Monument 14

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Title: Monument 14

Author: Emmy Laybourne

Genre: Young Adult

Buy it on Amazon, paperback or kindle edition

Monument 14Book Description:

“Our mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.”

Book Review: 

The first half of this book is great. The ending’s not so bad either. There’s just one scene in the middle that ruined it for me. I have pretty high standards for young adult literature. One of the prime reasons I read it is to avoid the more mature content found in books for adults. So when I come across this mature content in YA books I’m always a little disappointed.

Other than that, the story is interesting, even though it seems far-fetched. I’m curious enough about the plot that I think I’ll read the sequel, but I hope it raises the bar as far as content. If you like books like Trapped or Life as We Knew It or movies like The Day After Tomorrow, you’ll enjoy this book.

The Elite

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theeliteTitle: The Elite

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult, Romance

Buy it on Amazon: Hardcover or Kindle

Book Description:

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

What I Think:

I would be lying if I said I didn’t like it, but also would be lying if I said I loved it.  I think maybe my expectations were too high.  I was hoping for more progress and more of a glimpse into the social problems and the rebels.  Instead, the book stays within the castle walls and focuses on getting the Prince a bride (which is fine if I had known that’s what it would be).  It’s written well, the characters are defined and have good roles.  I still love America’s maids, they are the best and totally make the book worth it.  They remind me of Katniss’s design/make-up team in Hunger Games with their support.  If you liked The Selection, you will like The Elite as long as you don’t mind the same framework.  :)  Enjoy!

Kindle Daily Deal – Two Girls of Gettysburg

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I always get excited when one of the Amazon Kindle Daily Deals is a book I’ve read and would recommend.  If you like young adult historical fiction, then give this one a chance.  I bought and read it a few years ago and really enjoyed following the two girls’ stories and learning a bit about the Civil War.

Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein

Buy it on Amazon: Kindle Daily Deal = $1.99

twogirlsofgettysburg

 

Lizzie and Rosanna are cousins. But when the Civil War breaks out, Lizzie finds herself committed to the cause of the Union, while Rosie is swept up in the passions of the old south. Torn in their alliances, each girl finds herself grappling with the brutality of war, and the elusive promise of love, until the battle at Gettysburg brings them together once agin.

Night School

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Title: Night School

Author: C.J. Daugherty

Genre: Young Adult

Buy it on Amazon, hardcover or kindle edition

night schoolBook Description:

“When Allie Sheridan gets arrested—again—her parents have had enough. They send Allie to the Cimmeria Academy far away from her London friends. The school is beautiful, and filled with gorgeous, ultra-wealthy teens who travel by private jet, were raised by nannies, and only shop on 5th Avenue or Bond Street. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, she must decide who she can trust if she’s going to find out what’s really going on.”

Book Review: 

It takes a good 50-60 pages to get into this story (the writing is a little choppy in the beginning), but once you do it’s pretty interesting. The only downside is I felt like I still didn’t know what was going on at the end of the book. The characters are well written and Allie is an interesting main character, but I still don’t know how she fits into the bigger story. While this sets up nicely for a sequel, I felt cheated out of an ending.

3 Vacation Novellas

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May was such a busy month for me and I took a few mini-vacations in there too.  And I thought I’d share some novellas that kept me busy at the airport and in flight, in case you have some fun summer plans coming your way.  When I got these, they were all free, and 2 of them still are at the time of this post, so go check them out!!

karladarcybookThe Five Kisses (Pride Meets Prejudice #1) by Karla Darcy

Currently FREE for Kindle!

I like how this book just takes the “good” snippets and puts them all together and you get to create the rest in your head.  You still get to see the growth of the characters and the heroine is a strong regency female.  Perfect for when you’re waiting somewhere because it’s so short!

teawithemmaTea With Emma by Diane Moody

Currently FREE for Kindle!

What a cool way to start the book series.  I love the premise of assigning a teacup to a story.  And anything that involves a “jane austen” feel of anything, I’m game.  There were a few characters and scenes that I felt were exaggerated too far, but overall it was still enjoyable and entertaining.

charlie1Charlie – A Snowy Cove High School Novel by Dalya Moon

Buy it on Amazon HERE.

