Wednesday, July 6, 2011

New YA Books to look out for!

soulkeeper

Summary: The night sexy and mysterious Abigail Silva comes to Jacob Lau's bedroom window, he doesn't believe she's real let alone a supernatural force who lives just across the street. Abigail says she's his Helper sent to train him as a Soulkeeper, a gifted warrior responsible for protecting human souls. But Abigail has secrets, and as Jacob is pulled into her strange world, he learns those secrets could cost him his family, his girlfriend, and even his soul.

Sounds like a good one! I love the necklace he’s wearing on the cover ^^

 

beginning of after

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Laurel's world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all, there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel's life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss, a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.

It says it will appeal to fans of Gayle Forman’s If I Stay, so count me in! Plus the beautiful cover draws you in :)

First Kill

Summary: With over a million copies already in print, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod is still sinking its fangs into new readers every day. Now, bestselling author Heather Brewer brings us the other side of the story, from the perspective of Vlad’s former friend turned mortal enemy: vampire slayer Joss Macmillan. In five books that can be read alongside Vlad Tod or entirely on their own, Joss discovers his powers as the youngest, strongest slayer in history. And just in time, too: with all the vampires running rampant, he’s going to need all the help he can get. This action-packed series will quench the thirst of even the hungriest veteran minions.

Yes! Heather Brewer is back and ready with a whole new series! Can’t wait to get this one and I’m still loving the vampire smilely.

Mist

Summary:

Midnight: a mist-haunted wood with a bad reputation. A sweet sixteen party, and 13 year old Nell is trying to keep her sister, spoilt birthday-girl Gwen, out of trouble. No chance. Trouble finds Gwen and drags her through the mist. Only Nell guesses who’s behind the kidnap - the boy she hoped was her friend, the cute but mysterious Evan River.
All those fairy stories Nell’s grandmother told her about girls being stolen by fairy folk are true. The Elven are beautiful as starlight, fierce as wolves, and cold as ice. And they want their world back. The fight has been raging for centuries. Nell’s grandmother should know, she’s a Watcher, the ones responsible for imprisoning the Elven in isolated iron-bound camps in Siberia. Only Evan, his fanatical older brother Fen, and a handful of Elven children are still free.
Fen, hellbent on revenge, keeps Gwen in their wolf-guarded stronghold deep in the mist. The price for her safe return? The release of all the Elven – but the Watchers will never agree. Only Nell can save Gwen.

Time is twisted through the mist: if Nell stops longer than a night and day, a hundred years will hit her as soon as she returns and she’ll be old and withered before she’s even lived. The clock is ticking

Ooooh, this sounds so good! I love the mystery sound to it.

Pearl wars

Summary: A devastated Earth’s last hope is found in Pearls: small, mysterious orbs that fall from space, and are capable of supplying enough energy to power entire cities. Battling to control the Pearls are the Skyship dwellers—political dissidents who live in massive ships in the Earth’s stratosphere—and the corrupt Surface government.

Jesse Fisher, a Skyship brat, and Cassius Stevenson, a young Surface operative, cross paths when they both venture into forbidden territory in pursuit of Pearls. Their chance encounter triggers an unexpected reaction, endowing each boy with remarkable—and dangerous—abilities that their respective governments would stop at nothing to possess. Enemies thrust together with a common goal, Jesse and Cassius make their way to the ruins of Seattle to uncover the truth about their new powers, the past they didn’t know they shared, and a shocking secret about the Pearls

OMG, I REALLY hope this is as good as it sounds! The cover is awesome and gets me hyped for this one! Come on Sept 8!

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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Review: Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

8492251 Title: Playing Hurt
Author: Holly Schindler
Publisher:  Flux
Publication Date: March 8, 2011
Pages: 303

Summary: Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college-and everyone's admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea's dad springs for a three-week summer "boot camp" program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she's immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who's haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain-or finally heal their heartbreak?

Review: Chelsea is the all-star player of her high school basketball game and now in her senior year with the plan of going to college on a full scholarship. But after a terrible accident that leaves her not only unable but terrified to play basketball, she’s stuck in a life where she has no idea where she belongs. Clint is a nature loving, formal hockey star that does anything he can to stay way from the sports he once loved.

There should really be more sports related books in the YA area! I mean teens love sports (myself included) and it can really open up your audience! I feel like anyone one’s whose ever been severely injured while playing sports will feel a real connection to this book. It’s tough being taken away from the thing you love to do most and that happens to both Chelsea and Clint.

The stories of why they don’t continue on with the lives they had while playing sports are completely different but both heartbreaking and legit reasons that happen to people all around the world. The relationship that develops between Chelsea and Clint is believe and a very supporting one. Both need each other at this time and they are just so funny together!

