Sunday, August 31, 2014

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

New YA Releases I Can't Wait to Get My Hands On!


Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne
Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

In her arresting debut novel, Livia Blackburne creates a captivating world where intrigue prowls around every corner—and danger is a way of life.

Extraction by Stephanie Diaz
"Welcome to Extraction testing."

Clementine has spent her whole life preparing for her sixteenth birthday, when she’ll be tested for Extraction in the hopes of being sent from the planet Kiel’s toxic Surface to the much safer Core, where people live without fear or starvation. When she proves promising enough to be “Extracted,” she must leave without Logan, the boy she loves. Torn apart from her only sense of family, Clem promises to come back and save him from brutal Surface life.

What she finds initially in the Core is a utopia compared to the Surface—it’s free of hard labor, gun-wielding officials, and the moon's lethal acid. But life is anything but safe, and Clementine learns that the planet's leaders are planning to exterminate Surface dwellers—and that means Logan, too. 

Trapped by the steel walls of the underground and the lies that keep her safe, Clementine must find a way to escape and rescue Logan and the rest of the planet. But the planet leaders don't want her running—they want her subdued.

With intense action scenes and a cast of unforgettable characters,Extraction is a page-turning, gripping read, sure to entertain lovers ofHunger Games and Ender's Game and leave them breathless for more.

Illusive by Emily Lloyd-James

The X-Men meets Ocean's Eleven in this edge-of-your-seat sci-fi adventure about a band of "super" criminals.

When the MK virus swept across the planet, a vaccine was created to stop the epidemic, but it came with some unexpected side effects. A small percentage of the population developed superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba has the handy ability to change her appearance at will. She's what's known as an illusionist...She's also a thief.

After a robbery goes awry, Ciere must team up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals on another job that most would consider too reckless. The formula for the vaccine that gave them their abilities was supposedly destroyed years ago. But what if it wasn't?

The lines between good and bad, us and them, and freedom and entrapment are blurred as Ciere and the rest of her crew become embroiled in a deadly race against the government that could cost them their lives.

Unwept by Tracy Hickman

Gamin, Maine, is a remote seaside town where everyone seems to know Ellis Harkington better than she knows herself—but she doesn’t remember any of them.

Unknown events have robbed Ellis of her memory. Concerned individuals, who purport to be her friends and loved ones, insist that she simply needs to recuperate, that her memories may return in time, but refuse to divulge what has brought her to this state. For her own sake, so they say.

Ellis finds herself adrift in a town of ominous mysteries, cryptic hints, and disturbingly familiar strangers. The Nightbirds, a clique of fashionable young men and women, claim her as one of their own, but who among them can she truly trust? And what of the phantom suitor who visits her in her dreams? Is he a memory, a figment of her imagination, or a living nightmare beyond rational explanation?

Only her lost past hold the answers she seeks—if she can uncover its secrets before she fall prey to an unearthly killer.

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive.

Descriptions from Good Reads

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Soap Box: #weneeddiversebooks



Let me soap box for just a second. There is this huge, awesome, trend right now that is a rally cry to writers and publishers - WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS. We want to read about different cultures, ethnicities, and abilities (I'm not talking magic here). The argument is that people want to picture themselves as book characters and should be represented, as main characters, in good books! The only books I've read recently with diverse characters focus on their difference from the "popular" white skin, blonde hair, stereotypical characters we've all grown accustomed to. I've been searching for picture books that feature different types of abilities without being ABOUT how to make friends with someone who is in a wheelchair. Does the chair itself have to become the overriding theme of the story? I'd like to say no.

Sunday Musing

Oh, I haven't had a Sunday Musing in awhile - enjoy the bookish quotes on these last relaxing hours before Monday morning comes oh so early!


Book Review: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence


Why Did I Pick It Up:
It was on display in the Young Adult area of the library when I walked a patron over there. Because of the cover, I thought the character in the story would be black and I've been trying to read some more culturally diverse books (that aren't about being culturally diverse #weneeddiversebooks). However, if Aria isn't white, I glossed over it because I'm pretty sure all the characters were white ... just like in every other story I've read lately.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Book Bingo: August Update


A Book with a Blue Cover
2. Leader's Eat Last by Simon Sinek
A Book of Non-Fiction
A Book with a One Word Title
A Book You Heard About Online
A Book with a Mystery
A Book by a Female Author
A Book Written by an Author Under Thirty
A Book with More than 500 Pages
The Second Book in a Series
A Book with Non-Human Characters
A Book that Scares You
A book published this year
A book your friend loves

Book to Movie Review: Divergent



Divergent


So many spoilers ahead, proceed with caution.

Check out my Facebook page for lots more Divergent themed info.

Overall Comparison:

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Book Review: Earth Girl

Earth Girl
by Janet Edwards

Why Did I Pick It Up:

My friend and coworker brought it to me. We typically like the same books (like Cassandra Clare's series) and so I took the book happily.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Book Review: These Broken Stars

These Broken Stars
by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner



Why Did I Pick It Up:

To be honest, this book has an awesome cover and I saw it on a "to be shelved" cart at the library. I vaguely remember reading a review on it and it was on my GoodReads to-read list. But really, it has a great cover. 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Book Review: The Hollow City

The Hollow City
by Ransom Riggs

Why Did I Pick It Up:

I read the first book and really enjoyed the uniqueness of the story (not to mention those awesome pictures). Plus, I needed to try out our new eBook vender at the library :)

Monday, August 4, 2014

Book Review: Ruin and Rising


Notes before we start:

Only a few times have I loved characters so much, I've cried even when things weren't sad. There is something about Alina, Mal, Nikolai, and all the others that I've grown so attached to. I cry with their pain, rejoice when they are happy, and savor every moment with them. As I started this book I was constantly reminding myself to slow it down, enjoy the moment, don't race to the end. Still, the end came much too soon. There were unexpected and glorious lines like, "I am ruination" and events that made me cringe. There were silly lines I repeated aloud and times I slammed the book closed in anger only to flip it open and quickly find my spot back.

I picked up Shadow and Bone off of the new book table at the library on a whim one day and I'm so glad I did. This series is one of the best I've read. The action is interesting, the details are visible, and the characters are so well formed I want to go and stay with Alina for awhile because I think we could be friends. 

Please, please, someone hear my plea, don't make this a movie. I love it too much. It will break my heart and be terrible. I love the Grisha series too much to see it ruined.

Why Did I Pick It Up:

After reading the first two books in the Grisha Triology (Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm) I couldn't wait to get my hands on the third, and sadly final, book. Just a quick recap, Shadow and Bone I read in 24 hours and I said that "not since Catching Fire have I loved a sequel as much as Siege and Storm." This series is quickly ranking at the top of my favorites ever.

Why? I guess because the characters are so intriguing, but more on that later.