Wildefire

Karsten Knight

Synopsis:

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

What the critics are saying:

Karsten Knight’s Wildefire is a perfectly paced, action-packed thrill-ride that I couldn’t put down. Let me point out that while the teens in the book all have powers because they are reincarnated gods and goddesses, I couldn’t help but be reminded a little of the X-Men (which is in no way a bad thing). I love me some super heroes, especially a group of super heroes banding together in all kinds of kick assedness.  (Book Twirps)

The relationship between Eve and Ash is a defining one for Wildefire, and the love/hate depiction is handled beautifully by Mr. Knight. They are gods, after all, and like any good family of deities, they are completely dysfunctional.  (The Book Smugglers)

I can wholeheartedly say that Wildefire was refreshing, fun and completely addicting. Author Karsten Knight has written one heck of a debut with a full-force plot that grips you from the start and refuses to let go even in the final pages of the book.  (I Swim For Oceans)

Fantastic new debut author to keep your eye on. If you love mythology and feisty lead female character this is just the book for you.  (My World of Books)

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Book of the Week 7/26

Here is the YA book you should be paying attention to, due in bookstores today!

Supernaturally (Kiersten White) - Kiersten White is one of the most exciting new voices in YA fiction, and her latest title lives up to the ridiculous expectations that Paranormalcy paved way for.  This is a must-read.

Other Noteworthy Releases

Wolfsbane (A Nightshade Novel) (Andrea Cremer)

Wildefire (Karsten Knight)
Voice of the Undead (Alex Van Helsing Series) (Jason Henderson)
Touch of Frost (Jennifer Estep)
The Seeker (Isobelle Carmody)
Love and Other Things I'm Bad At (Catherine Clark)
Putting Makeup On the Fat Boy (Bil Wright)

The Babysitter Murders (Janet Ruth Young)

Supernaturally

Kiersten White

The synopsis, from the publisher:

"Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be... kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself."

Kiersten White's follow-up to Paranormalcy is much more introspective than the first, as Evie tries to figure out just where she belongs, and who (and better yet what), she is.  I do miss a lot of elements from that first book that were missing from the sequel, like Lish, but we do get a taste of a lot of what made that first book so good, like Tasey and the IPCA, just less of it, as Evie makes room for other things in her life.  Evie seems very lost throughout much of this title, which isn't always very fun to read, but White brings her trademark humor to her lovable character, and with a strong supporting cast, makes this book nearly as fun as her debut.  It's cool to see White further explore the world that Evie lives in, and find herself in a world where she doesn't feel she belongs.  And there are plenty of cool monsters in there, as well as plenty of action.  For awhile, it seems like events are sort of random, but it all kind of falls into place by the end when what's really been going on is revealed.  White also doesn't just ignore what has come before when it comes to the whole saga of Vivian and the Empty Ones, but really follows through in this title with consequences.  All-in-all, Supernaturally is a very solid follow-up to Paranormalcy.

Book of the Week 7/19

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, due in bookstores tomorrow!

The Girl Is Murder (Kathryn Miller Haines) - Kind of like a Veronica Mars story, this book is about a fifteeen-year-old girl who helps out her father (whether he wants her help or not), who owns a detective agency.

Other Noteworthy Releases

The Final Hour (Homelanders #4) (Thomas Nelson)
Ripple (Mandy Hubbard)
Clean (Amy Reed)
Mayhem (Artist Arthur)
Pearl (Johanna Knowles)
Return To Deamon Hall: Evil Roots (Andrew Nance)
Small Town Sinners (Melissa Walker)

Book of the Week 7/12

Here is the YA book you should be paying attention to, due in stores tomorrow!

Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) (Maggie Steiefvater) - The latest book in The Wolves of Mercy Falls werewolf series has finally arrived.

Other Noteworthy Selections

Starstruck (Cyn Balog)

Dragon's Oath (P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast)
The Hidden Coronet (Relic Master #3) (Catherine Fisher)
Undercurrent (A Siren Novel) (Tricia Rayburn)
Siren's Storm (Lisa Papademetriou)
Sometimes It Happens (Lauren Barnholdt)
Sass & Serendipity (Jennifer Ziegler)
Wildcat Fireflies (A Meridian Novel) (Amber Kizer)
Dreams of Significant Girls (Cristina Garcia)
The Summer I Learned To Fly (Dana Reinhardt)
Bad Taste In Boys (Carrie Harris)
The Other Countess (Eve Edwards)
Sister Mischief (Laura Goode)

Fury

Elizabeth Miles

Okay, I really got sucked in by that amazing cover.  It's absolutely beautiful.  Unfortunately, the rest of the work isn't as awe-inducing.

