Illegal by Bettina Restrepo

author’s website: website
release date: March 8, 2011
appeals to: Young Adult

*2011 Debut Author*
genre: Contemporary Fiction
length: 272 pages
publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

*summary* (from author website)
Nora is on a desperate journey far away from home. When her father leaves their beloved Mexico in search of work, Nora stays behind. She fights to make sense of her loss while living in poverty—in wait of her father’s return and a better day. When the letters and money stop coming, Nora decides that she and her mother must look for him in Texas. After a frightening experience crossing the border, the two are all alone in a strange place. Nora must find the strength to survive while aching for small comforts: friends, a new school, and her quinceañera. This gripping, deeply hopeful debut novel captures the challenges of one girl’s unique, yet universal immigrant experience.

*my thoughts *
This story is absolutely, devastatingly, realistic. From the very beginning, we learn the story of Nora, a (nearly) fifteen year old girl, living in rural Mexico in a town that is falling apart because of the extreme poverty. The people in the town don’t have anything. Their farms aren’t producing goods, they have lost hope, and even the church and school have shut down. The images of poverty in the town are as clear as if they were photographs; making it easy to understand the utter hopelessness that the people feel. That is what leads Nora and her mother to form a plan for escape. The two women travel across the border by hiding in a truck, in what Nora describes as an absolutely terrifying experience, only to arrive in a completely new city, in a new country, with little money, and very little knowledge of English.

While getting to America is supposed to be the hard part of this voyage, Nora and her mother quickly learn that life in America is much harder than they could have imagined. Luckily, they stumble upon some luck when they find a caring couple who given them jobs and an opportunity for housing. From that point on, this book tells the story of Nora growing up so much faster than anyone should have to. She works furiously to earn money, learn the language, make friends, and find her father.
I don’t often read realistic fiction about different cultures, so I am especially glad to have read this story. I feel like I learned a great deal from Nora and her experiences - not only about what the secretive voyage from Mexico to America is like, or what life as an illegal immigrant is like, but about the amazing things that courage and strength can lead people to do. Overall, this was a beautiful story and an incredible debut novel!

*miscellaneous*
On her website, Bettina Restrepo offers a Discussion Guide (link) and information about other stops on the blog tour (link) for the release of this novel.

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

author’s website: website / blog
release date: January 25, 2011
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Paranormal
*2011 Debut Author*
length: 304 pages
publisher: Balzer + Bray
overall rating: 4.5 stars

*the inside flap*
Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates – also named Emily – is found mysteriously murdered.

The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely – something not human?

As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to – some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters – and how many people will they kill to get what they want?

*my thoughts *
The story begins with a transcript of an interview that is being conducted at The Vesper Company. It is clear from the transcript that Emily (our main character) is being interviewed, and that she’s not exceptionally happy about it. The interviewer refers to Emily’s documentation of “the incident” and asks her to explain. That basic introduction leads into a more traditional format, in which Emily tells about how her life changed the night “the other Emily” was murdered. Initially, this seems like a Jekyll and Hyde type of scenario with Emily exhibiting two completely different personalities by day and by night. A strange ingredient in this transformation comes in the form of enhanced abilities that Emily has during her night time changes. She can see more clearly, run quickly, jump great distances, and she has incredibly increased strength. Even more interesting is the acknowledgement that each of Emily’s personalities gives the other. The confident nighttime Emily is annoyed by daytime Emily’s insecurities. And daytime Emily is often envious of the confidence she is able to exhibit at night. As the story continues, Emily becomes more conscious of when and how she will be changing, and she starts to look for answers.

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I picked up this book. I hadn’t read any reviews, so my only knowledge of it was the title, author, and the snippet from the inside cover. But I must say that I was more than pleasantly surprised by this story. The combination of murder, suspense, paranormal transformations, and an incredibly well planned plot, came together to create a story that kept me intrigued to the final page (which, I must say, contains a fabulous cliffhanger that makes me want the next book even more!)

In My Mailbox (#18)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that talks about books that have been bought, swapped, received for review, or borrowed from the library. It is hosted by Kristy at The Story Siren.

In my Mailbox (and my e-mail-box):
This week was pretty exciting because I got two books from debut authors! On Tuesday, I got "Illegal" by Bettina Restrepo in my email-box, and on Wednesday, I got “Driven” by Shellie Neumeier in my actual mailbox. I don’t have an e-reader, so I’ll be reading that one on the computer. (If you DO have an e-reader, which one? And what do you like/don’t you like about it? I’m trying to decide whether I want a Kindle or a Nook or neither…)

From the Library:
Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials – Stephanie Hemphill
Blue Is For Nightmares – Laurie Faria Stolarz
White Is For Magic – Laurie Faria Stolarz

Firelight – Sophie Jordan
Beautiful Malice – Rebecca James (I included two covers, because I like them both)
Wicked – Sara Shepard
Killer - Sara Shepard
Heartless – Sara Shepard Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love
Zombies vs. Unicorns
Bought:
I didn’t buy any books this week, but I did get season four of “Bones” on Wednesday. We had a school cancellation because my city was covered in ice, but we ventured out mid-afternoon and found it for $20 less than I’ve seen it anywhere…so of course, I picked it up!

That sums up my mailbox...let me know your Kindle v. Nook opinions, and what you got in your mailboxes!

2011 Challenges

Last year, I participated in two challenges the 100 book challenge from J. Kaye’s site & the Debut Author Challenge at The Story Siren’s site. I did manage to meet my debut author goal, but I missed my 100 book challenge by 4 books.

This year, I am going to be participating in a few challenges, but my main goal is to keep up on reviewing the books I read!

2011 YA Reading Challenge
Jamie at “For the Love of YA” is hosting the YA Reading Challenge this year. Since I read primarily YA books, I’m going to attempt the Mega Size challenge which is 50+ YA titles. The rules for this challenge and information about how to sign up are available here.

2011 Debut Author Challenge
The Debut Author Challenge is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Last year, I read 13 debut books, but only posted reviews for 8, so I’m not sure if I officially completed the challenge or not! :) This year, I hope to read 12 debut books. You can learn more about this challenge here and sign up for it here. My tentative list (which has far more than 12) is below, and I’ll be keeping track in a sidebar on my blog.
The False Princess - Eilis O'Neal
Darkness Becomes Her - Kelly Keaton
Blood Magic - Tessa Gratton
Entwined - Heather Dixon
Wither - Lauren DeStefano
Bumped - Megan McCafferty
The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter
Spellbound - Cara Lynn Shultz
Falling for Hamlet - Michelle Ray
Vanished - Sheela Chari
My Un-Fairy Tale Life - Anna Staniszewski
Flawless - Lara Chapman
The Princess Curse - Merrie Haskell
Dead Rules - Randy Russell
The Sweetest Thing - Christina Mandelski
Wildefire - Karsten Knight
Unearthly - Cynthia Hand
Moonglass - Jessi Kirby
Illegal - Bettina Restrepo
Across the Universe - Beth Revis
Vesper - Jeff Sampson
Haven - Kristi Cook
Rival- Sara Bennett-Wealer
So Shelly - Ty Roth
The Revenant - Sonia Gensler
The Lipstick Laws - Amy Holder
Also, I find the “Elevensies” website to be helpful in finding information about the debut authors and books. It is here.

100+ Book Challenge
Last year I attempted this challenge and came SO close! This year, I’m going to try again to reach the 100 book mark. You can learn more about this challenge here.