When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Hannah is a grown woman living in a society where crimes are punishable by discoloration of the skin. They are referred to as Chromes, and after being convicted of murdering her unborn child, Hannah wakes up to find herself bright red. She anticipated that her life would change, but she could never have seen just how hard living as a Chrome would become. Enemies can be disguised as friends. Trust is a commodity. But Hannah finds a kindred soul in Kayla, another Red, and together these two women set out through dark times to save themselves and each other.

I tore through this book at breakneck speed. The first chapter left me breathless and there was no turning back from there. Every time I had to put down the book and step away, my mind couldn't stop lingering on Hannah's story and craving more. This novel is a very scary vision of society's future, both dark and eerily plausible. I felt Hannah's struggles keenly, and didn't want to trust the people she met, even when she did. Hillary Jordan fills her characters with heart-breaking dialog and gut-wrenching descriptions. I really liked that everyone had their own personal story of difficult decisions, always lurking just below the surface until spoken out loud. There were a few questions that lingered in my mind, like whatever became of Hannah's sister? But Jordan has made me think about ugly and beautiful things, and I will not soon forget this incredible read.

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday 10/5/11

TOUCH OF POWER by Maria V. Snyder

SYNOPSIS:
Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

HUGE fan of Maria V. Snyder, so there is no doubt in my mind that this is going to be another gem! The cover looks a little cheesy, but I trust in Maria V. Snyder's power of world-building to make this beginning of a series worth my time and enjoyment.

Release Date: December 20, 2011

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesl has been locked in the attic for many months now, ever since her father passed away and she fell into the care of her heartless stepmother. It is a quiet and lonely existence, so when a ghost named Po shows up one day, she welcomes the company. Across town, a young boy named Will routinely carries out errands for his employer, an Alchemist with his sights on creating the most powerful magic in all the land. When Will makes a terrible mistake during a delivery one night, the consequences set he and Liesl off on separate paths away from their jailers. And yet before they know it, their journeys come together for a common purpose.

What fun! The characters of Liesl, Po, Will, and the Guard with Lefty were all so endearing and sweet. The action started right from the start and didn't let up until the very end. There is a lot of sadness in this book, with Liesl and Will living fairly hard and miserable lives, but I still think many readers will be able to identify with the sense of longing and adventure. The villains were simple in their motivations, wanting to destroy the children for their own fame and riches. Oliver has a beautiful, lyrical, story-telling style or writing that would lend itself well to being read out loud. And the end scene is completely worth the trouble for these poor kids (and ghosts)! This is the third book by Lauren Oliver and her first for middle grade readers. If I wasn't already a huge fan of her before, I certainly am now!

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Bound by Book-to-Movie Law: Something Borrowed

Book-to-Movie Law states that once you have read the book, you are bound by the media to go see the movie based on said book, and therefor compare to two.

I wanted to like this movie, because the book is one of my favorites (I've read it more than once!). But there was some seriously bad acting in this one that hindered my enjoyment. For real, can't they find better actors than Colin Egglesfield and Ginnifer Goodwin to play Dex and Rachel? Not only were they stiff and plain, but they didn't have any chemistry either. John Krasinski (from The Office) rocks the socks of this movie though, and made the character of Ethan into someone completely unlike how I imagined him to be in the book. He was cute and funny! not like Dex, who made me want to punch him. Kate Hudson was the perfect Darcy, playing from the original book quite well. Spotting author Emily Giffin, reading the book sequel on a bench in the park, was pretty silly, but I like that authors are getting the chance to cameo in their movies. It would be great if they made a movie out of Something Blue, if only to see how the actors do further along down the story road.

Bottom Line: I thought the movie was sweet and silly, but I am going to have to pick the book for this one.

Waiting on Wednesday 9/28/11

A SHATTERING OF FICTION!!!

The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman

Judy McFarland is a long-time teacher at the Waldorf school in Sylvania, Maryland, but lately her life has been pretty unhappy. Her husband doesn't have time for her, her children are distant and detached, and her closest friend and confidante recently passed away. So despite knowing that its wrong, when the opportunity to hook up with one of the older students at the school arises, she takes it. Zach is sixteen, with one foot firmly in adulthood and the other clinging to his youth. Being with Judy is intoxicating for him at first, but quickly turns sour as the pressure mounts to keep their affair a secret. And as the situation goes south, elements of Judy's dark past begin to come to the surface.

Be prepared to give this book some time - you will not want to put it down. I got sucked into this story from the very first chapter and could not let go. I was so taken with Rebecca Coleman that I went out and bought Coleman's first book, Desperado City, when I was barely half way through reading this one! I think the story of student and teacher will always carry some allure, whether it is from pure fantasy or full scandal. And indeed, some parts of this book made me feel ill, even when I knew there was no way I could turn away and stop reading. It was curious to see how Coleman switches from chapters from Judy's POV in the beginning, to weening towards chapters heavy on Zach's POV in the end. This worked out quite well, because by the time I was done judging Judy on her actions, I wanted to know more about how Zach was doing. Plus, I liked being kept in the dark about Judy, getting little pieces of her life deliberately revealed to me with painstaking care. I know that it will be a book that sticks with me in my thoughts for months to come.

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

"I know that most schools have rivalries with other schools, but that's not how it worked at Hamilton High." So says Lissa, who knows first hand how it works. The football and soccer teams have a long-running feud and she is dating Randy, the star quarterback. When the fighting begins to take time away from their relationship and turn ugly, kids get hurt. So Lissa calls all of the girlfriends into a plan of action - a sexual shut out. This might just work, too... if only Lissa could erase the memory of hot soccer player Cash Sterling.

