~After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.
At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…~
I am a long-time fan of Ms. Kelley Armstrong. I first discovered her while doing some research on Canadian female writers. I quickly rushed out to purchase her first book, Bitten, and devoured it in a night. It had one of the most realistic descriptions of wolf shifting I had ever read. It made me squirm, but in a good way. It didn't take me long to catch up and read the whole series.
I have to admit, I was a tiny bit worried when I heard Kelley had written a YA series. I avoided it for a long time, not wanting it to ruin my thoughts about her writing. The only reason I finally picked up The Summoning was because it was one of the choices for my 2011 YA Summer Challenge.
Of course I should never have worried...
The typical Kelley Armstrong writing style I have come to know and love was just as strong in her YA novel as it has been in her adult novels. I was a little worried she might tone it down for the youngins, but she didn't. She didn't hold anything back at all.
The storyline was very intriguing, and kept me reading even through the slower sections. I could easily see and understand the need for the build-up, and therefore it didn't bother me as much as it does in other books where the build-up leads to a whole lot of nothing.
I felt parts of the story were very predictable, but that was equally balanced by events that surprised the heck out of me, even though they shouldn't have. I mean as I have already mentioned, I read a lot of Kelley Armstrong, and I know how she writes her characters, and when certain "symptoms" are there, I should know what's going to happen. I don't know how I missed it, but I'm glad I did. It was a wonderful little surprise.
I loved all the characters, even the evil ones. They had so much depth to them. I immediately fell in love with Derek, even though I feel like Kelley tried so hard (too hard) to make the reader not like him...I just knew that meant he was a character that would win our respect and adoration in the end. Chloe reminded me of a young Jamie Vegas (necromancer and celebrity medium from Kelley's Women of the Otherworld series).
Everything was going so well...the end was coming...things seemed to be pretty tied up...I knew there were two more books in the series, but it felt like book one was at a nice, and mostly neat end...
~The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stiefvater
In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.~
I have loved this series from the beginning. Shiver, book one in The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy was one of the first YA (Young Adult) books I ever picked up and read. I had no use for Twilight Saga at the time (but after Maggie I did try more YA novels, including Twilight) and I really had no interest in books aimed at teenage girls. I had been there, done that already, and I wasn't a fan of those kinds of books. I soon came to realize that books aimed at teens nowadays are a lot different than the books that were aimed at teens when I was a teenager...which was about two decades ago now. Man I'm old...
As much as people say don't judge a book by it's cover, I have to admit I was drawn to Shiver by it's cover.
You see, I adore wolves. Actually adore might be too light a term, slightly obsessed might be more accurate. That lonely little silhouetted wolf on the cover, in blue tones, with the title Shiver...well that's what I did...I shivered. I tuned the book over and the blurb immediately captured my attention.
~the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—herwolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why. the heat. Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now. the shiver. For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.~
I have great memories of a time spent at a friend's house who had wolves wander their property. I often imagined what it would be like just to sit there and watch them. I knew after reading that blurb I just had to read the rest of the book. The final prize was opening to the first page and seeing the beautiful blue font the book was printed in. The whole book was just a complete piece of artwork. I was sold.
And that brings us to Forever. What a great title for the end of such a wonderful series.
I actually had to take some time after finishing the book to reflect on my feelings of the book, and the series overall. At first I wasn't entirely sure if I was happy with everything, but in the end I admitted I mostly like how the author tied things up. There could have been more, but it could have been much worse as well (knowing how Maggie likes to torment and torture her readers - as she has admitted personally). It was a bit too open to interpretation, but at least it wasn't a horrid cliffhanger.
As is always typical in Maggie's books, the language and writing style is stunningly beautiful, like lyrics, like poetry, just flowing on the pages. Her wolf imagery is so realistic, and after hearing her speak and reading some of her recommended wolf titles I see she put in many hours of research on the topic. As I have mentioned before I am quite obsessed with wolves and love when authors can pull them off well. I hate when they fail miserably. Maggie Stiefvater and Kelley Armstrong are the two writers who I feel write wolves very well (realistic).
