Release Date: January 8, 2013
Title: Through the Ever Night
Author: Veronica Rossi
Pages: 341
Publisher: HarperCollins/HarperTeen
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: It’s been months since Aria learned of her mother’s death.
Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.
Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It’s a moment they’ve been longing for with countless expectations. And it’s a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at fi rst. Then it slips away. The Tides don’t take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry’s control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?
Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night? In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure—and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.
While I was disappointed in most of the first book, I had no such disappointments here.
While months passed between the events of the first and second books, we didn’t get to experience that and didn’t have to wait for Aria and Perry to be reunited. There was little time where they were apart from one another from the reader’s perspective – and I liked that.
Unfortunately, the good times were not to remain.
Aria and Perry were soon split up again thanks to an attempt on her life by one of Perry’s people. Aria and Roar decided to move out on their own to get information from Sable about the location of the Still Blue so that Perry wouldn’t have to choose between Aria and his own people.
{{{PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT}}}
Through an interesting chain of events, Sable and Hess make a deal with another for the Still Blue that saves only part of their people – and none of Perry’s. Will Aria be able to save those Hess left behind, including Talon? Will they be able to find the Still Blue on their own? Will Aria be reunited with Perry? What about Roar – will he ever find peace and happiness?
I was flipping the pages just as fast as I could to find the answers to these questions – and I have to admit, I ran out of pages before I found all of the answers I sought.
Luckily, there’s still another book coming out next year. Hopefully, I will find all of the answers in that one.
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Release Date: July 9, 3013
Title: Big Girl Panties
Author: Stephanie Evanovich
Pages: 336
Publisher: William Morrow
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: They say that big girls don’t cry. But when the chips are down and the dip is gone, what can you do? Pull up your BIG GIRL PANTIES and change your life.
Holly Brennan didn’t expect to be a widow at thirty-two. She also didn’t expect to be so big. Through her husband Bruce’s diagnosis and death, food was the one thing she could always count on. Now, those extra pounds make flying coach more than a little mortifying-especially since she’s sitting next to Adonis himself, aka Logan Montgomery, a personal trainer to the country’s most famous pro athletes.
Though Holly doesn’t make the grade on his first-impression meter, Logan finds himself intrigued by her sharp wit and keen insight-a welcome change from the beautiful bubble-headed dolls he usually dates-and impulsively offers to get her back in shape. Ready to make at least one positive change in her life, Holly agrees.
To Logan’s (and her own) surprise, Holly turns out to be a natural in the gym. Throwing herself into exercise, the red head with the blazing wit and welcoming smile slims down into a bonafide looker with killer curves-and a new kind of hunger. Soon, the easy intimacy and playful banter of their training sessions lead Logan and Holly into the bedroom where they share their most intense and steamy workouts yet.
But can a man whose whole life depends on looks commit himself to a woman who doesn’t fit his image? Now that Holly’s turning other men’s heads, does she even need Logan anymore? Are they a couple built to last . . . or is this sizzling affair going to burn out fast?
This book had so much potential. But honestly, it just made me mad. The only message this book sent was that overweight women are broken and don’t deserve love until they’re fixed.
This is an unacceptable view of women.
Even while part of me enjoyed the romance aspect of the novel – who doesn’t enjoy a good romance? – I found myself loathing every part of the book because it said that Holly wasn’t worth love until she was beautiful by society’s standards. Her first husband was someone she settled for because she knew that as an overweight woman she’d likely never find someone else.
What kind of message is that?
It’s utter ridiculousness!
And after she lost most of her weight? Logan still didn’t want to bring her out in public and acknowledge her because she just wasn’t quite thin enough.
I’m not even kidding.
I’d suggest you pass on this one unless you want to give yourself high blood pressure.
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Pages: 374
Publisher: Harper Collins/HarperTeen
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.
Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland – known as The Death Shop – are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild – a savage – and her only hope of staying alive.
A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile – everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.
I went into this book with very very high expectations. The hype surrounding it had just built it up so much that I was expecting the next Hunger Games or Mortal Instruments.
Instead…. I was bored for the first 2/3 of the book.
The world-building and character development were lacking. The interactions between the characters seemed very two-dimensional and flat. But I kept reading. The idea of the story intrigued me enough that I wanted to know more. And it paid off.
