Die For Me by Amy Plum

Die For Me by Amy Plum

HarperTeen, May 2011

341 pages

Book Source: Public Library

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

In this incandescent debut, newcomer Amy Plum has created a powerful paranormal mythology with immortal revenants. The Paris setting comes enchantingly alive as a relentless struggle between good and evil takes place in its streets. Rich with romance, atmosphere, and thrills, Die for Me will leave readers breathlessly awaiting its sequel.

-- Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover...: I'm not the lying sort, so I'll put it right out there: I read this book solely because of the cover. While reading, I couldn't help but frequently stop and just gaze at the beauty of it; the black vines, the model's dress, the cityscape, and most importantly, the beautifully rich scarlett tones used. I'm in lust with this cover.

Favorite Elements:

• Paris - If you don't want to visit the most romantic city in the world, you have no soul. Well, okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but come on! Every place Vincent took Kate was another reason to go weak in the knees for him all over again (at least for me). It sounds so beautiful, so magical, that it was tempting to not jump on the first plane headed to France.
• Non-Brain Eating Zombies - A hot undead boyfriend who won't try to ingest my grey matter? Sign me up!
• French - This might seem like a repeat of my first fav, but really, it isn't. I've always been jealous of those who can speak the language. Though I fared better at it than Spanish, my grasp of it never became like that of German. Seriously, try being romantic while speaking THAT!
• The Cover - You mean I've harped on that too much already? Oh, fine!

Overall: C+

While not the most stellar of paranormal romances, I can't say it was the worst, either. Kate's adventures with Vincent were fun, and while I'd probably run like hell if a boyfriend of mine were to tell me that he was immortal, I do admire her willingness to put up with him and his "family". The Revenants are an interesting idea, much different than vampires or werewolves, and I really liked the direction the story was taking. Everything wrapped up neat, and I'll most definitely be checking out the next book in the series.

My one "but" for this book isn't really something I can fault the author with, since it is my personal preference. I would much rather read a story where the characters draw out their realization that they love each other, instead of meeting and falling in love with each other on the first page. In those sort of books, it always seems as if the heroine spends most of her time wallowing in her inability to be glued to the hero's side 24/7. If you're the sort who likes that kind of thing, then you'll be a big fan.

Recommendation: For those of you who love paranormal romances, you're in luck. Whether you borrow it, buy it, or steal it*, if you can't get to it today, it's okay. But definitely put it in your TBR pile. And make sure you frame that gorgeous cover!

*Um, yeah. About that. Don't really do that.

I Love New York

After days of waiting for New York to finally decide on the same sex marriage bill (and enduring the announcement of the official state vegetable: corn), The Empire State has demonstrated tonight that this country is changing for the better.

Congratulations to all of you out there who FINALLY get what should have been yours all along. You deserve it! So proud of my home state tonight, and wish I could be there partying with everyone.

Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi

Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi

Disney Hyperion, May 2011

336 pages

Book Source: This was an ARC copy provided free by and downloaded from NetGalley.com.

In the spring of her senior year, Donna Parisi finds new life in an unexpected place: a coffin.

Since her father’s death four years ago, Donna has gone through the motions of living: her friendships are empty, she’s clueless about what to do after high school graduation, and her grief keeps her isolated, cut off even from the one parent she has left. That is until she’s standing in front of the dead body of a classmate at Brighton Brothers’ Funeral Home. At that moment, Donna realizes what might just give her life purpose is comforting others in death. That maybe who she really wants to be is a mortician.

This discovery sets in motion a life Donna never imagined was possible. She befriends a charismatic new student, Liz, notices a boy, Charlie, and realizes that maybe he's been noticing her, too, and finds herself trying things she hadn’t dreamed of trying before. By taking risks, Donna comes into her own, diving into her mortuary studies with a passion and skill she didn’t know she had in her. And she finally understands that moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting someone you love.

Jen Violi’s heartfelt and funny debut novel is a story of transformation—how one girl learns to grieve and say goodbye, turn loss into a gift, and let herself be exceptional...at loving, applying lipstick to corpses, and finding life in the wake of death. 

--Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover...: Upside down dead chick? Alright, you got me there. I may not be 100% in love with it, but it brings out the goth girl I hide deep down. It has a certain Six Feet Under appeal, except with no Michael C. Hall.

