tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57674284841415136332024-03-05T22:41:24.069-08:00Afterglow Book ReviewsRemember the feeling you got when you closed the back cover on a book that spoke to you? How you set it aside on your end table or night stand and lay back feeling amazed, traumatized, bewildered, and somehow changed?
That's the afterglow.Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-84243853588612016632020-08-16T11:10:00.000-07:002020-08-16T11:10:02.076-07:00MIDNIGHT SUN by Stephenie Meyer: An Afterglow Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6jmXZjwLY79nW-rjkiYysd_uoiaPNfR0vCHeRFVmCoPTsnD0oX-l4rDFn5g5FGAx1PJt1fa3xrcTQ8jHk_qW0pCtTfntgAgITwiZxLb7MiizPngjrnZh6wRYJg5vwI5ezwxTTh4i68hN/s675/Midnight+Sun+by+Stephenie+Meyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="447" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6jmXZjwLY79nW-rjkiYysd_uoiaPNfR0vCHeRFVmCoPTsnD0oX-l4rDFn5g5FGAx1PJt1fa3xrcTQ8jHk_qW0pCtTfntgAgITwiZxLb7MiizPngjrnZh6wRYJg5vwI5ezwxTTh4i68hN/s640/Midnight+Sun+by+Stephenie+Meyer.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53287484-midnight-sun?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=QoiRLk1wfG&rank=1" target="_blank">On Goodreads</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h1 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Le Blurb:</h1><p></p><div><i>When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella's side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward's version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.</i></div><div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>This unforgettable tale as told through Edward's eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward's past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?</i></div></div><div><br /></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">Le Afterglow:</h1><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;">(This review contains spoilers for the <i>Twilight</i> series as a whole.)</span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">My Experience</h3><div><b>I had serious trouble putting this book down. Just as with Stephenie Meyer's other writing, the writing in <i>Midnight Sun</i> is intimate, compelling, and artful. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Many reviews I read prior to finishing the book stated that Stephenie Meyer has grown as a writer and that the writing is so much better in this later book. Naturally, writers do grow and I'm sure there's truth in this. However, the surprise some people have at how good she is, I believe, rather stems from the caricature of her work and the fact it has been the butt of many jokes and parodies over the years. After I closed the book on the last page, my husband and I re-watched <i>Twilight</i> on Amazon Prime, and he commented that it wasn't as ridiculous as he'd remembered. Thank you, <i>Honest Trailers</i>, and others who parodied the content to make it feel more ridiculous than it was! Of course I have my own issues with the films, mostly in how they diverge from the much better books. But seriously, it is so easy to take on the opinions of others when they are the loudest ones proclaimed. The same thing happened when the backlash against <i>Harry Potter</i> and <i>The Hunger Games</i> began at the height of their popularity, and people who had loved the books began to feel ashamed for loving them.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am one of those Twihards who never stopped seeing Stephenie Meyer's work with my own eyes as beautifully and masterfully woven. When she took a break from <i>Midnight Sun</i> after the leak, I grieved with her for whatever sense of betrayal and frustration she must have been feeling over having her work leaked publicly before it was ready. Yet she handled it with class and patience. Vowing not to finish the work clearly came from a place of personal hurt, not a desire for vengeance. I totally got it.</div><div><br /></div><div>So imagine my surprise when someone close to me mentioned that <i>Midnight Sun</i> had been completed! I thought they had been hearing rumors. I quickly ran a search on Amazon for the book and was impressed by the classic <i>Twilight-</i>style cover, black with the striking red image of the juicy pomegranate. Instantly I was a curious about the choice and knew I would find the reason in the book's pages, so I pre-ordered it. The release was just days away, and within the week I had this gorgeous book in my hands.</div><div><br /></div><div>I would have read it in two days, but I am a mother of six now and this week it was my husband's 38th birthday. I wanted to be present for my family and to help my husband mark his life with celebration and indulgence, as is our custom. It ended up taking me all week, with a few late nights thrown in, to finish. I enjoyed every minute, which is why I'm here writing an Afterglow Review.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">My Insights</h3><div>You all know I love a book written from another character's perspective, as I did the same thing with my own villain, Rupert, in <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52851161-bombs-away?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hmgsCewRyc&rank=1" target="_blank">Bombs Away!</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Though Edward Cullen isn't technically the villain of the <i>Twilight </i>series, he certainly sees himself as the villain, and therein lies the source of all of his anguished behavior. If you didn't pick up on this by reading <i>Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, </i>and <i>Breaking Dawn</i> from Bella's perspective, then you really, really need to read <i>Midnight Sun.</i> It clarifies every strange response he ever gave to Bella, and helps you to understand what was going on in the background. While eventually Edward chooses to be honest with Bella about many things--including his internal struggle, his family's initial debate about whether or not to let her live, and why Rosalie hates her--there are many things Edward keeps to himself, details that he doesn't think are important to share with her but which are interesting to the reader in the way they develop other characters and relationships. For instance, seeing Laurent from Edward's perspective is a whole different experience from reading the summary version he gives to Bella that James and Victoria are the true coven and Laurent a newcomer. Likewise, his relationship with Rosalie and thus Rosalie's relationship with Bella, make so much more sense with the added scene between the vampire brother and sister. I do think it's the only thing that makes Rosalie a sympathetic character.</div><div><br /></div><div>The simplification of Edward and Bella's relationship into teen infatuation, or even unhealthy obsession, is a popular caricature of this series. For years I have heard people describe Edward as abusive or narcissistic and Bella as a doormat with no real personality. Both characterizations are unfair, in my opinion. Of course Bella, being self-deprecating, describes herself as nondescript and boring. She's surprised when she attracts the attention of every boy at Forks High School. She sees herself very differently from how others do, clearly. But the way Edward sees her is next level. As a telepathic immortal with eighty years behind him, he has heard it all in terms of human thought. He thinks he has seen it all in terms of human behavior. He is nearly omniscient, in his own mind. Bella intrigues him because she seems to act the opposite of human nature. This is a foreshadowing, I think, for <i>Breaking Dawn</i>, when it becomes clear that Bella is inherently designed for this paranormal afterlife experience. </div><div><br /></div><div>In <i>Midnight Sun</i> we understand much better what kind of strong female protagonist we are getting in Bella. Edward is constantly impressed with her goodness, bravery, intelligence, and selflessness. It's her that comes up with the plan to evade James the hunter, and it's her that knows exactly what to say and has the courage to say it to Charlie to prevent him from following her into danger. Bella is truly extraordinary, and through Edward's eyes we get to see what Bella never clearly sees of herself. </div><div><br /></div><div>What people fail to see when they oversimplify this relationship is how carefully Stephenie Meyer crafted these two to be a perfect fit, cosmically suited to each other, despite his having to die and be resurrected as a vampire in order to live long enough to meet her. It's telling that Bella references <i>Somewhere in Time</i> as one of her favorite movies, as it also features a romance outside of the constraints of linear time. You get a much richer experience from all of the <i>Twilight</i> books if you have already read and watched the referenced media. There are many classics referenced, from the Bible to Shakespeare to Jane Austen, as well as Greek mythology and more modern film references like <i>Carrie</i>. If you don't know what these things are on a deep level, then their inclusion will be of no meaning to you and you're more likely to read <i>Twilight</i> and <i>Midnight Sun</i> in a shallow way.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, I believe that <i>Midnight Sun </i>makes it nearly impossible to reach these shallow conclusions about the characters. In many ways, it is superior to Bella's point of view. Edward has a whole different context for his experience. He is an adult in almost every sense, except for the fact that his emotional maturity has been somewhat stunted at the age of his changing: seventeen. He has never had the rite of passage of falling in love, and that makes his relationship with Bella begin with the dramatic infatuation stage of first love. Even though this part is all new to him, and does change him, he consistently falls back on his decades of life experience to process it. He is not an ordinary teen boy. It's clear that Stephenie Meyer never set out to write a YA book (for teens). She just wrote a story and it happened to have a seventeen-year-old girl as its protagonist. </div><div><br /></div><div>From Edward's perspective, the novel feels much more adult. <i>Twilight</i> has always been more for adults, in my opinion. Read as a nostalgic backward glance at the intensity of first love, it makes so much more sense. I'm uniquely able to appreciate this market-literature collision because I had the same market problem when I wrote <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40111212-drats-foiled-again" target="_blank">Drats, Foiled Again!</a></i> from the perspective of a seventeen-year-old heroic villain, even though the tone of the book and its true market is middle grade. Orson Scott Card, also one of Stephenie Meyer's author heroes, said that he didn't write stories about someone of a certain age. He wasn't writing books about kids (<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/375802.Ender_s_Game?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=WuxCmOTczk&rank=1" target="_blank">Ender's Game</a>)</i>. He was writing about people, and people start as kids. Likewise, Stephenie Meyer writes about people, and while their stories of development start at a certain place, that doesn't define the work or its audience. This is why criticisms of middle-aged women, or men for that matter, who love her work are misguided. Stephenie Meyer was in her thirties when she wrote the books, and of course they are going to appeal to her peers who understand her cultural references. What's wonderful is that they also appeal to a younger audience who are then introduced to these cultural references and will hopefully read Shakespeare, the Bible, Jane Austen, Greek mythology, etc., to understand better one of their favorite YA books.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from the artful writing of two romantic protagonists who are perfectly suited to each other, the other romantic pairings throughout the series are also carefully constructed. We see <i>like-attracts-like</i>, and <i>opposites-attract</i> in every pairing. James the hunter is paired with Victoria the masterful escape artist. The tortured war general Jasper is paired with the tortured visionary Alice. The childlike but strong Emmett is paired with the child-craving and beautiful Rosalie. The kind and self-sacrificing Carlisle is paired with the kind and self-sacrificing Esme. The human pairings are likewise artful. Stephenie Meyer has earned her rightful place as one of the great romantic writers of the age. There is truly nothing vapid or shallow in her writing style or her main characters.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">My Hopes</h3><div>I hope that <i>Midnight Sun</i> will inspire a whole new generation of readers to appreciate Stephenie Meyer for what she has brought to the literature world. These books deserve to continue to be discussed and debated and devoured.</div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy reading this latest book and bask in the <a href="https://www.ksl.com/article/50005902/stephenie-meyer-says-more-twilight-books-are-planned-?fbclid=IwAR0RzKqIAeac2UJoIMbu6UE4Q2wa0Br15MDbT82D1k4-NfBJWJKoh9PKgsE" target="_blank">recent revelation</a>, reported by KSL three days ago, that Stephenie Meyer plans to write at least two more books in this artfully created universe! Twihards everywhere are celebrating! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>If you've read it, let's discuss in the comments. Who else is hoping for a complete redo of the films?</b></div>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-78046638596847709302018-08-09T11:15:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:17:39.753-07:00THE JULIAN CHAPTER: A WONDER STORY by R. J. Palacio<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PM0gsO_J1cT5SV4HB6mq7aq1bISwr0affEcpN4GZKklPCMKjlnvSe01kTgk1de1l2AgFcZCjZLmEAt8YEKjT7-yU2k5p3hwI2dCCOX-Enw7HyBNxRgUyQ13G2uz3W9J1aTIIesro7oSP/s1600/download+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PM0gsO_J1cT5SV4HB6mq7aq1bISwr0affEcpN4GZKklPCMKjlnvSe01kTgk1de1l2AgFcZCjZLmEAt8YEKjT7-yU2k5p3hwI2dCCOX-Enw7HyBNxRgUyQ13G2uz3W9J1aTIIesro7oSP/s1600/download+%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20878809-the-julian-chapter?from_search=true" target="_blank">On Goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<b>Le Blurb:</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Over 1 million people have read </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Wonder</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> and have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. Now readers will have a chance to hear from the book's most controversial character—Julian. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">From the very first day Auggie and Julian met in the pages of the #1 </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">New York Times</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> bestseller </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Wonder</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">, it was clear they were never going to be friends, with Julian treating Auggie like he had the plague. And while Wonder told Auggie's story through six different viewpoints, Julian's perspective was never shared. Readers could only guess what he was thinking.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Until now. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">The Julian Chapter</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> will finally reveal the bully's side of the story. Why is Julian so unkind to Auggie? And does he have a chance for redemption?</span><br />
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<b>Le Afterglow:</b><br />
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You've probably heard all the rave reviews for WONDER by R.J. Palacio. So had I. I'd seen YouTube videos by parents of children with Auggie's condition talking about how important the book and movie are. And I'd seen friends on Facebook sharing what it meant to them.<br />
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When the movie came out, we watched it in the theatres and then I knew I had to read WONDER the book. We chose to listen to it as a family on Audible, and I'm so glad we did. It was engaging for both of my oldest kids (11 and 8), and I know it made an impact on the kind of people they will choose to be.<br />
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So when I saw "The Julian Chapter" on Audible at a steal, I decided I had to check that out, too. I began listening to it while sorting the laundry, expecting a chapter or two from the perspective of Julian, the main bully in the WONDER story. Much to my surprise, I had finished all the laundry and the story kept going.<br />
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It turned out to be a complete book, not a chapter!<br />
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This was a very happy surprise because, frankly, I couldn't get enough of the compelling characters and well-crafted narrative. I listened to THE JULIAN CHAPTER all day long and, while I had been skeptical that anything would make me like Julian the bully, I was in tears by the end of it. Without spoilers, it's pretty much impossible to tell you how R.J. Palacio managed to make this mean little boy into someone you would root for. Suffice it to say that she did, and she did it beautifully! I will definitely read this one with my kids over and over again, for the empathy it builds and the true stories to which it pays homage.<br />
