The Awesomeness of Michelle Zink

(So as a disclaimer, Michelle would like everyone to know that this photo was taken on the 7th day of her tour and that she's super exhausted.)

So, last night I drove close to 2 hours to meet the fantastic Michelle Zink, author of Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate. If you haven't read her books you really should, because they're excellent, and I'm not just saying that.

So, to the event. I made my way to the Barnes and Noble and managed to not look creepy while wandering around for 10 minutes before finding the area for the chat/signing. Michelle was absolutely the sweetest, recognizing me from this lovely interweb. There wasn't a gigantic crowd, so we ended up arranging the chairs in a circle and just chatted. There was a rather varied group, consisting of some parents, middle and high schoolers (who had seen her at school visits earlier), and then myself and a lovely young teacher named Eva (who's in the picture up top as well). The topics varied, but centered around books and writing. It was so much fun and very intimate, plus I totally sat beside her :)

After the Q&A was finished she sat down and signed books for everyone who wanted to buy them, which was everyone. The store was also really awesome and raffled two books away. I didn't win one, but thought it was so lovely of them to do. Eva and I ended up staying later and just talked with Michelle while she signed stock. It was an absolute blast. Michelle was so willing to talk to everyone who came, no matter what age, but I loved the end as she was getting ready to go. I can't even put into words how sweet and wonderful she is! This was the first real book signing I'd ever been to and was an amazing experience. If Michelle ever comes to your area my advice is GO (and buy her books :P)! I wish this sort of thing happened every Friday night.

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

The Dead Tossed Waves

Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's ever known, and all she needs for happiness.

But life after the Return is never safe, and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back.

Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.

One night beyond the Barrier...

One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery...

One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.

Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past.
from carrieryan.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

I'd been looking forward to this book for a while, because I really enjoyed Ryan's first novel and wanted to support a local author. I was extremely impressed by the writing. It was so different from The Forest of Hands and Teeth stylistically, yet managed to feel authentic. Gone were the stilted phrases and antiquated vocabulary that set her first novel apart. Instead they were replaced by the remarkable realistic and angsty voice of an average modern-day teen. I was expecting a sequel at first, and this wasn't one at all. There were a few familiar characters, but this wasn't a true continuation of Mary's personal story. The burden instead falls upon her daughter Gabry, but I'll get to her later. The plot was interesting, but it took a little while to really get going. Being in a different place threw me for a loop and I had to get my bearings. I didn't really get the point of the story until I was significantly into the book, but one I found it it was great.

So now we come to Gabry... not my favorite. She wasn't awful, but she just kept moping and angsting. I understand that there were some intense and crazy things going on in her life, but seriously? When she wasn't experiencing a mood swing she was scared out of her wits. I have this thing for the uber-strong female main characters, so one that comes across as a little weaker rather irks me. By the end of the novel she had grown on me slightly, but will never rank high on my awesome list. The other characters were much more satisfying. I loved both of the boys in their different ways. I also thought it was interesting to see another side of the same world from The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I had a completely different sense of the things that had happened from Gabry growing up somewhere else. It really enhanced the world and story overall.

This really was a good companion novel. Even though the main character didn't rock even my shoes off, the story and enhancement of the world made it a worthwhile read. It's a different take on zombies. Also, I'm excited for the next book, because with this ending there has to be one. Things were getting insanely interesting... anyway, this is a fun series to offer an alternative to the paranormal romance for those who want something slightly deviant.
Book from Library

Mockingjay

*I'm going to attempt to be spoiler-free about this one, but there are going to be huge spoilers if you haven't read the other two. I can't help that, though*

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.
from amazon.com

Beth says 5 Stars...

Oh. My. God. That was my reaction when I finished this book. Quite often hyped books disappoint, but Mockingjay wasn't one of them. Whatever I had expected from Collins, this wasn't it, but in the best possible way. Yes, it still moved the story forward, but it wasn't a repeat of the first two. This novel centers on the rebellion and Katniss's struggle to find her place in the new world she's been thrust into. It was very interesting to get to learn more about District 13, which has always been this mythical place; an example of the might of the Capital in it's supposed destruction. Well, shall we say that things are a bit more complicated than that. The plot was beyond amazing. I never knew what was coming next, and only was able to predict one twist. I was constantly on the edge of my seat and couldn't put it down, despite having homework...