Overall, Playing Hurt is an excellent book that I hope will show the true value of adding things such as sports into the plot and how wonderful it can be to find someone that truly understands you.

You can preorder Playing Hurt HERE.

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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Fan Art for Possession by Elana Johnson

Hey everyone! I just decided I’d show a little of my artwork for a new book I just read, Possession by Elana Johnson. I don’t normally share my artwork, but I really liked how it came out so I thought, what the heck.

Jag-and-Vi 

This is my image for the two main characters in the book, Jag and Vi. Granted, it’s semi-realistic, semi-manga-ish style of drawing but I wasn’t sure where I was heading with it at first. Maybe I’ll finish one day.

Possession is an incredible book and you can read my praising review for it below! Enjoy and make sure to pick up a copy of the book when it is released June 7th!

possession

 

 

 

 

Jag and Vi © Elana Johnson

Artwork © Caitlin George

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Early Review: Possession by Elana Johnson

possession

Title: Possession
Author: Elana Johnson
Publisher: 
Publication Date:
Pages: June 7th, 2011
Source: Simon&Schuster
Challenge: Debut author challenge

Summary:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play

Review:

Intense. Captivating. Imaginative.

Possession has really given me a lot to think about. Compared to all the other blossoming dystopian novels coming out, it has something so special and different from them. The entire story was an adventure from page one until the every end. Ms. Johnson created a world that was not only creative, but so realistically built that I felt that it could possibly be what the future has in store.

I loved the main characters, Vi and Jag. Their personalities were definitely one of the shining qualities that made reading their dialogue so enjoyable. Jag was so different from other male characters in YA I’ve seen that I was at first shocked by it. Secretive and funny yet sensitive and fearful. And also had very awesome hair, haha. I think I have a major crush development!

Vi was a great character to see through. She definitely had a month on her and I loved that! She was a strong and independent heroine that played by her own rules. Through the whole book there are twist and turns. It seemed as of secrets and lies were the structure to everyone’s life. Possession is a book about a so called good girl gone bad in all the right ways. It’s a world that will leaving you wanting more. I know I do!

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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Talking Sports in YA with Holly Schindler (Playing Hurt)

It was a few month ago that Holly was looking for people to review her book, Playing Hurt. I signed up to be a participant and mentioned that I happen to be a sports player myself and it was a few weeks later that Holly asked me to have a “conversation style interview” with her on my sports history. I was thrilled! If there’s something I loved to talk about more than books it’s softball :D

Thanks so much to Holly for allowing me to be apart of her tour (expect a review soon!) and her inviting me to talk! So enjoyed, and tell me how you feel about sports in YA!

8492251(Description:

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?)

HS: Hi, Caitlin! Can you tell us a bit about yourself—and your sports history?


C: Hey Holly! Thanks so much for having me here. Now, a bit about myself? Well, I’m a 15 (almost 16!) year old sophomore in high school. I’m a very active and competitive person and I have a great love for reading. My sports history goes all the way back to when I was about 6 years old when I started playing soccer, but now a day, I’m a strictly softball only player. It really is a passion of mine. I’ve played from my town recreation team for seven years to a tournament 16U travel team. While reading Playing Hurt, I was wondering if it was a love of playing a sport that helped inspired the book.


HS: Oh, if you only knew…I’m really, really not an athlete. I’m a bit of a klutz, actually. (I swear I can fall around corners!) I’m really flattered, though, that the depiction of sports felt authentic enough to you that you wondered if I played / loved sports.
I definitely have a much stronger appreciation of athletics now that I’m older—I realize now just how mental sports are. I can’t imagine what it must be like trying to come back to the game after an injury—or even after surgery, as is often the case with athletes who have overused their bodies.

I believe you’ve had some experience with a sports-related injury yourself. Can you tell us about that?


C: Well, I’d first like to thank God that I have never had as severe injury like Chelsea (*knocks on wood*), but I have definitely had my fair share of sports injury in my years. One of my most serious injuries from over the years happened when I was pitching for softball. It was just a regular game while I was pitching. A girl comes up to hit, I pitched the ball, and it all happened really fast. The ball had hit off the bat and came straight back at me, towards my face. I had enough reflexes to try and bring my mitt up to block the ball, but I was only able to reflect it a bit and it hit me on the side of my face right next to my left eye. I remember hearing the gasp from the people in the stands and the pain on the side of my face. I was kind of in shock and just fell to a knee. My coach ran out and they took me off the field. I was examined and ice packed. I honestly just like to shake these kinds of things off but people love to make a bigger situation out of things then needed and they didn’t let me play for the rest of the game. I ended up coming out of it with minor scars, but I did have a giant, nasty purple bruise on my face for two week (not fun, lots of cover up).