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We own WONDER in hardback and I love that story, too. But there is something special about THE JULIAN CHAPTER. There's something special about the way it sheds light in the darkness, about the hope for redemption, and about the forgiveness that is so central to its theme. Of course, without first knowing Auggie's story, we wouldn't care much about Julian, so I do recommend you read that wonderful book WONDER first. Then read THE JULIAN CHAPTER. And get out your tissues!<br />
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-91319103024142912352018-07-08T14:44:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:23:55.692-07:00Gifted Hands by Ben Carson<br />
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<img alt="Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328846369l/1077719.jpg" /></div>
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From the first time I saw the movie based on Ben Carson's life, I wanted to learn more about this man and the amazing transition he went through, from a kid from the ghetto's of Detroit to one of the most famous neurosurgeon's in the United States. This book is filled with amazing stories that not only turned Dr. Carson into the man he is today, but also into a man of God. Starting from when he was a kid in school with a massive temper problem to performing unheard of surgeries, Dr. Carson could see the hand of God in everything that he did. This book lists just a few of what I'm sure represent the many times where Divine Providence has shone down on this man to guide him in the ways he should go.<br />
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<b>The blurb</b><br />
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Dr. Ben Carson is known around the world for breakthroughs in neurosurgery that have brought hope where no hope existed. In <i>Gifted Hands, </i>he tells of his inspiring odyssey from his childhood in inner-city Detroit to his position as director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Medical Institutions at age thirty-three. Taking you into the operating room where he has saved countless lives, Ben Carson is a role model for anyone who attempts the seemingly impossible. Filled with fascinating case histories, this bestselling book tells the dramatic and intimate story of Ben Carson's struggle to beat the odds - and of the faith and genius that make him one of today's greater life-givers.<br />
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<b>The afterglow</b><br />
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I loved the aspects of Dr. Carson's life that he spends so much time talking about. First, the parts about how much his mother invested in her children. Even though she herself didn't have much education, she did what she could to make sure her children were learning and smart, even if that meant the heartache of only letting her children watch three television shows per week. But because of this, her boys grew to love learning and became very successful in their lives. Second, Dr. Carson spent much of his adult life leaning on God to get him through the hard times. It all started when he was a young boy with a temper problem, and continued to when he was in college wondering if he would ever be good enough to become a doctor, to trying to figure out the best way to perform a surgery to save a young child's life. This is an amazing story of his life, his trials and how we can all get through these trials if we know whom to depend on.<br />
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</iframe>Bill Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03609596530936880915noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-64233706347466115922018-01-04T07:16:00.001-08:002018-08-09T11:26:11.872-07:00Double Review: ROMANCING DAPHNE & FOR ELISE by Sarah M. Eden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once upon a time, I had the pleasure of attending the writers conference LDSStorymakers and meeting a few real-life literary heroes and heroines, aka prolific authors. One of those I have never been able to forget was the witty and charming Sarah M. Eden. She gave a riveting presentation about writing romance a la Pride & Prejudice, and ever since then, I have meant to check out her recency romances for myself. Because clearly, here was a woman who understood romance and the psychology of relationships. Every time I have passed her books on display at my local library, I have wanted to get one, but for the past few years, books on education theory took precedent over books I desperately wanted to read! So I told myself to wait and someday I would sit down and curl up with a Sarah Eden book. Last week I was at the library and decided our January family screen fast was the perfect opportunity for me to kick start 2018 by reading for fun! I read FOR ELISE and ROMANCING DAPHNE on January 1st and January 2nd, and they absolutely warrant an Afterglow Review. </div>
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ROMANCING DAPHNE by Sarah M. Eden</div>
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As her first London Season looms before her, the thought of the impending social whirl fills Daphne Lancaster's timid heart with dread. She hasn't her sisters beauty nor their talent for conversing easily. Even her family's enviable connections may not be enough to prevent disaster.</div>
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But Daphne's misery turns to surprised delight when the first event of her Season brings an unexpected visitor to her door—James Tilburn, whose tender kindness stole her heart in her youth. When the handsome young gentleman expresses his desire to court her, Daphne is elated. Their feelings for each other quickly grow, and it appears that, much to Daphne s disbelief, her happily ever after is within reach.</div>
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Yet nothing is as it seems. The couple finds themselves caught in a tangled web of greed and deceit, leaving James and Daphne to determine whether they are willing to risk everything for true love.</div>
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The Afterglow: I laughed at the near-constant wit and sarcasm displayed by all my favorite characters, and relished the mushy love stuff that was obviously left over from Books 1 and 2 of the Lancaster Family series. I absolutely love that there are more books involving these characters for me to love. And this book has made me even more excited to read Seeking Persephone and Courting Miss Lancaster. Daphne is a heroine most readers will readily relate to, introverted and sharp as a tack, self-deprecating but brave and compassionate. Sarah Eden weaves a beautiful story about the uncertainty and humiliation of dating, excuse me -- courting -- during a London Season. But it's also about the family dynamics, power plays, and economic factors that controlled everything but our hero's and heroine's hearts. I found myself rooting for this couple from the beginning, and hoping despite the odds stacked up against them, that they would finally follow their hearts. One of the notes I took from Sarah Eden' s LDSStorymakers presentation was to create romantic leads who fulfill something in the other person which is desperately lacking, to fill the holes and the weaknesses with the other person. Sarah M. Eden does this masterfully in ROMANCING DAPHNE. I read it in a day and felt a little sad to say goodbye to these enchanting characters. </div>
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I can recommend Sarah M. Eden's regency romances to everyone! They hearken back to the style of Jane Austen, and any impropriety is implied rather than explicit. Read with confidence, young and old.</div>
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FOR ELISE by Sarah M. Eden</div>
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They were inseparable in their youth, the very best of friends, two halves of a whole. For four years, Miles Linwood, the Marquess of Grenton, has felt incomplete without her. When a carriage breakdown leaves him temporarily stranded in a tiny town, Miles makes an unexpected discovery that will alter the course of his life, and rewrite the pages of his past.</div>
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The Afterglow: </div>
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With possibly the most meaningful meet-cute of all literary time, For Elise is a story that shows powerfully the impact of a single moment's decision, and the ripples that go out from that decision. Elise is a broken character, suffering from post traumatic stress and convinced of the necessity of her own exile. Miles is a philanthropic marquess with a troubled history that more than dovetails with Elise's past, but the trouble is neither of them has a perfect memory of what happened in the aftermath of a shared trauma. This device, using infallible memory and the hallmarks of trauma as the primary driving conflict, is one of the things that makes this story memorable, and keeps readers thinking about it long after the cover is closed. It made me wonder what interactions I remember imperfectly -- likely all of them, since I only experience my own feelings and am left merely to interpret those of the other person. Imagine years going by while those false interpretations are left to simmer and stew in the broth of continued misery. Sarah Eden imagines just that, with the stroke of a skilled pen rendering Miles and Elise eminently believable as people you might meet on the street. And that meet-cute! It certainly left me with wondering thoughts about what might have happened if decisions were made differently.</div>
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I recommend this one to readers who can handle the mature themes of violence and trauma. There is, after all, a murder mystery within these pages, not to mention the occasional social violence of upwardly climbing mothers of single daughters.</div>
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Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-66008242071249581792017-05-09T08:48:00.001-07:002018-08-09T11:27:18.062-07:00HEAVEN IS HERE by Stephanie Nielson (Memoir)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes you close the book and know that reading it has changed you. Sometimes you know half-way through. In the case of <i>Heaven is Here</i>, I felt drawn to the story before I even saw the book. Through my sister's word-of-mouth review, and a video I had seen on the internet about Stephanie and Christian wanting to name their first child Claire because it was the name both of them had loved as children, they felt like old friends to me already. I had heard about the plane crash that left Stephanie with scars and pain she struggled to live with. My empathy was piqued as much as my curiosity. </div>
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My family was in a small plane crash when I was two, but we were blessed to get out before the inferno that always follows the crash. The pilot lost his life, and that was very sad, but I was two when it happened and all I knew was my own experience. The saddest thing that happened to me personally was that all our Christmas presents from grandma and grandpa went up in flames. Kind people worked to make that up to us in the months after the crash. Only my older brothers and parents had emotional trauma from the crash. We did not have an experience anything like Stephanie's, and yet I felt a deep empathy for her that went beyond the ordinary. Perhaps it is her beautiful voice in writing, the mix of romanticism and realism that doesn't sugarcoat things but ends up tasting sweet all the same. Perhaps it is the places she wrote about: Falcon Field airport, and Mesa, my old stomping grounds; Provo, Utah and the Y, my alma mater. Perhaps it is that we share the same faith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the familiarity I felt throughout the story because of these things. But I think more than anything else, what I felt and why I felt it was triggered by Stephanie's remarkable and admirable passion for motherhood. From the beginning of her life story, she loves the idea of being a mother. And even when the reality of pregnancy includes vomiting while she makes dinner for her beloved husband, she somehow fulfills her favorite role with equanimity and patience. She never complains about the role of mother or wife, and only laments in the later chapters that she cannot fulfill the functions of motherhood, due to her injuries, to her satisfaction. This personal view she holds, glorifying motherhood and marriage, struck me in its uniqueness in the world of women's narratives. So much has been written about the plight of women, and it was refreshing to hear the voice of one who loved everything about her womanhood, especially that aspect of femininity that allowed her to be a wife and mother! Coming from where I do, having walked the long road to motherhood and resenting something about it all the while, whether it was the actual work or simply the way the world looked at us as mothers, I drank Stephanie's message about family like it was pure, spring water on a hot summer day. A few times my learned cynicism asked itself, Is she for real? But always came the feeling that yes, this was the most earnest narrative I had ever read. In a most fundamental way, with all we shared in common, Stephanie of the NieNie Dialogues, was different from me. We were different kinds of women. Her childhood and parentage had prepared her for a different kind of life, and besides that, there seemed to be something inherent to her beautiful soul that prepared her for a life mission centered around family. </div>
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I found that I envied her.</div>
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And then the incredible journey of recovery began in Part 2, and envy receded in shame. She doesn't want my pity; that's clear from her narrative. But whose heart could be untouched in the face of so much internal and external suffering? I can tell you, there was much private sobbing throughout the night as I read, and I only stopped reading four or five times, to help a wakeful child find sleep again. </div>
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How did Stephanie's story change me?</div>
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It taught me more deeply of the intrinsic connection between all of us, the people healing and the people serving; mothers and fathers and children; sisters and brothers and cousins and neighbors; doctors and patients and nurses; grocery store clerks and flight instructors and song-writers. None of us is as individual as we like to believe. And why do we want to believe it, when the connection we share is truly more beautiful and meaningful than any pretended self-reliance could ever be? </div>
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Connection, purpose, faith, and joy are all at the center of <i>Heaven is Here</i>. </div>
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For more about Stephanie and Christian, read her blog, <a href="http://www.nieniedialogues.com/">http://www.nieniedialogues.com</a> or watch videos at the same website. Her book is a New York Times bestseller and she has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey show, celebrating her indomitable spirit and dedication to motherhood.</div>
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Thank you, Stephanie Nielson.</div>
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-43283782860221597872016-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:002018-08-09T11:29:48.051-07:00REMAKE by Ilima Todd<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22299642-remake?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">On Goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<b>The Blurb: </b><br />
<i>Nine is the ninth female born in her batch of ten females and ten males. By design, her life in Freedom Province is without complications or consequences. However, such freedom comes with a price. The Prime Maker is determined to keep that price a secret from the new batches of citizens that are born, nurtured, and raised androgynously.</i> </blockquote>
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<i>But Nine isn't like every other batcher. She harbors indecision</i> <i>and worries about her upcoming Remake Day -- her seventeenth birthday, the age when batchers fly to the Remake facility and have the freedom to choose who and what they'll be.</i></blockquote>
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<i>When Nine discovers the truth about life outside of Freedom<br /> Province, including the secret plan of the Prime Maker, she is<br /> pulled between two worlds and two lives. Her decisions will test<br /> her courage, her heart, and her beliefs. Who can she trust? Who does she love? And most importantly, who will she decide to be?</i></blockquote>
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<b>The Afterglow:</b><br />