By the end, I was fully invested and ready for book two. I fell in love with Aria, Perry, and Roar. I wanted nothing more than to help get Talon back and for everyone to live happily ever after.
But of course… this is only the first book of a trilogy – and there can’t be a happily ever after for at least two more books.
One thing I really appreciate about this series is that it is unique. The world and story are both something I haven’t really seen before. The mutations/gifts that some of the outsiders have is a new twist on the supernatural that isn’t supernatural at all. I appreciate reading a post-apocalyptic story rather than a dystopian one (and yes – I had to ask on Twitter to learn that the difference is that the dystopian genre involves a corrupt government).
And of course – I’m always always a sucker for a good romance. 
Other Reviews:
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Title: The Murmurings
Author: Carly Anne West
Pages: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: A teen girl starts hearing the same voices that drove her sister to commit suicide in this creepy, suspenseful novel.
Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.
As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not….
Holy creepy batman.
If The Ring were written as a YA novel minus the weird videotape because you’re born being able to see the creepy oily-haired girl – this is that novel.
And the creepy thing crawls out of mirrors instead of televisions.
There’s no real way to explain the plot of this book without giving away spoilers, so I’m not going to try. Just know – if you like the creep factor – you’re going to like this book.
Sometimes when authors try to be creepy it just ends up overly cheesy and campy, especially when a primary setting is a mental institution. But that didn’t happen with this book. I found it to be original and it grabbed my attention right away. Even after I knew what was going on, I wasn’t completely sure what side everybody was on and how the book was going to end. There was no predictable factor here and that makes it an automatic win for me.
The only thing that stopped it from being a 5 for me was that I felt like the ending happened a little too quickly. More things needed to be explained and take place before the book ended, in my opinion. Questions needed to be answered.
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Release Date: March 26, 2013
Title: Going Vintage
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Pages: 320
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to “go vintage” and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat on you online). She sets out to complete grandma’s list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy’s cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, she’ll get it done. Somehow.
Lindsey Leavitt perfectly pairs heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I don’t read a lot of contemporary stuff, but when I do I’m often disappointed by flat characters. Mallory was not a flat character. When she discovered that her boyfriend was cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she decided to go extreme and give up all technology – as if she were living in the 60s. Now, I would never be able to do that. So kudos for her! And she wasn’t little miss perfect either. She lashed out at people, she got emotional, she messed up her goals, but she did try to be true to herself.
I loved that this book wasn’t completely predictable like most contemporary books are. Some things were, sure – but not everything. It was refreshing and sweet and everything I needed to read when I read it.
And Oliver was one of the sweetest book boys I’ve read in quite awhile. That alone made this book worth it.
Other Reviews:
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Title: Unravel Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Pages: 480
Publisher: HarperCollins
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it’s almost
time for war.
Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.
She’s finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.
Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.
In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam’s life.
I knew this was going to happen.
Tahereh – why have you done this to me? Why did you have to go and make Warner human?
I purposefully chose not to read Destroy Me yet because I didn’t want to understand Warner. I didn’t want to feel warm fuzzies towards him. I didn’t want to believe that he could change and be a good person.
Now… now I don’t know what to believe. Like Juliette, I want to hate him – but I’ve seen too many glimpses inside his head and just can’t anymore.
Which makes me dread reading Destroy Me that much more.
The interactions between Juliette and Warner are truly what made this book.
I also really enjoyed the scenes between Kenji and Juliette. Finally there’s someone who isn’t afraid of her and will tell her the truth about the world and her place in it. For awhile, I was right there with her and angry at Castle and the position he was putting her in – but Kenji set us both in our place. I appreciate that he would be that honest with her. I wish Castle was that open and honest, considering he’s the leader of the compound. But I do think he should be more understanding of what Juliette has been through in her life.
I devoured this book in a single sitting. It’s not perfect; some world building aspects are under developed for the sake of the character development. But I’m okay with that when I think about it because the character development is so brilliantly done.
There is one significant plot twist, and I can’t help but wonder how it will effect the outcome of the third novel. I can’t wait to find out!
And let me tell you – Ms. Mafi knows how to write a steamy-as-hell love scene. That’s all I have to say about that.
Other Reviews:
Release Date: September 14, 2010
Title: Rot and Ruin
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Pages: 458
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn’t want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.
