Waiting on Wednesday (20)

The Beautiful Between by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Publishing date: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Goodreads / Amazon
Description:
If high school were a fairy-tale kingdom, Connelly Sternin would be Rapunzel, locked not in a tower by a wicked witch but in a high-rise apartment building by the SATs and college applications—and by the secrets she keeps. Connelly's few friends think that her parents are divorced—but they're not. Connelly's father died when she was two, and she doesn't know how.

If Connelly is the Rapunzel of her school, Jeremy Cole is the crown prince, son of a great and rich New York City family. So when he sits down next to her at lunch one day, Connelly couldn't be more surprised. But Jeremy has a tragic secret of his own, and Connelly is the only one he can turn to for help. Together they form a council of two, helping each other with their homework and sharing secrets. As the pair's friendship grows, Connelly learns that it's the truth, not the secrets, that one must guard and protect. And that between friends, the truth, however harsh, is also beautiful.

This lovely and memorable debut by Alyssa B. Sheinmel contains many of the hallmark themes found in young adult literature—friendship, coming of age, finding a place to belong, and overcoming the death of a loved one. Emotionally moving from start to finish, The Beautiful Between introduces a strong new voice to the genre, a voice with a long future ahead of it.

Now doesn't that just sound so darn sweet? I love the fairy tale reference and hope it's in the book also, because I adore fairy tales and retellings. Connelly and Jeremy's relationship sounds beautiful! And I find perfectly seeming characters who are actually lonely and secretive are one of the best possible. And yay for debuts!

Can't say I'm a fan of the cover, but the description more than makes up for it! (Actually, on my photobucket account, this cover is saved right beside the cover for Blood Promise. The Beautiful Between's cover just pales in comparison I'm afraid. Although if it's going for the old and broken look, it's working. :P)

So y'all, what say you? And what's your pick this week?

WoW hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Just a whole jumble of thoughts and updates

Because I feel we should have a post today. For some reason, I feel awful when there isn't a post everyday. Some kind of guilt. Is this normal? Does anyone else have this blogging addiction?

First, some news. I've been seeing it around a lot today, about TLC putting rules on book reviewing. Something like reviewers must state where they got the book and/or return the book or else pay a fine. Ummmm. Not too sure if I'm completely getting it. WHY would such laws be put in place? It honestly just seems like a pain to everyone. But I've only skimmed articles and posts, so I'm definitely not the an expert or very knowledgable on the subject.

Donna at Bites made a wonderful post asking if good books are only those tough old classics. The answer: Course not! In my humble opinion, and I'm guessing quite a percentage of the population. I'd suggest you going to take a look at the post, because I think it raises a good question. It's like saying, Pride & Prejudice or Twilight- which is the better book? Pride & Prejudice because it was published nearly 200 years ago, but it still is relatable today? Twilight because thousands of girls, young and old alike, swoon at the thought of Edward? Can we REALLY judge what makes a book good?

You may have noticed posts are a little in decline lately. That, my friends, is school. Lauren and I are not organised enough to schedule posts in advance except for the odd one now and then, so posts will probably be in the evening after school and activities. Sorry folks! We wish we had more free time too. :( Book reading has become incredibly slow, as we both have books we must read for school. (Gaar, Hard Times.)

Tech Tuesdays and Fact Fridays may or may not be discontinued. We're still wanting to do them, but wondering if we have enough time. Especially Fact Fridays because Lauren and I actually need to get together and coordinate them. Thursday Thunks, dropped forevermore. We're thinking of doing Throwdown Thursday instead. Maybe. We'll see if we can pull our act together.

Oh! And does anyone know what the dancing circle to hold the demons looks like in The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. My poor brother desperately needs to know for an english project. (I convinced him to read it. :D And Gone too. He loves them! And may potentially review them on this site...)

And ah, that's it I guess. This nonsense post is product of a fun deprived brain needing to get back to homework! Oh joy...

Feel free to throw in your two cents about anything.

- Alex

Review by Alex- Hate List

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

First Impressions: Hate List sounds so interesting! School shootings are always a tough subject to tackle, and I loved the idea of the point of view. Also, Hate List had gotten some stunning reviews.