It just shows how easily you can be hurt and how suddenly. I’ve had teammates with broken legs, strained wrist and angles, and even a few knocked out teeth and, it’s scary thinking about all the possibilities of injuries that could happen. I’ve been hit by pitches (once really bad in the head, but thank Lord for helmets), ground balls, aching shoulders from pitching too much. I’m use to those pains, but a permanent pain like with Chelsea’s hip is something that I’m not sure I could deal with. Which leads me into asking – Why was it a hip injury you chose to have happen to Chelsea? I know with basketball players sprained ankles or wrist would be pretty severe too, so a hip injury was something I wasn’t expecting.


HS: First of all, I’m so sorry to hear of your accident. Though I’m a bit of a klutz, I’ve never broken a bone…I can’t imagine how much your injury must have hurt…

When I came up with the sports subplot (which didn’t come about until the very last rewrite…about five years after I wrote the first draft!), I immediately imagined Chelsea as a workaholic. Somebody who lived basketball—who felt guilty when she wasn’t working out, or practicing, or engaged in visualization techniques…

I also knew I wanted to show the scene of Chelsea’s accident, and wanted a dramatic impact—I tried to picture scenarios of Chelsea falling, and what it might look like from the stands—or from the screen of Chelsea’s bedroom TV, as she watched the DVD of her last game over and over…

Of all the scenarios I imagined, none seemed quite as dramatic as Chelsea coming down from a jump, into the splits—and breaking her already-stress-fractured hip.

What kind of impact has being injured had on your ability to play? Do you find yourself hesitant now in a way you weren’t before? What’s the mental healing process been like?


C: Well, being physically hurt, believe it or not, causes me more mental pain then being in actual physical pain sometimes. There have been times where my shoulders are killing me or my elbow feels like it’s got to burst, but I never like to let it on so it’s always a mental battle with myself to push past the annoying pains. There have been times where injuries have affected my playing, like when I sometimes twist my ankle the wrong way and can’t run as fast as I want or my shoulder starts to hurt and I can’t pitch as consistently, but I would say I have never been hesitant towards going right back into it (unless for some reason I’m really nervous about playing a certain team!)

Though, it was actually just a few days away during my softball practice that I was hitting off the machine when one of the balls I hit spun weird and hit me in my leg. It stung real bad so I had to sit down, and as I was doing so I was thinking about how funny it was that I was talking to you about the injuries I’ve gotten from sports and how often they happen. Though, I have to say that I haven’t really experienced any emotional injuries relating to sports like Clint or Chelsea did.

So, I was wondering if you thought that emotional injuries (like with Clint’s past and Chelsea’s loss of basketball) have a stronger impact then physical injuries?


HS: I think the mind is the toughest “muscle” to heal. Once you know the pain of an injury—emotional or physical—it’s got to be really hard to put yourself in line to be hurt again. I really admire athletes who get back in the game after an injury.
I do understand why athletes would want to get back out there, though…In order to write Chelsea, I just imagined that she felt the same way about sports that I felt about my writing. If something happened to me that made it impossible for me to continue writing, I’d be devastated. My sense of self would be shattered. It’d change my life completely.
What are your thoughts on sports in literature? Do you find, as an athlete, that they’re presented accurately? Do you see holes that you’d like filled—even holes you hope to fill yourself (if you have any interests in pursuing writing)?


C: I must say that if an author uses sports in literature well, it can really capture reader’s attention, especially younger readers and boys. Sports are a huge part of the world today and if used correctly it can broaden your reader audience.
Though I must say that there are sometimes I’ll read a book and the author will use a sport in a negative way and it will really get on my nerves. Let’s just take the universally unrated sport, cheerleading. I’ve read dozens of books where the cheerleaders are the stupid, clueless girls who don’t know how to add or the super bitchy girls that are weak sluts. Whoa, hold on a minute, have you ever even tried to cheerlead? Do you know how much upper and lower body strength you need? How much hand-eye coordination you have to have? And let’s not get into how flexible you need to be. Just think about it. If an author writes for young adults you are writing for teenagers who do these sports you are insulting. You are possibly losing an entire category of readers by insulting one’s sport. I know I would not feel friendly towards a book that insulted softball.
Getting off my rant, there are really great books that accurately represent sports (Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and Deadline by Chris Crutches, Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs, and, of course, Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler). All these books bring feeling into the sports they talk about and I feel like any sports lover would enjoy then. As for holes I see in the writing of sports, I’m really no expert on all sports I read about (except for maybe softball ^^). I’m not sure that if I did pursue writing that I would write about sports. Softball is something that I do out of enjoyment and for myself. If I ever were to pursue writing, it’d probably be fantasy and I’d invent my own sport, haha.
I loved talking about my love of sports with you Holly and just from reading Playing Hurt I could tell you took great care into reading about Chelsea and Clint’s sport history. You think you’ll write a book with sports in it again?