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I've had my eye on this book for quite some time, ever since I first saw it at the local Deseret Bookstore. When I got it for Christmas, I was thrilled!<br />
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Gender is a hot-button cultural issue with many psychological and religious, even political, undertones. Thus, I was very impressed to see an author of faith had taken it on. That's brave. People of faith aren't politically popular right now, unless you're the Pope. And wearing it on your sleeve can earn you plenty of condemnation from your peers. Sure enough, when I went to rate this book FIVE STARS on Goodreads, I ended up exposed to plenty of negative, even angry, reviews. Fortunately, there are enough glowing reviews to land it very near to four whole stars cumulatively.<br />
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But this is an Afterglow Review, and this review blog is reserved for those books that wow-ed you, impressed you, or changed you, leaving you somehow better. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22299642-remake?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Remake</a> did that for me. I read it with my husband, which made me blush a bit in the particularly gushy parts, but definitely made the humor more fun. The mystery of it left us speculating and predicting throughout the book as we tried to figure out exactly why Nine is the way she is, so different from everyone else, and what the Prime Maker would do with her if she didn't do what was expected.<br />
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The part that impacted me, though, was the artful articulation of the true meaning and joy of FAMILY. It is, after all, what this book is all about. It ponders the questions, "Is family important? Necessary? Desirable? Or is it restrictive of freedom, oppressive of women, and inciting to revolution?"<br />
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For those of us who advocate for the continued protection of the natural family (I include myself as a homeschool mom who advocates for parents rights), family means something more to us than it seems to mean to those who believe a child is better off as a ward of the state. It means bundles of pride and joy, to be sure, but it also means mutual sacrifice, deep and abiding love, and an eternal sense of belonging that goes beyond all other affiliations in your life. Not everyone feels this way about family, and not everyone has had a beautiful experience in her own family. It can be difficult for family-lovers to articulate exactly why the family unit is worth protecting and proliferating.<br />
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Ilima Todd gently and with plenty of awkward humor, helps us discover the depth of meaning in the family pattern through the eyes of an androgynous girl without family who is fostered into a tight-knit, God-fearing, and hard-working family. From her new mother, she learns what a mother even is, that it's sometimes a painful role to play, and that her impact with a few whispered words can reach her children months later across an ocean. From her new father, she learns how fathers and mothers lead together, how the love of parents is the glue that binds the whole family together, and how to lead with love. From her new siblings, she learns that you can be happy no matter your circumstances, that complaining makes things a lot worse, and that everybody in the family has work they can do for the good of all.<br />
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Even though Nine is eased into this new life, it is still very alien to her, having grown up in a batch of genetically engineered children as the social pariah with only one best friend to protect her from ceaseless teasing. She weighs the good and the bad in what she sees, and struggles with concepts like freedom vs. loyalty or choice vs. acceptance of things that aren't easily changed. All she's ever wanted her entire life is to change who she is completely so she can be more like her best friend in every way, even down to his gender. She mistakenly believes that strength and courage are male traits. Right up to the last chapter, the reader must wonder what she will choose to be. Even if you disagree with the Biblical and historic definitions of family, this story will allow you to explore what a world would be like where children aren't considered their parents' charges and natural birth within families is not only discouraged, but illegal.<br />
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A good dystopia shows us ourselves in a fun-house mirror to make us think about the distortions and what the real picture is and should be. Suzanne Collins in <u>The Hunger Games</u> forced us to realize the disgusting glamorization of violence in our entertainment by inventing a society where war and entertainment were one and the same. Ilima Todd has shown us our disregard for family stewardship, parents rights, and a child's need for the complementary and different abilities of both parents by inventing a society that isolates children from any constant caregivers, punishes parents for procreating and systematically sterilizes new citizens of a city ironically called Freedom 1.<br />
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In one particularly haunting conversation with the Prime Maker, Nine asks herself, <b>"And what if I choose to be me?"</b><br />
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-40210525490040068172016-01-11T10:45:00.001-08:002018-08-09T11:32:05.916-07:00ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE by Gail Carriger<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEs8O9KHHPqdykpP9yLk5lthkJYe7PfhliP9s3RzT_0vJHCgFoIpqEVWCtTl-kOPaVVq7QXCL2PU4gF-gsHxiFDNNX_dsWlzAZJs-9GLSGB8H4HeVRuVPdaRMuf_dc2YLRFQWBPKIIhtU/s1600/Etiquette+and+Espionage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEs8O9KHHPqdykpP9yLk5lthkJYe7PfhliP9s3RzT_0vJHCgFoIpqEVWCtTl-kOPaVVq7QXCL2PU4gF-gsHxiFDNNX_dsWlzAZJs-9GLSGB8H4HeVRuVPdaRMuf_dc2YLRFQWBPKIIhtU/s640/Etiquette+and+Espionage.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10874177-etiquette-espionage?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">On Goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<b>The Blurb:</b><br />
<i>It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.</i> </blockquote>
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<i>Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.<br /> <br />But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.</i></blockquote>
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<b>The Afterglow:</b><br />
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I absolutely loved Gail Carriger's adult series, <u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/46888-parasol-protectorate" target="_blank">The Parasol Protectorate</a></u>, starting with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6381205-soulless" target="_blank">Book the First: Soulless</a>. With the light, witty tone of Jane Austen crashing into the clockworks and invention of Jules Verne, Gail Carriger has hit the sweet spot in her book universe. Set in the same delightful universe, her <u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/58635-finishing-school" target="_blank">Finishing School series</a></u> for teen readers explores a pair of unorthodox boarding schools for boys and girls: one for training up evil geniuses and the other for preparing female intelligencers to face the wild world of espionage and Picklemen.<br />
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I quickly fell in like with the main character of <u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10874177-etiquette-espionage" target="_blank">Etiquette & Espionage</a></u>, Sophronia (love the name!) Temminnick, because of her intelligent fascination with how things work and her innate indifference to fashion and manners. I related to her because she comes from a large family, wears last season's dresses from her older sisters (though in my case it was a cousin), and can't help but be curious about everything! Even better, she doesn't come from a family steeped in the mystery of Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quali-tay. She's more like a scholarship case, referred to in the book as a <i>covert recruit.</i><br />
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With her affinity for stable boys and indifference to gender or racial differences, Sophronia exudes goodness, despite her position at a school for would-be assassins and intelligencers. She is truly a main character to applaud.<br />
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While the many intriguing and mysterious characters come from diverse backgrounds and personalities, the school itself is a character. Its shape, its geographical location, and its propensity to float above the ocean all make the setting one of constant excitement and, yes, of course, danger.<br />
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While I haven't been a teenage girl for some time now, I do have a little anecdote which leads me to believe this book would be equally beloved by teen girls. Knowing my mom's love of good fiction, especially with a 19th century England setting, I gave her the book as soon as I finished it. She took it to work the next day and immediately lost it. Rather, it was stolen. Fortunately, she found it in the hands of one of her "troubled" girls who lives at the school where she works. The girl begged her to get the book approved so she, too, could read it. Apparently, she had read a few pages and was hooked. If that's not a glowing review, I don't know what is.<br />
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I'm waiting on amazon to bring me my sequel copy, <u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15723286-curtsies-conspiracies" target="_blank">Curtsies & Conspiracies</a>.</u><br />
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<b>Have you read Gail Carriger? Would you read her YA series? (Hint: The answer is yes!)</b><br />
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-70957314505268932462015-10-17T09:46:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:36:18.793-07:00LIFE AND DEATH: Twilight Re-Imagined by Stephenie Meyer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFKYqgBgoIRtDTXXQcQv5D6lUI2DcjJOHemMjh89jhFPWx8KFY6WU9GiLN42dDHU7r0KBRHtJqcBWMXDDqEyFnu8rGgk7fK8WyqCI27sjEEpVoqcTSusOr913ysSHKbCt2HgI2GKulB73/s1600/Life+and+Death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFKYqgBgoIRtDTXXQcQv5D6lUI2DcjJOHemMjh89jhFPWx8KFY6WU9GiLN42dDHU7r0KBRHtJqcBWMXDDqEyFnu8rGgk7fK8WyqCI27sjEEpVoqcTSusOr913ysSHKbCt2HgI2GKulB73/s400/Life+and+Death.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26874617-life-and-death?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">On Goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBbOeb8MNFEtjcCaha0Bh2yPbSqSnSMcdIzgx4SA6CmAdYcz7UamawRckLb5DuYZ6y7ZyDKz5Ph8OHqaI6pgNZlw7BV37mJW7Z-KxLfouMtaMyzA_Zt2v6CIMaF5vE4xafx7Fuk4taAT2/s1600/Tenth+anniversary+Twilight+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBbOeb8MNFEtjcCaha0Bh2yPbSqSnSMcdIzgx4SA6CmAdYcz7UamawRckLb5DuYZ6y7ZyDKz5Ph8OHqaI6pgNZlw7BV37mJW7Z-KxLfouMtaMyzA_Zt2v6CIMaF5vE4xafx7Fuk4taAT2/s320/Tenth+anniversary+Twilight+1.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSw3umbG4VhoKFPNA0tnuzTYV_hXyMB4A1KaAr81N8FXuP91Ics8A7w8gp2ANXzyiXYUaW9dWtz3a-qZ8pwbuqc8m2jsH01WIBprccUhiqjXUpvVXYR3VD7KPyQQ3Wpu59_Dw7M8f4I6lf/s1600/Tenth+anniversary+Twilight+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSw3umbG4VhoKFPNA0tnuzTYV_hXyMB4A1KaAr81N8FXuP91Ics8A7w8gp2ANXzyiXYUaW9dWtz3a-qZ8pwbuqc8m2jsH01WIBprccUhiqjXUpvVXYR3VD7KPyQQ3Wpu59_Dw7M8f4I6lf/s320/Tenth+anniversary+Twilight+2.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is why I love Stephenie Meyer! Her publisher contacts her and asks for a letter to put in the front of the <u>10th Anniversary Edition of Twilight</u>. She says, <i>That sounds boring. How about I rewrite <u>Twilight</u>, switching everybody's gender? </i></span></div>
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Seriously, there are few authors so in touch with their fan base. From the apology in the front to the afterword in the back, she talks to fans like we're part of her family. (The apology is that this is not <u>Midnight Sun</u>, the much-hoped-for, unpublished volume of <u>The Twilight Saga</u> that tells the story from Edward's point of view. When that comes out, look for my <i>Afterglow Review</i> because I have already read a portion of it on her website and plan to love the whole thing!)</div>
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First of all, I encountered this re-imagined version of <u>Twilight</u> in Wal-Mart, of all places, while grocery shopping with my family. I picked it up, saw that it was not some spoof but an actual re-imagining by the author herself, and immediately started chuckling like a giddy schoolgirl. My oldest son, who has aged seven years since I first read <u>The Twilight Saga</u>, asked what was so funny. All I could say: "I'm just tickled." </div>
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<u>Twilight</u> came into my life when I was a brand new mom, living in a California apartment, and trying to figure it all out: how to balance my love of writing and reading with my new mom job. Stephenie Meyer became my hero when she showed me it could be done, and it could be fun. Shortly--very shortly--after reading her books, I began writing my own books again. </div>
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You can imagine, then, that I picked up <u>Life and Death</u> with the intention of enjoying it, and I thoroughly did!</div>
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On Monday, October 26, my more scholarly write-up on this latest book will be up on <a href="http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Operation Awesome</a>. Here, I intend to gush, so get ready.</div>
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I loved Beau and Edythe! I loved the way Beau made even more sense than Bella, and that Edythe was more Edward than Edward! From Edythe's calligraphic writing and love of classical music and her perfumed breath to Beau's clumsy height and gait and his tough-guy act and his wooziness from the smell of blood, they just clicked as characters. I can imagine that if I had never read <u>Twilight</u>, <u>Life and Death</u> would have been a hit on its own merits. </div>
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All the elements of the story that I loved are there:</div>
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<ul>
<li>First love, the confusion, uncertainty, and electricity</li>
<li>Obsession tempered with the knowledge that obsession isn't healthy</li>
<li>The innate inequality of a relationship between a human and a superhuman</li>
<li>The irony of falling in love with your opposite, your kryptonite, your prey</li>
<li>Meyer's unique spin on immortality and the rivalry between vampires and werewolves</li>
<li>A hero (Bella/Beau) who would give her/his life for those she/he loves, and even for strangers: a true martyr</li>
<li>Charlie. He hasn't changed, love him.</li>
<li>A happy ending. Cliffhangers are so over-rated! And after all, <u>Life and Death</u> is a stand-alone.</li>
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Beyond that, the chance to play with gender roles and gender stereotypes is one not to be missed! Alpha werewolves that run in a matriarchal line? A Carine Cullen (the female counterpart of Carlyle) who is the father, so to speak, of the family? And Edythe, an incredible, musical, beautiful, hauntingly perceptive woman who happens to fall in love with her kryptonite: Beau. It's a delightful way to revisit our beloved Forks. </div>
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Of course there were parts of the story that had to be altered because they wouldn't quite make sense with a man: biology mostly, but a few stereotypes. For instance, Beau didn't ever do ballet. He ducks into the men's room, not the ladies'. The attack on him in Port Angeles has more of a motive than simply being an easy target (and she sets that up early). But what's amazing is how much of the story didn't need to be altered at all, and it just works. </div>
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My favorite scene in this version was the blood-typing fiasco in Biology and the aftermath. Beau's way of dealing with his embarrassment is just so endearing and different from Bella. In fact, Beau's voice, for me, was more fun to read. I hope Stephenie Meyer will consider writing first person from a male perspective more in the future. From what I've read of <u>Midnight Sun</u> and <u>Life and Death</u>, she can more than handle it. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have you read <u>Twilight</u>? How about this version? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. </span></div>
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-82066746978625756532014-11-10T14:06:00.000-08:002014-11-10T14:08:10.320-08:00STEELHEART by Brandon Sanderson<a href="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9780385743570_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9780385743570_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" height="320" width="211" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">The blurb:</span><br />
