ANGELFIRE by Courtney Allison Moulton

I know, I know. Three reviews in two days. I promise I'll slow down after this.

The Blurb:


First there are the nightmares.


Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.


when Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.


Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for their secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

The Afterglow:


AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!

I. Love. This. Book.

I haven't been this excited since the seventh Harry Potter book came out! (And that's saying something!) It seriously may be my new favorite book. Oh my gosh. Not only is the plot interesting and original, the writing is vivid and descriptive and I felt as if I was watching a movie. I wouldn't be surprised if this does turn into a movie someday. The characters were gripping and realistic, and I found myself attached to them almost from the very beginning.

This book is action packed. There's not a moment of it that is dull. Not only are the scenes full of adrenaline, they are easy to envision. I found myself taking notes for the battle scenes in my own books, but I don't think I could ever match ANGELFIRE.

The love story----Oh. My. Gosh. I felt as if my heart was going to break in almost every chapter. Can I please have Will to myself? Please please please?! That would be the best present ever. I think I love him--no, I know I love him.

So, that's all I'm going to say about it....I don't want to spoil everything, and if I keep typing much longer I will. If you love action-packed YA fantasy, and even if you don't, pick this book up. Tomorrow if possible.

When WINGS OF THE WICKED comes out next year, you will find me at the store the next day. I guarantee it.

♥tg

BEAUTY by Robin McKinley

The Blurb:


A strange imprisonment.


Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

The Afterglow:


When I went to Borders yesterday to take advantage of the liquidation sale, I saw this book sitting on the shelf and immediately picked it up. It had been recommended to me before, and Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story ever told. My favorite version is the French tale, and I knew this book was a retelling of that.

What I didn't know was how much I would enjoy it.

Not only did it beautifully retell the story I know and love so well, it went into far more detail than I was used to, and I loved it! I loved learning more about the enchantments and the Beasts' family history from McKinley's point of view, and I loved the twists she added to the story. For example, in the original tale Beauty's sisters are vain and selfish, while in BEAUTY they are kind and selfless.

The twist I loved the most was the fact the Beauty herself is not beautiful. She is very plain looking at the beginning of the book, and is constantly avoiding her reflection in the mirror. I have always felt a kinship with Beauty, but I couldn't get over the fact that she was so beautiful and I didn't see myself that way. Reading this book from her point of view, I could relate to all of her insecurities, and it made me fall in love with the story all over again.

♥tg

SONG IN THE SILENCE by Elizabeth Kerner

The Blurb:

Lanen Kaelar has dreamed of dragons all her life. But not just dreaming, for Lanen believes in dragons. 

Her family mocks her that dragons are just a silly myth. A legend. But Lanen knows better. And she means to prove it. One day she sets out on a dangerous voyage to the remote West to find the land of the True Dragons.

What she discovers is a land of real dragons more beautiful—and surprising—than any dream she could have imagined.

The Afterglow:

So the little blurb I found doesn't do this book justice.

I just finished reading this book for the second time, because I love it so much! The characters are so believable and the story is captivating. Not only is it a wonderful epic fantasy, it's an absolutely enchanting love story. At first when the romance started to reveal itself, I was wondering how the author was going to pull it off, and was completely blown away by the end! The descriptions are amazing and I was completely drawn into Kerner's world.

SONG IN THE SILENCE is full of twists and turns that will keep your eyes on the page. From a strong female main character who breaks all the stereotypes to a villain that is absolutely vile and disgusting (and I LOVE it!) to a wonderful wonderful world of dragons---I just looove this story! If you're an epic fantasy fan, you should definitely pick this up!

♥tg

SUPERNATURALLY by Kiersten White

Find it on goodreads

FIRST LINE: "Oh, bleep. I was going to die."


THE BLURB: 

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.
But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.
So much for normal.

THE AFTERGLOW:

Middle books in trilogies, in my experience, are a crapshoot. Typically, they have problems with pacing and character arcs and leave you feeling like you just read a patch between Book 1 and Book 3.

Not this book! It did surprise me by the pacing, which was different from Book 1 (Paranormalcy), but really it fit Evie's predicament. Sort of like the 5th Harry Potter, Evie is dealing with a lot of crap, and hence has a lot of introspection. But the delightful dialogue that made me fall in love with the characters the first time around was back in full force.

There were even a couple new characters to love or hate. Jack falls distinctly in the, well, actually I couldn't figure it out which category to put him in even at the end. White did an amazing job fleshing out his character and making him a truly sympathetic being. The many unexpected twists kept me on my toes and turning the pages. There were several laugh-out-loud or giddy-in-love-with-Lend moments that made my husband wish I wasn't reading in bed next to him.

And the ending! THE ENDING!! It's probably the best pay-off I've ever experienced in a middle book. I was expecting some kind of cliff hanger, and dreading it. And in a way, there is a lot left in the air, but Evie has such an amazing arc in this book, you hardly notice the details about faeries and vampires that hang ominously in mid-air at the end. Of course I still want Book 3  (Endlessly), like, yesterday! But I'm not shaking my fist at the author for leaving me hanging (Suzanne Collins! *shakes fist*).

