Author Interview: Meredith Zeitlin

Hello all,

Today, I have a awesome author interview with Meredith Zeitlin, who wrote Freshmen Year and Other Unnatural Disasters. (Again, I <3 that title.) I reviewed the book (which is adorable), and you can read it here!

On to the fun....

1. What made you start writing? I come from a family of writers, and it's always just been something I did. I used to write poems and stories, then in high school I wrote for the school paper and was eventually its Editor in Chief. In college I was in a twelve-person TV and Film writing program, and after I graduated I wrote reviews and op-ed pieces for a variety of papers and online "magazines." Freshman Year... is the first major project I ever completed and decided to move forward with, though.
2. Do you listen to music while you write? Or do you have to complete quiet? OR something in between? When I'm in the "just dumping everything I can think of on the page" phase, I usually have the TV on or, if I'm in a hardcore writing mood, I listen to scores from musicals. My number one pick is "Once On This Island," by Ahrens and Flaherty. But when I'm polishing or editing, I need total silence to focus. 
3. What has been your favorite moment so far since you’ve been published? (or that led up to you being published) Oh, there have been quite a few... I think the number one, though, happened at the book release party. I read an excerpt from the book, and I was really nervous, so I was totally concentrating on not falling over in a terrified heap. Then, at the key moment (a big reveal moment for Kelsey) every single person there - and there were about a hundred - gasped out loud, simultaneously. It was so spontaneous that it surprised everyone - especially me. I started giggling and couldn't stop. It was surreal and it was amazing.
4. What’s the best piece of writing advice you’d give to a newbie YA writer? Write. Don't think about writing, or worry that it won't be good, or wait for the perfect time... just write. Write everything and don't censor yourself. THEN, when you have it all down, you can worry about what you've got. 
5. If you had to choose a song to go with Freshmen Year and Other Unnatural Disasters, what would it be? "Upside Down," by Paloma Faith. It's like the song was written just for the book - listen to the lyrics!

Thank you SO much, Meredith. I loved hearing your answers, and great photo!

If you'd like to find out more about Meredith, check out her:

Website
Twitter
Facebook page

Also, in case your in short supply of interview with author's cats, you can find one with Meredith's cats below, along with Meredith's song of choice, aka your next "song to write by" of the day....

Cat Interview:

Meredith's song to write by:

Nice choice :)

Borrowing Abby Grace Series: Review

Hello all,

Well, I said you'd be getting a review, and today you are. It's even a twofer. lol. I was contacted by Kelly Green to review her episodic YA mystery ebooks, and here is my review for the first two episodes, The Shadow: Borrowing Abby Grace and Girls Steals Guy:

Blurb (and pictures taken from Goodreads for review purposes only; I do not own them):

Smart and sassy Abby Grace is a seventeen-year-old with a talent for getting out of trouble. Sent to repair the lives and loves of teenagers on the edge of disaster, Abby is the perfect girl for the job. She has everything going for her… except one thing: a body.

     

Title: The Shadow: Borrowing Abby Grace (Episode 1) and Girl Steals Guy (Episode 2)

Author: Kelly Green

Publisher: Back Lit Fiction

Publication Date: 2011

Source: Author/Publisher (Received copy of books in exchange for honest review)

Cover: I completely dig them. They catch your attention and make you go “hmm?” And isn’t that just what every cover is supposed to do? I approve.

Genre: YA Episodic Mystery. You get a complete little mystery in every episode, from when Abby drops into the story to when the case comes to an end.

Plot: The chapters are short, making the story move really quickly. Since it’s written in episode form (i.e. you get a full-slightly-longer-than-short story in each hit), the story progresses quick enough to keep you interested but is short enough to make you want more when it’s done. The story also makes sense to be given in episodes. At first, I worried it’d be like a chapter being sold one at a time, but the story lends itself to a format, and each episode is complete enough to be on its own (as opposed to it being a chapter of a large novel). I don’t think it would really work if they were put together. 

