Sweet Unrest

Lucy Aimes has always been practical. But try as she might, she can’t come up with a logical explanation for the recurring dreams that have always haunted her. Dark dreams. Dreams of a long-ago place filled with people she shouldn’t know…but does.

When her family moves to a New Orleans plantation, Lucy’s dreams become more intense, and her search for answers draws her reluctantly into the old city’s world of Voodoo and mysticism. There, Lucy finds Alex, a mysterious boy who behaves as if they’ve known each other forever. Lucy knows Alex is hiding something, and her rational side doesn’t want to be drawn to him. But she is.

As she tries to uncover Alex’s secrets, a killer strikes close to home, and Lucy finds herself ensnared in a century-old vendetta. With the lives of everyone she loves in danger, Lucy will have to unravel the mystery of her dreams before it all comes to a deadly finish.
from goodreads.com

Beth says 3.5 Stars...
This book has a really cool premise and interesting narrative structure. Weaving past and present together in the form of dreams isn't necessarily new, but allows for creating a richer story. The old plantation/New Orleans setting helped enhance the weight of history on the current action of the plot. I don't want to give too much away, but suffice it to say that I guessed wrong as to the identity of the final villain. The plot was reasonably well executed, although it could have been tighter in parts. I was mildly frustrated with how long it took for Lucy to figure out some fairly obvious facts. With some information reveals a bit earlier (more in line with how long it takes the readers to put pieces together) the flow would have been much smoother. It also would have allowed for a little more time spent in the past to fully flesh out the characters and plotline there.

The biggest problem in the novel is the lack of development of the secondary characters. It's primarily Lucy's story and it shows in the flatness of everyone else. We get a slightly better picture of Alex than anyone else, but it takes until pretty far into the novel to really get anywhere with even him. The other characters severely lack depth and other interest, at least for me. I liked Lucy well enough, despite occasionally being a bit slow on the uptake. She did grow over the course of the novel, always a plus for the main character. I can't do too much more commenting about the characters because the others aren't worth it. The only other note is that the voodoo priestesses are quite fun and bring in a very different edge to the world.

Overall this is fun and well-timed coming close to Halloween. It's just enough spook for me to not freak out reading alone at night, but still compelling. If a bit of old school Creole voodoo and romance sound good to you I'd suggest giving it a whirl.
ebook from Netgalley

Bloodthirsty

Some vampires are good. Some are evil. Some are faking it to get girls.

Awkward and allergic to the sun, sixteen-year-old Finbar Frame never gets the girl. But when he notices that all the female students at his school are obsessed with a vampire romance novel called Bloodthirsty, Finbar decides to boldly go where no sane guy has gone before-he becomes a vampire, minus the whole blood sucking part.

With his brooding nature and weirdly pale skin, it's surprisingly easy for Finbar to pretend to be paranormal. But, when he meets the one girl who just might like him for who he really is, he discovers that his life as a pseudo-vampire is more complicated than he expected.

Beth says 4.5 Stars...
After all of the build up, the review is finally here! This book was just hilarious. The plot was so entertaining; I mean seriously. The main character pretends that he's a vampire in order to get a date. It has some delicious satire of the vampire crazy. Let's be honest people; it's gotten way out of control. The plot and writing kept me in stitches constantly. Finbar (an excellent name) gets into some ridiculous situations, and I loved it. The pacing was well done overall, despite the fact that the book took a smidge to get going. The writing was almost creepily spot on for the voice of a 16 year old guy. It has all the things in it that I thought a guy would think, if that makes any sense.

Finbar was just what I wanted. He's the sensitive guy who should, if the movies were right, get the girl, but never does. His "transformation" is too funny. His obsessive pursuit of vampiric knowledge to his attempts to attain the proper vampire attitude had me giggling constantly. His family and the rest of the characters were perfectly adequate, but none gave me quite the level of delight that he did. The fangirls were probably second on the list of most entertaining; they reminded me a bit too much of people I've seen.

Overall the book was really good and one of the best debuts of the year. It did get a bit preachy, which I found a bit irritating; that's why I knocked it down some. However, this is a perfect read for those who love to hate the vampire craze, or just think that it's kinda funny. This is a refreshing bit of satire in a world saturated with vampire novels.
Book from Publisher

Bloodthirsty Giveaway!!!!!

We're super excited to be able to bring you free books! Thanks to our lovely friends over at Little, Brown books we have 3 HARDCOVER copies of Bloodthirsty to give away. We've posted a summary below, so read it and enjoy the hilarity. We're going to be posting a review relatively soonish, so get excited. So now to the rules of the contest which will end on the 13th of this month. They're the same as normal, just tweaked to fit the excellent theme:

+1 entry for leaving a comment with your favorite vampire (and why if you want to explain)*
+1 entry for becoming a follower
+2 entries for already being a follower
+1 entry for any tweet, you can get up to 5 (send us links)
+3 entries for making a blog post (send us a link)

EDIT: Sorry guys, this is for US and Canada only as per publisher requests :(

(Here's the summary from Amazon)
Some vampires are good. Some are evil. Some are faking it to get girls.