This one, even though it's as action packed as expected, really belongs to the characters. I felt that I truly got to know Katniss in a way that doesn't happen very often. Perhaps it was the combination of the first person narrative and the intense action, but I feel that the main connection came from how much of the book was psychologically focused. Collins really delved deep into what makes Katniss tick, and it's fascinating and scary. I think that quite often in books there's all of this violence and everyone is completely fine. In this one, they aren't. You get to see the toll that living this life has taken on all of them, from Katniss to Peeta to Gale to the multitudes of rebels.

I'm going to have to cut this one a little short, because I'm afraid that I'll ruin it for everyone else. Grab it yesterday, because it's one of the few books for which the hype is completely deserved. If you haven't read this series, get out from under the rock where you've been living and read them ASAP. You won't regret it.

The Princess and the Hound

He is a prince and heir to a kingdom threatened on all sides, possessor of the forbidden animal magic.

She is a princess from a rival kingdom, the daughter her father never wanted, isolated from all except her hound.

In this lush and beautifully written fairy-tale romance, a prince, a princess, and two kingdoms are joined in the aftermath of a war. Proud, stubborn, and bound to marry for duty, George and Beatrice will steal your heart—but will they fall in love?
from harperteen.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

One of the biggest things I didn't understand about this book was that it's billed as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. To that I say a resounding, what? I saw basically no overlap in the two tales and just found the description bizarre. That being said, this is an incredibly interesting novel. What I think might turn some readers off is that it's slow, as in slower than molasses flowing uphill in winter for the first third or so. That whole chunk of the book is background information, but I honestly didn't mind that much. Yes, it is something of a flaw, but at the same time could be considered a strength. This book isn't based on a thrill ride of a plot that moves fast enough to give you whiplash. Instead it's about speculation and the world Harrison creates. Almost all of the information is necessary to understand George as a person, although I was not a fan of the disjointed nature of the forward progression of the narrative. Quite frequently it was difficult to determine where in time the action was taking place.

The characters were interesting. I'll say as much as I can without getting spoilery, because there are some big ones. As much as I understood George I just wasn't able to connect with him. I honestly can't say why, but it changes nothing. Beatrice was interesting, but kept at a distance from the reader because she was viewed through George's eyes. Also, I think the fact that there wasn't very much dialogue put some distance between the characters and the readers. This isn't to say that anything's bad, it simply is.

Overall, I think that this is the type of YA that we need. It isn't concerned with being ordinary and dares to do something different. It isn't going to be a universal crowd pleaser, but it's a worthwhile novel. It has musings about the nature of power, and how our parents and everyone else's expectations can shape our lives and personalities.
book bought

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

Peeled

Something's rotten in the heart of apple country!

Hildy Biddle dreams of being a journalist. A reporter for her high school newspaper, The Core, she's just waiting for a chance to prove herself. Not content to just cover school issues, Hildy's drawn to the town's big story—the haunted old Ludlow house. On the surface, Banesville, USA, seems like such a happy place, but lately, eerie happenings and ghostly sightings are making Hildy take a deeper look.

Her efforts to find out who is really haunting Banesville isn't making her popular, and she starts wondering if she's cut out to be a journalist after all. But she refuses to give up, because, hopefully, the truth will set a few ghosts free.
from bn.com

Beth says 4 Stars...

I honestly don't know why I grabbed this book (although it might have to do with the clearance shelf at Books-A-Million) but I'm glad I did. It was just a great deal of fun and rather unexpected. When I read the summary I thought that it would be a cute little book about a small town girl with some quirky characters. I can always appreciate small town quirk since where I live is home to about 4000 residents; I can relate. The plot ended up being something completely different and unexpected. The main focus was on the journalism being done by Hildy, which was how both she and the readers got information. There was a lovely element of mystery, which enhanced the story without detracting from the characters. The setting was cute and quaint, but anyone afraid of apples needs to beware. Produce and farming permeated the novel and it completely made sense, although some of the names just got a bit silly.

The main fun to be had was with the characters. Hildy was filled with spunk and journalistic drive that oozed out of the page. As someone who's never been particularly interested in the inner workings of a newspaper, it could have been beyond boring, but it wasn't. That was due to the hilarious supporting cast that made up the rest of the staff at The Core (again a reference to apples). The town was filled with wild personalities, from a motherly Polish woman, a over-dramatic psychic, to a suspicious editor of the local newspaper. Hildy's family also played a role in the book, and they helped to balance out some of the stranger personalities.

Overall this is just a really cute read. It does try to make you think about the truth and freedom of the press, but not very successfully. If you want some light intrigue and more than a dash of quirk pick Peeled from a store near you (I couldn't resist a little fruit-themed humor).
Book Bought