Update

Hi all,

I just wanted to update you on what has been happening lately. I've been so caught up with all my college reading (there's so much to read and so much information I have to stick into my head). I haven't had any time to do any fun reading (as I like to call it) and even try to enjoy a book since college has technically taken over my life. But again, don't fret, I am not planning on abandoning the blog in any way, but until the work load starts to slow down a bit or when I finish my first semester, which should be at the end of November, early December, I should get back to all of you.

Until then, I hope you all have been having fun reading new books and if you liked one a lot, let me know so I can add it to my To-Be-Read pile which is only growing everyday.

The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Age Group: YA
Rating: 4/5
Source: Publisher

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother. 

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists. 

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

Lately, I have been on a craving for horror novels and THE UNQUIET defiantly helped my craving. When I first began reading this book, I thought there was no way this book was going to be crazy because it is a teen horror novel and usually teen horror novels aren't scary, but I was way wrong and even though I knew I shouldn't have been reading this book at night, I still did and it left me sleepless for many days. People even died in this book.

Rinn is the main character and she's not like most protagonists in YA literature, she has bipolar disorder. She takes medication for it and when she's on her medication, she's like a normal teenage girl and has friends. But when she's off her medication is when it's bad for her. She's reckless and begins hearing voices. There's also Nate. He's the popular boy, but when Rinn tells him about her bipolar disorder, he stays by her side and doesn't run away. He likes that she's new and after meeting with each other, they begin dating so there is romance in this novel as well.

The plot was very interesting with the whole ghost haunting theme and the author did a great job of keeping the creepy factor in and not letting the story become a comedy. If you want to read a teen horror novel or just another horror novel, this book is for you. It' scary, there's a romance, and it will keep you up all night. Just look at that cover, makes me want to put the book face down because I feel like something is going to jump out at me. 

Where I Have Been

Hey my lovely followers and readers!

I know it's been FOREVER since I last posted something here on the blog or on Twitter. But I want you to know I am alive and the reason I have ben absent for so long is that I was getting ready to begin college! I was so nervous and anxious because it was a new experience to me and I just didn't really know what to expect. But everything went great and I'm so glad. I start classes on Monday so I'm also pretty excited about that. But I want you all to know that I will begin posting again - it may not be a lot because I am going to focus on my studies, but I want you to know that any questions you have, book suggestions, or just want to write to me for fun, I'll still be checking my email all the time so feel free to write. I would love to hear from you all!

I hope you all have a great end of the summer before school begins and if you have already started, good luck! I'll be back on the blog so stick around. 

Guest Post: Kirsten Miller

Only a third of the books I own can be found in my Brooklyn apartment. Which is sad, really, since this is the first apartment I’ve ever had that actually has room to house all of them.

Six years ago, I made a sudden (and disastrous) decision to move to France. So I crammed all of my books into a storage facility in Queens. When I returned to New York nine months later, I rented an apartment on the third floor of an old brownstone. The stairs were so steep that I pitied the moving men I’d hired to transfer my belongings from storage. I left most of my heavy book boxes in Queens. That was three apartments ago.

The books you see in the photos are either books I needed to write my own novels—or books I purchased for pleasure in the last six years. (Fortunately for me, there’s a fair amount of overlap between those two groups.)

There’s very little organization involved. (I keep expecting to move my other books out of storage, which would screw up any system I might develop.) My dining room bookcase (the one with the plague doctor mask on top) holds my favorite books. You’ll find everything from Poisons and Antidotes to Rats to The Dictionary of Imaginary Places. (And yes, my last hardcover copies of Kiki Strike and The Empress’s Tomb.)

The shelves in my living room house a truly random assortment of books. (And believe me, things get really random at my house.) I’ve filled a little alcove between my dining room and living room with my heaviest tomes. (Most are devoted to art, weird places, or the history of New York City.)

The books I’ve read most recently can be found beneath my bedside table. (Or on my Ipad, which is always on top of the table.) I’m working on a haunted house/horror novel at the moment, so many of the books are ghost story anthologies. (I highly recommend the ghost stories of Edith Wharton. Who knew, right?) Also, if you look closely, you’ll see the first two Nancy Drew books.

And last but not least, just yesterday I received a package of galleys. The books stacked on the radiator next to my desk are copies of my latest novel, How to Lead a Life of Crime. Unfortunately, they won’t be staying here for long!

