Feature and Follow Friday #85

Feature Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read!

Featured Blog:

Featured Question:

Q: What book are you embarrassed to admit you LOVED? (try to think beyond Twilight).

A: Hmmm this one is a bit hard but probably the Monster High Series by Lisi Harrison. I am only embarrassed because they are a bit young and cutesy and well I should have outgrown books like these, but I enjoyed them to the extreme. They just made me feel good. I need to re-read them and post reviews of them. I wish the series would have lasted longer (the ones written by Lisi Harrison) I also like the cartoon. Sad I know. 

Delightful Discoveries #41

Delightful Discoveries are books that I have discovered recently... old, new, just released... from blogs, Goodreads, libraries, friends, or bookstores. 

So this week I found these goodies...

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

  

        

I want someone who will talk to me honestly about things. You're the only person who ever has. Maybe you don't know this, but when you're disabled almost no one tells you the truth. They feel too awkward because the truth seems too sad, I guess. You were very brave to walk up to the crippled girl and say, essentially, wipe that sunny expression off your face and look at reality. That's what I want you to do next year. Tell me the truth. That's all.

Amy and Matthew didn't know each other, really. They weren't friends. Matthew remembered her, sure, but he remembered a lot of people from elementary school that he wasn't friends with now.

Matthew never planned to tell Amy what he thought of her cheerful facade, but after he does, Amy realizes she needs someone like him in her life.

As they begin to spend more time with each other, Amy learns that Matthew has his own secrets and she decides to try to help him in the same way he's helped her. And when what started out as a friendship turns into something neither of them expected, they realize that they tell each other everything--except the one thing that matters most.

Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

  

        

What’s your worst nightmare?

For Ivy Jensen, it’s the eyes of a killer that haunt her nights. For Parker Bradley, it’s bloodthirsty sea serpents that slither in his dreams.

And for seven essay contestants, it’s their worst nightmares that win them an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at director Justin Blake’s latest, confidential project. Ivy doesn’t even like scary movies, but she’s ready to face her real-world fears. Parker’s sympathetic words and perfect smile help keep her spirits up. . . at least for now.

Not everyone is so charming, though. Horror-film fanatic Garth Vader wants to stir up trouble. It’s bad enough he has to stay in the middle of nowhere with this group—the girl who locks herself in her room; the know-it-all roommate; “Mister Sensitive”; and the one who’s too cheery for her own good. Someone has to make things interesting.

Except, things are already a little weird. The hostess is a serial-killer look-alike, the dream-stealing Nightmare Elf is lurking about, and the seventh member of the group is missing.

By the time Ivy and Parker realize what’s really at stake, it’s too late to wake up and run.

  
The Taking by Kimberly Derting

        

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing.

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal

  

        

What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss—the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died—is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn’t a suicide as everyone assumes. She can’t remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she’s worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she’ll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made—good and bad—that led to her last kiss.

The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard 

  

        

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.

Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.

Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

Review: All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry

Title:  All The Truth That's In Me
Author: Julie Berry 

Publisher:  Viking Juvenile
Publishing Date:  September 26th 2013

Pages: 274
Genre:  YA Historical Fiction/ Mystery

Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audio

  

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

This book was just AMAZING. I was a bit worried going into it, historical fiction can be a hit or miss for me. I love them or I don’t care for them. I need the atmosphere of the age the story takes place, the look, the sounds, the characters, but I like to keep a bit of a modern feel to it. I want to feel like I am in a story from the past but I don’t want to feel like I am reading a book from the past. This book was done perfectly. The setting and the tone were very well done and the mystery was very intriguing. The way the book was written was brilliant. I haven’t read something so unique and wonderful in a very very long time.

Judith lives in a small town surviving on their own since their revolution. Not sure what year it is but it’s a long time ago.. Ships, horse carts, bonnets, and little one room schoolhouses. So a very very long time ago. Judith’s best friend disappears on night and a couple of nights later Judith disappears. Not much longer after Judith’s disappearance, her friend’s body washes up in the river. Two years later Judith returns, a mute. She cannot tell the tale of what happened while she was missing. Fast forward two more years and we are getting the entire story. Judith has written a love letter of sorts to her childhood crush, Lucas. It will finally come out, the entire truth. When the truth finally comes out everything changes.