The realistic nature of the wolves, and the people who fear them, becomes even more frightfully alive near the end of the book. I literally held my breath through the last 20 pages or so. When it was all over and I had closed the book I noticed I wasn't breathing, my chest hurt, and my heart was racing. Yes, it was that emotional for me.
I was very happy to see more depth added to Isabella and Cole's characters, and their connection to each other. I felt they were sidelined way too much in the previous novel. It was also interesting to see Sam and Grace's relationship flipped around as Sam was sat waiting around and worrying in his human form as Grace frolicked in the wintry woods.
~It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn?
In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths—for good and evil—of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?~
Zombies vs. Unicorns was my pick for collection of short stories for my 2011 YA Challenge. I actually only picked it because it was what I saw a lot of other people participating in the challenge were picking. I had no idea who Holly Black was before that day.
Generally I'm not a big fan of anthologies. I usually find there is maybe one or two good stories, and the rest are typically pretty crappy. I guess I have to readjust my way of thinking after reading Zombies vs. Unicorns. This was probably the best collection of stories I have ever read. I have to give credit to Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier for pulling this together.
And check out this book trailer. Hilarious!
I think what really made this collection enjoyable was the banter that was weaved throughout. There are two very clearly defined "teams" - "team zombie" and "team unicorn". I was really impressed by the list of contributors, a lot of great authors submitted stories to this anthology. Unfortunately before I even started reading I felt the urge to side with team unicorn, not just because unicorns are awesome, The Last Unicorn and Legend are great stories/movies, but also because I noticed Cassandra Clare was writing for team zombie. Don't get me wrong, Cassandra is a great writer and I love her books to pieces...I've just had issues with her spoiler dropping and the anger I feel is still too raw...but anyhow...
The introduction starts of introducing the two teams and where the idea came from. I had no idea this was apparently a long debated topic! It's interesting and entertaining how Holly and Justine keep bickering and bantering back and forth about the merits and flaws of each other's team. The back and forth continues before every new story and creates a nice flow throughout the anthology that is typically missing, and possibly why I typically dislike collections.
Another thing I dislike about anthologies, and this is my issue and not the fault with the book itself, is I feel the need to rate and review each story separately, not finding it quite fair for each story to be based on the anthology overall grade. This is very time consuming and why I don't do this very often.
Now on with the ratings!
Team Unicorn - 22/30: The Highest Justice by Garth Nix - 5/5
This was a great story. I love medieval times and stories that take place then. I enjoyed the basis that only the "true" and "faithful" can see the unicorn. Great writing style. Highly enjoyable. Purity Test by Naomi Novik - 2/5
This story wasn't anything special. I wasn't overly fond of the dialogue or the flow of the story. However I did like the little dig about fairyland at the end of the story. A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan - 4/5 This story was interesting and disturbing all at the same time. I did find it jolting when the author jumped from one character to the next to tell the story. I understand why she did it, but it was very distracting. I did really enjoy the beautiful old style language that was used. The underlying suggestion of bestiality might bother some readers. The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund - 5/5
I cannot tell you how much I loved this story. I have discovered a new author I just HAVE to read! (I already rushed out and bought both of her killer unicorn novels.) I just loved the whole world Diana created where unicorns are real, everyone knows it, but they are terrified of them because they are evil killers of DOOM! You have to read this story. It was amazing! Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot - 3/5
This story was enjoyable, but not fantastic. It's actually a little ridiculous, but I know the author meant for it to be that way. I mean rainbow farts and jingling hooves? Entertaining but not something I would want to read more than a few pages of. The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey - 3/5
This story disturbed me greatly. I can't even put my finger on why, but it did. And it wasn't in a good way. I had to force myself to finish the story because the unicorn creeped me out so bad I didn't even want to read any further. I just didn't like it. The writing was well done however. I did like the girl's character at the end though. Strong character.
