Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Atria Books, April 26, 2011

239 pages

Book Source: Public Library

A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love—with a human—in this astonishingly original debut novel.

R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He doesn’t enjoy killing people; he enjoys riding escalators and listening to Frank Sinatra. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Not just another zombie novel, Warm Bodies is funny, scary, and deeply moving.

-- Summary from GoodReads.com 

Judging by the cover...: Little weird (seriously, what is that red stuff?), but slightly creepy, which fits the book. It's desolate, like the mind of a zombie.

Favorite Elements:

• Zombies - If there ever was a war between Zombies and Unicorns... Oh, wait! There totally was! And zombies kicked the magic unicorn blood out of the, well, unicorns! (And if you haven't read about their epic battle, you must read Zombies vs. Unicorns.) Just like they would any other supernatural creature. Because what harm could you do to a zombie? They're already dead!
•  BFF - Nora is the quintessential BFF. Loyal, loose, and just wacky enough to trust in Julie and R.
• Crazy Theories That Just Might Work - Have you ever read a book and thought, "Wow! That was great! But I wonder what a book would be like from the viewpoint of a zombie..."? Well, I have. Thankfully, Marion had the same idea!
• Spoilerific! - Anything else that I tell you I love will completely give it away! But believe me, there's awesomeness galore in these pages.

Overall: A+
I don't give out As freely, and certainly not A+s. This isn't your typical zombie book, so it doesn't deserve a just any grade. We all know how the Living view the Dead, but what do the Dead think about us? Do they only want our brains so they can view our memories, or could there be something else in there, some piece of humanity left deep inside that only needs a Julie to coax it out? The next time you're out zombie hunting, think about their feelings. 

It's not just the premise that I find so enthralling. I seriously could not stop laughing while reading, even during the "dinner" scenes. The dialog between R and M, best friends since death, is absolutely hilarious, and the zombie culture could not be more entertaining (how many zombies do you know that love to ride escalators?). I heartily raise a glass to Marion for bringing the lighter side of zombies to life. 

Recommendation: Warm Bodies is not for the faint of heart, but if I can stomach their feasts, then I think anyone could. Older teen boys (the frequent appearances of sex and foul language would rule this out for the younger set) will be dying to get their hands on it. And at 239 pages, any reluctant reader will be reluctant to put it down.

Giveaway Hosted by Lauren DeStefano

Hey there fellow fans!

You all know how much I raved about Wither by Lauren DeStefano (if you didn't get that memo, look here). She promised that when she reached 3,000 Twitter followers that she would host a giveaway of two ARCs, Wither and Fever (the next book in the series). If you'd like to enter to win, check out her blog and follow the directions.

Best of luck to you all!

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

HarperCollins, April 12, 2011

359 pages

Book Source: Public Library

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

In The Gathering, New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy.

-- Summary from GoodReads.com 

Judging by the cover...: Not the worst cover I've ever seen, not the best, but it's nice to see some continuity; the theme matches those from the first trilogy. I quite like the pretty blue, too.

Favorite Elements:

• Native American Myths - It's nice to see Native American heritage get a nod in popular teen lit. With the latest Greek/Roman craze it's easy to overlook our own continent's history.
• It's Witchcraft, Native American Style - More witches! This time, thankfully, it's not Tory-style, complete with razor sharp attitude, because that would get old real fast.
• Top Shelf Shout Out - Holla at my hometown (and the disaster that happened there in the first series)! Let's go Buff-a-lo! Seriously, mentioning that Darkest Powers took place in The City of Good Neighbors never ever gets old.

Overall: B

A solid B is nothing to sneer at. The Gathering is a continuation of the Darkest Powers series, but it isn't necessary to have read the first trilogy (though it would certainly help). Without giving too much away, Armstrong has created a whole new set of superpowers for Maya and other residents of Vancouver Island. Don't worry though; this isn't just a copy of Chloe and her friends. There are new twists and turns around every corner, and the Native American mythology added in keeps the storyline fresh and compelling.

Recommendation: It's not necessary to have read the first trilogy to understand what's going on with Maya, but it certainly helps (there are veiled references to what happened in Buffalo, along with Dr. Davidoff). Pick this up if you liked the Darkest Powers and want to see how the story continues.

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Scholastic, April 26, 2011

304 pages

Book Source: Public Library

New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

-- Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover...: This is a guilty pleasure cover, one you believe with all of your heart to be beautiful, but you know you'd face ridicule if anyone actually saw you read it. But that's not going to stop me from reading!