I am not sure where to begin. This book was intense, beautiful, poetic, and heartbreaking. There were so many factor that worked together to create something unforgettable. The writing style was a first for me. Second person narrative existed in my school days. I knew what it was but I have never read anything written in second person before. I believe this had a huge part creating a breathtaking story. Judith writes the story as a letter to Lucas, her childhood crush. It’s a love letter of sorts but also a way for her tell her story to the only person she trusts with her truths. It wasn’t hard for me to get into. I didn’t know who “You” was at first, but it didn’t take long to get into the groove of things and put myself in the shoes of Lucas. I do believe that the story being written this way really enabled me to feel fully what I was intended to feel from the point of view of Judith. It was very effective in setting the overall tone, which sent me into a roller coaster of emotions.

The setting was done extremely well in this book. I am not sure what year it was and if I knew my histories better, maybe I could figure it out. I felt it was somewhere in the late 1700s to early 1800s. I could be completely off so don’t quote me on that. It had a puritan sort of feel to the time and place and it fit very well with the tone of the story. The descriptions were just right to fill my head with pictures but not overdone to take away from knowing the characters, in fact it helped to understand the characters and they way things were done. This story wouldn’t have worked as well in modern times because of woman’s rights. Women didn’t have any in this story and that was major for the story to play out.Judith was a wonderful character. She was filled with love she couldn’t give, desperation to be accepted, and determination to truly live. She was ignored by most for 2 years since she came back. Her love for Lucas drove her to do something unthinkable which caused a snowball effect of some wild events. The first one of which was giving her a friend, Maria. Through this friendship she was taught so much. Friendship, acceptance, bravery. These things added to already there, but hidden, great qualities. She was shy and in the background in the beginning but she learned how to make herself known when it came to things that mattered. Her loyalty to those that deserved was truly wonderful too. I think she would have made me a great and dear friend. She was also very selfless, she was always putting her family first, even when it stood in her way of happiness. 

There were a slew of characters in the story and even though the story was told from Judith’s point of view, it wasn’t hard to get to know the heroes and villains of the story. I loved Maria. She was that perky, beautiful, loved by everyone, spoiled girl at the beginning, but underneath it all she was very kind. She was able to show her kindness and her true heart after making some not so accepted decisions in public. She in turn decided that she needed to get to know Judith since they were both basically outcasts now. Their friendship grew quickly and it was true.

Lucas was also something special. I wasn’t so sure about him in the beginning but he turned out alright, actually better than alright. A boy worth the love Judith in every way. He was so sweet and so chivalrous. So swoon worthy. Judith’s brother,, Darrel, was pretty awesome too. Didn’t have much sense when it was needed and tended to get himself in trouble. But he was kind. I liked him. Another hero of the story was Goodie Pruitt. The oldest woman in town… or so it seemed. In the end she was a true hero. She was always honest, even when it hurt, she never held her tongue. She was also very clever and paid close attention to it all. Couldn’t fool her for sure.

So yes a great cast of characters, wonderful story, awesome tone, beautiful setting, this book had it all, including a pretty spectacular narrator who brought it all to life for me. I would listen and read this book more than a handful of times in my lifetime. It was a mixture and a pretty good mixture of historical fiction, realistic fiction, romance, and mystery

Review: The In-Between by Barbara Stewart

Title:  The In-Between

Author: Barbara Stewart

Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin
Publishing Date: November 5th 2013

Pages: 256
Genre:  YA Psychological Thiller

Series: Stand Alone
Source:  ARC 

  

When Elanor’s near-death experience opens a door to a world inhabited by bold, beautiful Madeline, she finds her life quickly spiraling out of control

Fourteen-year-old Elanor Moss has always been an outcast who fails at everything she tries—she's even got the fine, white scars to prove it. Moving was supposed to be a chance at a fresh start, a way to leave behind all the pain and ugliness of her old life. But, when a terrible car accident changes her life forever, her near-death experience opens a door to a world inhabited by Madeline Torus . . . Madeline is everything Elanor isn’t: beautiful, bold, brave. She is exactly what Elanor has always wanted in a best friend and more—their connection runs deeper than friendship. But Madeline is not like other girls, and Elanor has to keep her new friend a secret or risk being labeled “crazy.” Soon, though, even Elanor starts to doubt her own sanity. Madeline is her entire life, and that life is drastically spinning out of control. Elanor knows what happens when your best friend becomes your worst enemy. But what happens when your worst enemy is yourself?