Just like Paranormalcy, Supernaturally is a sweet, scary read - the perfect blend of adorable and kick-ass. I recommend it to all ages 13+.

Courtesy her awesome publishers:

First seventy pages of PARANORMALCY

First seventy pages of SUPERNATURALLY

Seriously, just click on the link to read SEVENTY pages of either book! Enjoy!

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

Find it on goodreads

FIRST LINE: "He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air."


THE BLURB: 

Imagine waking up one day in total darkness, unsure of where you are and unable to remember anything about yourself except your first name. You're in a bizarre place devoid of adults called the Glade. The Glade is an enclosed structure with a jail, a graveyard, a slaughterhouse, living quarters, and gardens. And no way out. Outside the Glade is the Maze, and every day some of the kids -- the Runners -- venture into the labyrinth, trying to map the ever-changing pattern of walls in an attempt to find an exit from this hellish place. So far, no one has figured it out. And not all of the Runners return from their daily exertions, victims of the maniacal Grievers, part animal, part mechanical killing machines. 

Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade in this Truman-meets-Lord of the Flies tale. A motley crew of half a dozen kids is all he has to guide him in this strange world. As soon as he arrives, unusual things begin to happen, and the others grow suspicious of him. Though the Maze seems somehow familiar to Thomas, he's unable to make sense of the place, despite his extraordinary abilities as a Runner. What is this place, and does Thomas hold the key to finding a way out? 
In The Maze Runner, Dashner has crafted a creative and engaging novel that's both mysterious and thought provoking.

THE AFTERGLOW 


I just finished this book. Like two seconds ago. So these are my raw thoughts about the story:

It's epic and tragic and masterfully crafted. I couldn't help thinking while I read that this is what life is like. You're born into a world you know nothing about with no memory of what may have been before, and thrown into the challenges right in front of you with nothing but your own talents and the people around you to help or hinder you. That's what Thomas experiences when he wakes up in the Box, the lift that takes him to the Glade. He doesn't know where he came from or exactly what he's meant to do. He just knows it's important and that he needs to do it.

I'm reminded of the way Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card made me feel. There's this sort of triumph in the occasional successes of the Gladers, but there's also this feeling of darkness and the constant nagging feeling that these are children and they shouldn't be dealing with this. Like I recommend Ender's Game to anyone who asks, I'm gonna recommend The Maze Runner just as wholeheartedly. It's uncomfortable but insightful in so many ways. And compelling as all get-out!

James Dashner is a genius storyteller. Every revelation feels weighty and important, and there's never an unwanted lull in the action. Just like Thomas, you get a moment to catch your breath, and then all hell breaks loose. Oh, and you are not gonna want to miss the Epilogue. They should rename it the epic-logue just for this book.

I realize I'm late to the party, and all y'all probably already know this... but if you haven't picked up The Maze Runner, you're missing something.

I'm off to check out The Scorch Trials, and giggle at all of you who have been waiting forever for Book 3, The Death Cure, because I'm not gonna have to wait nearly as long. Buwahahaha! Admittedly, that was substantially more obnoxious than a giggle. I apologize.

Have you read James Dashner's work? How did it make you feel?

TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES by Denise Grover Swank

“It all started when I saw myself dead.”

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn’t enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen– do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty secrets of his own.

Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.

The Afterglow

My first thought when I finished this book was, "I'm glad it says "A Rose Gardner Mystery" on the front, because that makes me think there might be more!"

Denise Grover Swank has really set the standard high for herself with her debut novel! I was hooked right from the beginning; who wouldn't be? Seeing a vision of yourself dead is enough to get anyone's attention. But Swank didn't stop there. The action picked up quickly and never slowed down. I found myself reading at the weirdest times, like while I washed dishes or folded laundry.

One of my favorite things was how down-to-earth the main character, Rose, is. She seems like someone I could just call up and hang out with. But at the same time, she has quite a unique past, and it plays an intriguing part in the story.

A fabulous debut, and I hope to see more from this author!

BUMPED by Megan McCafferty: Sophia's Afterglow

Synopsis (truncated):

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.

The Afterglow:

This is the only book of 2011 that I read in ONE NIGHT - during a head cold, to boot(ies).  And it's one of the books I glow about as a writer, more than a reader.

There have been mixed reviews and I saw why instantly: BUMPED started as a riff of M.T. Anderson's FEED, a dystopian pregnant with future-teenslang.  (yeah I had to throw that in there...won't be the last).  But once I adjusted to the language, the pages just about turned themselves faster and faster - giving credence to the writing tip that a good ending can save an otherwise lacking inception.

The second writing lesson I gobbled up like pickles and ice cream (it's getting worse, but that's because I've been up all night reading this book): expert reversals.  By the end, McCafferty hit a reversal with every chapter, reminding me of the Audrey Hepburn movie Charade, famous for an every-15-minute name-changing Cary Grant.  By the end, you're left wondering, "So is it, or not?!?"  Which means only one thing: must get sequel!  THIS is a true example of plot craft.