2011 February

Review: Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey

February 28, 2011 By Lori 7 Comments

Release Date: 2007
Age Group: Young Adult
Received From: Bookstore
IBSN: 9780689840937
Blurb:
Sadima lives in a world where magic has been banned, leaving poor villagers prey to fakes and charlatans. A “magician” stole her family’s few valuables and left Sadima’s mother to die on the day Sadima was born. But vestiges of magic are hidden in old rhymes and hearth tales and in people like Sadima, who conceals her silent communication with animals for fear of rejection and ridicule. When rumors of her gift reach Somiss, a young nobleman obsessed with restoring magic, he sends Franklin, his lifelong servant, to find her. Sadima’s joy at sharing her secret becomes love for the man she shares it with. But Franklin’s irrevocable bond to the brilliant and dangerous Somiss traps her, too, and she faces a heartbreaking decision.
Centuries later magic has been restored, but it is available only to the wealthy and is strictly controlled by wizards within a sequestered academy of magic. Hahp, the expendable second son of a rich merchant, is forced into the academy and finds himself paired with Gerrard, a peasant boy inexplicably admitted with nine sons of privilege and wealth. Only one of the ten students will graduate — and the first academic requirement is survival.
Sadima’s and Hahp’s worlds are separated by generations, but their lives are connected in surprising and powerful ways in this brilliant first book of Kathleen Duey’s dark, complex, and completely compelling trilogy.

This is going to be a hard book to review. Not because it was bad, not at all! I really enjoyed it, but its one of those books that’s hard to put into words. You just have to read it for yourself, but saying that doesn’t make for a good review, so I will try to get my thoughts on it out there.

This is a high fantasy book and I think if you are not a fan of high fantasy already then this book is not for you. What makes the book so fantastic is the world building. Its a lot like your common worlds found in fantasy, but Duey makes it her own by adding small elements from the real world and by making it very character driven.

Something that I think a lot of people wouldn’t like about this book is that there’s really no action. The characters aren’t fighting epic battles or even small ones. They are just going through the motions. There’s something so captivating about that. The story is told from alternating perspectives. Sadima and Hahp live generations apart, but as their stories are told and the puzzle pieces start falling in place, you can’t help but turn pages. You must know more. You must find out what happens in Sadima’s time that makes the things in Hahp’s life possible.

This is a dark and gritty novel. The characters do not have easy lives and Duey makes you understand that clearly. I think this book only scratches the surface of how awesome this trilogy is going to be. It’s days later and I’m still thinking about it. I can’t wait to dive into the next book, and if you are a fantasy fan I suggest that you read this as soon as possible!

Filed Under: A Resurrection of Magic trilogy, Fantasy, Kathleen Duey, Young Adult

In My Mailbox!

February 26, 2011 By Lori 26 Comments

In My Mailbox was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie and created by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Review:
Seam Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt (READ THIS BOOK! Its sooo good!)
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Bought:
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (My Review)

From Random Acts of Kindness:
Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian– Thanks Candace!
Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves (on Kindle)– Thanks Donna!

Borrowed:
Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford– Thanks Angela!

Here’s the link to Book Soulmates How Big is your R.A.K feature.

Filed Under: In my Mailbox

Saturday Situation (23) Link Up Your Reviews and Giveaways!

February 26, 2011 By Lori 1 Comment

Happy Saturday everyone! It’s time for a new Saturday Situation, hosted by Candace at Candace’s Book Blog and myself. So, here’s the scoop: I’m going to set up two Mister Linky’s. One for Giveaways that you want to promote and one for Posts that you want to promote. The posts can be reviews, discussions, rants, events you are planning, anything that you want people to read! I know there’s so many great posts out there that often go unread. Here’s your chance to tell the world! Feel free to link up to other bloggers posts as well! Let’s spread the love!

Reviews/Posts Linky!

In this Linky please link directly to any posts you want to share with the world! Example: Name: Fallout Review URL: http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/2010/09/review-fallout-by-ellen-hopkins.html

Please do not post giveaways in this Linky! They go in the bottom one!

Book Related Giveaways Linky!

In this Linky please link directly to any book related giveaways you have! Example: Name: Middle Grade Giveaway-It’s Raining Cupcakes and other Ends 9/30 URL:http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/2010/09/middle-grade-giveaway.html

Filed Under: Saturday Situation

Review: The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

February 25, 2011 By Lori 16 Comments

Release Date: January 1, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
Received From: Publisher
IBSN: 9781402243691
Blurb:
Welcome to a future where water is more precious than gold or oil-and worth killing for
Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations. Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that’s impossible to forget.

“Let us pray that the world which Cameron Stracher has invented in The Water Wars is testament solely to his pure, wild, and brilliant imagination, and not his ability to see the future. I was parched just reading it.”-Laurie David, academy award winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth, and author of The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming

I love the concept of this book! I love the cover of this book! I’m a huge fan of young adult dystopia, but in reality these things did not add up to me loving the book. The execution of the story left me a little..unsatisfied. It read too much like a fun adventure story than a serious dystopian story…if that makes sense.

On top of that the main character, Vera, was flat. She came across as a cry baby and immature. It seemed to me that someone that grew up in this world of warfare and hard times would be a little better prepared for the things thrown at her. Vera’s interest in Kai also seemed a little unfounded to me. All the characters were honestly a little over dramatic, which is a trait I find very annoying.

Overall, I really wanted to love this book. It has a great premise, but I just couldn’t love it….