With her debut novel, The In-Between, Barbara Stewart presents a bold new voice in teen fiction.

I really didn’t know what I was getting into when I opened this book up to read. I knew it sounded interesting and different so I wanted to give it a shot. I needed a really good book to bring me out of my reading slump and this book did just that. I am ecstatic that I gave this book a shot and found it to be a winner all around. Creepy, dark, mysterious, heartbreaking. It’s all there.

Eleanor and her family are in the process of a move, to another state, to get away from the demons Eleanor wanted so desperately to leave behind. Unfortunately before they reach their new home, they are involved in a horrible accident and Eleanor just barely survives and loses a parent. Now she must deal with new demons among those she tried to abandon at her old home. Moving was difficult to begin with but doing it while dealing with grief leads to other issues. Eleanor is left to deal on her own and she finds her own way, inside her own world, inside her own mind, to deal with all that has been hidden in heart for a very long time. Thinking she was never normal and will never be normal she falls victim to some pretty intense and crazy moments. As her family and friends try to find a way to help her she is left wondering if she is insane or special.

The story and the writing really drew me in from the very beginning. It takes off quickly, nothing really leading up to the accident that our main character, Eleanor survives. Which was a wonderful thing, to not get to get to know Eleanor before her accident sets a nonexistent precedence for the character that is much needed in this type of story. It is told from first person point of view, Eleanor’s, and we can see through her eyes, the confusion, loneliness, grief, and desperation. We are able to experience her thoughts, memories, and perceptions and this it was quite a ride. It was one of those stories where I wasn’t ever sure what was going on, what was real, and what was perceived as real . I was only along to feel and experience and I did just that.

Eleanor was an unusual character. I could tell from early on, from her thoughts and memories, that she was bit on the emotional side. She was clingy, sad, and lost for what I could tell, most of her life. Her mother and father didn’t seem much better off. Her mother was ignorant of what Eleanor was going through and her father tended to play it down. They both thought a move was well worth it for the small possibility it would make Eleanor better. Unfortunately before they reach their destination they crash, and Eleanor is left with more issues than she started with. What was left after the accident was a world where Eleanor had to learn to deal with grief, depression, and possibly mental issues and she felt she had to deal with them alone. She was desperate for real love, real friendship, and just a bit of understanding. I really felt for her. She was completely broken and messed up but I wanted to root for her. She had so much to deal with and her life just broke me down.

It’s really hard to say much without entering into the world of too much information. It was a powerful read and it did some mind loops on me. It was easily followed but I didn’t know what was going on. Truth was only a perception in the book, Eleanor’s perception, her parents perception, her peers perception, the doctors perception… Everyone had their own truth but was it really truth. There was something in that perceived truth that kept me deep into the pages quickly reading through. I needed to find out what was the truth and if there was one. It really was a mind boggle.

It’s hard to say if this book would be a read for everyone to enjoy, I think it’s best to go in it with an open mind and just go with it. I enjoyed every moment of it and I would recommend everyone to give it a try. If you like crazy you will love this book.

Waiting on Wednesday #82 and W.W.W. Wednesday #72

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

The Glass Casket by MCCormick Templeman

February 11th 2014

        

Death hasn’t visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest, disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders’ bodies are found, and though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal.
Rowan’s village was once a tranquil place, but now things have changed. Something has followed the path those riders made and has come down from the hills, through the forest, and into the village. Beast or man, it has brought death to Rowan’s door once again.


Only this time, its appetite is insatiable

W...W...W.. Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.... I wold love to hear What you are currently reading, what did you just finish and what are you reading next...

What Are Currently Reading: 

What Did You Recently Finish Reading?

What Do You Think You Will Read Next?