Romantic Element: There are hints of romance, enough to make you want to read later episodes. BUT, and this is huge for me, I was more than okay with reading the story without Abby running after anyone. Girl Steals Guy is especially good in this aspect. (Psst, still read The Shadow: Borrowing Abby Grace first for context—they could be read separately, but they’re cheap enough for you to start from the beginning and get the full picture). 

Overall: These episodes are worth getting into. There’s enough mystery to keep you interested; enough twists to keep you from getting bored; and it moves quickly enough that you can feel accomplished after reading each episode. What’s not to like about that? Fair warning, Abby may sound a little robotic in the beginning of The Shadow: Borrowing Abby Grace, but she does grow on you, and by the time you read Girl Steals Guy, you should like her. It’s a good snack mystery—a.k.a. a full mystery in a little package with a YA twist. Green gives great authentic teen analogies, and I fully support these episodes as being awesome for younger YA and up. (Note: The Shadow: Borrowing Abby Grace is PG-ish, and Girl Steals Guy is more late-PG-13)

Disclaimer: I did not receive compensation in exchange for a review; I did, however, receive a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Here's some places to find out about the Borrowing Abby Grace series and Kelly Green:

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon

Soooo, what do you think? Are you going to check them out? Let me know below!

Happy Reading and Writing, y'all!

Glittering Ashes Review

Hello all!

I wanted to let you know that the awesome Melissa Bradley has reviewed my book Glittering Ashes, and I wanted to send y'all over there to have a look. Let me know what you think, won't you?

And just to let you know, I tend to put Amazon links to my book within some of the posts, but if you're interested in getting Glittering Ashes from a different vendor, feel free to look at the "My Books" tab above, where I have several links to other places for purchase.

Okay, enough plugging, how are y'all doing? Like always, it's been so many moons since we've spoken. Let me know below so I can blog hop easier!

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "Oh Darling" by Plug in Stereo. It's cutesy and indie sounding, no?

Happy Reading and Writing, y'all!

Lola and the Boy Next Door: A Review

 Picture from Goodreads; I do not own it, just using it for review purposes only.

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher:  Dutton Books/Penguin

Publication Date: 2011

Source: Library (sigh, mine’s amazin')

Blurb from Goodreads (which I do not own but am using for review purposes only):

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance. Swoooon worthy. So well done it borders on ridiculous. So if you’re looking for a no magic, lovey-dovey romance with some edge (just a slight one), then this is the book for you.

Cover: I like it. You know I normally detest covers with real people on them with this unbridled fiery passion. Well this one is okay. The people look how they’re supposed to look, give or take, and it definitely captures the feel of the book and Perkin’s style.

Plot: The book sounded good to me right off the best. Wacky want to be costume designer in a love story? Sign me up. But then I read a little more about it and was slightly worried about it maybe not being my style. But it was. The pages practically turned themselves, after the first few chapters, and I willingly went along for the ride. Put it this way, I started it last the night before last and had it done by 3PM the next day, and that’s with work in between.

Romantic Element: Yes, there is a love triangle, but this one seems authentic, even though I know that love triangles may be a little overdone for some of you. I still like them IF they’re done well, not just thrown in for some oomph. This one was authentic. Very, very well done. And yes, if you have a hankerin for some Anna and St.Claire (from Anna and the French Kiss), they’re in there, but I felt like they weren’t necessary but nice to have, you know? As far as the guys themselves go, there’s a bad-arse rocker boy, my normal type, and a dorky lovable, dorky, did I say dorky?, adorable guy who is just…adorable. So, I was happy. Perkins went light on the rocker boy, but I still say he was there almost the perfect amount.

Overall: if you even remotely like contemporary romance, Stephanie Perkins should be your go-to. I’ve made her officially mine. I didn’t think I’d heart contemporary romance, but Perkins has made a believer of me, yet again, I might add. 

Sooo, have you read it? Are you dying to? What’d you think? Let me know below!!! 

Oh, and if you're wondering how my Nanowrimo experience is going, I'm hear to tell you, it isn't at the moment, lol. But I have faith, and there's still time in the month. Miracles have happened before with others I've heard. Let me know how you're doing! (i.e. guilt me back into this thing) :)

Psst: I did not receive any compensation in exchange for this review.