Thanks to Smash I have a new fondness for zombie books. My favorites will always be the Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant – but this one was also surprisingly good. When I think of “zombie” I always think of ick and gore and braiiiiiiiiiiiiins. Because you know – Hollywood. But Jonathan Maberry gives a whole new level to zombie lore.
Plus – it’s not about the zombies. It’s about how society has rebuilt after the zombies rose. It’s about the choices that were made and are still being made.
And I would love to see this book made into a movie. If Hollywood would promise not to screw it up (fat chance, right?).
At first, Benny Imura irritated the snot out of me. He was an entitled little kid (at fifteen) who thought that he didn’t have to work to survive. He hated his brother and thought he knew everything he needed to know about the world.
Kind of reminds me of me at that age.
Finally, he realizes that he has no choice but to join his brother if he’s going to have a job (in this world, you have to have a job at 15 in order to eat). And his world suddenly turns upside down. Tom is one of the most famous zombie hunters in the world, but Benny can’t understand. As far as Benny is concerned, Tom is a coward. But as he goes outside of the fence into the Rot – where the zombies are – and begins to learn how the world really is, Benny begins to understand that things aren’t always as they seem.
And that’s when the real action begins. Kidnapping. Murder. Forced child/zombie fights (for fun).
Benny grows up fast.
If you like zombie books, you’ll like this one. If you don’t – but you like action books – you’ll still like this one. It’s a good one, I promise.
Other Reviews:
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Title: Ever After
Author: Kim Harrison
Pages: 435
Publisher: HarperCollins/HarperVoyager
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: The ever-after, the demonic realm that parallels our own, is shrinking, and if it disappears, so does all magic. It’s up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to fix the ever-after before the fragile balance between magic users and humans falls apart.
Of course, there’s also the small fact that Rachel is the one who caused the ley line to rip in the first place, and her life is forfeit unless she can fix it. Not to mention the most powerful demon in the ever-after—the soul-eater Ku’Sox Sha-Ku’ru—has vowed to destroy her, and has kidnapped her friend and her goddaughter as leverage. If Rachel doesn’t give herself up, they will die.
First things first. I’M BACK! Yes, yes – it’s been ages. It’s FEBRUARY already and this is my first review of 2013! I don’t really know what happened – I just fell into this massive slump. Hopefully that’s all over now and we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Now, to business. The Hollows. Rachel Morgan. Al. Trent. Jenks. It was all here and wonderful in this next-to-last book in Kim Harrison’s amazing series. The pacing of the writing is changing, now that the series is almost over. Time has passed, characters have grown and matured. Trent and Quen are fathers now. Rachel and Ivy’s relationship has changed, yet remained doggedly the same.
We all know that Rachel’s middle name is Trouble. It finds her the way a dog finds bacon. And now that Rachel has finally gotten herself settled in the city and the world is content to let her live as she is – the demons threaten her existence. She definitely can’t win for losing. But Rachel is loyal to her friends – regardless of race. And she will do whatever it takes to save the Ever After and her friends.
I found myself wishing I had read Into the Woods before I read this. The time Trent and Jenks spent together taking Lucy from Ellasbeth (the story of which is told in that collection) was referenced several times, and I felt a little bit out of the loop – even though I wasn’t actually missing any information relevant to the events of the current story.
And Kim? You’ve got one book left to get Trent and Rachel together. Do it. You’ve been skirting this issue since Kisten – and he died in Book 5!
Overall, this was my favorite book of the series so far. Each one just gets better. Kim Harrison is one of the few authors who can truly do character growth and development well – without retelling the same story over and over.
If you love The Hollows and Rachel Morgan, you’ll love this one – trust me!
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Release Date: December 1, 2012
Title: Terra
Author: Gretchen Powell
Pages: 286
Publisher: Hopewell Media
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: In the distant wake of a plague that has decimated the Earth’s population, humanity is split in two. The rich and powerful live in skycities that float overhead, while those who remain on the ground have gathered in settlements strewn across a dying planet. Eighteen-year-old Terra Rhodon makes her living as a scav, scouting the earth for discarded scraps and metals to recycle for profit. While on a routine scavenging run, she discovers something that shocks her home settlement of Genesis X-16.