And here's another one for you. ;)

Hate List mixes the present beginning of school to the past May's shooting. There are also newspaper articles at the beginning of different chapters pertaining to the shooting and what happened that fateful day. It's a really effective way of writing, giving all the necessary information while keeping suspense.

Val is a wonderful character- confused and sad, scared to go back to school. Her boyfriend did, after all, shoot and kill/seriously injure many students and adults in the school that one day, including her and himself. So Val's dealing with losing Nick and her friends, her shot leg, going back to school, and a huge amount of guilt. Luckily, she has an awesome psychiatric (right? Or is it therapist? Or psychologist?) to help her, and occasionally helpful parents. It's a heavy load to deal with, and Val's certainly a sympathetic character.

The secondary characters are all unique and distinct, although I wish we could learn more about them. Jessica, the Queen Bee of the school, who Val saved in the shooting, plays an important part in the novel, but remains a bit of a mystery. She befriends Val and includes her, but sometimes she didn't seem quite whole. I couldn't always understand her reasoning. Going onto other characters, Val's parents are very lacking as people. Her mom is trying her best, but her dad... is horrible. I'd put him almost on par with Terra's dad in North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley.

The emotions Hate List evokes are strong and uncontrollable. Hate List is so poweful, it resonates. I will admit I weeped in the later half of the novel. It's just that emotional.

Final Impressions: Wow. Just wow. I seriously recommend people reading Hate List, although I'd warn having a box of tissues at hand is necessary. Jennifer Brown is certainly one author to look out for!

Add To Shelf: Yes! I'm plotting someway to get my hands on owning Hate List, as I was reading a copy from the library. You should buy this- it's worth it.

Note This! Val's an artist. She conveys her emotions in drawings and caricatures. She also meets a certain strange lady who pushes Val to explore and express her abilities more. Yay to art!

Review by Lauren - Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? - Louise Rennison

A bit early to get swoony knickers but I have got them on.

For Georgia, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Just when she thought she was the official one-and-only girlfriend of Masimo, he's walked off into the night with the full hump, leaving Georgia all aloney on her owney—again. All because Dave the Laugh tried to do fisticuffs at dawn with him!

Two boys fighting over Georgia? It's almost as romantic as Romeo and Juliet... though perhaps a touch less tragic.

It's time for Georgia to get to the bottom (oo-er) of this Dave the Laugh spontaneous puckering business once and for all. It's like they always say: If you snog a mate in the forest of red bottomosity and no one is around to see it, is he still a mate? Or is he something more?

First Impression: Super excited. I'd read the last 5 books and the series and was so pumped for this.

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? is the final instalment of Georgia Nicolson's ridiculous journals. Considering there are 10 books in this series, I would advise jumping in a little earlier on. I, personally, started reading on book number... 4? Away Laughing On A Fast Camel. I was 12 and the first couple titles were slightly mortifying, so I skipped over them.

Once again, Georgia brings a ridiculous novel to us. Seriously. These books are beyond crazy -

the writing, the things that happen - but I will say that these are probably the only books where, on more than one occasion, I do laugh out loud at the ridiculousness and hilarity of it all. Definite feel-good books. We get more beards, another great Billy Shakespeare play (Rom and Jules in case you were wondering), more Jas getting the hump with her owls, more songs with random lyrics involving the word pants, more redbottomossity and even more horn. and more DAVE THE LAUGH. You know you love him. Who needs a lurrve god when you have the Hornmeister?

Now that Georgia is dealing with Masimo's little fight with Dave, she has to start thinking about how she feels for both of them. (We all know who we want her to chose, don't we.) The "Swiss Family Mad" also acquires a new family member, a budgy, whom Libby decides to give a ridiculous name. Not too much happening in these books, but it's more of just Georgia's writing style that makes it memorable.

I will say that this is not a quality book. It's a feel-good book. There is definite creativity, but not the conventional kind. There are no descriptive paragraphs, no gorgeous imagery, no amazing plotline, but I swear this book will make you giggle and snort with amusement. If you enjoyed the first 9 books, you will like this one.

Final Impression: A fun book, great end to the whole instalment. It's a nice change, and I will definitely miss Georgia's craziness.