Awkward and allergic to the sun, sixteen-year-old Finbar Frame never gets the girl. But when he notices that all the female students at his school are obsessed with a vampire romance novel called Bloodthirsty, Finbar decides to boldly go where no sane guy has gone before-he becomes a vampire, minus the whole blood sucking part.

With his brooding nature and weirdly pale skin, it's surprisingly easy for Finbar to pretend to be paranormal. But, when he meets the one girl who just might like him for who he really is, he discovers that his life as a pseudo-vampire is more complicated than he expected.

This hilarious debut novel is for anyone who believes that sometimes even nice guys-without sharp teeth or sparkly skin-- can get the girl.

*(Beth totally votes for Spike from BtVS... swoon)

Mistwood

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

from harperteen.com

Beth says 2.5 Stars...

I was super excited about this one. Something that wasn't a paranormal romance, plus a debut. I was unfortunately let down. It had the same sort of general feel as Kristen Cashore's novels, but without the power and combination of everything that makes them so remarkable. The storyline had the potential to be interesting, and it and the concept were the two best parts of the book. I say potential because the writing kept everything from becoming great. The plot had issues with pacing and clarity. I didn't always know what was going on and why I should have been interested in whatever was occurring on the page. I spent a good deal of the book wondering why I was reading it. There was also an unequal distribution of revelations in the mystery aspect of the story, which can kill the pacing with swift blows. Additionally, the background and mythology of the universe weren't explored at all, which increased the feeling of artificiality in the world. I wanted to learn more about what made the magic tick, and was completely let down.

The characters weren't any better. I felt no connection to Isabel, which was partially due to her nature as wild and different. Even though I understood the need for this, it served to alienate me from the story; keeping me from becoming emotionally invested in her fate. Rokan was the most likeable of the characters, but that's really not saying terribly much. Every one of them was so incredibly flat that I couldn't bring myself to care about what was happening. It's not the fantasy element, but just that there wasn't anything remarkable in the slightest about this book.

This was so disappointing. I wanted to love it but simply couldn't. I honestly don't think that it's really worth it at all. So, even though I hate saying this about a book, don't pick it up. You won't miss a thing.
Book from Library

The Line

Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it’s far from the city where the oppressive government is most active. The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it’s close to the Line—an uncrossable section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country.

She can see the Line from the greenhouse windows, but she is forbidden to go near it. Across the Line is Away, and though Rachel has heard many whispers about the dangers there, she’s never really believed the stories. Until the day she hears a recording that could only have come from across the Line.
from terihall.com

Beth says 3 Stars...

I really didn't enjoy this one, which was upsetting. The concept behind it is so fantastic that I wanted to love it, but couldn't. The issue I had was really with the writing. This was the most disappointing of the debuts for me thus far. All I can say was that the writing was stylistically odd. I never really felt connected to the characters because the perspective kept changing. The 3rd person narrative shifted focus whenever it was convenient, which just became confusing with the mystery elements of the narrative. The issue was that all of the people had different amounts of knowledge about the story, and this just created inconsistencies for me as the reader. I was never entirely sure of what was going on. These problems with the writing also really kept me from connecting with the characters. I need to be completely drawn into the world, and really wasn't. Without that pull, I didn't really care what happened to them, as awful as that sounds. Also, in order to get all of the necessary information in Hall had Rachel recite history lessons to her mother. It just felt forced and placed in there solely for the purpose of explanation. This is going to be a short review because I just don't have that much to say about it. It wasn't awful, but it could have been a whole lot better. What could have happened was that it could have lived up to the potential of the original idea and been a fascinating look at a scary future.
Book from Library

Beautiful Creatures

We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
from bn.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

I know that this book has been both loved and hyped, and honestly I understand it. What it does is take the trend (which is really starting to get tired) of the paranormal romance type novel and do it well in a slightly different way. The whole supernatural element of the story (no spoilers here) was not the typical redemptive evil monster deal, which was refreshing. The plot kept me interested, but I thought there were some serious problems with pacing. The movement of the story really slowed at some points and then the authors had to play catch up. I also liked the concept of the flashbacks, but felt that they interrupted the flow of the book, and that there could have been a better way to give readers the necessary information. Stylistically it's very interesting because it was written by two different people and reads like the work of a single author. There's no switch of perspectives, a la Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, or even obvious character discrepancies. The background writing is absolutely delightful and helps to create a lush and mysterious setting.