Nanowrimo Update: Day Two

Hello peoples!

I've just finished my Nanowrimo requirement for the day, again using Write or Die, the online version, which I can't fully explain the awesomeness of.

If you all haven't tried it or heard of it, it's basically a simple online text program where you set the parameters (how many words and how long of a writing period you want), and then you click "write." Basically, depending on the options you chose, you write in this little text box for the period you've set, and if you stop writing for a period of time, the screen turns from pink to red and then (also depending on your settings) a noise will blare loudly from your speakers, encouraging you to continue writing (or you could choose kamikaze mode which will then delete a word for every second you don't write---SCARY, I know). But it does put the "prod" in "productivity" as the site says.

So, I've used that so far (yesterday and today), and today's total: 1724 in 36 minutes. Woot. For some reason, I can really write fast with that thing. We'll see how much I end up keeping, but that's another story. lol. Y'all's comments were awesome! I'm so glad to have blogger buddies doing this with me. And WOOHOO major for Miranda Hardy. 4350 words on day one? ROCKSTAR status! :)

Let me know how y'all are doing thus far in this craziness we call Nanowrimo, and be sure to add me as a buddy if you haven't already (I'm Writtled on there too...)

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "Way Back Into Love" from the movie Music and Lyrics, because it's friggin adorbs. :) This one is Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant, sigh. (as opposed to the other one from this movie with a singer named Haley and Hugh Grant)

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!

Nanowrimo Update #1

That little button there should have said "Write or Die: I wrote 1709 words in 40 minutes," but it doesn't because it has lost its widgety brain right now. Please excuse it. 

I feel pretty good. I didn't think I'd get anything done today seeing as I normally work in the morning and not at all. So yay for me. lol. How are you all doing with Nanowrimo? Let me know below, and yay for everyone doing it general. I <3ed the comments, and I should be able to blog hop soon. Right now this is just me popping in! 

Psst, in case you were curious. It's not sci-fi. It's a "contemporary romance, who knows what" thing. Haven't done contemporary before. Hmm. We'll see how it goes :)

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "I'm Not Dead" by Pink :)

Happy Reading and Writing, y'all!

The Sky Is Everywhere: A Review

   

  I do not own this cover from Goodreads; I am using it for review purposes only. Click cover for link to Goodread source.

 Blurb from Goodreads (which I do not own but am using for review purposes only):

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.

Title: The Sky Is Everywhere

Author: Jandy Nelson

Publisher: Speak/Penguin Group

Publication Date: 2010

Source: Library

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Hobby YA. Lennie is a musician, of the clarinet variety, as well as a poet extraordinaire (the book doesn't say that; I did.).

Cover: I got the green/nature-heavy cover, but I prefer the cover I've usually seen with it, the heart in the sky that is everywhere. If I hadn't seen the sky cover, I wouldn't have been as eager to read the nature version, personally. Also, I feel that the heart/sky cover is more fitting for the book than the nature.

  I do not own this cover from Goodreads; I am using it for review purposes only. Click cover for link to Goodread source.

Plot: The pacing was good. If the text ever bogged you down (so rarely did that happen, that I'm pretty much going to say it doesn't happen), you get a breath of fresh air with Lennie's poetry at the beginning of each chapter. And the poetry is good and informative-- not just pretty for pretty's sake, but the poetry actually furthers the plot, i.e. gives back-story and such.

The Romantic Element: AWESOME POSSUM ALERT! There's a love triangle, but done SO well. It doesn't seem forced; because it was too busy seeming awesome. AWESOME. <3

Overall: Get. This. Book. I really dug it. You know when you read a book that's done so well it seems like it's its own reality? This book achieves that. Maybe that was a confusing way to say it…What I'm trying to say is that the characters are super authentic; the grief is really real; the romance is kicking in full gear; and it's literary enough to give you a satisfied feeling. High marks all around. I mean, I had heard it was good, so obviously I was distrusting, but it has been confirmed, people. It has been confirmed. :)

Did you read it? If so, what'd you think? If you didn't, do ya' want to? I HEARTED it. :)

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "5 o'clock" by T-pain feat. Lily Allen and Wiz Khalifa. How in love am I with her voice? The answer is very to undenyingly.