Favorite Elements:

• Serious Creep Factor - We're not talking the kind of creepiness involving supernatural monsters, but about the monsters within us all. Ooooh, very philosophical! Death, the fate that no one escapes from, brings out the weirdness in all of us. 
• Big Family - It's not often that main characters have a big family. They always seem to be the only-child, almost-orphan type of families where day-to-day events escape the present-in-body parent's attention. It's nice to see a character interact with her siblings and ca-razy extended relatives.
• Patty - Don't hate. I secretly think she's awesome, thought I can't put my finger on it. She's got attitude, she's abrasive, and she isn't afraid to let her opinion be known (even if it is mean). We all deserve to be loved, don't we?

Overall: B-

Donna has some serious issues since her dad died. Who wouldn't? Everyone in her family is dealing with it in a different way, and it's easy to see how she got left behind. Lucky for her, she found something to throw herself into - dead people. The book could have gone in so many directions, and I was expecting it to be slightly flippant, but was relieved when I realized just how deep and introspective Donna becomes. Congratulations to Violi for tackling the hard issues without the preaching that could have resulted. Donna's voice comes across as authentic as any girl in her position would, and the decisions she makes are natural and almost (but not quite) adult.

My one issue with the plot was that certain elements seemed too convenient. Befriending Liz, encountering J.B., the decision to go to mortuary school. These events happened fast, almost too fast, but each has an important impact on the story.

Recommendation: Yes! Read it! Even if you only read it for the creepy-but-not funeral home scenes (I swear I'm not usually this obsessed), it's still a beautiful coming of age story. Older teens, girls mostly, will enjoy reading about Donna, and not-quite-young adults will root for Donna and her mom.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Scholastic, May 2011

390 pages

Book Source: Public Library

From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.
Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

--Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover...: I hate to start off on a negative note, since this is such a kick*** book, but Printz award or not, I was tempted to brown bag it at the store. Yes, the lipstick bandolier is ironic and witty, but it's hard to be taken seriously when eating lunch holding a bikini clad picture that just screams, *"SHE'S READING CHICK LIT, Y'ALL!"

*Since Miss Texas plays a predominate role in this book AND I'm currently in Texas, this is a perfectly acceptable use of the word "y'all". You go, Taylor!

Favorite Elements

• Girl Power - Who knew beauty queens were more than plastic barbie dolls? Well, duh, of course! And these ladies are awesome to the max. Every one of them could be my best friend and we would have the coolest tropical vacations.
• A Re-Done Lord of the Flies - I can't be the only person out there who hated TLotF. Right? My 11th grade English teacher gave us a project to add an ending on, and I tacked on some lame garbage about the boys finding their way back to civilization and not being able to cope. If only I had thought of mixing in some beauty queens!
• Shout Out to All - No one escapes scrutiny in this book! Libba (we're on a first name basis in my head) leaves no stone unturned, no group untouched. Religion, sex ed, bisexuals, Consumer America, free spirits, you name it!

Overall: A-
Here's where I have to be honest and accept that my YA card may be revoked: this is the first book by Libba that I have read. I know!!! I am ashamed.

I know I spent some hate on that cover, but this is one of those cases in which you should not judge a book by its wrappings (holy cow, I could spend an hour analyzing just how much that phrase pertains to this book). Each girl in that book has a characteristic that is in all of us: Taylor with her need to feel needed, Shanti and her desire to be liked by everyone, Nikki who just wants to impress her mom, Mary Lou and her ______ (SPOILERS!). It reminds me of the movie Identity, with all those people inside that one guy's brain**. 

Plot-wise it was over the top, but let's be honest here, that's what she was going for. I mean, how many deranged Asian dictators bestow the honor of General on their former pet monkey, now stuffed? How many "deserted" islands are home to gigantic rainbow-chromatic snakes? Reality t.v. pirates? The ridiculousness of the events just adds to the twists and turns, and turn these Teen Dreamers into Wonder Women.

**Don't yell at me about the spoilers here, the movie came out in 2003. If you had wanted to see it, you would have already. So there. 

Recommendation: Though not for the faint of heart (ZOMG sex! ZOMG alcohol!), this book will have you laughing and crying, sometimes on the same page. It is definitely a girl power book, so the boys will have a hard time understanding, but it would be very hard for a girl to NOT relate.

Winterborne by Augusta Blythe

Winterborne by Augusta Blythe

Published April 24, 2011 by the author

188 pages

Book Source: My ePub copy was provided by the author. The book is currently only available on Kindle for $2.99.