5/6 shelves. So long Georgia. So long Libby. So long Angus.

In My Mailbox (18)

IMM created by Alea, and memefied by Kristi.

Why yes, this is on my bed. XD My oh so messy sheets... ignore that.

Unclaimed Heart by Kim Wilkins
Purge by Sarah Littman
My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter (quite interested- it got some pretty rave reviews)
Prada & Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard (Sounds cute. Just finished reading Pride and Prejudice, though I'm not seeing much of a connection between the two, besides the time period.)
And Then Everything Unraveled by Jennifer Sturman (Think it sounds really good. And the cover looks much nicer in person.)
Angels on Sunset Boulevard by Melissa de la Cruz
Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund (Been wanting to read this badly. So yay!)
Slept Away by Julie Kraut
Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris
Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt (Also been wanting to read this one for awhile.)
Blue Moon by Alyson Noel (Evermore was okay, but nothing amazing; I'm willing to give the series another chance.)

All from the library. I'm saving up my money. For what, who knows... University probably. Oh, and Lauren got Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?, the final Georgia Nicholson book. She's super excited about it.

- Alex

Review by Alex- Blood Promise

Guardian Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

First Impressions: Blood Promise! Vampire Academy series! Aaah. Must read now. I pushed my TBR pile back when I got Blood Promise to be able to read it. And then read almost all of it in one Saturday.

While the series is named Vampire Academy, Blood Promise is hardly set in the Academy. Instead, Rose is off in Russia and Siberia, trying to find and get over Dimitri. There, she meets many interesting characters, those of interest: Dimitri's family. I thought that was really great. The plot slowed considerably when Rose was with them, but it was interesting to learn more of Dimitri's background.

For most of the novel, the only time we get to see the Academy is when Rose goes into Lissa's head. Back there, things are getting considerably exciting. Lissa makes a new friend to attempt to replace the hole that Rose made when she left. Things get a little out of control, and Lissa starts getting weirder and weirder. She starts reverting back to her party-hearty days. But... no one seems to be doing anything about it. Not Christian, who's role in the novel is almost non-existent (huge sad face), to Adrian, who's actually showing a caring and kind side (aaaw), to Lissa's new friend who isn't helping at all.

Blood Promise is drastically different from the first three plot and setting wise. I found there to be less action in most of it, except in the end where everything climaxes. But it's still just as riveting, even with less big fighting. What I find so amazing about this series, is how the tone can go from dark and intense, to light and comical. It simultaneously astounds me and annoys me. Annoying because sometimes a chapter will end with a huge cliffhanger, and I'll have to read a page or two to figure out what happened!

Rose can still kick Strigoi butt. She's sad though, considering she's lost Dimitri to Strigoi. But she's still really strong, hilarious, and difficult when needed. Adrian really shines in Blood Promise, and is given the time to show his compasionate side. Dimitri... not so much. Oh well...

Honestly, I just have to say, READ THIS SERIES. Best YA vampire series by far, in my opinion. They're action packed and well written to have you hanging off your seat, with awesome and strong characters. Plus there's a steamy romance! (In the first 3... Romance gets a little weird in this one, I find.)

Final Impressions: While perhaps not as amazing as the first three, Blood Promise lives up to all the hype and suspense, leaving you again with a cliffie.

Add to Shelf: Yes. But maybe wait until it comes out in paperback so the whole series can be in paperback. (That's what I plan to do.) Blood Promise annoyingly comes out first in hardcover, while none of the first three did.

Note This! Why are you still reading my review? You should be picking up this series instead! You know you want to... ;) (Pssst. This is SO directed at you Lauren.)

Oh! And all your VA lovers, can you help me convince Lauren to read this series? I keep telling her to, but she's being silly and won't, claiming she has too many other books to read. If you all want to comment saying how she totally should take the time to read VA, I'd love you all forever.

Covers revealed!

So... 2 books I featured in my WoW posts now have covers! I'd figure I'd share them with you all to see what you think.

Apparently, The Rise of Renegade X is a wrap around cover and looks fabulous. I love both covers! Harmonic Feedback is very sorrowful and powerful. Renegade X is just so intense and comic book like. :D

- Alex