Happy reading and writing, y'all! And of course, I'll be sure to keep the reviews coming, and I'll update on my WIPs as the updates come! (That includes whenever I make those Glittering Ashes covers!)

I did not receive any compensation in exchange for this review; however, I do have an affiliate link in this post.

Love Story by Jennifer Echols: A Review

From Goodreads (http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305684651l/9470371.jpg) I do not own, but am only using for review purposes.

Title: Love Story

Author: Jennifer Echols

Source: Library

Publisher: MTV Books/Gallery Books/ Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Publication Date: July 19, 2011

Review from Goodreads (which I also do not own but am using for review purposes only):

  For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

Genre: Another hobby contemporary YA romance. This time the hobby is having a multi-million dollar horse farm, darlin', in Kentucky. BTW, this book is set in Erin's first year of college, so it may be considered a New Adult-ish book.

Cover: Echols gets good covers, I think. They're good for YA contemporary. Yes, they do show faces, but I can forgive them because I can easily forget the faces and insert ones I desire in my head. No worries, but they are nice mood setters.

Plot: Ok. You know how sometimes romance, YA or not, movie or book, can just be a big ol' knot you have to untangle to get to the end? Well this book is a hell of a knot. It's even a meta-knot because the book layers the MFC and MMC's writing assignment about each other for a creative writing class all throughout the turmoil they're going through. There's LOTS of ups and downs. Relationship, family, mental, creative writing. You may need to brace yourself. It's very much a soap opera kind of drama, with more elevation seeing as there are literary bits thrown in. Hmm…

Romantic Element: I love me a good drama, but there's a lot going on here. Erin and Hunter have a history before the book starts and the drama ensues, and sometimes, I felt like that history was too much preceded. They had so much going on before hand that I felt I had already missed something important. At times. Other times, Echols hit the drama well, and I wanted to keep reading. So, by the end, I'm not sure if I can say I liked the romance as much as I just watched it unfold.

Overall: Echols can write. If you haven't read her Going Too Far, OMG you are missing out. That book was YA romance royalty as far as I'm concerned. Love Story, I had huge hopes for it, some which were met and some were missed. This book is tons of drama of the freshmen debutante and the help variety, and if that sounds like something you could get into, you'd like the book. For me, it took a while for me to get into the book, but eventually I did. However, the end didn't feel like an end, which you'll see if/when you read it.

So what do you all think? Something you'd dig? Not dig? Dig a little? Let me know below!

And now to leave you with a song to write by, "Lighthouse" by Wishes and Thieves. I heard about them on GhenetMyrthil's blog, and they have a really cool vibe. AND their EP is free. SAY WHAT?!? I know. I got it here. Awesomeness.

PS. The Book Rat giveaway of my book Glittering Ashes ends today, so hop on over to Misty's blog and enter if you haven't (if there's still time).

Also, be sure to check out my interview on Melissa Bradley's blog Melissa's Imaginarium. 

Big thanks to Misty and Melissa for having me!!! <3

Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation in exchange for this book review, although there are several Amazon affiliate links within this post.

Updatin' and Review of Eve by Anne Carey

Hey, peoples :)

First off, thank you for all of the well wishes. You guys (and I may have mentioned this before) are awesome, and I really appreciate you all taking the time to stop by and say hi, even when I was off babysitting for sickies and crossing my fingers I wouldn't catch the sniffles as well.

I want to remind everyone to stop my Misty's blog Book Rat to see my guest post and to enter in for a chance to win a copy of my book Glittering Ashes. I want there to be tons of entries, so please help me with that and put your magic hats on for a chance of winning it. <3

Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled blog post. Today is a review day (and psst, tomorrow is another blog award day because Carrie Butler is awesome possum. Thanks, Carrie!)

 Photo is from Goodreads (http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299396299l/9297774.jpg). I do not own it, and it is only used for review purposes.

