Linger Trailer

With only a few more weeks until Linger releases, Maggie Stiefvater has released a trailer for the book, and it is AMAZING!! (like I should expect anything less!) So, enjoy!



It is even more awesome after you see all of the work that goes into it! SO - if you're interested - there are "making of the trailer" entries on her blog here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

author’s website: Carrie Ryan
release date: March 10, 2009
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Paranormal / Zombies
length: 320 pages
overall rating: 5 Stars

*the inside flap*
In Mary’s world, there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
But slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.
Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

*my review*
I saw this book and passed over it what feels like 100 times. I even read the cover a few times, but always put it back. Then, when The Dead-Tossed Waves came out last month, I loved the cover and read some good reviews, so I decided to start with the first book. And I am SO glad I did! This is an amazing story of adventure, romance, suspense, and difficult choices. Those ingredients and a fast paced plot kept me hooked! I read the last 250 pages in one sitting, and wasn’t ready for the story to end.

As this book started, there were a lot of things right away that didn’t really make sense. In the first 20 pages, you are introduced to the complicated romance situation between Mary, Harry, and Travis; Mary’s mother is infected; and you hear about the Guardians, the Sisters, and the Unconsecrated, but none of that is really explained.

The Sisters are very religious and nurse the sick, but when Mary is taken into their care, you also find that they are very strict and have a lot of rules and secrets within the walls of their Cathedral. Sister Tabitha, the “head” Sister is especially perplexing. I kept wondering if she was really as mean as she seemed, or if she was just testing Mary. It is within the Cathedral that two major characters are brought into the story: Gabrielle and Travis. While Travis is mentioned earlier, it isn’t until he comes to the Cathedral that you really understand Mary’s feelings for him. And Gabrielle – the outsider – is perhaps the ingredient that pushes Mary to question the outside more than anything else.

Mary isn’t content living within the city, and throughout the entire story, she seems to want more. But even when “more” comes, it isn’t enough. The other characters in this story aren’t completely developed with descriptions, but rather through Mary’s observations and interactions. You really get a sense of how her interactions with them has changed since childhood, and the characters even point out the fact that Mary always wants more. She is searching, but no one seems to know what she’s searching for.

Overall, this book was incredible. I’m not sure what exactly I expected when I started this book, but it far exceeded any expectation I could have had. There are a ton of ingredients that make this a great story. There is enough conclusion in this book for tie things up, but I’m excited to read the companion novel (The Dead-Tossed Waves) next!

*short and snappy*
writing: eloquent – Ryan describes everything so clearly that you are able to fall into the world she creates without realizing it.
plot: captivating – the suspense, adventure, and unexpected twists had me reading the last 250 pages in one sitting
characters: As the narrator, Mary is the easiest to understand, but her interactions with the others shows relationships that have grown and changed – even within this story
judging by the cover: The cover didn’t draw my in, but after reading the story, I get it.
miscellaneous: Amazon has a pretty great Q and A with Carrie Ryan here.

Undead Much? by Stacey Jay

Undead Much? by Stacey Jay
(Spoiler warning: Because this book is part of a series, this review may contain spoilers of earlier books. If you haven’t read the previous books, you may want to skip this review)

author’s website: Stacey Jay
release date: January 21, 2010
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Paranormal (Zombies)
length: 304 pages
overall rating: 4 Stars

*the back cover*
Q: How many guys does it take to make your boyfriend wild with jealousy?
A: Only one, if he’s UNDEAD.

Megan Berry had a perfectly average new-sundress-and-boy-obsessed life – until her power to settle the Undead returned. Oh, and then her best friend tried to kill her – and ruin homecoming – with a bunch of black magically raised zombies. At least she got a spot on the pom squad and a smokin’ boyfriend (Ethan). But now Megan is in deep fertilizer all over again. Why? Well, let’s see. . .
* Feral new super-strong zombies? Check
* Cheerleader vs. pom squad turf war threatening half time as they know if? Check.
* An Undead psychich hottie (Cliff) who’s predicting a zombie apocalypse – and doing his best to tempt Megan away from Ethan? Yum. I mean, check.
* Earth-shattering secrets that could land Megan in Settler prison for lif? Um. . . it wasn’t me!!!