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(from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17182126-steelheart?from_search=true" target="_blank">goodreads</a>)<br />
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<i>Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.</i><br />
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<i>He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">The afterglow:</span><br />
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Any blurb I could find simply does not do <i>Steelheart </i>justice. I felt like I had died and gone to reader-heaven.<br />
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Sheer, utter, perfection lies within the pages of this book.<br />
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From a world that is brilliantly crafted and expertly comments on our own society, to characters that are incredibly unique with complex relationships, <i>Steelheart </i>is one of those don't-even-try-to-talk-to-me-I'm-reading type of books. Every page is filled with excitement. Set in Newcago - the villain, Steelheart's, solid-steel transformation of modern-day Chicago - it feels modern and futuristic at the same time. And with the unexplained and almost magical powers of the Epics, this book seamlessly mixes fantasy and science-fiction to create something that is truly extraordinary.<br />
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And the <i>action</i>! I have never, <i>ever</i>, wanted to see a book turned into a movie so bad. It was written perfectly - fast-paced and easy to follow, but also wildly creative and unlike anything I've ever imagined.<br />
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Just ... perfect.<br />
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If you want a book that will simultaneously break your heart, invigorate your mind, fill you with hope, and split your sides with a slew of hilariously bad metaphors, this is the book for you.<br />
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Actually, no matter who you are, this is the book for you. Seriously.<br />
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(When does the sequel come out??)<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">♥tg</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">PS - I looked it up. <i>Firefight</i> comes out in January. Guess who's pre-ordering it.</span>Hermana Tiffany Garnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08512773328198541058noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-5605765623987925192013-07-29T11:16:00.001-07:002013-07-29T11:16:28.756-07:00The Sea of Tranquility by Katja MillayNote: I thought I'd posted my gushing afterglow regarding this amazing book when I finished it a few weeks ago and, come to find out, I never did. How this escaped me until now, I don't know, but I wanted to share this because, not only is the story a great one and Katja's voice beautiful, but what happened with TSOT is the perfect example that self-publishing can lead down paths you never could have dreamed about (you can read about her story, <a href="http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2013/06/kmillay.html" target="_blank">here</a>). And now, here's my review--copied and pasted straight from Goodreads. As usual, my excitement makes me sound a bit annoying, but that's the fangirl going on... the <i>afterglow</i>, if you will. ;)<br />
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<img alt="The Sea of Tranquility" height="320" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1352987353l/16151178.jpg" width="206" /><br />
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Blurb:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>The Sea of Tranquility</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.</span><br />
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***</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>“I know at that moment what he's given me and it isn't a chair. It's an invitation, a welcome, the knowledge that I am accepted here. He hasn't given me a place to sit. He's given me a place to belong.” </em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It's official: I have found my readerly niche. The past few books I have absolutely loved are in the style of The Sea of Tranquility, and now I know why. There's something about a narrative where the MCs tell things like they are; where they let you in on their thoughts and their experiences without filtering or sugar-coating it or sounding completely unrealistic. This is the kind of writing that grabs me. (It's what I enjoy writing most as well, so maybe it's just a me thing, but when it comes to reading and loving books, that's a good enough reason.)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Because I am at a loss for words and there is so much that happens (and I'm sure others have already done a wonderful job of explaining that), I'm going to simply point out a few things I loved.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">1) Neither MC was perfect. Neither claimed to be. Neither made all the right choices and, aside from one choice that I wanted to scream about, nothing annoyed me. (And you know how that is, when the MC drives you nuts because you cannot figure out what ON EARTH they are thinking and you want to knock them upside the head!)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">2) The secondary character/s (Drew especially) were made of gold, too. They had heart, they cared, they had reasons for being who they were, and I truly was just as invested in them as I was Nastya and Josh (oh man, JOSH!). That doesn't always happen for me. With TSOT, it *so* did.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">3) Katja's writing is beautiful and perfect without overly trying, which is my favorite kind of writing. When things flow and move and ebb and you see and feel and hear it all, yet aren't so caught up in the prose that it keeps you from appreciating the experience, I know for sure that I will be reading the book again. And again. And begging everyone I know to read it. And that is definitely true for TSOT. Like I said. It is now on my favorites list.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">4) There are questions not being answered immediately as you read, but this never bothered me. I didn't feel strung along with meaningless events and conversations that kept me from getting somewhere. I was fine with it, because I didn't want the book to rush. I wanted to be in their lives. I wanted to stay there and help them. Some readers might think of TSOT as somewhat slow, but I didn't. I loved it. I feel that Katja played everything out very well.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">5) Did I mention that I loved this book? :)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">If you want to read something that's quick and light, TSOT may not be for you. But if you want to get to know two souls who've dealt with way more than they should at their age, who have to learn how to love and accept things they cannot change (including themselves), and if you want to think about them days later because you felt so much of what they felt, then I highly recommend The Sea of Tranquility. I cannot wait to read what Katja writes next.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">One last quote (because I'm a sucker for good quotes):</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>“Josh isn’t in love with me and I’m not in love with him.”<br />“Sell it to someone who’s buying, Sunshine. Have you seen the way he looks at you?” I’ve seen the way he looks at me but I don’t know what it means. “Like you’re a seventeenth-century, hand-carved table in mint condition.” </em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">*Note: considering some situations and language, I would say <i>The Sea of Tranquility</i> is high-end YA</span><br />
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Add The Sea of Tranquility to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16151178-the-sea-of-tranquility" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br />
Buy The Sea of Tranquility on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1476730946/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0096SYACG&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1V9CS4P0J0800VJS05NV" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
Katja Millay on <a href="https://twitter.com/KatjaMillay" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KatjaMillayAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<br />Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-17489169077460112342013-04-29T10:12:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:39:41.039-07:00The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu (Couple's Review)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRLfTw3fAMea1TqM7_dkgw_JfwRWTUApc2596fwf-R8keqk2F4WjIlLdOdy1P9PF7zd00j7vtmH58s6Y-SfrWOnFgUBJcpNKPfcu93AmRHLEbN-f5_Ft0ClbOnPGoPMXEgrPEHVPrGn9F/s1600/Lives+of+Tao+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRLfTw3fAMea1TqM7_dkgw_JfwRWTUApc2596fwf-R8keqk2F4WjIlLdOdy1P9PF7zd00j7vtmH58s6Y-SfrWOnFgUBJcpNKPfcu93AmRHLEbN-f5_Ft0ClbOnPGoPMXEgrPEHVPrGn9F/s640/Lives+of+Tao+Cover.jpg" width="419" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15981711-the-lives-of-tao">Add on goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Synopsis: </b><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When out-of-shape IT technician Roen woke up and started hearing voices in his head, he naturally assumed he was losing it.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">He wasn’t.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">He now has a passenger in his brain – an ancient alien life-form called Tao, whose race crash-landed on Earth before the first fish crawled out of the oceans. Now split into two opposing factions – the peace-loving, but under-represented Prophus, and the savage, powerful Genjix – the aliens have been in a state of civil war for centuries. Both sides are searching for a way off-planet, and the Genjix will sacrifice the entire human race, if that’s what it takes.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Meanwhile, Roen is having to train to be the ultimate secret agent. Like that’s going to end up well…</span></span></i><b><br /></b><br />
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<b>Afterglow by Bill:</b><br />
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Using the combination of action from a James Bond movie and the dialogue of an Adam Sandler movie, Lives of Tao is one of the most unique spy books you will ever read in your life. The book tells the story of a man named Roen who never thought much of his life until an alien named Tao takes over his body after Tao's previous host dies during a mission. The rest of the book shows the conflict between Roen and the voice in his head (Tao) who gives him the direction and the confidence to better his life and condition himself to become a spy in the fight to safe the human race.<br />
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The dialogue between Roen and Tao, which sometimes can turn serious, is mostly funny as they bicker with one another, as Roen complains about how he will never be a good agent and Tao, who continues to tell about all the men through human history that he was actually controlling. The book contains action when you least expect it and an ending that you would never see coming.<br />
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<b>Afterglow by Katrina:</b><br />
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A perfect date book! Action, comedy, romance, cool factor. Bill and I read this one together over the course of a month. Though we tried to pace ourselves, by the end we couldn't put it down. In my mind, Roen Tan is Kung Fu Panda, all gooey and lovably funny throughout. There's a stark difference between his first attempts at training and the missions he executes near the end. His personal transformation is incredible, yet believable. <br />
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The Lives of Tao is science fiction, but I'm seeing it called a mash-up because it reads a little like a spy thriller in parts. My favorite part, though, is what you can easily see in the synopsis: the funny.<br />
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Whether it's trying to escape a bar fight unscathed by his best friend's arm candy, or watching alien Tao maneuver a large, sleeping human Roen around the living room, the visual comedy is sublime. As Bill mentioned, the dialogue happening inside Roen's brain is also a treat to overhear. You'll end the book wishing you had a wise (and wise-cracking) alien like Tao in your head.<br />
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<b>Who should read it?</b> Teens to adults who like spies, which is pretty much everyone, right?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/03/the-lives-of-tao-excerpt">READ AN EXCERPT at TOR.com</a></b> </span><br />
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</iframe>Bill Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03609596530936880915noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-87183717235068468002013-04-17T10:08:00.001-07:002013-04-17T10:52:34.475-07:00Snark and Circumstance by Stephanie Wardrop<br />
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<img alt="Snark and Circumstance" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358137462l/17238956.jpg" width="212" /><br />
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Blurb on Goodreads: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>One superior smirk from Michael Endicott convinces sixteen-year-old Georgia Barrett that the Devil wears Polo. His family may have founded the postcard-perfect New England town they live in, but Georgia’s not impressed. Even if he is smart, good looking, and can return Georgia’s barbs as deftly as he returns serves on his family’s tennis courts. After all, if Michael actually thinks she refuses to participate in lab dissections just to mess with his grade, he’s a little too sure that he’s the center of the universe. Could there be more to Michael Endicott than smirks and sarcasm? If Georgia can cut the snark long enough, she just might find out</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">.</span><br />
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Example: <i>He shakes his head and his mouth is quirked at one corner. I can't tell if he thinks I am sort of amusing or truly pathetic. It's especially hard to tell because we are both looking resolutely at the teacher so she can't accuse us of not paying attention. We talk out of the sides of our mouths, like gangsters in those old movies my dad likes to watch.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I wasn't sure what to expect from Stephanie's <i>Snark and Circumstance </i>(enovella) but let me tell you, I enjoyed myself. I also laughed. A lot. Georgia, the main character in S & C, rocks. She's a smart girl who knows how she feels about things and what she wants and isn't embarrassed to say it at all. I had seen a few comments on reviews about people not liking Georgia (George, Georgiana... all of the above)'s personality and get that her snarky nature might tug on a few people's nerves, but here's the thing: Georgia is a black t-shirt kinda girl at a school full of girls wearing only sparkly designer camis. (Okay maybe that's not the best description, but she herself says she's the "black sheep" and this is what came to me to describe how she stands out.) She's got attitude and is adamant about the things that matter to her because well, she... cares. Her personality IS snark, hence the title of the novella. It fits her perfectly.<br />
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Regarding the similarities of S & C to Jane Austen's work, I'm going to be honest here: I haven't read much of it, so for me, the connections weren't there. This isn't to say it changed the experience; the set-up was perfect and I didn't need to know anything about that to enjoy myself. (I think knowing the history behind everything Stephanie based this series on would only enhance it so for those of you who "get that", you'll appreciate what she did.)<br />
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I loved how Stephanie's writing swept me up. I'm talking, as I read it I was thinking about her tie-ins and the way paragraphs melted into paragraphs and how her descriptions were so great and visual and still so "Georgia" and at times I was like, man I'm so jealous about how well she does this! I am not a quick-witted person so the way Georgia spouts off all the time makes me think I would have really enjoyed being her friend in high school. (Again, every time she spouts off, it's because she's got a serious emotionally charged reason for doing so.) I also thought about how likely it is that my 13 year-old daughter will really enjoy this series.<br />
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When I read Stephanie's bio and saw that she teaches writing and literature I thought, WELL THERE YOU GO. She knows her stuff and, she does it well. (This is the writer in me speaking now, of course.)<br />