I just love it when I read books that inspire me to read other books. It happens rarely, but was definitely the case with Shut Out. I dare you to read this book without wanting to read Atonement and Lysistrata afterwards! Readers will be rooting for the girls and their plan, not to mention Cash. He is seriously dreamy! By comparison I thought Lissa was a little high-strung. She really was no fun sometimes. And after the major twist in the middle of the book, I felt betrayed by her, as she was my guide through this story. All in all, this was a great second effort by Kody Keplinger. I was enamored with her after reading the DUFF, and was totally looking forward to reading more by her. Even with the soft plot and uneven characters, Shut Out had my full and complete attention until the end. Please give us more, Kody!

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday 9/21/11

BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY by Jaclyn Dolamore

SYNOPSIS:
For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

It's always a curious thing when angels mix with mermaids, but why not? This story sounds like it will have so many good things in it, and a fabulous love story to boot. I am looking forward to it!

Release Date: October 25, 2011

Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

Three women struggle to keep their family and sanity together when all they want to do is fall apart. Holly joins a writing group as a way to escape her rebelling daughter and a husband who is no longer fulfilling her needs. Marissa is dealing with a gay son, a daughter requiring extreme special care, and a husband who distances himself more with each passing day. Andrea is a single mother with not much on her plate except loneliness and watching her daughter Harley grow up too fast, but when her best friend's husband presents an alluring opportunity, she takes it. Whether they are family or friends, these women experience their lives shatter in both similar and different ways, and pull from themselves and each other as life continues to move on.

Whoo boy. Be warned: emotions run high in this book! Though the constant onslaught on heavy emotions weren't always happy, they did an amazing job in building desires and actions for the characters. With unhappiness running so rampant, the women will have a wide appeal to readers. The misery and longing to escape will resonate with audiences from all backgrounds, even if the situations do not. I typically stay far away from novels written in verse, but was strangely drawn to this book. Perhaps because it is a well-known YA writer's first venture into adult fiction. Whatever it was that made me pick up this book, I am very glad I did. There was a staggering amount of stunning beauty in the simple poems at the end of the chapters. And the sheer emotion almost tipped me over the edge a few times. I barely paused to look up from this book while reading it, and will definitely be picking up more from Ellen Hopkins.

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Fear Street Flashback (21)

Why? Because FEAR STREET was like, my favorite series growing up.

Originally released in April, 1994.

This little addition to the Fear Street series was instantly one of my favorites. It was funny, not too spooky, and best of all, it was CLEVER. Bobby Newkirk is written way over the top as the all-knowing, conceited jerk. Which probably makes this a great book for teen girls with revenge-against-their-ex-boyfriends fantasies. Bree and Samantha Wade were total rock stars, with the tricks they pulled. And although I wasn't not sure what would happen until the very end, I knew it was going to be something big. What was also surprising about this title was how modern and simple the story was. There was no need to add chilly past history about creepy Fear Street characters. The Wade Twins had it covered themselves. I love this little Fear Street book!

Fear Rating: 3 out of 3 Screams

Waiting on Wednesday 9/14/11

FROST by Wendy Delsol

SYNOPSIS:
After the drama of finding out that she’s a Stork, a member of an ancient and mystical order of women, and that her boyfriend, Jack, is a descendent of the Winter People able to control the weather, Katla Leblanc is delighted when all signs point to a busy and peaceful Christmas. That is, until the snowstorm Jack summons as a gift to Katla turns into the storm of the century, attracting Brigid, a gorgeous scientist who, in turn, attracts Jack. Between the school play, a bedridden, pregnant mother’s to-do lists, and keeping an eye on her aging grandfather, Katla doesn’t have time to question Brigid’s motives or deal with Jack’s increasingly cold behavior. But Katla’s suspicions mount when Jack joins Brigid on a research expedition to Greenland, and when the two of them go missing, it becomes clear that Katla is the only one who can save her beloved Jack from the Snow Queen who holds him prisoner. Adventure, romance, and myth combine in this winter escapade for teens who like a bit of fire with their ice.

The first book Stork surprised me with it's very contemporary imagining of the stock mythos. It was pretty cool to think of an actual being deciding who gets to be pregnant. This follow-up sounds like it will be just as good!

Release Date: October 11, 2011

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Kieran and Waverly are the oldest children aboard the Empyrean, a ship bound for New Earth. Naturally, this makes them perfect for each other, and they have been a couple for as long as they can remember. But then another ship, the New Horizon, arrives unannounced, and splits Kieran and Waverly up. Waverly is taken aboard the New Horizon, where a corrupt woman foists her beliefs upon her crew. Kieran is left behind to clean up the mess on the Empyrean and compete with Seth, another boy with a large chip on his shoulder. They may be light years apart, but Kieran and Waverly need to find the strength within themselves to fight their way back to each other.

Ooh, this book was good. Right up there with Across the Universe and Inside Out good. And tense! The action was literally non-stop, keeping me glued to the pages and biting my nails. I was surprised by how much I could identify with both Kieran and Waverly's suffering. I thought for sure one story would be more interesting than the other, but it really wasn't the case at all. I was also impressed by the science that was rampant throughout the story. Sometimes it can be frustrating not to be given a little of the science behind what is happening, but Amy Kathleen Ryan steps up with spaceship technology without talking down to her reader. The same goes for twists and turns in the plot. Waverly and Kieran are both very trusting people, but at the same time seem to know exactly when they shouldn't trust someone. And though there's not a cliffhanger ending, readers will be left gasping for more!

Overall Rating: 5 Stars