Everyone thinks Megan’s at fault for the new uber-zombie uprising. Looks like she’ll need the help of both Cliff and Ethan if she’s going to prove her innocence before it’s too late.

*my review*
After reading “You Are So Undead to Me,” I was excited to read the sequel, but this book started out kind of slow and a little confusing. There were Zombies who weren’t acting like normal Zombies, Megan was in trouble but didn’t know why, and Mom and Dad were acting weird. Then there is the introduction of a new character – Cliff – who is another un-normal zombie, but with psychic visions. And, Monica – Megan’s nemesis in the first book - was actually being nice to her.

So even with the slow-ish plot, I was interested in the way that the characters were developing and I was intrigued as to where the story was going, so I kept reading, and boy, am I glad I did!! About half way through the story, the plot really starts to pick up. There is more action, and a lot more suspense, even than the first book. And the story seems to come to a great conclusion – questions are answered, problems are solved, etc. EXCEPT that the last three pages gave me an “are you freaking kidding me? There has to be a sequel!!” attitude!

The interactions with characters in the first half of this book actually added to the intrigue. Cliff was especially interesting. He seemed to like Megan and her attraction to him was kind of weird because (1) she’s supposed to be head-over-heels for Ethan, and (2) he’s dead! We also meet Aaron in this book. He’s the new (and only) male cheerleader, but he is also super creepy. And coming back to Monica, she seemed to be concerned about Megan, but I kept thinking – Jess was nice in the first book and look how that turned out!

Overall, I thought this was a very fun book, and I am VERY hopeful that there will be more to come in the story of Megan Berry!

*short and snappy*
writing: quick and fun in the same style as “You Are So Undead to Me”
plot: slow to start, but it picks up speed about half way through and finishes VERY strong
characters: growing – you learn a lot more about the “supporting” characters (Monica and Ethan mostly) in this story than in the first book
memorable line: “By lunchtime I hated my life and all the people happily chattering in the cafeteria. I hated raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens and all that crap.” (p. 56)
judging by the cover: cute – I love that the characters faces aren’t shown; it lets me put the faces as I imagine them to be in the scene
miscellaneous: I was recently reading Stacey Jay’s blog, and love it. Reading it feels like having a conversation with a friend.

You are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay

You are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay

author’s website: Stacey Jay
release date: January 22, 2009
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Fantasy / Zombies
length: 272 pages
overall rating: 3.5 stars

*the back cover*
Q: How many zombies does it take to ruin a social life?
A: Not many.

Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she’s part-time shrink to a whole bunch of semi-dead people with killer issues. All Megan really wants is to go to homecoming, but when you’re trailed by a bunch of slobbering corpses whenever you leav the house, it’s kinda hard to score a date. Let’s just say Megan’s love life could use some major resuscitation.

Megan’s convinced her life can’t get any worse – until someone in school starts using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into scary, hardcore flesh-eating Zombies. Now it’s up to Megan to stop the Zombie apocalypse. Her life – and more importantly, the homecoming dance – depends on it.

*my review*
I have never really read a “zombie book” so I when I picked this up, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I didn’t have a base of knowledge about zombies to work with, so it was fun to try something new.
The story seems to have two main parts: 1 – Megan the teenager who wants to go to homecoming with the Senior boy, and 2 – Megan the Zombie Settler with incredible power. The play between the two is interesting and provides for an entertaining story. I thought that Megan’s emotional rollercoaster between Josh and Ethan would be a cute and fun story in itself, but adding in the Zombie Settler parts of the plot made the book much more action packed, especially toward the end of the book. The last third of the book is very intense with a lot of twisting plot lines coming together and a few HUGE surprises. There is enough closer to the story that this book could stand alone, but there is a sequel (Undead Much).