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Another example: <i>"Your powers of observation are formidable," Michael says and Darien giggles behind one perfectly manicured hand, like some sort of preppie geisha.</i> (This is the kind of description that had me a) in stitches and b) seeing the scene perfectly.)<br />
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So that's my review. Snarky, funny, enjoyable, a light read and, like others have commented, way too short. I can't wait to see what happens to Georgia and Michael in <i>Charm and Consequence</i> (the next novella in the series, coming out this May).<br />
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Add to <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17238956-snark-and-circumstance" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b><br />
Find Stephanie on <a href="https://twitter.com/s_wardrop" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
Stephanie's <a href="http://stephaniewardrop.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">blog</a><br />
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<br />Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-74493633218171443602013-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:41:08.271-07:00CHASERS (Alone #1) by James Phelan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEa4TmMiHkIQHXT5kYufDoRXaM_p0mcV9uQUmC97BdLYOmb2USUqi4LOLvo1J9D8nQ7BeWJ2aASTJ8nqFr-vMQ1c5-jfn72Tyh6Oz6RYHg9VIE5gXMRNN6oiMPSGqcW6LADeF_wkYuHdAG/s1600/Chasers+Alone+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEa4TmMiHkIQHXT5kYufDoRXaM_p0mcV9uQUmC97BdLYOmb2USUqi4LOLvo1J9D8nQ7BeWJ2aASTJ8nqFr-vMQ1c5-jfn72Tyh6Oz6RYHg9VIE5gXMRNN6oiMPSGqcW6LADeF_wkYuHdAG/s400/Chasers+Alone+1.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588319-chasers" target="_blank">On goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;">BLURB:</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;">Jesse is on a UN Youth Ambassadors camp in New York when his subway carriage is rocked by an explosion. Jesse and his three friends, Dave, Mini and Anna, crawl out from the wreckage to discover a city in chaos.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;">Streets are deserted. Buildings are in ruins. Worse, the only other survivors seem to be infected with a virus that turns them into horrifying predators... </span></span></i></blockquote>
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AFTERGLOW:<br />
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During the first half of this book<img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=katllan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0758280661" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, I was pretty sure I <i>wasn't </i>going to love it. Like it, yeah. Like 4 stars like. But then I read this:<br />
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<i>We are all storytellers.</i><br />
<i>We write our stories</i><br />
<i>where and when we </i><br />
<i>can.</i><br />
<i>This is mine.</i><br />
<i>I have nothing. </i><br />
<i>I have everything.</i><br />
<i>I am alone.</i><br />
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Maybe you have to have context for this to hit you as hard as it hit me, but it was at this moment that I understood the theme, appreciated the series title, and fell in love with the book. It's a little less than 3/4 into the book.<br />
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I wrote this earlier in the day, at the 40% mark:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #990000;">"I read the first half in a few hours last night and had trouble sleeping. Yay for prayer! It was only after some hardcore praying that I was able to go to sleep. I think I'll try to read the rest of it during the day and then wash it down with some My Little Pony or something. It's just scary and way too realistic-feeling. There are slow parts, which I appreciate in a zombie-esque post-apocalyptic book, and those real survivor parts make it feel a little like Castaway. Castaway with zombies. So yeah. I gotta say, though, the writing is surprising in a good way. The beginning bit has normal dialogue just like any other book, but after the event happens, the quotation marks all disappear and you get this feeling like it's all happening in Jesse's head, almost. Very interesting mechanism there. I'd say it makes the dialogue feel more urgent, and like it's being processed through the fog of trauma. As a writer myself, I always love to see the ways authors pull off something like that. James Phelan has done a fantastic job on his first YA novel. I'll be reading the whole trilogy. The books are shortish, and take place over only a matter of weeks. I'll keep you updated."</span></span><br />
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Time to update you. :) I would definitely keep the Castaway comparison from my comments above, but the chasers aren't quite zombies. They're something else. A couple of times they're compared to grazing cattle, and in the end the way they evolve from the beginning is very surprising. I guess if I were pitching this I'd say it's <b>28 Days Later meets Castaway for teens with an Aussie narrator.</b><br />
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The character arc of Jesse, our main guy the Aussie, works really well throughout the story. By the last page, I feel like his twelve or so days post-event have done their work. He's changed for the better. Honestly, that's a tricky feat for a post-apocalyptic book. There's so much going on, the need for so much world-building and explanations, that authors sometimes fudge on the character growth a bit.<br />
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Not James Phelan.<br />
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This book truly was about Jesse. I guess if he fudged anywhere, it was on the world-building and explanations. You only learn as much as Jesse does, and he's pretty scared so he doesn't take more risks than he has to, which means your information will be limited, too. Other reviewers complained that we didn't see <i>more </i>of the chasers, more action, more thriller.<br />
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I felt the suspense during the quiet moments sustained me well. I did not need more chasers. Not at all. In fact, without the thoughtfulness of this book, it wouldn't have made it to Afterglow. It would have been just another zombie book. It was only in getting to know Jesse and his friends that I understood the major themes, came to see the chasers as more than zombies, and got that cathartic feeling of personal growth for myself.<br />
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Last few pages = pure gold. Loved them.<br />
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I will just say... read during the bright, noisy, happy day. Do not read this at night.<br />
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Or if you disregard my admonition, at least keep My Little Pony queued up for emergencies.<br />
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-36824742653234462482013-04-02T08:02:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:45:47.393-07:00A BANDIT'S STOLEN HEART by Michelle McLean<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4x59z72nzNZhqcPXYUBwvfheU0juEMcJfK7LA5dtHrAW1dKbyYfmshNkS7TqwYgD3il4SCG8rwWWHhxyFxNKWTDhb-uVQzh_Erh9LXAxAY-HCuav717mIN_b46xBGKDSM3Nkd8oFBSAu/s1600/A+Bandit's+Stolen+Heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4x59z72nzNZhqcPXYUBwvfheU0juEMcJfK7LA5dtHrAW1dKbyYfmshNkS7TqwYgD3il4SCG8rwWWHhxyFxNKWTDhb-uVQzh_Erh9LXAxAY-HCuav717mIN_b46xBGKDSM3Nkd8oFBSAu/s400/A+Bandit's+Stolen+Heart.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17698320-a-bandit-s-stolen-heart" target="_blank">Add on goodreads</a><br />
Released April 1, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>Blurb: </b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>Under the persona of the bandit Blood Blade, Cilla Richardson robs from the corrupt and gives to the poor. When an accidental kidnapping leaves her with a handsome captive named Leo Forrester, Cilla finds she has the perfect ally at her side to aid in the fight against the town’s corrupt sheriff. </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>Leo reluctantly agrees to help by marrying Cilla’s older sister but the more time he spends with Cilla, the more determined Leo is to steal her stubborn bandit’s heart. However, Cilla is just as determined to keep her heart to herself. Then innocent people are murdered, and the sheriff blames Blood Blade. With their allies now their enemies, Leo and Cilla must convince the town of her innocence before she ends up on the wrong end of a hangman’s noose.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><b>Afterglow:</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">One word can pretty much sum up Michelle McLean's latest offering: <b>Exciting.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">How else do you describe a book with a train chase, Robin Hood-esque sister bandits, bounty hunters, brazen cattle theft, an evil sheriff, fire, murder, a forgotten mine, and a good old fashioned lynching? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I finished it in one night, up until 2am. Where <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFQDH8A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BFQDH8A&linkCode=as2&tag=lionsparkbook-20&linkId=2bf28f380b1eae6dff61287dfb1cb5b3">To Trust A Thief</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=katllan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00BFQDH8A" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://afterglowbookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/to-trust-thief-by-michelle-mclean.html" target="_blank">(Afterglow review here)</a> brought me back to regency romance, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2RT6BI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00C2RT6BI&linkCode=as2&tag=lionsparkbook-20&linkId=addb78f2b8bca485fb3524ab4b0e5dd5">A Bandit's Stolen Heart</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=katllan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00C2RT6BI" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
made me want to pick up another western immediately after.</span></span> Michelle uses expert characterization and rich setting together to root the reader firmly in the ground of her story. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFQDH8A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BFQDH8A&linkCode=as2&tag=lionsparkbook-20&linkId=2bf28f380b1eae6dff61287dfb1cb5b3">To Trust A Thief</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=katllan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00BFQDH8A" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> rooted me in Victorian times, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2RT6BI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00C2RT6BI&linkCode=as2&tag=lionsparkbook-20&linkId=addb78f2b8bca485fb3524ab4b0e5dd5" target="_blank">A Bandit's Stolen Heart</a> rooted me in the Wild West. I thoroughly enjoyed both rides, though they are vastly different stories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only similarity is the spunkiness of the characters. I don't think Michelle has it in her to write a boring character, which is fine by me! Cilla became the breadwinner of her family (at least in her own mind) at the ripe old age of sixteen. Her devotion to her family, her sense of guilt and duty to help a town besieged by her half-brother the sheriff, and her insistence on doing everything by herself made Cilla a heroine to cheer. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The colorful language had me stopping every few pages to share an excerpt with my husband, even though he was doing some reading of his own and this must have been kind of annoying. I couldn't help myself. Writing this good, writing this fun, was meant to be shared. From paragraph one, page one, my relationship with Cilla--and with her horse Maynard--was cemented as one of respect and amused appreciation. The opening scene is a Blood Blade bandit jewelry heist from a moving carriage. And the driver turns out to be kind of a key player in Cilla's/Blood Blade's life (understatement). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">It is one hell of a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_cute" style="line-height: 19px;" target="_blank">meet-cute</a><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leo came to town looking for his missing brother, but instead found the butt of a gun to his head. To his incredible credit, he <i>still</i> chooses to be noble to his captors when he sees the unrestrained evil they're dealing with in the sheriff (this is no spoiler, as you can learn as much from the goodreads blurb). He is like Cilla in many ways, which is part of what makes their lumpy, broken road romance so fun and infuriating as they insist on misreading each other and at times out-martyring each other. I had to cheer when I realized Cilla was as determined to rescue Leo as Leo was to rescue Cilla. No wilting damsel here.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Then there is the swearing. Something about cowboys swearing is rather endearing, but when Cilla does it, it's just downright hilarious. I loved that each of the Richardson sisters has a fiery temper all her own, though the oldest, Brynne, has the ability to moderate herself. At different points in the story, all three sisters have an opportunity to showcase their stubbornness, whether it's in loyalty, personal determination, or pride. You just gotta love spunk, especially when it comes in threes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Even better, this is a planned trilogy, a book for each Blood Blade Sister:</span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #faf6c7; color: #505050; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Blood Blade Sisters trilogy (Entangled Scandalous 2013) - </b><br />
<span style="background-color: #faf6c7; color: #505050; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">In a time when women are supposed to be seen and not heard, the Richardson sisters go to criminal lengths to take control of their own destinies.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #faf6c7; color: #505050; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This historical romance series will follow Cilla, Brynne, and Lucy Richardson, three sisters in post-Gold Rush California who become “Robin Hoods of the West” in order to right the wrongs committed by their corrupt brother against the townspeople and themselves. When their identity is discovered and they are framed for murder, the sisters must cut a deal with one of their victims, a man who may just prove to be their savior – and the love of Cilla’s life.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #faf6c7; color: #505050; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Each book will follow a different sister - Book One will introduce the sisters and their bandit ways with Cilla being front and center. Book Two will follow Brynne, while Book Three will tell Lucy's story. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;">I'm looking forward to the stories of Brynne and Lucy in Books 2 and 3, though it was with the customary sadness of goodbyes that I turned the last page on Cilla's and Leo's story. I came to love them for the ridiculously feisty, family-loyal martyrs they are. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;">If you haven't read a western in a while, this is the one you want to dive back in. If you haven't <i>ever </i>read a western, start with the Blood Blade Sisters trilogy. It'll be fun!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 19px;">For more from Michelle McLean:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #707070; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; text-align: center;">Disclaimer: author is an Afterglow contributor and provided this reviewer with a copy in exchange for an honest review.</span><br />
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Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-28043193758845864702013-03-26T08:37:00.000-07:002013-03-26T11:48:30.453-07:0017 AND GONE by Nova Ren Suma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>The blurb:</strong><br />
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<span id="freeText8179410176860028077"><em>Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common—they are 17 and gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these waking nightmares, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And… is she next? As Lauren searches for clues, everything begins to unravel, and when a brush with death lands her in the hospital, a shocking truth emerges, changing everything.</em></span><br />
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<strong>The review:</strong><br />
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Nova Ren Suma has quickly established herself - to me, at least - as a writer of the unexpected. As with her last book, IMAGINARY GIRLS, the impression I got from reading the summary was a very different one than I came away with at the end. I would have still loved the story had it played out as a straightforward supernatural mystery, but in Suma's hands, the story becomes something else entirely, and the reader is pulled along with breathtaking, nightmarish urgency.<br />