Favorite Elements:

• Persephone and Hades - Though not quite a retelling of the story, this book carries elements of the Greek myth throughout the story. And who isn't fascinated by The Underworld?
• Near Death Experiences - Pierce may have come back from the great beyond changed, but that doesn't make her experiences any less cool. She's spent quite a bit of time researching what other NDEs have gone through, and it's very interesting. White light? Voices? Your loved ones? No one knows what exactly is waiting for us on the other side, and that makes those who have been there and come back much more interesting than us regular folk.
• Brooding, Traumatized Boy with Hidden Charm - Should a gatekeeper for The Underworld start taking an interest in me, I would be sure to not offend him in any way. However, I'd react the same way as Pierce and run like hell should I find myself in his bedroom...in hell...

Overall: B-

Having heard all sorts of great things concerning Meg Cabot, I was preparing to be wowed. More likely I just had my hopes set too high. The bouncing back and forth between the past and present was a bit unsettling, but I got over it by the end. It will be interesting to see where this story goes in the next two books, but if you only read this one, you'd still get a pretty good story.

Pierce is hard to relate to, but I think I'd have a hard time finding friends if I was in her position. She's the filthy, disgustingly rich daughter of a corporate magnate, one who almost destroyed the Gulf Coast with his miracle oil absorbing chemical. She's the victim of her own demise, and is one of the lucky ones to have come back to tell the tale. She fails disastrously at an attempt to help her best friend, and every personal relationship takes a nose dive after that. Add to that an eerie boy who keeps showing up and making things better and worse at the same time. Yeah, I'd probably not be able to fit in to society after that, too.

Recommendation: For those ladies who need a swoony, heart-pounding, disturbing love affair, this one's for you!

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Simon Pulse, February 8, 2011

231 pages

Book Source: Public Library

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

-- Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover...: The designers get an A on this one. What you see is what you get here. The desk, the spooky writing, the darkness all fit with the story. Crazy for a cover to do that, I know, but if you think this will be a scary mystery that takes place in a school, you'd be dead on. 

Favorite Elements:

• Small Town - No one thinks that anything happens in small towns, but when you think about it, all the crazy weird stuff happens where no one would expect it. Rural, secluded towns are the perfect place for dark eerie mysteries to pop up, but for now I think I'll stay living in a city, thank you very much.
• For Real - This ain't no girly-girl supernatural love extravaganza. Well, except for the part where the faithful boy who's stuck by the heroine's side is the best-natured creature to walk the earth and the handsome new guy is a complete jerk. Kendall is one of the most down-to-earth, practical chicks to grace the pages of a paranormal mystery, which means that I not only don't get the urge to slap her every ten pages, but I also wouldn't mind being her best friend. Her reaction to everything is so normal it's refreshing; even her OCD is treated as a part of her, not something out of the ordinary.
• Hot Guy - So that jerk I just mentioned? Well, I hate to admit this, but even my blood started to heat up whenever he walked in. Normally I can't take the bad boy behavior (I always fall for the good yet geeky ones), but in this case I might just join the girls of Cryer's Cross in swooning every time he crosses my path.

Overall: A-

Quite a high grade for such a quick read, but McMann really covers all of the bases here. Though we follow the story from behind the viewpoint of a girl, she's practical enough for the story to appeal to boys, too, even before you add in the copious amounts of soccer playing and hardcore farm work. Before every chapter we get a glimpse into the minds of who (or what) is stealing the teenagers of Cryer's Cross, and the reader is kept guessing until the very end.

Recommendation: Get this book, but please be sure to NOT read it at night (says the girl who will probably be checking her window every hour tonight to make sure nothing's out there). This is a good bet for reluctant readers and supernatural fans alike.

Similar Titles: Shine by Lauren Myracle, Reality Check by Peter Abrahams, The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (out this August).

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Dutton Books, June 2011

352 pages

Book Source: This copy was an advanced reader's copy. The release date is set for June 14, 2011.

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

--Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover: The cover is what grabbed my attention and ultimately drove me to need this book. The watery atmosphere and the corpse-like figure gives the feeling that something is wrong, very wrong, and I just had to know what those secrets hinted at were.

Favorite Elements:

• Extinct Town - I've always been fascinated by towns that were submerged when the need to build a reservoir overcame the need for people to stay in their homes. What would happen if there were still people in the houses when the water came? Would they try to return, try to take prisoners of their own? These are the types of questions that haunt me and they apparently had the same effect on Ruby and Chloe.
• New York State - Though their town is quite a distance away from where I grew up, I can't help but love anything set in "upstate" NY (everything outside of New York City is considered upstate to city residents). New York has some beautiful scenery that can't be found anywhere else, and I relish the opportunity to explore it as much as I can, even in books.