Fury is the first book in a trilogy that sees three beautiful girls come into a sleepy town in Maine and wreak havoc on its naughtier inhabitants.  The story is told through the eyes of two students from the local high school, Em and Chase, with alternating chapters.  Em is in the middle of a love triangle involving her best friend and her best friend's boyfriend.  She's tortured by her role, but not enough to deter her from carrying on with the affair until she finds out what a real piece of work the love of her life is.  Chase, on the other hand, is a super athlete at the school who's very self-conscious about how poor his family is.  He wants to be the popular guy, yet is very calculating on how he hides this aspect of his life that he's embarrassed of.  For the most part, these two characters are really well-developed.  We get their motives, and get a detailed glimpse into their daily lives.  However, they're kind of loathsome characters that I wasn't very happy to spend my time with.  And they're kind of dumb when it comes to what's going on around them, gullible and dense to the situations they find themselves in.  Some of the secondary characters are well-established as well, but some, like Em's best friend's boyfriend, is completely two-dimensional, made up to just be a villain.

The story moves along at a nice clip, with eerie hints of the supernatural pulling readers along, but it's nothing that we haven't really seen before, and like I said before, our tour guides are two reprehensible characters.  We've seen greek mythology blended into a modern-day setting much better than is done here.  While it is well-written, I can only hope that Miles provides some better characters to populate her books in the future.

Fury will be in stores 8/30/11.

Book of the week 7/5

Here is the YA book you should be paying attention to, due in bookstores on Tuesday...

The Tomb (Dave Ferraro) - I wouldn't be much of an author if I didn't say that people should buy my book, so this week's pick of the week is my new book, a stand-alone prequel to the Hunters of the Dark series.  It's a YA horror novel, available as an e-book through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Here's the synopsis:

18-year-old Rachel Thyme has been handed the opportunity of a lifetime when she joins an archaeological dig off the coast of Australia. Eager to have some experience under her belt, she doesn’t question the rumors the locals tell of the previous archaeology crews and the haunting disappearances. She ignores the first signs that something is wrong when her crewmates begin to do strange things, that propel them deeper into the bowels of Black Forest Island. But she can hardly write off discovery after discovery that lead her to confront a long-hidden tomb and puts into question what she thinks she knows about the supernatural.

Rachel wants nothing more than to prove herself on this excursion, especially as it was her daddy’s money that helped her land this job, and as she makes friends, and even sees a little romance, she discovers horrors she can hardly imagine, from evil slowly awakening around her, to the hidden demons locked in her past.

Other Noteworthy Releases

Twisted (A Pretty Little Liars novel) (Sara Shepard)
Original Sin (A Personal Demons novel) (Lisa Desrochers)
Sweep (Volume 4): Seeker, Origins, Eclipse (Cate Tiernan)
Stealing Bases (A Pretty Tough novel) (Keri Mikulski)
Blindsided (Priscilla Cummings)
Lost Voices (Sarah Porter)
Glee: Summer Break (Sophia Lowell)
Paradise (Jill S. Alexander)
The Siren's Cry (Jennifer Anne Kogler)
Sirensong (Jenna Black)
Falling For Hamlet (Michelle Ray)
White Crow (Marcus Sedgwick)
A Scary Scene In a Scary Movie (Matt Blackstone)
The Serpent's Coil (Christy Raedeke)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Ransom Riggs

Synopsis:

As a kid, Jacob formed a special bond with his grandfather over his bizarre tales and photos of levitating girls and invisible boys. Now at 16, he is reeling from the old man's unexpected death. Then Jacob is given a mysterious letter that propels him on a journey to the remote Welsh island where his grandfather grew up. There, he finds the children from the photographs--alive and well--despite the islanders’ assertion that all were killed decades ago. As Jacob begins to unravel more about his grandfather’s childhood, he suspects he is being trailed by a monster only he can see. A haunting and out-of-the-ordinary read, debut author Ransom Rigg’s first-person narration is convincing and absorbing, and every detail he draws our eye to is deftly woven into an unforgettable whole. Interspersed with photos throughout, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a truly atmospheric novel with plot twists, turns, and surprises that will delight readers of any age.