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I think that building tension is one of the hardest skills for a writer to master, as it's so easy to pull that trigger just a little too soon. Suma is a master at letting each scene build to its own crescendo, and knows how to keep the reader just as unsettled and off-kilter as Lauren is. Her talent for creating atmosphere only amplifies the effect, and I could perfectly picture each lonely setting, whether it was the shuttered, off-season summer camp where Abby disappeared all those months ago, or the darkened house Lauren visits in her dreams.<br />
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My favorite part, though, was the economy with which Suma characterizes each of the missing girls. Whether it was Abby, Erica, Shyann, or Yoon-mi and Maura, I was riveted to each of their stories, and just as interested in learning their fates as Lauren. Some of them get chapters, and some of them get just a few paragraphs, but with each one, the details Suma leaves out are just as compelling as the ones she includes<br />
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To learn more about the story, visit <a href="http://distraction99.com/tag/hauntedat17/">Nova Ren Suma's blog</a>, which is running a fascinating series of posts in which authors talk about the things that haunted <em>them</em> at age 17. Becky Mahoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16891727235981320025noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-59429055305283064782013-03-26T05:00:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:47:33.366-07:00PITY ISN'T AN OPTION by Jessica Brooks<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcZHNnfFKrCNrnAfRYhj3tgDz09rZCuLPgkC4ERAuvG0sp5ekWWETVk5M-E7G1j7vL735c8PseAosXKtcAfJayli5v-iiIrvJRtuGAPNzqmxZ2DZ6LPc3PpghIs6dymFM3gKGKn-b2gja/s1600/Pity+Isn't+An+Option.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcZHNnfFKrCNrnAfRYhj3tgDz09rZCuLPgkC4ERAuvG0sp5ekWWETVk5M-E7G1j7vL735c8PseAosXKtcAfJayli5v-iiIrvJRtuGAPNzqmxZ2DZ6LPc3PpghIs6dymFM3gKGKn-b2gja/s640/Pity+Isn't+An+Option.jpg" width="419" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17525258-pity-isn-t-an-option" target="_blank">Add it on GOODREADS</a></td></tr>
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I am just... moved. Touched. Changed. Which is exactly what Afterglow Book Reviews is here for, to give us a chance to share these book-induced feelings with the world. There's something different about Jessica Brooks' debut novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3HF0EG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00F3HF0EG&linkCode=as2&tag=lionsparkbook-20&linkId=1e3ec10f9f4789f55b6cce31d3176f53">Pity Isn't An Option</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=katllan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1482685779" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. It's more contemplative than I'm used to, and the writing is just gorgeous. It doesn't gimmick or formulate. It just goes. It just journeys. That's how I feel, like I just went on a journey that changed me.<br />
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Have you ever been on an adventure like that in real life? When I was a kid I went on a hike with my family and some friends. It was horrible and wonderful. Our friends got motion sick in the car on the way there. We hiked too slowly. The sun blazed overhead. We ran out of water at the halfway point and still had a long way to get back to the cars. The mother of the other family collapsed with heat exhaustion. We prayed. We walked along a dry riverbed looking for water. And we prayed. And we sucked on Juniper berries. Did I mention we prayed? When we discovered water, we went crazy, jumping all over in it, soaking our hot skin and our clothes, drinking it where it ran down the rocks. Best day of my childhood. I don't even remember the hike back. Just that incredible moment when our prayers were answered and we could fill out canteens for our friends waiting up the trail. One day, one simple adventure. Life defining.<br />
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That's how it feels to read PITY ISN'T AN OPTION.<br />
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It's the first of a series. The author classifies it as YA contemporary with dystopian elements. I'd classify it as near-future YA dystopian. It's a five-years-down-the-road-if-the-economy-keeps-going-downhill-and-our-political-system-gets-even-more-corrupt kind of thing. President Kendrick refuses to relinquish the presidency, and he's forcibly conscripting a civilian army for some unknown purpose. All the citizens know is that when their fathers and sons are taken, they are never heard from again. The Union holds meetings and talks about fighting back, but everyone is scared and nothing ever really happens. Hattie and Jonas experience a day-to-day tension that finally reaches a boiling point and forces them to action. The pace of this novel is slow suspense in the beginning and gets super intense at about the 60% mark. By that point, I felt a bond with the characters that wouldn't let me go. Wanless, their town, just feels all too real. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(It doesn't help that I just read the part in <u>Gone with the Wind</u> when the land around Tara is desolated.)</span><br />
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The theme of the book (from my perspective) is Luke 12:27 "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."<br />
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Dark, yet marbled through with streaks of hope, PITY ISN'T AN OPTION reminds us we're not in control of anything except our own choices. And Jonas and Hattie do not disappoint on that score.<br />
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The blog tour for PIAO has ended, but you can still read excerpts and get to know the author:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lS_CeGkkmr0Gz6Fpw8mwRUYPAcG6yQkU4fMCdpoH65axhK98I7Sw7T0yFRX70kPI-XA3FVpcUY4eeZAaZDsTCYFyjTx9IOdp692tKdTp4A0hl_GFeEj2achGSTJF01l8kJGpFlvoJl6r/s1600/PIAO+banner+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lS_CeGkkmr0Gz6Fpw8mwRUYPAcG6yQkU4fMCdpoH65axhK98I7Sw7T0yFRX70kPI-XA3FVpcUY4eeZAaZDsTCYFyjTx9IOdp692tKdTp4A0hl_GFeEj2achGSTJF01l8kJGpFlvoJl6r/s320/PIAO+banner+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://coffeebooksandme.blogspot.com/2013/03/pity-isn-option-promotional-tour-kicks.html" target="_blank">Le Blog Tour Stops</a></td></tr>
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Full disclosure, Jessica Brooks is one of our reviewers.<br />
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-87362832381820571102013-03-21T05:00:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:50:05.618-07:00SPELLBINDING by Maya Gold<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuFeVK09ril4F6Y-KHFwjUUQcNlAWF0AZ_OEm3cXMXQYydeLXuvUzHMIoY9DFuGoC18UlT9jkXNVBWsLDKBSoNXIUOmYQL_CWQZZYEbqn_CJb775N5whQkUYmhif1ykzJstvDOiPWPWWc/s1600/Spellbinding+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuFeVK09ril4F6Y-KHFwjUUQcNlAWF0AZ_OEm3cXMXQYydeLXuvUzHMIoY9DFuGoC18UlT9jkXNVBWsLDKBSoNXIUOmYQL_CWQZZYEbqn_CJb775N5whQkUYmhif1ykzJstvDOiPWPWWc/s640/Spellbinding+cover.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15703795-spellbinding" target="_blank">Add it to goodreads</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b>The blurb:</b></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">There's more than one way to be powerful . . .</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b>The afterglow:</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I enjoyed reading this so much. It's exactly the sort of book I would have picked up off the shelf of my middle school library and devoured in a day. This book is well-paced and very much devour-able. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In preparing this review, I discovered Maya Gold is not your standard debut author cutting her teeth on a YA paranormal romance. She's written <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2562.Maya_Gold" target="_blank">two handfuls of novels</a> already for the younger YA crowd, and yes I plan to read all of them! Her skill in weaving a story is evident in the pages of SPELLBINDING. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I finished reading this a few hours ago, so I still have that happy little buzz from reading a magical story with a great ending. Here's what I loved about SPELLBINDING:</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It is so refreshing to read a book that ends well and doesn't hint at some massive franchise to come! Spellbinding appears to be a standalone novel. Huge props to the author, Maya Gold, for fitting an entire character arc and romantic arc (love triangle, even) into one book. That's no easy task, and she did it beautifully. (If there are more books to come, I welcome them. It's just nice to read a book without a cliffhanger for once.) :)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The main character is introverted, something we don't see so often anymore in YA (<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/enough-feisty-princesses-disney-needs-an-introverted-heroine/273821/?fb_action_ids=10151549044814919&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582" target="_blank">I recently read an article about this, using Disney princesses as an example.</a>) Yay for personality diversity! (This doesn't mean she is shy necessarily, just that she doesn't crave popularity. Even though Abby is sweet on the popular guy in school, she's not seeking hordes of friends and admirers, and is more content with one or two close friends.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Neither guy in the love triangle is a grade-A jerk. They are both (Travis and Remy) sweet guys (though one runs hot and cold for paranormal reasons) with individual personalities and flaws. In the end we feel one is better for our heroine than the other, but nobody is disqualified on the basis of being a horrible human being. I love this because it's truer to real life, and it requires the heroine to make an actual CHOICE, rather than having that choice made for her by one of her romantic leads doing something unforgivable. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Good old fashioned MAGIC! Ever since I was tiny, I have been head-over-heels in love with magic. All kinds, but there's a soft spot in my heart for the spell-casting kind. The classic trope of girl-discovers-she-has-inherited-magic just hit the spot for me. I noticed many reviewers knocked off a few stars for this, calling it "unoriginal," but for me it was a plus. <a href="http://katrinalantznovelist.blogspot.com/2013/03/blog-chain-keep-calm-and-fall-in-love.html" target="_blank">Note: the story <i>is</i> original; it's the trope that's a classic.</a> Fans of the TV show CHARMED will love it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Solid setting and sense of place. The first thing Maya Gold did in her acknowledgements in the back was to thank her travel companions. It wasn't surprising at all to me that she'd visited Salem or talked with the locals about "local flavor." I felt I was in Salem, anchored solidly in Abby's world by details like local museums, libraries, parks, bridges, town history etc. Descriptions of these places weren't distracting or overly florid, either, as I've seen in a lot of books about real places. Maya Gold does Salem proud.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The ending. The lessons learned. The completion of the character arc. Abby begins insecure, miserable, yearning for some identity, purpose, and for close relationships after her best friend moved away. She ends secure in who she is, understanding where her power comes from, and having several close and healthy relationships (family, friends, and boyfriend). </span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">People are calling this young YA, but all that means to me is that it's not edgy. I would read this with my niece... when she's 12 or 13. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">My one hang-up was actually the cover. I'm a huge marketing buff, and when I realized Abby's eye-color, elemental power, and prom dress all had something in common, I had to wonder why the cover artist didn't use that color at all! It's still a beautiful cover, but seems like quite a missed opportunity. Also, the model's hair is too tame to be Abby's wild tresses. :) </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Cover gripe aside, I loved this book. I look forward to more from Maya Gold, and plan to read her <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2562.Maya_Gold" target="_blank">backlist</a>. Fans of Ally Carter-sized romances will also enjoy Maya Gold's work.</span></span><br />
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-1174301493451966672013-03-20T10:01:00.003-07:002013-03-20T10:02:19.204-07:00BRUISER<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8869480-bruiser" target="_blank"><img alt="Bruiser" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318261800l/1931915.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
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Well, Neal Shusterman has done it again. No matter what this guy writes, he does a darn good job of it.<br />
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In BRUISER, there are four different points of view. Sometimes this is hard to handle in a book when you're switching back and forth, but each character stayed themselves for at least a few chapters, so the switches felt completely seamless. The first two characters are Tennyson and Bronte, twin brother and sister (high-schoolers) whose parents have a couple issues they're dealing with. This affects the home life, which comes into play later on. The next two characters are Brewster (Bruiser--also in high school), and his little brother, Cody. (Neal wrote a bit about the different points of view and shared it on Goodreads, so if you'd like to check it out, click <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/225084182" target="_blank">here</a>. ***Warning... if you're like me and detest spoilers... don't check it out until you're halfway through the book.)<br />
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Since I try not to know too much about a book going into it, I was taken aback by the actual premise of BRUISER. For some reason I had in my head that this was going to be a "bully book". But oh, man. <i>So</i> different. Brewster stays away from everyone all the time, but the reason behind that choice is not what you think at all. In fact, as you begin to read you're convinced his uncle is a flat-out jerk and think you've got the problem solved and want to scream IT'S SO SIMPLE JUST DO THIS BREW!!!! but the further you get into the book, the more you realize so much is intertwined that the detangling would take a while... it's just like life... answers come in every shade of if and or but, maybe, and everything in between.<br />
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Tennyson and Bronte have an awesome relationship. They're close, as they've been together their entire lives, but at the same time, each has their own quirks. As the family dynamic changes, they stick together, which shows their strong bond. Tennyson loves to push Bronte's buttons; he plays lacrosse. Bronte is a smart cookie who wants to solve problems. (Brewster isn't an easy problem to solve.)<br />
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And Brewster and Cody... well... Brewster proves his love for Cody (without even trying) over and over and over again.<br />
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You know you've got a good book in your hands when lines throughout the ebook have been highlighted by readers numerous times. Take this one, by Tennyson, for instance:<br />
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<i>You think you want to know the secrets of the universe. You think you want to see the way things fit altogether. You believe in your heart of hearts that enlightenment will save the world and set you free.</i><br />
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<i>Maybe it will.</i><br />
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<i>But the path to enlightenment is rarely a pleasant one.</i><br />
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Or this one, which I personally loved, by Bronte:<br />
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<i>... Happiness is a vector. It's a </i>movement<i>. Like my own momentum across the pool, joy can only be defined by the speed at which you're moving away from the pain. </i><br />
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<i>Certainly our family could reach a place of absolute, unchangeable bliss at Brew's expense; but the moment we arrived, the moment we stopped moving, joy would become as stagnant and hopeless as perpetual despair.</i><br />
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I'll be honest--I loved every single one of the characters. The quotes I chose make it seem like a very depressing book (sorry), but it's really not. I laughed out loud many times.<br />