One of my issues was with the dialogue. It was very highly stylized to make the reader feel as though they are in the South, and at times was over the top. I'm sorry, but as a Southern girl myself some people down here do know how use decent grammar. The characters were interesting, and I love small town stories. I guess I can just imagine it more vividly, or perhaps it's just that I find it to be more relatable, but for whatever reason they tend to capture my imagination. Ethan and Lena were so great together and apart, but it was very interesting to see the story from the male perspective. Ethan's voice seemed very authentic to me, but maybe it's because that's how I think that a guy would think, if that makes any sense. I also appreciated the fact that their relationship and feelings for one another were a part of their lives, but not all consuming. The character given to the dog Boo was one of the nice little touches that helped separate this book from the multitudes of others with similar central themes.

Overall this was a fun and slightly (very slightly) different novel. This is for all of you fans of Twilight and all of the other paranormal romance novels that line the shelves. It's a promising debut and I look forward to reading the second book in what promises to be a fun series, if sometimes a little overdramatic.

Book Bought

Dirty Little Secrets

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.

Beth says 4.5 Stars...

This was unexpectedly good. It took me into a world that I never even thought about or really known existed. It's impossible to imagine what would make someone hoard, but even more so how you would be able to live with a hoarder while not one yourself. This is what Lucy has to deal with every day. Counting down the days until she can leave the mess and secrets behind we get a glimpse at her world at a pivotal moment. When her mother dies you get to see her thought process about how to make sure that her secret stays safe. The plot was different because there wasn't the normal epic journey forward. Instead, it was reactionary growth and introspection which really deepened my connection with and understanding of Lucy.

Lucy is an interesting character who is acutely aware of people's perceptions. It's interesting to see the world from inside her mind. She goes about normal human interactions in a completely different manner in order to keep her secret hidden. I was absolutely immersed in her perspective and began to see the world through her eyes. The only issue I had was that the supporting characters were underdeveloped. All the focus was on Lucy, and how she viewed everything and everyone, and that detracted from the rest of the characters. I really would have liked to see more of her siblings in order to further my understanding of the family dynamics and how their mother's condition affected them all. I did enjoy the use of flashbacks, because that was the only was that we got to know Lucy's mother.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It's definitely a quick read, but I wouldn't say it's a fun one. The novel is an intense look into a secret world that exists right beside our own. It should make you think about yourself and also people you know, and wonder what type of secrets they're keeping.
Book from Library

Shade

First in a young adult urban fantasy series about a world of ghosts only the young can see.

When Aura’s boyfriend meets a most untimely end, she is forced to reconsider her relationship with the living and the dead.
from jerismithready.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

Another fun paranormal from the Debs! Honestly, I think it's just that I'm drawn to the genre, but I find that there are more and more of them out there. That's great for lovers of fantasy and magic like me, but then there's also the problem of everything sounding the same. Yes, there were some very typical elements in this story, but they were fun. The concept itself, with everyone born after "the Shift" being able to see ghosts, was something that I hadn't seen before. How it was used, in part, was very familiar though. A large portion of the story revolves around the love triangle between Aura, her dead boyfriend Logan, and the attractive yet mysterious new Scottish guy in town.

The triangle was fun. There was enough added quirk that it didn't become tiresome or too familiar. Aura was a really lovely character, whose struggles never became too much. You could understand what she was going through and felt her pain without ever being annoyed. I have this problem of getting annoyed with mopey characters, and despite all of her pain Aura never became mopey. Logan, however, got kind of annoying. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but perhaps it's that he constantly stayed self centered and never really thought about Aura or anyone else, for that matter. Zachary on the other hand was delightful. Maybe it's the fact that I could hear a Scottish accent in my mind, but I found him to be so much more appealing. He showed all of the signs of being a great male counterpart, and has a backstory that I want to know more about.

The best part of the book is the world and the concept. It's unique and something that I want to know more about. The ending makes a sequel necessary and I believe one is on the way. I can't wait to learn more about the Shift, and the very interesting magical goings on that were hinted at and seen in this book.

book read on Pulse It

Claire de Lune

Hanover Falls hasn’t had a werewolf problem in over one hundred years. Seattle, Copenhagen, Osaka–they’ve had plenty of attacks. But when humans begin dying in Claire Benoit’s town, the panic spreads faster than a rumor at a pep rally. At Claire’s sixteenth birthday party, the gruesome killings are all anyone can talk about. But the big news in Claire’s mind is the fact that Matthew Engle–high-school soccer god and son of a world-renowned lycanthropy expert–notices her. And flirts with her. A lot.