Overall: D+

This book had some strong potential. Suma is very skilled at description; it's almost as if she's developing a photograph in front of your eyes, providing a very real image of the surroundings in your mind. Her characters are extremely realistic, too. Chloe is the faithful little sister, convinced that her older sis, Ruby, is the only person in the world that matters. Ruby knows what she wants and with her enchanting charm is able to achieve just about anything she sets her mind to. Even the secondary characters are powerful: London, Owen, Jonah, and Pete are all people you could imagine yourself having a conversation with, could call on the phone and they'd answer. 

Where the book takes a plunge, however, is the plot. I was confused when I realized that this was not a book about plain ol' sisters and deep family secrets. No, the plot, though it is subtle, is supernatural. This does not automatically make the book bad. The downfall comes when Suma begins dividing her attention between two major points in the story, those of the town of Olive and Ruby's eerie power over the townspeople. If Suma had chosen one of these themes and stuck with it, the story would not, in my opinion, have fallen apart at the end. Instead, the shared attention waters the story down, and the plot, not knowing which direction it was supposed to go in, split itself into too many pieces and shattered just when the going got good.

Recommendation: Though it pains me to say such things about a book with a fantastic cover that begs to be read, I would advise against picking this up.

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

 
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Scholastic Books, May 2008
353 pages
Book Source: Public Library

Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way. Her family owns the Hopewell, a small Art Deco hotel in the heart of New York City.

When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite. For Scarlett’s fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite and a permanent guest named Mrs. Amberson. Scarlett doesn’t quite know what to make of this C-list starlet and world traveler. 

And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn.
Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery and romantic missteps. But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off.

-- Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover...: Ugh. She's not even a real blonde (unlike the star of the book)! I was totally embarrassed to pull this book out in public. Thank the gods that the publisher realized this and decided to use a new cover for the paperback, one that won't leave the reader with feelings of guilt and/or shame.

Favorite Elements:

• The Big Apple - I don't need to remind you how cool New York City is. So cool that I wouldn't want to ruin it's cool factor by living there (well, that's not the real reason, but we'll go with that for now). How many other girls can say they live in a swinging hotel that was once populated by New York's finest actors and actresses (and an illegal distillery, too).
• The Stage - If you have what it takes to make it in Broadway, glamor and fame are as good as yours. If you don't want the life of an actor after reading this, then you have a cold, cold heart indeed.
• Living in a Hotel - How many other girls can say they live in a swinging hotel that was once populated by New York's finest actors and actresses? That's right, not many. Imagine the people you'd meet, the crazy things you'd see!

Overall: B+
If you couldn't tell from my reviews of 13 Little Blue Envelopes and The Last Little Blue Envelope, I go slightly fangirl over Maureen Johnson. She is a religious twitterer, spamming hilarious tweets from the moment she wakes up to the time she falls asleep (exhausted from so much tweeting, I'm sure). If there's a young adult author who is really connected to her readers, it's her.

All gushing aside, Scarlett is one of those girls that you can't help but want to adopt as your new best friend. Abandoned by her friends for the summer, left in the clutches of starlet Amy Amberson, caught in the trap of a failing hotel, and hypnotized by the hotness hunky actor Eric, there's no one who needs befriending more. Luckily she has her awesome older brother, Spencer, and an older sister who's got it all: rich boyfriend, hot wardrobe, a killer job, and the patience of a saint. Johnson pulls all of these elements together and does it with the same panache and hilarity of her frequent 140-character updates.

If you've ever wanted to spend a summer in the city that never sleeps, here's your chance to do it without ever leaving your couch (and accomplish it in much less time, too).

Recommendation: Puh-lease, like you have to ask. This is the first in the Scarlett series, and if the rest are like this one, you won't want to miss a beat.

The Dark City by Catherine Fisher

The Dark City by Catherine Fisher (Relic Master series)
Penguin, May 2011
384 pages
Book Source: I received an advanced reader's copy from LibraryThing.com. The expected release date is May 17, 2011.

Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters, some human, some not, that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it.

-- Summary from GoodReads.com 

Judging by the cover...: The cover invokes feelings of Incarceron and Sapphique, leaving me with the feeling that whoever designed this cover is trying to capitalize on their success. So much more could have been done to set it apart from its predecessors.