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Brewster, however, holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it's the fact that he's the only one Neal wrote in verse novel form. Maybe it's because he sacrifices himself for everyone he cares about. I don't know. But I'll leave you with a short quote by Brewster (talking about his brother, Cody, and himself).<br />
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<i>He nods and begins to cry,</i><br />
<i>But it only lasts an instant,</i><br />
<i>Because before a single tear falls,</i><br />
<i>His sorrow becomes mine,</i><br />
<i>A heaviness in my heart,</i><br />
<i>A sting in my eyes.</i><br />
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This is Brewster and the premise of the book, in a nutshell.<br />
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Add to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8869480-bruiser" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br />
<br />Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-87389554726435042452013-03-18T05:00:00.000-07:002018-08-09T11:59:09.395-07:00STUNG by Bethany Wiggins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX66X4PKGUffTSEmXRxC2uEtM7QCr7vUf-50DjphuNJJpesW_knQuq-wSdkyvpaib4EYwZKkJzdKnFeI0Jq74CKX6B_mjAdSI7Cd_o8KH9vRdCZzK6I1kTNx7oWtgVbMKn-dijNqN7jEor/s1600/Stung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX66X4PKGUffTSEmXRxC2uEtM7QCr7vUf-50DjphuNJJpesW_knQuq-wSdkyvpaib4EYwZKkJzdKnFeI0Jq74CKX6B_mjAdSI7Cd_o8KH9vRdCZzK6I1kTNx7oWtgVbMKn-dijNqN7jEor/s640/Stung.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802735894/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0802735894&linkCode=as2&tag=lionsparkbook-20&linkId=6e39fbf2dc166959992d4b54ddd09c92">Amazon: Stung by Bethany Wiggins</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=katllan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0802734189" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold;">About the Book</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Releases April 2nd, 2013 by Walker Childrens</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">304 Pages</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">There is no cure for being stung.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Afterglow:</span></b></span></div>
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I just finished a NetGalley e-ARC of this book, and I'm giddy with excitement over this series. Having read and loved Bethany Wiggins' debut, SHIFTING (<a href="http://afterglowbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/shifting-by-bethany-wiggins-swoonworthy.html" target="_blank">Afterglow review here</a>), I jumped at the opportunity for an early look at STUNG, the first book in a new series.<br />
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My initial thoughts were that this had some of the same elements I loved from THE MAZE RUNNER (<a href="http://afterglowbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/maze-runner-by-james-dashner.html" target="_blank">Afterglow review here</a>):</div>
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<li>unreliable protagonist with a compromised memory</li>
<li>hints about some horrible disease</li>
<li>a giant wall between safety and horror</li>
<li>special terms specific to this universe</li>
<li>twisty plot that plays with the concepts of good/bad, obedience/rebellion</li>
<li>a balance of hope and despair</li>
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This is just to point out similarities within the YA dystopia/thriller genre, and not to imply any kind of copy-catting. STUNG is unique in many ways. One of my favorite ways is the Sleeping Beauty retelling aspect. I also love that Fiona, our first-person protagonist is not hardened against the world. In fact, the last she can remember, she was only thirteen. She woke up four years older but with all the emotions and memories of a thirteen-year-old. That's an ambitious undertaking for any author, but Bethany Wiggins does a great job showing how a thirteen-year-old would act when thrust into a situation--and a body--that demands she behave like an older person. I read a scathing review of this book (I must stop reading those) that questioned a lot of Fiona's reactions. That reviewer seemed to think she was reading about Lara Croft. Fiona is not Lara Croft. She's Fiona Tarsis, a seventeen-year-old girl who can't remember the past four years of her life. A prodigious pianist who is used to comforts and protection. Characterization is one of the areas Bethany Wiggins excels at! Recall my SHIFTING <a href="http://afterglowbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/shifting-by-bethany-wiggins-swoonworthy.html" target="_blank">review</a>, wherein I raved about the character Maggie Mae, as one of the most complete, realistic characters I'd ever read. Particularly in a high-concept novel, it's a feat to include this depth of characterization, if only because the author is usually so busy fleshing out a whole new world and keeping the pace lively. </div>
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Fast-paced is how I would describe STUNG. It really did catch me up in the beginning and not let go until the ride was over. I loved the romance. I felt I was watching two people with a shadowy history as childhood acquaintances come to see each other in a new light, and they fall in love at a human pace. Although I love a rip-roaring action pace as much as the next YA dystopia reader, I like my romance to be more thoughtfully paced, a la Katniss and Peeta. </div>
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As a loose retelling of Sleeping Beauty, it has a fantastic twist in the end that puts Fiona in the Prince role, so to speak. And there is lots of kissing. :)</div>
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Who will love STUNG? Fans of SHIFTING, THE MAZE RUNNER, THE HUNGER GAMES, DIVERGENT, and anybody who craves action in their fiction. There's no shortage of it here!<br />
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p.s. Don't you just love this cover?<br />
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Find Bethany:
<a href="http://bethanywiggins.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4582548.Bethany_Wiggins" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/WiggB" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
Find Stung:
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13517444-stung?ac=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stung-bethany-wiggins/1111414296?ean=9780802734181" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802735894/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0802735894&linkCode=as2&tag=lionsparkbook-20&linkId=6e39fbf2dc166959992d4b54ddd09c92" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Stung-Bethany-Wiggins/9780802734181" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780802734181" target="_blank">IndieBound</a><br />
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<a href="http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Operation Awesome</a> will be joining the STUNG blog tour on March 27-28.<br />
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-32291608709655017152013-02-28T01:52:00.000-08:002018-08-09T12:05:40.338-07:00THE FORGETTING CURVE by Angie SmibertMy first read of 2013 was MEMENTO NORA by Angie Smibert, and I <a href="http://afterglowbookreviews.blogspot.com/2013/01/memento-nora-by-angie-smibert.html" target="_blank">Afterglowed</a> that one, too.<br />
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But Book 2 in the series?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even. better!</span><br />
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I just clicked out of my kindle copy of THE FORGETTING CURVE and I am experiencing some serious Afterglow feels. Angie Smibert is an expert at giving me a less-than-happy ending that manages to offer both hope and <i>meaning</i>. I kind of feel like part of the revolution now.<br />
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Before I get too rambly, let me show you the book I'm gushing over:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYSlKnEIbzzq0sScxiqJz2TDhqZHsSqaF_ehCWQHLif3IpSNCgmHKSwjR9UjF5kUC2WO7VsaHm7-AgRaiMeP4bgolsdGZpOLwkqUVUFNsIFAoueKXBTqDdGvNQcPKPfvH2HuAxDVzWPS5/s1600/The+forgetting+curve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYSlKnEIbzzq0sScxiqJz2TDhqZHsSqaF_ehCWQHLif3IpSNCgmHKSwjR9UjF5kUC2WO7VsaHm7-AgRaiMeP4bgolsdGZpOLwkqUVUFNsIFAoueKXBTqDdGvNQcPKPfvH2HuAxDVzWPS5/s320/The+forgetting+curve.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12597209-the-forgetting-curve" target="_blank">add it on goodreads</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>"This sequel to Memento Nora follows tech-wiz Aiden, who joins the growing underground resistance."</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><i><b>DISCLAIMER: Not the actual blurb. Goodreads was lame, so I wrote my own:</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>Fresh out of his boarding school in Switzerland, where terrorist attacks are only just beginning, Aiden is looking for trouble, doors to rattle on, code to de-crypt, something--anything--to hack and charm his way into. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>His cousin Winter sent him some strange hollowed out book filled with a homemade comic called MEMENTO, but when he joins her in the states, she doesn't remember sending it... or printing it... or ever seeing it before in her life. All she can tell him is that it's definitely her friend Micah's artwork. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>Winter, you see, is crazy. Her parents think so. Her doctors think so. The hummingbirds that flutter in her mind disagree. So do her kinetic sculptures, lurching and ticking and beeping in the breeze of her grandfather's Japanese-style rock garden. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>Velvet knows Winter isn't crazy, not that anybody would ask a thrift store clerk with no specific talents or hobbies other than being able to throw together a killer retro outfit. Velvet has Aiden's number from the beginning, and she won't be charmed into anything. But when Aiden comes up with a way to save Winter from the over-medication that's turning her into Stepford Winter, even Velvet is impressed... a little bit. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>Then things get intense. People aren't just forgetting anymore. They're remembering things that didn't really happen. </i></span></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The MemeCast infiltrates mobiles. The revolution will be co-opted. </i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">No place is safe anymore.</i></td></tr>
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<b>My Afterglow: </b><br />
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I read a review for this second book before I had the chance to start it myself, which I always/usually regret. This time it set my expectations kind of low because the reviewer didn't enjoy the narrating characters (Winter, Aiden, and Velvet) as much as she had in the first book (Nora, Micah, and Winter).<br />
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Boy, I couldn't disagree with her more!<br />
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As much as I enjoyed the first book, I LOVED the second book.<br />
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The narrators were my kind of crazy (literally, different brain chemistry from "normal" folks), and each with his or her own unique way of seeing the world.<br />
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For Winter, it's the hummingbirds (caged bird motif?) that drive her to tinker, to create.<br />
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For Aiden, it's this idea of needing to rattle doors, see which ones will open to him (hacker).<br />
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For Velvet, it's a killer sense of thrift store fashion with her very own Book of Velvet filled with rules that keep her emotionally safe.<br />
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See what I mean? They're crazy. And I LOVED it. Set against a backdrop of corporate/government conspiracy to control the populace with TFC's (the distributor of a neurochemical that "helps" you forget traumatic events), <b>crazy is exactly what we need for tour guides</b>!<br />
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Beyond the killer concept of this, and the fantastic characterization, there's this wellspring of emotion that just freaking geysers at the end. The last few scenes are short and painful, and yet...<br />
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Like I said before, there's this hope. There's this <i>meaning</i>.<br />
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It's profound.<br />
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Without the violence of the Hunger Games series (which I also read and loved), MEMENTO NORA and THE FORGETTING CURVE give you all that deep, thoughtful exploration into the mind of man, his free will vs. the machine. Even though both series are dystopias, it's not really a comparison because the books have completely different tones. The narrators of MEMENTO NORA and THE FORGETTING CURVE are more accessible than Katniss, at least to the modern teen. It's a glossy future, not a dusty coal town. It's a future within which many teens can probably picture themselves trapped... in a "safe" living compound with parents who make sure they're properly chipped according to the law. As such, it feels more present, like something you might live through in your lifetime.<br />
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The character arcs totally worked. The relationships felt genuine (which is why the emotion geyser at the end hit me so hard). I can't wait to read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14762237-the-meme-plague" target="_blank">The Meme Plague</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.angiesmibert.com/blog/?p=1004" target="_blank">Here's</a> what the author says about the third book, set to release August 13, 2013.<br />
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</iframe>Katrina L. Lantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871272394922775923noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-71920868283317353952013-02-24T15:33:00.002-08:002013-02-24T15:35:55.905-08:00The Runaway King<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!</span></div>
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This blurb doesn't tell nearly enough about everything that happens in book two of the Ascendance Trilogy. As I've just finished it, I'm still attempting to decide what's worth mentioning, and what isn't. What I think, bottom line, though, is that it's important to know that no matter what you think about anyone in THE FALSE PRINCE, you need to have an open mind in THE RUNAWAY KING. So many things are not what they seem in TRK!!! Things are constantly changing!</div>
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I'll be honest--I'm the first person to admit that when I finish a book I like things wrapped up in a pretty little bow and completely resolved. So, going into THE RUNAWAY KING, after having so much happen in <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12432220-the-false-prince" target="_blank">THE FALSE PRINCE</a>, I wanted to enjoy the fact that things had finally been fixed and Jaron (or is it Sage???) was the ruler of Carthya. (YAY) So when conflict arose (almost immediately), I was a little frustrated. I mean, really, Ms. Nielson? Could we not, I don't know, simply celebrate the arrival at the point the entire previous book worked so hard to get us to for at least a little while?</div>
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But, the further I got into the book, the more I enjoyed it. As in THE FALSE PRINCE, the chemistry between Jaron and Imogen was still obvious and alive. I'm not going to say much more about that except that the way he treated her at first made me want to scream; but he did something later proving he'd learned from that action, and that really redeemed him for me. Jaron learns a lot in this book, actually--especially how to see other people's feelings, and how to better share his own. And he continues to have such quick wit that I find myself laughing at his responses.</div>
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As I said, the blurb doesn't say enough about everything that goes down in TRK. <strike>Jaron</strike> Sage infiltrates the most unlikely group of people, and one person you'd never expect to come against him wants him dead. I wish I could say things were wrapped up in that perty little bow, but as usual, the moment things seemed wrapped up and resolved and I had that "yay to this ending" smile on my face, another issue arose. </div>
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Which brings me to my conclusion: Why must I insist on reading books the second they come out? The final book in the Ascendance Trilogy is sure to be full of action--true, it'll probably be a year until reading it is a possibility, but I can't wait. </div>
Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-26732316213262234382013-02-20T03:00:00.000-08:002013-02-20T03:22:47.652-08:00Rouge by Leigh Talbert Moore<a href="http://ahandfulofconfetti.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/rouge.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://ahandfulofconfetti.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/rouge.jpg" width="425" /></a><br />
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From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16161267-rouge">Goodreads</a>:</div>
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<i>Hale Ferrer is the rising star of the hottest cabaret in New Orleans. And her one goal is escape. Escape from the lies, from the crime, and from her growing fear that one day she'll have to earn her living in the secret back rooms, where the dancers do more than dance.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>But she won't leave behind Teeny, the orphan-girl she promised to protect.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>Freddie Lovel is rich, handsome, and in love with Hale, and he's ready to sweep her away with him to Paris. But her heart is captured by Beau, the poor stagehand with eyes as blue as Louisiana iris flowers.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>Denying her fears, Hale is ready to choose love and a life with Beau, until a predator hidden in the wings launches a chain of events that could cost her everything--Teeny, their one hope of escape, and possibly even her life.</i><br />
<br />
I must say, I went into this book with some unfair expectations. I mean, Leigh is a friend of mine, and I know she's a talented writer, but let's just say a historical romance about a cabaret singer is not the type of novel I generally pick up, or would want to be seen reading by my co-workers.<br />
<br />
But I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there's plenty of kissing and deep sighing, but there is also intrigue, violence, corruption, and even murder.<br />
<br />
Moore's portrayal of Reconstruction Era New Orleans is vibrant and detailed, and you can feel the city teeming with life and culture, even as Rouge's characters flee from it. Then there's the theater, the actors, the dancers, the singers, and yes - the stagehands. I've never lived in a theater the way Hale and her companions do, but I did used to be a stagehand in a former life, and the way Leigh portrays the camaraderie of life in the theater, and how well she understands the magic of <i>the show must go on</i> is clearly evident in this tale.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I don't want to give too much away, but I will just briefly add that what really sold me on this novel was the ending. It was bittersweet, certainly, but it was honest, and I loved that the author had the courage not to take the easy way out.<br />
<br />
I look forward to reading more from Leigh Talbert Moore, and would recommend this book to anyone, but especially any reader interested in the nefarious ways of the denizens of a historical Big Easy.Matthew MacNishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-86154975483722538772013-02-16T10:11:00.001-08:002013-02-24T15:36:21.137-08:00Unravel Me<br />
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The Goodreads blurb:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">tick</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">tick</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">tick</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">tick</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">tick</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">it's almost</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">time for war.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In this exhilarating sequel to</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Shatter Me</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.</span></div>
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Wow. Just.... Wow. I'm so glad I stayed away from spoilers before reading this. There were a couple of unexpected twists that had me sitting up in my bed yelling, "Holy crap"! And "This is going to be such a good movie--is it going to be a movie?" and "oh my GOSH!!!"</div>
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Without giving too much away, <b>Unravel Me</b> picks up with Juliette and Adam (her boyfriend, one of two people in the entire world immune to her deadly touch) and Adam's pal, Kenji, in the compound they escaped to at the end of the first book in the trilogy, <b>Shatter Me (</b>the compound's called Omega Point<b>)</b>. Kenji is by far my favorite character out of all of them, now. He's the quick-witted, sarcastic friend everyone wants to knock upside the head, but still loves to pieces.</div>
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One of the main points in<b> Unravel Me</b> is Adam and Juliette trying to learn how to deal with/harness their "energy". Adam discovers something about his "energy" that is a big issue in his relationship with Juliette (Issues are constantly coming up in this book. Constantly.) and that's quite the problem. Juliette still isn't sure how to get her strength to work on command, though boy are there some up close and personal strength moments in there!</div>
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Another main point is Warner. Now, if you plan on reading this series, I am telling you, you need to read the novella (ebook), <b>Destroy Me</b>, before reading <b>Unravel Me</b>. I am serious. This is Warner's story, it gives you a window into his brain, his heart and his soul, and not reading it before <b>Unravel Me</b> will only make you want to go read it halfway through <b>Unravel Me</b> to hear more about him, anyway (or kick yourself for not reading it first when you read it after <b>Unravel Me</b>). So, just read it first. I promise you will thank me later.</div>
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Regarding sensuality in this book, the heat is turned up even higher than in <b>Shatter Me</b>. Another... wow. There are moments you really truly did not think would ever happen. There are moments you're wanting something to happen, even though you know you should not be wanting it to happen! I wish I could say more, but I don't want to give it away! (As I was reading/reacting, my 13 year-old asked if she could read it. It's going to have to be a no--obviously others will feel different, but I'm talking hot and steamy Nicholas Sparks-y scenes here, guys.)</div>
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Regarding the "holy crap" moments, I am not going to ruin the mystery. But let me just say, Tahereh did a wonderful job of tying something in perfectly to where I almost thought later, <i>Well of course she would write it that way--it's perfect. Of course! </i>(And then another <i>OH MY GOSH</i>!)</div>
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A quick point before I draw this (hopefully really vague but decent) review to a close: for readers who have issues with Tahereh's prose and metaphors, I personally felt that she relaxed on those a little bit. (Or maybe I was just reading over them too quickly to notice!) And honestly, if just feels like Juliette. That's who she is.</div>
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Bottom line: if you liked<b> Shatter Me</b>, you're going to love <b>Unravel Me</b>. If you liked the novella <b>Destroy Me</b>, you're going to love <b>Unravel Me</b> even more. And if you're like me, you're definitely going to be rooting for... Warner.</div>
Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-16961376463394766892013-02-13T22:09:00.002-08:002013-02-24T15:36:37.506-08:00Code Name Verity<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><img alt="Code Name Verity" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337032835l/12851538.jpg" width="133" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Before I begin, I’d like to
clarify that this is my first *ever* official review. (Not sure if there are
particulars to doing this, but I’m going to go with my reaction and opinions,
as the whole title of Afterglow Book Reviews <i>is</i> the afterglow when finishing a book, and I
<i>just finished</i> CODE NAME VERITY.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’d like to be upfront by
saying that I don’t usually purchase books based solely on reviews (as in, most
books are purchased because I’ve seen them around online--trending in my Twitter
feed, blowing up the blogs, things like that); but I hardly ever up and order a
book because of reviews alone. In fact, the last time I ordered a book based on
shock and emotional and surprised reactions only via reviews was THE FOREST OF
HANDS AND TEETH. (I tend to find some of the best books this way, I’ve noticed--and
they’re usually not books I’d normally buy for myself.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I almost don’t even know
where to start, there’s so much in this book. Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter
what I do.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to
enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and
cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught
red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to
avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All
I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War
Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my
friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of
Two.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">We are a sensational team.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This is the premise of <b>Code
Name Verity</b>. To be honest, I did not expect it to open with the MC already
captured and writing her confession. But her voice--oh her voice! Wein does a
memorable job of creating a character who is speaking like someone at her wit’s
end, being tortured and forced to confess, while having more strength than most
of us would ever have in the same situation. I was enthralled and loving it by
the end of page one. Here’s an example (from my book’s page 6): </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">.<i>..I am a
prisoner in the Ormaie Gestapo HG because I have no sense of direction
whatsoever. Bearing in mind that the people who trained me encouraged my
blissful ignorance of airfields just so I couldn’t
tell you such a thing if you did
catch me, and not forgetting that I wasn’t even told the name of the airfield
we took off from when I came here: let me remind you that I had been in France
less that 48 hours before that obliging agent of yours had to stop me being run
over by a French van full of French chickens because I’d looked the wrong way
before crossing the street. Which shows how cunning the Gestapo are. "This
person I’ve pulled from beneath the wheels of certain death was expecting
traffic to travel on the left side of the road. Therefore she must be British,
and is likely to have parachuted into Nazi-occupied France out of an Allied
plane. I shall now arrest her as a spy. ”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This is how the first bit of
the book goes. Her banter. Her defiance. Her fear of being tortured. And then,
just as you think you know what’s going on, things change. And then, they
change again. And again. And... again. Until things build up to a point where
you love these two girls and you feel what they feel and you get why they’re
doing what they’re doing and yet surprised at the same time that half of what
you thought was going on was actually something else entirely, and then the
scene--THE SCENE--and the emotional part I had read about on the reviews and was anticipating just hit
me and I was so emotional about it <u>I actually had to set the book down and walk
away</u>. (This has never happened to me before.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As I type this, I am still
affected by it. And yet, the story continues. (I went back to reading a couple of hours later.) I can’t imagine anyone not liking
<b>Code Name Verity</b>, but as I was impatiently awaiting its arrival, I read a few
reviews and was shocked to see that some people flat-out hated the plane/flight elements of
the book (it’s quite a bit of info, yes, but I did what I always do when I don’t
“get” something I read about... I took the character for what they said, or glazed over it when I couldn’t perfectly picture it). One
reviewer said they couldn’t even bear to finish it--I understand how subjective
reading is (and here’s a quick shout-out to writers everywhere--this is life,
it is never going to change, some will love us and some will hate us, but for
the ones who don’t like what we’ve written, there are ten who do, and for the
ones who didn’t like it, they’ll find ten books that they do) but all I could think as
I read that one part, the part that tore me apart was DID THEY GET THIS FAR? WHEN
THEY QUIT, HAD THEY READ TO THIS POINT?????<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So bottom line, I loved <b>Code Name Verity</b>. I loved the characters, I loved the setting
(World War II--Europe), I loved Wein’s voice. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Quick side note since this is YA: there is a <i>bit</i> of profanity in it, but in my opinion, it's all in context. Considering what was going on, however, it was used quite rarely.)</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767428484141513633.post-27765969006093481302013-02-08T10:10:00.000-08:002018-08-09T12:09:03.811-07:00TO TRUST A THIEF by Michelle McLean<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbxvpheWerluI_diKguKeFLWD4OWHV9WUnvSmeWKGXoLvHqZ0-9es6WWMOiWEK3LOt-XOdQW55f_YYI6I3NQ1-bBwRcizqwDeuwpifZHu_Tt1YHeOKBHbOXk7SIEUDXY2DZaizXfr8Evf/s1600/to+trust+a+thie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbxvpheWerluI_diKguKeFLWD4OWHV9WUnvSmeWKGXoLvHqZ0-9es6WWMOiWEK3LOt-XOdQW55f_YYI6I3NQ1-bBwRcizqwDeuwpifZHu_Tt1YHeOKBHbOXk7SIEUDXY2DZaizXfr8Evf/s320/to+trust+a+thie.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17267147-to-trust-a-thief" target="_blank">On goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The Blurb:</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Minuette Sinclair's parents are in trouble and her fake fiancé is too. A legendary lost necklace might be their salvation, and Min is determined to find it and use it to buy her family and fiancé out of their misfortunes.</span></span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Master thief Bryant Westley is also looking for the fabled necklace. He knows Min’s got information he can use so he poses as her dance instructor and tries to seduce it from her.</span></span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">What he doesn’t count on are his feelings for her. He offers to partner up in the search – even though she is a distraction he can’t afford. </span></span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Things become more complicated when Min realizes that her convenient engagement means more to her fake fiancé than her and that she’s fallen in love with Bryant. Bryant realizes that he can’t double cross the young lady he’s come to love. Can they find the necklace together and admit their love before it’s too late?</span></span></i></blockquote>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Afterglow:</b><br />
<br />
Sexy and suspenseful, <a href="http://www.authormichellemclean.com/p/novels.html" target="_blank">To Trust a Thief</a> kept me on the edge of my seat as well as making me fall in love with the characters. Lost treasure, hidden rooms, a regency era boarding school for girls, and a hot dance instructor who's really a master thief. What more can you want in a romance novel?!<br />
<br />
I was blown away by this book. I've read my share of candy romances, where it's all so predictable and delicious, but this is not a candy romance. It's got romance -- oh boy, does it have that! But it's also a mystery, a coming of age story for a young Victorian woman, a love triangle, a treasure hunt, a bit of a scandal. The characters in this Victorian era finishing school are not well-behaved. <br />
<br />
Minuette is a heroine to root for. She has fears like anyone, but she's brave when it counts. She's clumsy, but it's endearing and totally believable thanks to her wild island upbringing. From the beginning, the reader is led to feel Aunt Laura's hopes to refine Min Sinclair are hopeless. Bryant is truly a master thief, but one with a personal code of honor -- the best kind. <br />
<br />
Arthur... oh, Arthur. I loved this character so much, and my heart broke for him a hundred times in the course of reading this book. Charlotte, Min's best friend, and Arthur, really make this book for me. Their loyalty and common sense make the larger-than-life-ness of Bryant and Min actually work. Bryant also has a loyal friend who surprises me with his devotion toward the end of the book. <br />
<br />
I can't say enough about the depth and passion in this book. I just loved it, and finished reading it at nearly 2am this morning. The author has <a href="http://www.authormichellemclean.com/p/blood-blade-sisters.html" target="_blank">a gold-rush era historical romance trilogy</a> coming out this year, and I simply cannot wait to read more from <a href="http://www.authormichellemclean.com/" target="_blank">Michelle McLean</a>.<br />
<br />
(full disclosure: Michelle is an Operation Awesome blogger)<br />
<br />
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