Sixteen-year old Mia Winterborne is destined to be special. Details are sketchy, though, as her dad disappeared with all the answers when she was five. Mia only knows that she'll inherit her kickass superpowers on her seventeenth birthday. Helping Mia prepare for her anticipated ascendancy is Loie Bryce, her best friend and eternal sidekick extraordinaire. The girls' intense friendship has never wavered until now, when Andreas arrives in Salcey Ridge. They both fall hard for the British hottie, who quickly becomes a fixture in their lives. When they discover that Andreas is not who he appears to be, the frightening reality of Mia's powers finally hits home. The nearer Mia's birthday draws, the more the danger escalates and long-buried lies are exposed, putting the girls on a path that they never expected.

--Summary from GoodReads.com

Judging by the cover...: It's a shame that this book in only available electronically, because this is a cover I would flaunt shamelessly. Simple yet gorgeous. Absolutely love it.

Favorite Elements:

• Boy With an Accent - It goes without saying that any boy with a British accent immediately becomes swoon worthy. Andreas is absolutely perfect, and if he had just moved in next door to me (and I was 17), I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to claim him as mine.
• Subtle Supernatural - If you've followed my blog for a while, you'd know I am leery of anything to do with tiny supernatural creatures (fairies, pixies, leprechauns, etc.). There are few authors who can write them without getting sappy and obnoxious. So not the case here! Wee Folk make an appearance, but their presence adds mayhem and mystery, no drama llamas here.
• Super Powers - I will leave what they are a mystery, but when they start to happen, it's pretty freakin' cool.
• Narrator to Love - Loie has the patience of a saint and unfortunately the self-esteem of a termite (do termites have self-esteem?), but I love her anyway. If she was my best friend, I'd do everything it takes to show her just how awesome she really is (luckily she has Katie for that).

Overall: A-

You should know that I don't give out As lightly. It takes hard work and determination from an author to win a spot on my A List, and Blythe has achieved it! 

At the current price, this book is a ridiculously good deal. The world created for us is so simple yet overwhelmingly realistic, it's hard to believe that this isn't real life. Loie's voice and feelings are authentic enough to make you think she is actually telling you the story while you're sitting on your couch sipping lattes, instead of reading it on a page. I certainly hope there's a sequel on the way, because this girl can't wait too much longer to know what happens.

Recommendation: You'd have to be crazy to not buy it right now. There's something for everyone to enjoy: action, romance, fantasy, and a homecoming dance and its length will attract reluctant readers.

Is Young Adult Lit Too Dark For Our Teens?

If you haven't read the Wall Street Journal's recent article about young adult literature, please take a moment to do so.

The YA community is up in arms about this travesty of an opinion, and rightly so. Thankfully, we have some of the best role models in Maureen Johnson when it comes to organizing ourselves. Johnson and Libba Bray called for their readership to tell them how #yasaves. I urge you to take a moment and see the amazing stories that were shared.

For many teens out there, YA books are a way to explore their world without facing the consequences themselves. And the notion that because a teen reads a book about self-mutilation will make them want to do the same to her own body is ridiculous. It's the old debate about violence on television and video games. The act of watching will not cause violence if the teen has a family open to discussing the complicated issues of life.

When I was at an age considered young adult by the publishing world, I was more interested in reading adult mysteries than anything that was written for my peers. As I grew older and read more and more of those mysteries, I began to notice just how gruesome they became. They contained the subject material Gurdon accuses YA lit to contain, but in greater concentrations. As I branched out to regular fiction, I discovered those were even worse! The authors wrote overly-descriptive violence, rape, incest, child molesting, and extremely harsh language, and most of these were just gratuitous. If this is the case Gurdon is trying to make, then adult lit is setting a poor example.

Take, for example, the best selling The Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larrson (which were extremely well written, I might add). If you factor in all of the horrific scenes in those books, you can't even compare to the violence and sexual situations found in YA. Those situations are never there just for the hell of it. Young Adult authors are very aware of their target readership and are including the material to help their readers prepare for whatever the world throws at them. It's a double standard: what makes it acceptable for adults to read such highly charged violent material, but not for a teen to read about a girl and a vampire who are deeply in love?

I turned to young adult books way past the age that I was "supposed" to. YA became my savior when the atmosphere of the adult lit world began to overwhelm me with it's wonton abuse of violence and language. Now I take comfort in those books, look forward to immersing myself in a world that is familiar.