What the critics are saying:

I could talk at great length about the delicious strangeness of the book--its odd combination of horror and enchantment, and its mesmerizing, creepy, beautiful, haunting, disturbing photographs....it's not a cozy comfort read. But boy, once things get going, it is a zinger! (Charlotte's Library)

With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it's no wonder Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. (Entertainment Weekly)

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is at times a classic adventure story and at other times…its originality is mind blowing. It will appeal to both teen boys and teen girls as well as their moms and dads. (The Well-Read Wife)

There are twists and turns a-plenty, some predictable and some extra twisty.  Best of all, the characters are well-drawn and the interaction between Jacob and the other characters is authentic and well played. (Quirky Girls Read)

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Book of the Week 6/28

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, due in bookstores today!

The Ascension (A Super Human Clash) (Michael Carroll) - Continuing Super Human with this sequel, Michael Carroll tells the continuing story of teenaged superheroes in this prose-form comic.

Other Noteworthy Releases

Fins Are Forever (Tara Lynn Childs)
Withering Tights (Louise Rennison)
Sharks & Boys (Kristen Tracy)
The Day Before (Lisa Schroeder)
Legacy (Cayla Kluver)
Luminous (Dawn Metcalf)
Torn (Erica O'Rourke)
Eternity (Heather Terrell)
Unfriended (A Top 8 Novel) (Katie Finn)
From Willa, With Love (Coleen Murtagh Paratore)
The Gemini Agent (Starfleet Academy) (Rudy Josephs)
Doing My Own Thing (A Fab Life novel) (Nikki Carter)
Forbidden (Tabitha Suzuma)
Pretty Bad Things (C.J. Skuse)
Ciao (Melody Carlson)

My Blood Approves

Amanda Hocking

The synopsis, from the author:

"Seventeen-year-old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave hits aside, Jack's unlike anyone she's ever met. Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him. But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood..."

I decided to turn my attention to the insanely popular self-published YA author Amanda Hocking, and began with her vampire series My Blood Approves.  It's really not too hard to see what people have enjoy about this title.  It has many echoes of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight:  An insanely good-looking guy likes Alice, insists on buying her things despite her protests, she takes a long time to realize that he's a vampire, she's special and so this vampire family takes an interest in her, etc.  Hocking adds her own elements to the story, with the love triangle she introduces, the family life that Alice has, and Alice herself, a sort of anti-Bella, as she's not very passive, but is rather loud and obnoxious.  In fact, that was one of the things that made me think that I wouldn't like this book at first.  Alice just sort of annoyed me.  Even worse was her best friend who walks all over her that she was introduced alongside.  But as the story moved along, and we get to see Alice's beautiful relationship with her brother, and the budding friendship with Jack and his interesting family, it really became a very compelling read that's difficult to set aside.  And it really is the relationships that Hocking creates here that makes this book.  There's not much action and the mystery is pretty thin, but the suspense that comes from the drama between the characters is masterfully handled here.  There are tons of grammatical errors in this book, which I was rather shocked by, as it's so popular, but if you can overlook those, and are searching for something to fill the hole that was left when The Twilight Saga wrapped up, My Blood Approves has a lot to offer.

Angel Burn

L.A. Weatherly

Synopsis:

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip - and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They’re out for your soul . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.

What the critics are saying:

Weatherly's plot and writing are first-rate, adrenaline- fueled while still taking the time to thoughtfully develop the characters and build the romance. This elevated twist on the angel genre deserves to be spread far and wide. (Publisher's Weekly)

Young adult fiction readers are in for a fantastic adventure with a bit of romance when the delve into the world of Angel Burn. LA Weatherly’s debut novel is original, her characters honest and real, and her storytelling ability keeps you turning the pages and leaves you begging for more when you’re done. (There's a Book)

Yes, Angel Burn is largely teen Bonnie and Clyde, couple on the run. And it works because the relationship between Willow and Alex progresses naturally and honestly. Their actions, insecurities and conversations are genuine and ring true for YA characters, but are done in a way an adult audience will equally appreciate. (Vampire Book Club)

This book was really entertaining, thrilling and is just a rollarcoaster ride of emotions. It was heart wrenching at times and romantic at other times. I fell in love with this book, the characters and the story. (Fantasy Book Chick)

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Book of the Week 6/21

Here is the YA book you should be paying attention to, due in bookstores tomorrow!

Uncommon Criminals (A Heist Society novel) (Ally Carter) - The group of talented young thieves continue their adventures in the sequel to Heist Society.