Title: Eve

Author: Anne Carey

Source: NetGalley

Publisher: HarperTeen/HarperCollins

Tentative Publication Date: October 4, 2011

Blurb from Goodreads (which I do not own but am using for review purposes only):

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

The Genre: Apocalyptic YA romance. There's been a world plague; disturbing future and romance ensue. Series beginner, I'm sure.(Update: It's a beginner of a trilogy. Cooool beans, y'all.)

The Cover: I like it. I always like covers with actual people that don't show their faces. Faces ruin everything for me. They're never right, or what I have in my head (in my head, they're always cuter). So I like that this title chose to go with the bridge and that font. I'd pick it up based on this cover, wouldn't you?

The Plot: I was worried going into this one. Another YA future tale? Sigh. I had low hopes, but this one had a intriguing beginning that kept me going, even if it did get slow in the middle. Eve was a decent character, slightly weak at times, but good when she needed to be. Some parts were frustrating, but I know those are loose ends that will be tied up in subsequent titles in the series. It's definitely the beginning of the series, so expect some things to be left to be resolved later. There's enough action to keep you moving, and I wasn't bored. In fact, I wanted to get back to reading it when I stopped. That's saying something.

The Romantic Element: Caleb is a good guy. Carey makes it easy for you to like him and cheer for him. There are enough dramatic bits and heart-wrenching bits to make the romance worth reading.

The Carry-on Factor: As this is the beginning of a series, there are things left to wonder about in the next book. I'm sure tons of people will be clamoring to read Eve 2 and 3 and so on. I wouldn't be opposed to read them either lol. It's an interesting take on the storyline of the world gone all crazy.

Overall: I wasn't disappointed by Eve. It kept me entertained more than some other titles I've read that fit the apocalyptic bill. If you liked The Forests of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan or Hollowland by Amanda Hocking (<3ed), this may be up your alley as well. 

Soooo who's excited about this one? Let me know below if you're jonesing for it. 

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "Say It Like You Mean It" by Matchbook Romance off of their Voices album. It's an Amazeballs CD.

Happy Reading and Writing, y'all!!!

Disclaimer: I did not receive compensation in exchange for this review. However, there are several Amazon affiliate links within this blog post. 

Graffiti Moon: A Review

I do not own this picture. I got it from Goodreads (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VkwtP5SWL.jpg) for review purposes only.

Blurb from Goodreads (which I do not own but am using for review purposes only):

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

Title: Graffiti Moon

Author: Cath Crowley
Source: Net Galley

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Tentative Publication Date: February 14, 2012 (first published August 1, 2010)

Genre: YA Contemporary Art Romance. Yes, the art descriptor is necessary, because it's not just a romance, it's a romance centered on an artsy passion. No magic but the magic of love, if you would.

Cover: I LOVE this cover. How pretty is it? I mean, really. It feels like you're looking into a world they've made for themselves which is full of color and splashes of graffiti. I'd say that'd be pretty spot on, though I don’t completely remember them chilling out in a tube. Regardless, I really like this cover. And I saw the old cover from the first release, which also got to the point well, but this cover wins, hands down.

The Plot: This whole book is based on a one night, city-wide search for the graffiti artist, Shadow. It reminded me of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, but with art, not music. Lucy and Ed search on the last night of Year 12, a night of partying for most, for the elusive graffiti artist that has stolen Lucy's heart, even though she's never met him. It's told in 3 perspectives, well really, 2.5; Lucy's, Ed's, and Poet's. I say 2.5 because Poet's part is small and consists mainly of poetry. I want to briefly go on the record and say that I normally abhor multiple perspectives. I normally feel like I never get enough perspective of whatever character I like the most. Graffiti Moon was different. Very balanced that way. BUT, this novel is a slow burn novel, if you're looking for lots of things actually happening action wise, this probably isn't your book. It isn’t boring; it's just contemplative.

The Romantic Element: This book is a very slow burn. It's got lots of cute moments and close calls, and it has all the nicely frustrating bits you'd expect from a good YA romantic movie. I liked Lucy and Ed, and the romance read realistic--they didn’t jump each other or fall instantly in love like you'd typically get. It had more of an authenticity as you wondered whether or not things would actually work out for them.

