 489 pages of awesome!
First of all, oh my god the drama. Rose and Adrian (who I love love love!) are together and he actually makes her not think of Dimitri and her failed attempt at killing him so much. I know, totally sweet right? Now, Adrian is my favorite character in this series, my second being Christan, and third being Rose. Now Lissa's nice and all...but I don't really like her. Especially more so in Spirit Bound.

Well, Rose has finally graduated (with flying colors) and is going to the royal court to spend a few weeks before she gets assigned to her Moroi. Which she hopes is Lissa of course, but with all the things she did in the past four books, that's not such a good bet. Christan and Lissa are still broken up from Blood Promise, Adrian is still awesomely awesome and Rose is still pining for Dimitri. Oh and Dimitri's sending love notes/death threats. Lovely, correct?
A lot more is discovered over the Royal Court, things that weren't very established over the other books. You get a real inside look to how the system works and all the families. Tatiana (the ice queen) has a lot more layers to her than most people would think with the whole "Stay away from my nephew!" thing before, but she's a nice character and I ended up liking her.
Now the raging argument part of this post, Dimitri or Adrian. I actually stated my opinion on this in one of the comments but I'll put it again. I am now firmly Team Adrian. I have been since Dimitri turned Strigoi. Because in my opinion, Dimitri has done some horrible, horrible things as a Strigoi. Not only to her (mostly her) but to other people. And he will never be able to forgive himself. Not Dimitri and how he is. He won't forgive himself for almost turning her into a blood whore in Blood Promise. And Adrian is funny and sweet and hot and absolutely crazy about her. He's perfect for her in every way and they make an amazingly cute couple. And plus, he makes her happy. Like, real happy. While I love Dimitri, i'm firmly standing on this point.
This book was so exciting, I had too put it down sometimes because i'd feel out of breath. Haha :D
And the ending! Oh. My. God. Cliffhanger much? I flipped to the last page and was like "Oh geez, I have to wait until December?!?!?!" It leaves you practically hungry for more.
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My rating: AWESOMESAUCE. Best out of all 5.
The next and LAST book: Last Sacrifice, comes out on December 7th.
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Comment! Discuss! Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.