Other Noteworthy Releases

Princess of Glass (Jessica Day George
Long Story Short (Siobhan Parkinson)
Dead Rules (Randy Russell)
Vicious Little Darlings (Katherine Easer)
A Need So Beautiful (Suzanne Young)
Haunting Violet (Alyxandra Harvey)
Shadowcry (Jenna Burtenshaw)
Spellbound (Cara Lynn Shultz)
Stolen Nights (Rebecca Maizel)

Colleen Houck

Colleen Houck came to my work today and signed both of her books.  She is the sweetest person ever, and we had a nice chat.  Everyone should be reading her books!

Giveaway!

Like free books?  Then check this out.  The Great INDIE Summer Reads Giveaway includes over 100 titles from indie authors, including Her Dark Destiny (Hunters of the Dark #1).  Win free books from exciting new voices!

Book of the Week 6/14

Here is the YA book you should be paying attenton to, due in book stores tomorrow!

Paper Covers Rock (Jenny Hubbard) - This sounds neat, from a new author, about a boy at a boarding school whose guilt over not saving a drowning boy eats away at him.

Other Noteworthy Releases

Passion (Fallen series #3) (Lauren Kate)
The Lost Heiress (Relic Master series #2) (Catherine Fisher)
Trial By Fire (Raised By Wolves #2) (Jennifer Lynn Barnes)
The Demon's Surrender (Demon's Lexison Trilogy #3) (Sarah Rees Brennan)
A Funny Thing About Love (Erin Downing)
The Betrayal of Natalie Hangrove (Lauren Kate)
The Dead (The Enemy series #2) (Charlie Higson)
From Bad To Cursed (A Bad Girls Don't Die novel) (Katie Alender)
Hourglass (Myra McEntire)
Imaginary Girls (Nova Ren Suma)
Happyface (Stephen Emond)
Dead End (Jason Myers)
The Revenant (Sonia Gensler)
The Lost Crown (Sarah Miller)

Mercy

Rebecca Lim

Synopsis:

A fallen angel haunted by her past.  Yearning for her immortal beloved. Forever searching for answers.Who will show her Mercy?

Mercy has lost herself. She can’t count how many times she’s “woken up” in a new body, and assumed a new life, only to move on again and again. During the day she survives in the human world on instinct and at night her dreams are haunted by him. Mercy’s heart would know him anywhere. But her memory refuses to cooperate.

But this time is different. When Mercy wakes up she meets Ryan, an eighteen year old reeling from the loss of his twin sister who was kidnapped two years ago. Everyone else has given up hope, but Ryan believes his sister is still alive. Using a power she doesn’t fully comprehend, Mercy realizes that Ryan is right. His sister is alive and together they can find her. For the first time since she can remember, Mercy has a purpose; she can help. So she doesn’t understand why the man in her dreams cautions her not to interfere. But as Ryan and Mercy come closer to solving the dark mystery of his sister’s disappearance, danger looms just one step behind.

Will Mercy be able to harness her true self and extraordinary power in time?

The first in a dazzling new series, Mercy masterfully weaves romance, mystery and the supernatural into a spell-binding tale.

What the critics are saying:

It was such a unique look on a familiar subject with strong ties into the mystery and thriller categories. It kept me riveted, I can't wait to read book two. (Letters Inside Out)

This novel was a great blend of mystery and the paranormal. It was slightly reminiscent of The Body Finder and Dirty Little Secret in the mystery aspect, but with a different paranormal twist. The first chapter grabbed my attention immediately. (Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog)

Mercy was an interesting protagonist principally due to the fact that her voice was written with such clarity and her thoughts were conveyed in such a way that I really felt for her situation and wanted to know why this had happened to her. (Lost in Stories)

While I didn't always know what was going on and I did struggle with the plot at points, I always felt connected to Mercy's character.  I thought that Ryan's character was exceptionally strong as well.  (Miss Remmer's Review)

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Hereafter

Tara Hudson

Synopsis:

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

What the critics are saying:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I was pulled in from the first paragraph, held my breath at the end of the second chapter, and didn’t want to put it down until I had finished the last word. (Eve's Fan Garden)

The author’s descriptive writing was a joy to read and really set the tone for some of the spookier elements and scenes of the story. (Smash Attack Reads!)

I loved this book and found it extremely easy to read. I loved getting to know Amelia and learning what happened to her. (Books Complete Me)

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