Carry-on Factor: You learn a lot about art from this book, in a similar way that I felt I was learning while reading Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard. At some points, I even paused to google artists because I just had to see the colors and awe-inspiring-ness that they were talking about, and since the art talked about is real (as far as I know all of it is), you can actually google it, which is a neat aspect. You're also reading about life in Australia, so you get to learn about that too.

Overall: This was a good "what the hell, let's do it, all in one night" adventure read. You stumble around with Lucy and Ed looking at art by the Shadow and Poet, and you learn a lot about them as you learn a lot about art. If you think that'd be your cup of tea, you wouldn’t be disappointed in the slightest. I do have to say that Crowley's writing is beautiful. I know I said only Poet's sections are actually poetry, but the whole book reads so lyrical that you could easily believe the whole book is poetry. So many quotables, I tell you. On every page, Crowley said something in such an original way, that I'd say that's worth the read alone. 

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "Yes" by Beyonce. I really like this song, and this cd (way better than any of her stuff since, imo)

Disclaimer: I did not receive compensation in exchange for this review. I do, however, have several Amazon affiliate links within this post. 

Happy Writing and Reading :)

Hourglass by Myra McEntire: A Review

Photo taken from Goodreads for review purposes only (http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1304810997l/9182478.jpg). I do not own this picture.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Source: Library

Publisher: Egmont USA

Publication Date: June 14, 2011

Blurb from Goodreads (I do not own this blurb. Used for review purposes only): 

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Genre: YA paranormal, no vamps, werewolves, or demons. It's a YA Time Travel novel. I've never read a time travel novel, YA or otherwise, so this smacked of originality. I'm semi-resistant to a lot of fantasy sounding books, but this wasn't anything like I expected.

The Cover: Really intriguing. I don't know if I would have been dying to read it based on the cover alone, but it does have an "Hmm, let's see what that's about" element. The girl's hair on the cover makes you know something will be off about the book, in a good way. I do like simplistic covers with a new element, and this book cover definitely applies.

The Plot: Emerson (love the name) is going through a lot, namely her parents' deaths and her unwelcome ability to see people from other time periods at inopportune moments. She's fed up with dealing with them, and her brother decides to help by bringing in Michael to give her ways to deal with what she's seeing. The plot was original to me. I hadn't read anything like it. It had enough plot movement to keep you from being bored with the sciency bits and to keep the pages moving almost by themselves. When one thing may have gotten burned out, something new happened between Emerson and Michael, or to them, rather, and that kept things really interesting. I love when a book can keep my attention.

The Romantic Element: Huge props to McEntire for her romantic prowess. She manages to make an awesome MMC (main male character), while having, you guessed it, a love triangle. Color me pleased. The love triangle really didn't feel contrived at all like some novels fall in danger of having, and she even had a gut-wrenching tension-y moment. I live for them, almost literally, when I read YA. I re-read that section like three times. Not going to lie about that.

Carry-on Factor: Hourglass will stick with you. Emerson was perfect-y enough to make you want to be like her but real enough to make you not hate her while you're reading about her. You get invested in her story, and Michael, and another character who will remain nameless but makes it worth looking forward to read Hourglass #2…

Overall: McEntire's spin on making YA paranormal romances new again is definitely appreciated by me. I'm looking forward to reading the next one as she did leave some things undone in the typical YA fashion. BUT, don't be afraid to start this book for fear of a cliff-hanger. McEntire did not leave us saying WTH, I promise. She just left some things to be resolved. That's all.

Have you read this book? If you did, what'd you think? If you haven't, do you want to? Let me know below! :)

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "Who Knew " by Pink. I was hooked on this song something crazy when it came out, still am. I <3 Pink.

Final Note: Huge congratulations are in order for Marlena Cassidy who won a copy of my book Glittering Ashes from The Character Depot interview and giveaway by J.L.Campbell! Thank you to everyone who entered, and I hope you check out my book anyways :)

Note: I did not receive any compensation in exchange for this review. However, I do have several Amazon affiliate links in this blog post.