Terra suddenly finds herself asking questions no one will answer. Fueled by curiosity, her search for the truth ultimately leads her to Adam–a beguiling boy with a secret that has the power to change humanity’s existence forever.
Let’s face it; self-published novels are hit or miss. And we all know they’re usually far more miss than hit. But Gretchen Powell has hit this one clear out of the park.
Terra is responsible for providing for her little brother and herself. In the world she lives in, there aren’t many options for a poor, orphaned grounddweller – but she found that she has a knack for scavenging – digging outside the gates of the district for bits of metal or plastic to turn in for currency. She ventures further outside of the gates than anyone else and finds an odd metal machine that nets her an obscene amount of credits – not life changing money but a solid amount that will last for months. Suddenly, her world is turned upside down. Her neighbors and acquaintances turn on her because she is no longer one of them. Her brother doesn’t understand why they can’t spend it all now. And Terra understands how quickly it can all turn around again. So she picks a day when no one else will be out and decides to go scav again – hoping to find more bits of machinery. Little does she know, she’s about to meet someone who will turn her life inside out. Adam saves her from Raiders – men who would kill you to take anything of value you might possess. Terra believes Adam is from one of the sky cities because of his blue eyes and fair skin. Adam has lost his own research team and goes with Terra back to her district hoping to find out what may have happened to them. And then… well THINGS HAPPEN. That blurb up there? It tells you nothing of these THINGS.
Some of the things (okay, only one) were predictable. I have to admit that – but honestly, it’s hard to write any YA dystopian novel that doesn’t have some element of predictability in it. I mean really – there’s nothing new under the sun. What bothered me was that while it was so predictable to me it was so very not predictable to Terra. But then – in her world, she hasn’t read hundreds of YA novels, so it’s probably unfair for me to expect her to know what I know. So I will give this one a pass.
One of my very favorite things about this novel was the way it was written. I was in the dark as much as Terra was about almost all of the THINGS. Except for that one really predictable thing. I found out what was going on with her government and everything right alongside her – and you know, with dystopian novels that is really hard to pull off. I mean sure – I knew that the government was going to be evil – they always are (and no – that’s not the predictable thing, that’s just a given). But I could feel things clicking into place in my head as they clicked into place in hers. I love it when that happens. I hate it when I can see the future in a book – it takes all of the fun out. Or, most of it, anyway.
The writing style of the book was simple and pure and elegant. That doesn’t surprise me, as I’ve been following Gretchen’s personal blog for quite some time. She’s always been someone who uses her writing to relate to people – no matter who is reading. And that writing is easy to see on every page.
Overall, I really loved this book. I hope Gretchen has already started the sequel – I really don’t want to wait an entire year for it to come out.
Other Reviews:
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Title: Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington
Pages: 288
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can’t keep a secret
Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.
Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she’s ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.
But there’s strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she’s done. If only she can forgive herself.
This is Hannah Harrington’s second YA novel. Her first, Saving June, was one of my favorites last year. But this one – this one far exceeded my expectations.
Chelsea Knot is the kind of girl I am. She has a need to be wanted and liked. And when she’s taken under the popular girl’s wing – she does whatever she has to fit right in. When she knows a secret, she tells it. It’s not meant to be malicious; it’s for the sheer entertainment value of it. And when one secret revealed changes the lives of everyone she knew – Chelsea realizes that she’s not the person she wants to be. In an effort to figure herself out, she decides to take a vow of silence. Through this vow, she discovers that words have power and should be used wisely.
I read this one in a single sitting. I was so completely drawn into Chelsea’s world – into her head – that I didn’t want to move once I was there. The writing was flawless. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work – a whole novel, with supporting characters when the main character doesn’t speak? But it was perfect. I honestly didn’t even notice that she wasn’t actually speaking most of the time. The supporting characters – Sam, Asha, and yes even Andy – picked it up and carried it so that the missing dialogue was never missing.
Chelsea’s character development over the course of the book made me adore her. While I do think it should have taken more than a month for her to go from who she was to who she became, it was the right path and I didn’t question it. I loved her. I hated watching her go through the bullying that she dealt with – but I cheered for her for maintaining her silence in the face of adversity.
I was unprepared for the moment she finally decided to speak again. I had expected it to be predictable. I was certain I knew when it would happen. And I was so completely wrong. And that makes me love Hannah Harrington even more.
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Release Date: January 8, 2013