Team Zombie 18/30: Love Will Tear Us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson - 1/5
I couldn't really get into this story. I was often confused as to what was supposed to be going on, and I didn't like any of the characters. I felt no emotion toward any of them, and that's never good. To me it never became clear what the father had done to be so evil. Perhaps I missed it. The main characters are homosexual males, which might offend some readers. Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan - 5/5
I'm not even going to lie. I love Carrie Ryan's zombie novels, and I went into this short story already knowing how awesome she would pull it off. And she didn't disappoint! I never saw the end coming, even though I know I should have. I love it when that happens. Great story! The Children of the Revolution by Maureen Johnson - 3/5
This was a pretty good story. It had a nice flow and had very realistic characters. For some reason I kept picturing Angelina Jolie as the mother. I'm not sure that was exactly what the author was going for, but that's who I envisioned. I'm not sure about the stupidity that leads to the peak moment or about how things end up...but the writing was solid. Inoculata by Scott Westerfeld - 2/5
This story didn't do much for me. It was enjoyable, but nothing overly special. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. The main characters are homosexual females, which might offend some readers. Cold Hands by Cassandra Clare - 4/5
I wanted to hate this story, because as mentioned I have a personal issue with the author. Lucky for her, her writing is just too good to for me not to enjoy. The story was very predictable, but well written. I loved the characters and connected well with them. It was hard not to love the lead male, even when he was all zombified. Prom Night by Libba Bray 3/5
This story was well written, but I felt like I was lead on in so many little ways. It felt like so may story lines were created, but never tied up...the mother, the tunnels, Robin, etc. The author has a good writing style, and I will most likely look for some novels written by her in the future, I just feel like she tried to tackle too much in this short story.
So there you have it, as predicted Team Unicorn has stolen the show. It wasn't based on bias, it really wasn't, I just enjoyed most of the unicorn stories more!
To put this into some perspective however, my 13 year old son is currently reading this collection and clearly believes that I am insane and we are not related because he feels the zombies kick some serious ass.
Here is this week's post for WWW Wednesday, which is hosted by the lovely Should Be Reading.
• What are you currently reading? • What did you recently finish reading? • What do you think you’ll read next? My responses: What am I currently reading? The Summoning by Kelley Armstrongfor myYA Summer Challenge, and for personal pleasure because Kelley Armstrong has been a long-time favourite author of mine! What did I recently finish reading? Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. So sad this series has come to an end. (review coming soon). What do I think I will read next?
I only have one more book to read for my YA Summer Challenge, and that is The Golden Compass. So I will either read that, or one of the review copy books I have received in the last 2 weeks. For some reason I'm not really looking forward to reading The Golden Compass so I might hold off on that one for a bit.
Teaser Tuesdaysis a weekly bookish meme, hosted byMizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My teaser:
"Mommy said she'd told Emily about the basement. Chole was sure of it."
Here is this week's post for WWW Wednesday, which is hosted by the lovely Should Be Reading.
• What are you currently reading? • What did you recently finish reading? • What do you think you’ll read next? My responses: What am I currently reading? Forever by Maggie Stiefvaterfor myYA Summer Challenge, and for personal pleasure as I have been waiting for this series finale for a long time! What did I recently finish reading? Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black. (review coming soon). What do I think I will read next?
Last week I mentioned I only had a few books left for my challenge and most commentors chose The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong as my next book to read, so most likely that will be the one!
~Sometimes I still wake up shivering in the early hours of the morning, drowning in dreams of being out there in the ocean that summer, of looking up at the moon and feeling as invisible and free as a fish. But I'm jumping ahead, and to tell the story right I have to go back to the very beginning. To a place called Indigo Beach. To a boy with pale skin that glowed against the dark waves. To the start of something neither of us could have predicted, and which would mark us forever, making everything that came after and before seem like it belonged to another life.
My name is Mia Gordon: I was sixteen years old, and I remember everything.~
I'm going to be very up front with you all before I start this review so you know where I am coming from. This type of book is not my typical type of read. The ONLY reason I read this book was because I required a beach cover YA novel for my summer challenge. I generally don't read light and fluffy romantic based non-supernatural fiction. There, now with that in mind please take my review with a grain of salt sand.
I guess I was hoping that the sentence "To a boy with pale skin that glowed against the dark waves." had some supernatural undertone that would pleasantly surprise me in the novel...but it never did. So if that's what you are hoping for as well...sorry to crush your hopes and dreams.
