Teaser Tuesday

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read(s)
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) -- or more -- “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

My teasers:

"I'm here because of her? That woman is..." Kylie leaned closer, almost as if whispering might make it less of an insult. "She's a few fries short of a Happy Meal."

page 53, Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

"Honoria's arranged something special for you kids at first meal. You don't want to miss the surprise."

Yes I do.

Unexpected variables rarely prove to be good for me. They lead to running and screaming and things that can kill me, so talk of something mysterious waiting in the Common Hall isn't an incentive to get there any faster.

page 76, Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

{YA Review} Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

{YA Review} Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

(Blurb from Goodreads)

{Details}: Harlequin Teen, Released September 25, 2012, 404 pages. Source: Library

{Stars} 4/5

{Review} Alice in Zombieland started slow. Sad. I could see where it was going, I could see the train wreck at the end of the tunnel. So I put the book down and moved onto something less ... sad. But I picked it up again the next day and I'm so glad I did, by the time I was 10% in, I was hooked.

Poor lost Alice. She leaves everything behind, even her name. She can't be Alice, can't be anything she was before. Though Ali has lost everything she's brave. She's afraid but chooses to fight anyway, to confront the monsters in the dark. And she refuses to back down for anyone, which made me cheer her on. I'm glad that Showalter gave Ali Kat, a supportive and caring friend. Kat is awesome in her own right and an awesome friend for Ali, she brings levity to an otherwise dark story.

Cole. Loved Cole. Really loved Cole. Hot, skilled, complex. He's got depth, we see it in the way he cares for his friends, in the way he cares for Ali.

Showalter is a skilled storyteller. Her writing was snappy, descriptive and the story never lagged. She also isn't afraid of causing trauma, emotional and physical, to her characters. There was a large supporting cast but they are memorable. They retained their distinct personalities instead of becoming that girl who ... or that guy who ... Each character had a distinct voice.

At the end of the book we're left with questions. There was a definite ending, no cliffhangers in sight, thank goodness because I hate those, but there were unanswered questions. Questions about Ali's abilities, about Emma, about the journal, the visions. I can't wait until the next book, Through The Zombie Glass, comes out in September.

Stacking The Shelves

Stacking The Shelves, a weekly meme from Tynga's Reviews, where I write, and squee, about the books I've added to my physical and virtual shelves, what I've read, and what I'm planning to read

 :: Read This Week This Week and Last Week ::

• Flame Moon by K.J. Jackson (Paranormal romance)
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore (YA)
• Essence of the Heart (The Royal Tutor) by Daris Howard (Romance)
• Leather, Lace and Rock-n-Roll by Mia Dymond (Romantic thriller)
• Jaguar Sun (the Jaguar Sun Series) by Martha Bourke (YA paranormal)
• Shadow of the Wolf (Darkness Unleashed) by RG Porter (Paranormal/Fantasy)
• The Duke's Undoing (Three Rogues and Their Ladies) G.G. Vandagriff (Historical romance)
• The Two Pound Chick Magnet by Kathryn Ardell (Contemporary romance)
• Bound by Night by Amanda Ashley (Paranormal romance)
• The Care and taming of a Rogue (The Adventurers' Club) by Suzanne Enoch (Historical Romance)
• Shadow's Edge (A Night Prowler Novel) by J.T. Geissinger (Paranormal romance)
• Bite Me Your Grace by Brooklyn Ann (Paranormal historical romance)
• Living with the Bad Boy by Sharlay (YA contemporary romance)
• Shield of the Gods (Aigis Trilogy) by S.M. Welles (YA/NA fantasy)
• The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson (Contemporary romance)
• Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter (YA paranormal)
• Alice in Zombieland (The White Rabbit Chronicles) by Gena Showalter (YA paranormal)

:: Reviewed ::

Graceling by Kristin Cashore 

Taming of the Drew by Jan Gurley

:: Acquired ::

Inescapable The Premonition Series #1 by Amy A. Bartol (Amazon) (Goodreads)

 Storm by Brigid Kemmerer (Amazon) (Goodreads)

:: Up Next ::

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith
The Rules by Stacey Kade
Arclight by Josin L McQuein
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Cold Fury by T.M. Goeglein

{YA Review} Taming of the Drew by Jan Gurley

{YA Review} Taming of the Drew by Jan Gurley

 “Do NOT buy this book. Stop it. Stop it right now.” --Dean Padua, Legacy High Lemurs

Are you looking for a wild, gender-bending romp of a good time? Taming of the Drew, a full-length novel, is a hilarious update of the Shakespearean classic. Drew is a hotly-recruited high school football jock, nationally known for his prep prowess. But his bad behavior is moving him fast along the path to self-destruction. Enter Kate, a band-geek fellow student who’s clueless about Drew, but is willing to do anything to save the school’s last six redwoods. Including making a hopeless deal to get football-star Drew to behave. Taming of the Drew is for any person who’s ever tried to manage someone they had no hope of controlling!