2.5

Filed Under: Cameron Stracher, Dystopian, Young Adult

Review: 10 Miles Past Normal by Frances O’Roark Dowell

February 24, 2011 By Lori 7 Comments

Release Date: March 22, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Received From: Publisher
IBSN: 9781416995852
Blurb:
Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with that: she’s not. She’s smart and creative and a little bit funky. She’s also an unwilling player in her parents’ modern-hippy, let’s-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that “normal target.” She has to milk goats every day…and endure her mother’s pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation—and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good…the threat of homemade jeans, not so much.
It would be nice to go back to that old suburban life…or some grown up, high school version of it, complete with nice, normal boyfriends who wear crew neck sweaters and like social studies. So, what’s wrong with normal? Well, kind of everything. She knows that, of course, why else would she learn bass and join Jam Band, how else would she know to idolize infamous wild-child and high school senior Emma (her best friend Sarah’s older sister), why else would she get arrested while doing a school project on a local freedom school (jail was not part of the assignment). And, why else would she kind of be falling in “like” with a boy named Monster—yes, that is his real name. Janie was going for normal, but she missed her mark by about ten miles…and we mean that as a compliment.
Frances O’Roark Dowell’s fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell’s relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated…and normal is WAY overrated.

This was a book after my own heart. It really was. It’s filled with quirky characters and tidbits about Farm Life, you can’t help but be enchanted. Janie is a little lost. She convinced her parents to move to the country and start a goat farm when she was a kid, but now she’s a freshman in high school, and coming to school with goat poop on you shoe is sure to draw the wrong kind of attention. Now she just wants to be normal. Is that too much to ask for?

This was a fun and original contemporary. I had a lot of fun with it I didn’t really relate to Janie well, because I think living of a farm would be awesome, but that’s just me! I did relate to the fact that she lived in the boonies, because I have always lived in the boonies! I’m pretty sure the book takes place in North Carolina (correct me if I’m wrong!) so it had a nice Southern charm also.

My favorite part about the book was Monster–yes that really is his name! Every time he was in a scene it lit up the book. He was funny, charming, and a good ol’ Southern boy. If anything read the book for him! He was a fantastic character!

The author has also done something unique with this book, she has taking a seemingly fluffy YA and interspersed it with stories and facts about the civil rights movement. Wonderful, heartwarming stories that just make the book all the more interesting!

Filed Under: Frances O'Roark Dowell, Young Adult

Waiting on Wednesday (71)

February 23, 2011 By Lori 18 Comments

September 27, 2011 Random House Books for Young Readers

Ashlyn Baptiste is falling. One moment she was nothing—no memories, no self—and then suddenly, she’s plummeting through a sea of stars. Is she in a coma? She doesn’t remember dying, and she has no memories of the life she left behind. All she knows is that she’s trapped in a consciousness without a body and she’s spending every moment watching a stranger.

Breckon Cody’s on the edge. He’s being ripped apart by grief so intense it literally hurts to breath. On the surface, Breckon is trying to hold it together for his family and his girlfriend, but underneath he’s barely hanging on.

Even though she didn’t know him in life, Ashlyn sees Breckon’s pain, and she’s determined to find a way help him. As her own distressing memories emerge from the darkness, she struggles to communicate with the boy who can’t see her, but whose life is suddenly intertwined with hers. In alternating voices of the main characters, My Beating Teenage Heart paints a devastatingly vivid picture of both the heartbreak and the promise of teenage life—a life Ashlyn would do anything to recover and Breckon seems desperate to destroy—and will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, John Green, and David Levithan.

Add it on Goodreads!

October 2011 Egmont

A missing child. A devastated young mom. Two girls—one traumatic event.

Emmy Rane is married at nineteen , a mother by twenty. Trapped in a life with a husband she no longer loves, Baby is her only joy. Then one sunny day in September, Emmy takes a few fateful steps away from her baby and returns to find her missing. All that is left behind is a yellow sock. Fourteen years later, Sophie, a homeschooled, reclusive teenage girl is forced to move frequently and abruptly from place to place, perpetually running from what her mother calls the “No Good.” One afternoon, Sophie breaks the rules, ventures out, and meets Joey and his two aunts. It is this loving family that opens Sophie’s eyes, giving her the courage to look into her past. What she discovers changes her world forever…

The riveting stories of Emmy and Sophie—alternating narratives of loss, imprisonment, and freedom regained—escalate with breathless suspense toward an unforgettable climax.

Add it on Goodreads!

Both of these sound fantastic!!

Thanks to Eleni at La Femme Readers for her Tantalizing Future YA Releases feature! It gives me fodder for my WoW!!

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Head over there to see more WoW picks!

Filed Under: Waiting on Wednesday

What’s All the Fuss About…?—David Sedaris

February 22, 2011 By Lori 18 Comments

I’m not one of those people that avoids hype….well maybe I used to be…but that was a long time ago, and it was just with Harry Potter, so it was nothing major But it seems like lately I have read most of the big hyped up books before there was a hype, so there was nothing to worry about.
Recently there have been some books and authors on my mind. Big hyped up books and very popular authors, so I wanted to ask you: What’s all the fuss about?

I see David Sedaris’ books everywhere. Target, Walmart and of course bookstores. When I first started noticing them I didn’t think much about them….I don’t think I even picked one up, but lately they have been sneaking up on me. Calling to me? Making me want to read them…I even saw a piece on David’s life on TV a couple of weeks ago….I think it might be time to check his books out. What do you think of them? I know they are completely different from what I usually read, a bit outside of my comfort zone, but I like that! I like unique books! Would I like these? Do you like hem?