A coming of age story and discovering who you really are.  I like how Charlie makes some mistakes and you can see some of the immaturity of youth.  It left me cringing at some of her outbursts or absences, but I also felt like if an actual teenager were going through those situations, they may react the same way.

How My Summer Went Up in Flames

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Title: How My Summer Went Up in Flames

Author: Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Genre: Young Adult

Buy it on Amazon, paperback or kindle edition

How my summerBook Description:

“First she lost her heart. Then she lost her mind. And now she’s on a road trip to win back her ex. This debut novel’s packed with drama and romance!

Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.

To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…”

Book Review:

Catchy title, right? And the description definitely sparked my interest. However, the spark didn’t flame. I like many of the characters. Unfortunately, I don’t really dig Rosie, and since she’s the main character it kind of puts a damper on the story. Why don’t I like her? She isn’t loyal. She’s moody. And she tosses guys around like they’re hot potatoes. It’s not until the very end that you discover what guy she ends up (it could have been any one of four choices). Also as a heads up, this one contains PG-13 material.

Hot Off the Press!

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It’s been a while since we’ve had some great new releases.  There are two new books out today that we think you’ll like from authors and series we’ve read and loved.  Happy Reading!

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Buy it on Amazon: Hardcover or Kindle

storm and siege

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Buy it on Amazon: Hardcover or Kindle

the_moon_and_more_cover_hires-3_4_r537_c0-0-534-712

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo’s sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline’s mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he’s convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she’s going?

Sarah Dessen’s devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

Going Vintage

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Title: Going Vintage

Author: Lindsey Leavitt

Genre: Young Adult

Buy it on Amazon, hardcover or kindle edition

going vintageBook Description:

“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.”

Book Review:

Remember our review of Sean Griswold’s Head? Well, author Lindsey Leavitt recently released another really good novel. Just like her last, this novel addresses real life problems for teens. I love Mallory’s quest to be technology free and sometimes I think we all could use a break from the constant connection to cell phones, computers and more. I also love the message that Mallory’s grandmother gets across: no matter what era you’re in being a teenager is hard.

With a healthy dose of romantic interest, lots of self-discovery and a super sidekick sister (Ginnie is quite possibly my favorite), Mallory has all the makings of a great main character. And if nothing else, let the cover entice you to read it.

 

Unspoken Awesomeness!

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Remember my review of Unspoken yesterday?  Well, I was perusing Sarah Rees Brennan’s blog yesterday and stumbled on a contest for a chance to win one of four copies of the next book in the series, Untold.  And I CANNOT pass up a contest.  So even though my entry is not likely to crown me a winner, I thought you all might like to see it, just don’t laugh!  You can check out her blog HERE.

Entry #4 is a surprise challenge.  I decided to make a mock edition of The Nosy Parker, which is Kami’s school newspaper. I realize it is somewhat subpar, but this is what one nap time of my little guy allowed me to come up with. :)

nosy parker

nosy parker2

Unspoken

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And we’re back!!  I am happy to say that I took a little vacation, read a few books and am happy to share one with you now.

unspoken-book-cover--298x450Title: Unspoken

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Genre: Young Adult

Buy it on Amazon: Hardcover or Kindle

Book Description: 

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

What I Think:

I think I would rate this book 4.5 stars out of 5 (which is slightly higher than the Goodreads and Amazon averages).  Mostly because I’m a sucker for quirky and spunky and most importantly strong female heroines, which is exactly what Kami is.  She keeps a level head and is honest and logical about everything, yay – finally a girl who is real!  Plus, I liked how I couldn’t guess everything right away, I was suspecting everyone in town just like Kami.  I give you fair warning though that the ending was horrible!!!!  Not horrible in a horrible way, but horrible in a leaves you hanging and hating a few characters and wondering what in the world is going to happen next kind of way.  I was quite disappointed when I looked up the next one and it doesn’t come out until the end of August, the agony of waiting.  Thankfully there are two novellas I can read to keep me somewhat satisfied for now, reviews coming soon.