(Blurb from Goodreads)

{Details}: Press for Change Publishing, Released November 27, 2012, ebook, 420 pages (includes the full text of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew), Source: Amazon

{Stars} 4/5

{Review}

Kate doesn't do naked.
Pictures that is. Kate and her friends are raising money to save Redwood trees near her school, part of that effort is selling one of a kind pictures to fellow students. Kate is hired to take a picture, naked from the waist up, of 'The Dog', the captain of the football team, most popular guy in school, etc. Of course it's a disaster but that's when things start getting really interesting.

Artsy Kate and jock Drew 'The Dog' or Pitbull, a nickname that comes from his last names, Petruchio-Bullard, couldn't be further apart. Their first few interactions are awkward and cringe inducing, in other words it's all the best, or worst, of high school. At first we see little of Drew as he's taken out of his 'uni' world (filled with all the cool kids) and into 'Academy' with Kate and her friends where he has to take pilates and pottery, talk in front of the class as master the triangle in band. Slowly we get to know Drew but it's worth the wait, he's absolutely lovable despite his dogness. He actually turns out to be pretty awesome. He's a staunch defender of those around him, he's clever and kind and respectful and after that moment at his birthday party? He's perfect.

The last thing Kate expected was to care about Drew.  He was a job to her and then a way to salvation and then he was more. Kate is so torn, wanting so desperately to save her redwoods but coming to care for Drew, knowing that the deal she's made would always come between them. Kate's a less complex character, her goals and motivations are clear, but she's got a lot of learning to do as she ventures outside of her comfortable world and deals with the challenge of Drew and everything that comes with him.

The supporting cast of characters are interesting if a bit over the top. There's tiny Tio, brilliant and scatty Viola, Alex and Robin who keep us guessing, prone to blow-ups Phoebe, quiet gourmet Gonzo, crazy determined Celia and Gremio who also 'doesn't do naked'. 

There are laugh out loud moments, oh my God moments, and heart wrenching moments. Taming of the Drew is well written, clever and beautiful, filled with characters I cared about.

"Waiting On" Wednesday 5/15/13

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, created by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on: 

Spies and Prejuice by Talia Vance

Release date: June 11, 2013

Goodreads &  Amazon

Fields’ Rule #1: Don’t fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

What are you waiting on?

{YA Review} Graceling by Kristin Cashore

{YA Review} Graceling by Kristin Cashore

His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn't shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn't seem human....

Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.

Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed.

In a world where people born with an extreme skill—called a Grace—are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. (Blurb via Goodreads)

{Details} Ebook (via library), 471 pages, published October 1st 2008 by Harcourt

{Rating} 4/5

{Review} A lovely book with a strong, flawed heroine, a quest and a deep and true love. Graceling is about choices. About freedom. About who we are, who we choose to be. About how other people shape us, define us. About the lengths people will go to protect themselves, to protect the people they love.

Katsa is awesome in every meaning of the word. I pitied her, cheered for her, condemned her and sympathized with her. Cashore does a good job of putting us in Katsa's head. She makes sure that we feel how Katsa's Grace isolates her and how very difficult it is for her to be close to anyone else. I thought Katsa was strong and brave and went through an incredible journey as she struggles to redefine, or define herself, and deal with falling in love and losing control and building a life.

Po is exactly what Katsa needs and exactly what the reader needs for us to see Katsa be more than the King's enforcer. He challenges her, makes her think, makes her want more. He's a complex character and we have to wait while his motivations and secrets are slowly revealed.

I loved the way Cashore developed their relationship both as friends and romantically. It's not a romance that's typical for the YA genre. It's hard and real and requires effort, sacrifice and hard earned trust. The way they love each other is a good model, they have respect and trust and understanding that's built over time and through strife and challenge. It's a real love without losing their individuality when they become 'them'.

Though there is also an epic quest I thought it took a backseat to Katsa's journey and I found myself hurrying through those pages. On the downside, I did feel that the book went slowly at times and was a bit too long. I also would have appreciated more dialog and less description but those are all minor issues.

"Waiting On" Wednesday 5/8/13

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, created by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on:  

Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove) by Tessa Dare

Release date: May 28, 2013

Goodreads &  Amazon

What’s a duke to do, when the girl who’s perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can’t live without?

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season—or any season—but his diabolical mother abducts him to “Spinster Cove” and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl.

Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn’t dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week’s employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother’s “duchess training”… and fail miserably.

But in London, Pauline isn’t a miserable failure. She’s a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure—a woman who ignites Griff’s desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won’t be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess—can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?

What are you waiting on?