My Boyfriend Is a Monster: A Review

Source: from Goodreads at http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51slhINC9%2BL.jpg

Bethany Farmer's life is a boring high school routine, and she likes it that way. Soccer, coffee, homework, more coffee, and no goofy romance. That is, until foreign exchange student Allein Atwood shows up in her Midwestern town, and her life turns epically weird. Allein has unearthly good looks, princely politeness, and a bunch of goofy, romantic pick-up lines. But is his country really so foreign that they don't know anything about soccer? Or coffee?

To her horror, Bethany is swept off her feet by Allein's spellbinding ways--and then knocked flat by savage creatures set loose into suburbia to hunt Allein down. Suddenly Bethany's normal town is twisted upside down, and nothing is what it seems. Can Bethany rescue her prince of a boyfriend and keep them both alive long enough to go on a second date?

 

My Boyfriend Is a Monster: Under His Spell (#4) by Marie P. Croall, illustrated by Hyeondo Park

Source: NetGalley

Publisher: Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing, Inc.

Tentative Release Date: October 1, 2011

This book was fun. I feel it was geared towards a younger reading set. If I had a younger cousin, sister, child of a friend who was around 10-13 give or take a few years in either direction, this book would be a complete slam dunk (i.e. fantastic Halloween present (does anyone do that?), birthday present, and "aren't you awesome?, have a book" days. And for those of us that don't fall into that age bracket (ahem, I'm slightly older than that…not that I act it), there were enough funnies to keep us entertained.

Genre: Graphic Novel YA Paranormal Romance. Because, wouldn't it just be fun to see the dark and brooding handsome MMC (main male character), or at least what someone else thinks of when they write about that kind of character? I was thoroughly entertained by how they depicted him, and the character's responses to him at that (but I'll get to that).

The Cover: I like the coloration of the cover more than some of the content of the cover. Park and Croall do interesting things with color (or rather without color), and I would have liked to see them how they are depicted in the non-actions scenes. BUT, I completely understand their choice to go with the action-y version of Allein and Bethany. How great is his name btw? Can I just pause to say, big lols? Okay, I did.

The Plot: The plot seemed pretty straight forward, and I was worried it would even be predictable, but the choices in the characterization of Bethany kept that from happening. The graphic novel manages to make fun of itself and the genre that it's in (YA paranormal romance), and that entertains me (ahem, see my note about the funnies for the older peoples). It has an awareness of itself as being a part of that genre, and Croall has Bethany react to things differently then one may expect.

The Illustration (a necessary review element for a graphic novel): I liked how it was drawn. The color choices, the lack of color choices, really enhanced the book, and frankly, I just dig the way that comics/graphic narratives can convey things with less--less words, less pages, less time, less frames, than most writers really can. Croall and Park handled that well, and I like how they didn't stick to the strict "box frame" style.

The Romantic Element: It's absolutely swoon-worthy for the younger set. No doubt about it.

Carry-on Factor: This was an easy breezy kind of read, but it left a girl power-ish sentiment that would be a positive one for young female readers.

Overall: This wasn't a deep read, and it wasn't supposed to be, but what it does do is entertain. I laughed a bit; I admired the crafting of it; and I liked the against the grain choices they made in the characterization of Bethany. I would call it really perfect for a beginner YA paranormal romancer---feel free to buy it for your youngin's lol.

Now, I know I've played this song on here before, and it's a different kind of paranormal, but it's kind of perfect for the title of this book, "Zombie" by Natalia Kills. "I'm in love with a zombie…does he want me for my body or does he want me for my brain?" Come on. It's freakin' hilariously perfect. 

Also, another reminder for any new readers, old friends, or random stoppers-by-ers, you can still comment on J.L. Campbell's interview with me on The Character Depot and be entered in to win a copy of my book Glittering Ashes. The drawing is tomorrow, so hurry on over, if you'd like! 

Disclaimer: I do not own the picture, blurb, or video used in the making of this blog post. I did not receive compensation for this review, although I do have several Amazon affiliate links within this post.