The characters in this story were interesting to read about. Megan seems very mature for 15 when she’s doing her Zombie Settler stuff, but she definitely shows that she is 15 when she’s interacting with or even thinking about the boys. Monica is the character to hate. She’s the mean girl, who has control over whether or not Megan will make the pom squad. Ethan and Josh were both interesting, but I preferred Ethan from the start. Josh seems to be the stereotypical “dumb jock” – a point which is supported by the fact that he (a senior) and Megan (a sophomore) have a class together!

Overall, this is a quick, fun read!

*short and snappy*
writing: quick and fun – Jay really captures the voice of the teenagers in the story
plot: fast paced – there are twists and turns – especially at the end – which I love!
characters: interesting – Megan seems pretty well developed, but since the book is from her perspective, it’s easier to learn about her.
judging by the cover: I love the cover! I think it sends a message, but is simply done.
miscellaneous: There are links for “Freebies” on Jay’s website that allow you to download computer wallpapers based on this story.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

author’s website: Lauren Oliver
release date: March 2, 2010
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Contemporary Fiction
length: 480 pages
overall rating: 5 Stars

*the inside flap*
What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

*my review*
Before I Fall was an absolutely beautiful story. The writing is phenomenal, the story is amazing, and the main character Samantha is easy to relate to and grows immensely throughout this story.

This book starts with a prologue that sets up the entire story. It kind of felt like the beginning of a “Grey’s Anatomy” episode where one of the characters gives you some background in the form of a voice over while the episode starts. I loved the format, and the last line of the prologue (“If you’re like me, your last day starts like this:”) was a very clever way to lead into the “real” story.

Each chapter in this book was a different “last day” for Samantha, with the first chapter being the original last day. In this first chapter, you meet Samantha’s clique – Elody, Ally, and Lindsay (the leader) – and realize that they are the super-popular girls that everyone wants to be. Samantha’s boyfriend, Rob, is also introduced in this chapter. You can tell from the writing that Samantha thinks Rob is wonderful, but I kind of thought he was a jerk. Actually, the group as a whole is kind of mean. They make fun of other kids, have inside jokes at the expense of others, and generally think they are better than everyone else. As you read the chapter (the whole book actually) there are little italicized comments interspersed from Samantha looking back at the day, which really added to the story because it pointed out how you really don’t know that it is your last day. Even though I knew her death was coming, I kept feeling anxious and curious about the when.

In the next few chapters, Samantha changes, the feel of the chapter/day reflects how she is changing. **SLIGHTLY SPOILERY - For example, in chapter 2 she is confused about reliving the day. In chapter 3, she’s figured it out and tries to change things. In chapter 4, she’s ANGRY! But I think she learns the most about herself in this chapter. END OF SPOILERY STUFF**

After reading Chapter 5, I decided that it was my favorite. It’s the fourth reliving and Samantha has really started to figure out that there is a reason for reliving the day so many times. Samantha stops worrying about the trivial snotty way that she used to do things and has started to become a MUCH nicer person. While I thought it was my favorite chapter, from there on, every chapter was better than the last! The last 200 pages of the story fly by and take you back to the anxiousness of not knowing how Samantha will actually die.

I LOVED this story. I could have read it in one sitting (and nearly did) and would love to read it again. I would recommend it to anyone.

*short and snappy*
writing: fantastic – Lauren Oliver does a brilliant job of capturing the emotion of the characters and the conversations of teenagers
plot: quick moving – even though Samantha is reliving the same day, each reliving is very different!
characters: well developed – it does get frustrating that Sam is growing so much and the others just relive their same attitudes
memorable line: “That’s when I realized that certain moments go on forever...They are everything and everywhere all at once.” (p. 470)
judging by the cover: beautiful cover...simple, but it works
miscellaneous: On her website, Oliver explains that many aspects of the story come from her own experiences.