Surrender by Lee Nichols

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Age Group: YA
Rating: 3.5/5
Source: Publisher

After a devastating battle at headquarters in New York, the ghostkeeping world is in shambles. When Emma and Bennett return home, they are determined to defeat the wraithmaster, Neos, forever. But it's not going to be easy. Bennett's parents kick him out when they realize he is still using drugs to enhance his powers. Emma is convinced her aunt has come back from the dead to warn her of a new threat. And worst of all, Neos is using wraiths to possess the students at Thatcher Academy. If the ghosts manage to take over the entire school, even Emma won't be strong enough to stop them. But if either she or Bennett sacrifice his or her powers, they might be able to save the ghostkeeping world once and for all-and break the "ghostkeepers lose their powers when they fall in love" curse. The question is: who will be the one to surrender all power?

When I first began the Haunting Emma trilogy, I fell in love with it and couldn't wait to read the rest of the books. I enjoyed the first two books, but I felt the last one fell a bit short. By no means am I saying I hated it, I enjoyed the book, bu t it took me longer to finish than I had expected.

The romance between Emma and Bennett made this book come to life. I loved them both and I missed Bennett a lot when he would leave and I was able to feel Emma's pain there and there were moments in the book where I would be completly shocked when those two were caught together. After waiting so long to read this book, I was glad to see all the characters that I had come to love in this trilogy from Celeste and Natalie and everyone else. Being that it is the last book, I don't want to give much away, but I felt that the book ended right when it did.

The Haunting Emma trilogy is a refreshing read from the regular paranormal reads and Nichols gives is ghosts in which we fall in love with and cute Harvard-esque boys as well.

Fated by Alyson Noel

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Age Group: YA
Rating: 4/5
Source: Publisher


Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

I was so excited when I first head Alyson Noel was starting a new series. I loved her Immortals series and The Soul Seekers didn't let me down. I was placed into a world where I never had been before and I never wanted to leave after I began reading it. Daire Santos has lived a life on the road and when she came to Enchantment, New Mexico, it was a big shock for her. She was so used to California and life in New Mexico was different and there she meets her grandmother, Paloma.

I didn't find Daire's character annoying, I found her interesting and I really liked how she stood up for herself. She was a strong character and even though coming to a new school was hard for her as it is for anyone, she stood her ground and let the Cruel Crew know she was not going to hid and cry. Daire's journey was a long one and at times I did find the book going a bit slow, but not the slow that you would get bored with. There was just so much to learn about the Seekers and then came Dace and Cade. Noel was able to make us like one and not the other and even though I didn't like Cade and knew he was the villan of the story, there was something about him that lured me to hm even more.

All of Noel's covers are beautiful and heart-stopping. FATED has a great cover and I can't wait to see all of the other covers. Overall, FATED was a great start to a new series by a very promising author and I can't wait to see where the series will go next. If you loved the Immortals series or are looking for the next best read, this book is for you. 


Below is a clip from the audiobook of FATED. Enjoy!

Jodi Meadows Interview

1. How did you come up with the idea for INCARNATE?


Fairies. They dragged me from my bed in the middle of the night, hauled me out my window, and made me listen to the story a hundred times until I could recite it exactly as they told it. Then they said I had to write the book Or Else.


That answer may be a lie.


 
2. The road to publication is hard, how was yours?


Hard! I wrote a lot of manuscripts, got rejected a lot, and had some pretty hard times while trying to get published. Ultimately, the struggle was worth it. I think I appreciate what I have now more than I would have if I hadn't gone through those difficulties.


 
3. Can you relate to any of your characters?


Sure! Ana's insecurity with her music comes from a very real place. I've felt that same insecurity and need for success with music, dance, and writing. It's hard putting your heart and and wanting so much to be good at what you love, and knowing you have a long way to go.


 
4. For all the people who want to be writers out there, what advice would you give them?


Write a lot. Read a lot. Be prepared to get rejected a lot. Writers who succeed are just writers who didn't quit.


 
5. Are you planning on writing any other books after INCARNATE?


Yes! INCARNATE is a trilogy, so there will be two more set in that world. I have other stories I'm tinkering with on the side, but they haven't sold yet, so I don't want to say anything about them.


 
6. Can you describe INCARNATE in five words?


Reincarnation. Youth. Love. Music. WE'REALLGONNADIE!!!!