I hope that no matter what your views are about current young adult literature, you can accept that teens and their parents will make up their own minds about what is acceptable for their families. Anything else is just censorship, and as we've discovered by reading the vast amounts of dystopia novels available for teens, censorship never works out in the end.

Many authors and my fellow bloggers have written responses to the article, too, and they are worth reading:

Laurie Halse Anderson
Persnickety Snark
Liz B.
Steph Su

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Harlequin Teen, April 19, 2011

304 pages

Book Source: This copy was an advanced reader's copy provided by the Early Reviewer program on LibraryThing.com.

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. 

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

--Summary from GoodReads.com 

Judging by the cover...: Not a big fan of the cover. It's a little too seductive and surreal for my tastes. Luckily I had an ebook copy.

Favorite Elements:

• Persephone and Hades - What if the story we have been told for thousands of years wasn't the correct version? That somewhere down the line, Hades was turned into a villain and Persephone won everyone's sympathy? It's not completely without reason, considering history has a habit of rewriting itself.
• The Gods - The big kahunas of Greek mythology are featured within these pages. Brings to mind Percy Jackson's "family" of Gods and how they have their own unique personalities.
• Biggest Wardrobe Ever - I almost fainted when Kate was offered every possible piece of clothing ever available in history. And I love that all she wanted were the jeans and sweaters (because let's face it, that's what I'd go for, too).

Overall: C-
Ouch, I know, but after all of the hype given to this book, I really don't get it. The premise had major possibilities, but once the story got going, we are made to believe improbable plot points (who really just accepts that their friend saw someone bring another human back from the dead?) and root for a character who makes such uncharacteristic choices. There are plot holes galore, and the tests fail to live up to their reputation.

Recommendation: Meh. If you want a light and fluffy romance without having to think too hard about it, choose this one. If you're looking for something with more substance, keep searching.

Similar Books: Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan (action packed, tiny amount of romance, crazy thrills) or Abandon by Meg Cabot (sa-woon!).

The Liar Society by Lisa Roecker and Laura Roecker

The Liar Society by Lisa Roecker and Laura Roecker

Sourcebooks Fire, March 1, 2011

361 pages

Book Source: Public Library

Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure.

To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)

Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Cameron.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.

Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder...

--Summary from GoodReads.com 

Judging by the cover...: This cover wins points for sticking to the story, except for adding freckles on Kate (this freckled blogger wants to know why!). Grace's pearls, even though they ARE in the book, are obviously photoshopped in, which drives me nuts! The model couldn't have slung some real pearls around her neck?

Favorite Elements:

• Private School - While it's fun to read about the exploits of the rich and famous, Pemberly Brown is just like every other preparatory private academy which serves the excessively wealthy: messed up. Seriously, how screwed up are the people who send their kids to these kinds of schools? Mayhem? Murder? I'm sending my kids to public school, that's for sure. 
• Secret Societies - (cue spy music) Anyone want to start a mysterious and secret club with me? We could be the YAngels, or something...
• Pink Hair!! - Ever get the urge to dye your hair a crazy color? For me it was always fire engine red. Kudos to Kate for doing it up bubblegum style! 
• Cuties - Kate's got her hands full with both Liam and Seth. She might not think Seth is a catch, but with his flaming curly hair and front office connections, he'd be the one to steal my heart.

Overall: A

The Sisters Roecker really have something here. Their fast-paced style keeps your attention as Kate races to solve the mystery Grace has set for her. And who wouldn't root for poor Kate, devastated over the loss of not one friend, but two? Kate is one of those characters you wish you could be, someone you'd want to have a real conversation with, comfort if you could. She knows something is wrong deep in her heart and desperately wants to figure it out. It's too bad that no one believes her, especially her parents. And if ever there was a character who needs new parents, it's this poor girl!

When I finished the book, I didn't know that this is to be a series, so don't panic when you find yourself grasping at the loose ends like I did. Though I was really hoping for a stand alone novel (so rare these days), Kate is an awesome character who shouldn't be contained to just one book.

Recommendation: Read it. Read it now. Do not wait! The suspense will make you wish you could read the book in one sitting and has enough romance mixed in to keep things interesting.

Similar Reads: The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart. For younger readers I'd suggest The Red Blazer Girls series by Michael D. Beil.