That night, Claire learns that she is the latest in a long line of Benoit werewolves, and that contrary to popular belief, all werewolves are female. Killing humans is forbidden by the code of the pack, but a rogue werewolf has been breaking that law, threatening the existence of Claire’s new pack. As the pack struggles to find and fight the rogue werewolf and Claire struggles with her lupine identity, her heart and her loyalties are torn in two. Claire must keep her new life a secret from even her best friend–and especially from Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt…and with whom Claire is impossibly and undeniably falling head-over-paws in love.
from christinejohnstonbooks.com

Beth says 3.5 Stars...

I expected a little something different from this book. It ended up simply being another paranormal romance, with heavy emphasis on the romance. The plot was decent, but the mystery wasn't too complicated. I managed to guess the "bad guy" about a third of the way through the book; it was that transparent. The false leads weren't very good if you were paying attention, but if not they might make it much more entertaining. One of my biggest issues was with the world building. I wanted to know more about the history of werewolves in this alternative universe, yet was more than disappointed. I really wanted to know so much more about the mythology and feel like that really would have helped the book. It would have added a much needed element of layering to everything.

Claire was a very good character. Her struggles were made relatable and her voice felt authentic, as did the personalities of most of the others. Her relationship with Emily was fun to read because despite their ups and downs they really remained best friends. It was nice to see a representation of two girls actually getting along without attempting to push one another down the stairs. Matthew felt a little meh to me, to put it scientifically. He was just rather cute and cookie cutter, and didn't smolder. It was the same with his relationship with Claire, which ended up becoming the main focus of the book. There needed to be a little more heat and a little less cute to make it really work.

I think that Johnson has potential, but this book just wasn't quite for me. It could have been much better than it was due to its unique perspective on werewolves. Instead it fell prey to the Twilight copycat syndrome. Heavy on the romance and light on basically everything else. Also, I found the ending to be a bit too filled with sunshine and rainbows. The one hope is that it looks primed for a sequel, which would hopefully deepen things more than a bit. This would be a good summer read for a lover of the genre who wanted something light and possibly mysterious.

Scones and Sensibility

Seek tirelessly and you shall not find a contemporary heroine of middle-grade literature as refined and romantic as Miss Polly Madassa. Still swooning over the romantic conclusions of Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, twelve-year-old Polly decides her purpose in life: helping along lonely hearts in search of love. Polly's only task this summer is to make deliveries for her parents' bakery, leaving ample time for this young cupid to find hearts to mend--beginning with the kite-store owner, Mr. Nightquist, who will pair perfectly with Miss Wiskerton (the unfairly labeled town curmudgeon). Polly's best friend Fran Fisk is in desperate need of a mother ever since hers ran off with a man she met on the Internet; Polly must find a match for Mr. Fisk. And while she's at it, it wouldn't hurt to find Clementine, Polly's teenaged sister, a beau worthy of her (so she can shed that brute, Clint). Polly's plans are in full swing, so she definitely cannot be bothered by the advances of classmate Brad Barker. But maybe Polly should have turned her attention to Miss Austen's Emma next, because she quickly learns the pitfalls of playing matchmaker. How will Polly patch up her own relationships, while ensuring that destined love can take its course?

from borders.com

Beth says 3.5 Stars...

This book was really cute. In fact, it went overboard on the cuteness factor. That was the main issue I had with the book. It became so cloyingly sweet that I didn't know what to do. Everything was saturated in pure sugar, and not in a good way. Overall, though, it wasn't bad. Eland is highly talented, as shown by the creation of Polly's highly stylized voice. The plot wasn't the most original concept, but it was less predictable, particularly the ending, than I thought it would be. I guess another major problem I had was the message that everyone needs to be coupled up. This really hits a nerve, because *gets on soapbox* I see it permeating YA and now MG books, and it distresses me. We need to be telling our young girls that they can be complete just by themselves. There's no need for a 12 year-old to be rushing into having a boyfriend. There is no need for anyone to have to define themselves and their value by whether or not they're in a romantic relationship. It concerns me that the next generation will think that this is completely normal. *steps off soapbox*

Polly was likeable enough, but every once in a while I had the strongest urge to strangle her. Speaking like a Victorian lady was cute at first, but then got really irritating. It felt completely contrived, although the phrases were lovely. I think that honestly it's just me, but I really don't enjoy that sort of thing. The supporting case was good, nothing great, but not bad either.

Overall, the book wasn't bad. It just ended not really being to my taste as far as tone, but that's my issue. I think that there's some promising writing talent in Eland, and I look forward to seeing what else she can do. This could be fun for middle school girls looking for something, light fluffy, and overflowing with cuteness.

Book from Publisher

2010 Debut Author Challenge

This year we decided that we are going to do at least one challenge, so, after much long debate, we decided to participate in the debut author challenge! We're really excited about it, and are looking forward to discovering great new authors. Last year had some amazing debuts, so hopefully this years are just as great. We want to know, what debuts are you excited about that we should ad to our list? (it's in the sidebar by the way)