Favorite Elements:

• The Relics - No one knows how they got there or what they're for, but boy do they pack a punch!
• Spy Girl - It's not often that a girl in fantasy is the duplicitous spy, at least not in my experience. I like to see women get in on the double crossing fun.
• The Dark City - It has a tragic past that wounded and maimed it, but its people find some way to survive.

Overall: C-
I keep telling myself that in the relationship between Catherine Fisher and me, I'm the one with the problem. So I continue to hope that her books and I will all of a sudden be compatible, two peas in a pod, and every time I get my hopes dashed to the ground. I'm beginning to realize that we just aren't meant to be. Her style, especially her endings, leave me saying, "WTF mate?"


The Dark City was too reminiscent of Incarceron, the same type of scenes, same language, same overall feeling. For some readers, this is a good thing, but a turn off for me, and left the plot too predictable.


Readers who are new to fantasy and need a starting point will find it here. But this is just that, the shallow pool in which all new swimmers must start. 


Recommendation: One book in the series (four total) will be released each month, a scheme that just seems to be a ploy to get innocent families to fork out $40 and line the pockets of the author and publisher. Save your money and wait for your library to carry it, if you really want to read it. 

Similar Authors: John Flanagan (The Ranger's Apprentice series), Angie Sage (Septimus Heap series), Elizabeth Haydon (The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme series).

Top Tuesday - Supernatural Series

Welcome back to another edition of Top Tuesday. This week's theme stars my favorite supernatural series and their heroines. Best of all, you will find that Twilight doesn't even make it on to the list!

1. The Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong

Chloe Saunders doesn't understand why all of a sudden she is seeing a janitor of her school. The janitor who died in a fire at her school many years ago. Her family thinks she is schizophrenic and send her to a home to recover. What no one in her family realizes, yet, is that Chloe and the other kids at Lyle House are special. They are warlocks, shamans, witches, and necromancers, and the corporation that made them that way don't want the secret to get out. During their fight for freedom, Chloe manages to find love and learn more about the mother she barely knew. If you need another reason to read this awesome series, let me add this: the books are set in The City of Good Neighbors, Buffalo, NY. That alone should make you run to the library and start reading!

2. Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins

Sophie has a tendency to cause trouble in school, so her and her mother must move constantly. Why does she do it? Because she's an extremely powerful witch who has not yet learned to use her powers. After Sophie's latest blow up, her absentee father, a warlock, decides that she's too dangerous for the real world, and sentences her to Hecate Hall, a boarding school for supernatural juvenile delinquents such as herself. It becomes clear that an incident from last year hasn't been resolved, and when her vampire roommate is blamed for killing young witches at the school, Sophie must figure out who really is behind the attacks, if her detentions with super hottie Archer don't distract her too much.

3. The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix

Sabriel's father is The Abhorsen, the one who unravels the sins of necromancers and sends the dead back to their world. When he is kidnapped, Sabriel must travel back to her homeland to take up her father's office. It is a dangerous path to take, as there is evil stirring in the land, and it is up to Sabriel and her father's servant, Mogget, to find her father and set the world right again. Nix's power over words makes this one of the best series I have ever read.

4. Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld

A select few residents of the town Bixby, OK have something the rest of us only wish we could have: an extra hour in the day. A group of teens who were born on the stroke of midnight are given an extra hour every night at 12:00 AM. Not only that, but each of the Midnighters has a special power, from reading minds to flying. Unfortunately, the monsters of this special hour have a plan in mind to reclaim the world that was once theirs, and Jessica, along with her new group of special friends, must figure out how to stop the invasion. Action and monsters mixed with ancient Native American history make for a thrilling series.

5. The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan

In the future, an infection begins to take over the human race, turning everyone who is afflicted into an Unconsecrated, otherwise known as zombies. Mary's village has survived only because its residents were willing to cut themselves off from the rest of the world. The perimeter fence is all that separates the village from the Unconsecrated, the only thing keeping the residents from being bitten and turning into soulless, flesh-hungry shells. When the fence is breached, Mary is forced to make a terrible decision that will change her world forever.

6. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

This is a series that has them all: demons, vampires, fairies, werewolves, and angels. Clary stumbles upon a threesome of teens who are in the process of murdering a boy at a nightclub, but it's hard to call the police when the body has disappeared. With this supposed crime, she is involuntarily pulled into the world of the shadowhunters, the task force dedicated to killing demon. She discovers a whole world she never knew existed, a world that will soon come to an end if she can't figure out who is behind the attacks on her and her mother soon.

There you have it, folks! Some of the best Young Adult supernatural series that are out there right now. Be sure to check them out!