HS: I love what you just said about cheerleading. That’s so incredibly spot-on—both about the amount of strength and focus it takes in order to cheerlead, and about the way a negative depiction can limit an author’s readership…Very intuitive…
As for my own writing, I’d love, love love to write more physically-oriented books. Not necessarily just about sports, either…
What I mean is, what comes easiest for me as an author is the internal dialogue and metaphorical, poetic writing that filled much of my debut, A BLUE SO DARK…In fact, when PLAYING HURT was in development, my editor sent me a copy of the manuscript with all the metaphors highlighted, telling me I HAD to prune some of it back!
What’s tough is to write something physical as it’s happening—and make the scene feel real. I so admire authors of genre fiction—mystery, adventure, horror—who can write dramatic scenes that you can see, hear, smell, feel.
…That’s what I’d love to do more of, as an author: dramatic, physical writing.
How’s your softball season been this year?


C: Sadly my school season has ended. We had our last game this week. The seasons go by so fast that I barely felt like we played all the games! It was a pretty good season, but now I can concentrate on my travel team I'm on for the summer. I play for a 16U tournament team that goes through the end of July. It really a wonderful thing to be a part of if you're really into the sport. I know I have a great time with my teammates over the summer playing in different places. I've also had a great time talking with you, Holly, about your book and softball. Thank so much for having me on my blog and thank you all for reading!


Thanks so much, Caitlin, for taking the time to talk about sports, and for your insights and love of literature…Best of luck this summer—and be safe on the field

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Thursday, May 19, 2011

Take a look at our Katniss!

Ever since Jennifer Lawrence was announced to be Katniss of The Hunger Games for the upcoming movie there were many skeptical of how the actress would portray the dark haired, olive skinned, rough-around-the-edges fighter. But the first picture of Jennifer as Katniss has been release and I must say she has me convinced! I love the hair and her skin is darker and her eyes are a more greyish color. Jennifer also gives off the look of hidden feelings I feel like Katniss looked like for most the book!We have our Katniss in the flesh!

Jen-Katniss 

So, what do you think of the look??

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Review: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

sky is everywhere

Title: The Sky Is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Publisher:  Speak
Publication Date: March 22, 2011
Pages: 288
Source: Bought
Challenge: none

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Review: The Sky is Everywhere could not have been a better book, I believe. Of all the contemporary fiction I’ve read it has to be one of the most heartfelt, agonizing, relatable books I have ever picked up. It’s incredible how much emotion Ms. Nelson was able to put on merely 270 so pages.

Lennie’s sister has just pasted away and now she is living in a life where it doesn’t seem right to live. The ever haunting memory of her sister lingers everywhere she goes and grief very nearly consumes her completely, until she meets Joe. The new boy in town who, unlike everyone else, didn’t know the Lennie when her sister was alive. He brings with him a breathe of fresh air that temporarily  allows Lennie to breath without a pain in her chest. But then there is Tony, her sister’s boyfriend, who Lennie relates to more then anyone else. They both feel the terrible loss and pain and being together seems to be the only thing that keeps Bailey alive to them…

The story was really a roller coaster with too many pit falls with one emotional scene after an other. Lennie was such and incredible character. I found myself easily in her foots many times. The theme of music and poems weaves through the book and the results is a raw story of a girl who lost her sister, falls in love, and tries to find a way in and out of a world where the sky seems to be everywhere.

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Review: XVI by Julia Karr

6933141

Title: XVI
Author: Julia Karr
Publisher: Puffin/Speak
Publication Date: January 6, 2011
Pages: 325
Source: Bought
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

Summary: Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world—even the most predatory of men—that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past—one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer.

Review: What a stunning book. With all the dystopian novels coming out now in YA this one definitely stands out among them. Nina is around the age were all her friends are becoming sixteen, which, in her world, means teens are ready for sex. But with her mother’s rebellious words and her mysteriously killed  father Nina soon finds out that there is more to the Governing Council then everyone knows.

Julia Karr’s book takes you into a rather fearful future, where the young is marked at sixteen that they can have sex. It’s an interesting concept, one that some authors would shy away from in the YA department but Karr embraces it and uses it to her advantage. Though it is in no way what the book in centered on. It is really just the base of the corruption that is being fed into the minds of the people. And as Nina uncovers secrets from her past and new friend that share her belief she soon discovers that she may not be allow in her fight against the government.

I also really enjoyed Sal. He was a great character and his personality just entertained me. He added a lot to the story along with Nina’s other friends and the sad conclusion to the book will leave you heart broken and eager to seeing the end to the world where no one – marked or not – is safe.

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