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

author’s website: Amanda Marrone
release date: September 22, 2009
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Paranormal / Fairy Tale twist
length: 304 pages
overall rating: 4 stars

*the back cover*
- There’s always one bad apple. –
Megan has been haunted by the ghost of her twin sister, Remy, since the accident nine years ago. Megan doesn’t want anyone to think she’s crazy, so she keeps this little “talent” to herself. But when she meets Luke at her summer job and discovers he can see ghosts too, she’s thrilled. Finally, someone who can relate . . . and, even better, can possibly help Remy move on. Megan’s not even worried about the fact that Luke’s supercute and nice, because of course she’s totally into her boyfriend (even though he’s been spending way too much time with another girl). And she definitely didn’t mean to kiss Luke (especially since her friend has a thing for him). Messy much?

But when the visions Remy haunts Megan with get crazy violent, Megan must turn to Luke to figure out what her twin is trying to say. Because someone’s definitely in danger . . . she’s just not sure who.

*my review*
This book starts out with a prologue set 500 years ago that basically tells the story of Snow White, so I knew by page 6 that there was going to be some kind of fairy tale tie in, but I didn’t really know how it would all work out until much later in the story. This is the story of Megan, who gets a job working at the Land of Enchantment for the summer. This seemed like a Disney World kind of theme park, but with the more traditional forms of the fairy tales. (In case you are unaware, Disney versions tend to be a little lighter than the originals.)

I enjoyed the characters in the story. Nicki, the best friend, seems like a great best friend. She’s willing to be there for Megan, even when it involves hanging out with her kind-of-enemy, Ari. I thought Ari, the Land of Enchantment owner’s daughter, seemed questionable at first. She was too nice and friendly. Ari’s step-mom, Miss Patty, was intriguing. I didn’t figure her out until about half way through the book. I couldn’t tell if she was actually a wicked step mother, or just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the romance twist of Ryan v. Luke was a fun plot addition too. All along, I was cheering for Luke. Ryan was weirdly protective of his best friend Samantha throughout the story.

But perhaps the most interesting character in the story is Remy, Megan’s twin sister, who is actually a ghost. When I read the back cover, I expected Remy to be the same age as Megan (because of the whole twin thing – it seems obvious right?). But Remy was killed at age seven, so the ghost is still stuck in the seven year old body and mentality. Megan seems to have trouble dealing with Remy sometimes because even though Megan has aged 10 years, Remy doesn’t seem to see that aging. Megan seems to be caught between the twin role and the big sister role, and of course, the “my sister’s a ghost” role doesn’t help the situation.

Overall, I loved the story. There is mystery, romance, a fairy tale twist, ghosts, and it all works together pretty well.

*short and snappy*
writing: characterizing - the writing matches the character who is speaking or narrating. You can read the sarcasm, sweetness, innocence, and anger in the dialogue.
plot: Twisty! The mystery is definitely enhanced by the paranormal aspects of this story, but even then, there are great twists and turns.
characters: well developed, and much of it comes from the dialogue and writing (see *writing* above)
judging by the cover: I actually like the back of the book better than the front. It shows a picture of a green apple with shimmering red “blood” dripping over it. (I can’t find a picture of it online, but this link to Amazon has a “browse inside” option that shows it.)

A Stephenie Meyer Announcement

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella
by Stephenie Meyer

I was checking Stephenie Meyer's website the other day and saw an announcement that she has a new book coming out! I am pretty excited about it, especially because she is offering something a little different. Not only will the book be coming out, but it will be offered for free online for a period of time. In her post, Meyer wrote:

"There was one thing I asked for: since this story had always been an extra for me, and was meant to be released with the Guide, I wanted to be able to offer it to my fans for free. You all have bought a ton of my books, and I wanted to give you this story as a gift. My publisher was awesome and embraced this idea. We still wanted to also produce a physical book with a cool cover (see below) that you can add to your set if you like, but starting at noon on June 7th until July 5th, it will also be available online at http://www.breetanner.com/."

The entire announcement it available here and ordering information is available here.