The author created some really solid characters. The main character, Mia, is not a typical skinny model type teen that you often see frequent YA novels. She is "bigger-boned" and subconscious about how she looks in her bathing suit. The main male character, Simon, is also not the typical tall dark and handsome teenage boy heartthrob. He has flaming red curly hair, he is a bit of a nerd, and he has medical issues. Their romance it also not the typical "love at first sight" romance that is also very common in most YA books on the shelves these days. It's a very interesting progression from their first meeting all the way through to the end. The supporting characters of friends and families are not perfect either, they are flawed and act they was you expect typical people to act.
The book was highly predictable, and as such didn't move me as emotionally as I assume the author expected...but it was OK.
My rating?
3 satisfactory scribble spiders out of 5.
And now for the moment you've all been waiting for! Since, as mentioned previously, this book is not really my cup of tea, I can say with a strong sense of certainty that I will not be wanting to read this a second time. As such, in celebration of reaching 25 followers (actually 32 now!) I have up for grabs one previously read, but almost pristine condition copy of The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells.
Entry is fairly simple (or so I think). All I require you to do is share a fond summer beach memory with my readers in the comments. There is no length description.
Extra entries will be given to all followers of mine. Just make sure you make a post so I know you are interested.
Please post your "following" entries and your beach memory entries in separate posts.
The giveaway is open until Sunday the 17th. I will post the winner on Monday the 18th. The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere.
~Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.~
I love dystopian stories. There is just something intriguing, and often scary, about seeing how society "could be" if some event happened or if they took it into their own hands to change the way life "should be".
The Giver by Lois Lowry is one of the better dystopian stories I have read in terms of fleshing out the society and their rules, regulations and behaviors.
This story really makes you think. Would the world be a better place if things such as violence and lust were completely removed from life by a society who changes and controls things for the betterment of their people? Where people must apply for spouses that are not chosen by them, and only then are able to apply for children that are not created by them. Where members are placed together to form a loving family unit with the maximum of one mother, one father, one male child and one female child. Where children only live at home until they have progressed through their growth years and are chosen foe their life's work by the society's council.
I have to admit...the idea has some merits to it. I often stopped to weigh the pros versus the cons while reading this book. Would I miss the things they took away from their society to trade in for all the good they have achieved. It was a very difficult assessment for me to make at times.
I was constantly shocked and sometimes even appalled at how far they insisted on going. Many of the rules were not stated outright, but if you read between the lines enough you can understand what they are implying. I don't want to give any of it away because some of the revelations came closer to the end, but it was all so wonderfully done. The author didn't slap you in the face with a list of rules, they just let them sneak up on you and tackle you from behind. The writing style was perfect. The story flowed by so fast I was disappointed when it was over.
Of course part of that was due to the way it ended. If you have been following my blog long enough you know of my hatred for cliffhanger endings. It makes me want to tear my hair out and beat small children (not really...but you get the picture). Almost everything had been running so smoothly up until the last few pages. Considering there really isn't a sequel it would have been nice if the author could have tied up the loose ends a little tighter...but they didn't. That's always disappointing...at least to me.
Some other minor points of contention were over some of the things we learn later that the society has changed. Up to about the middle of the book most changes and rules make some sense, and they seem completely realistic and I could see a scared society (or a controlling one) putting these new rules into motion. But some of the things we find out they have changed, or controlled, later in the story are so hard to believe it took me completely out of the story. It was such a shame.
Every summer I make my son read at least 2 novels of my choosing and then he has to write a report on them for my review. This year I have chosen this as the second of the 2 books. Mockingbird was his first one. He is reading that one currently.
I was tempted to give this book a 4.5 rating. But I don't do partial ratings. You know why? Have you ever seen half a spider? Ok...I'm sure you have...but I bet it wasn't pretty...and I don't want no ugly half spiders lurking on my blog ok?
, and devoured it in a night. It had one of the most realistic descriptions of wolf shifting I had ever read. It made me squirm, but in a good way. It didn't take me long to catch up and read the whole series.
was because it was one of the choices for my 2011 YA Summer Challenge.
