the Hollow, by Jessica Verday

 

Summary from Borders.com - When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes, everyone thinks Kristen is dead. Caspian, the mysterious boy who shows up at Kristen's funeral, helps Abbey through her grief. Soon, however, Abbey learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend.

Rhia’s Review -    I like books that have something to do with a classic novel or story. I just do. It’s cool. Jessica Verday’s The Hollow takes place in Sleepy Hollow, the small town made infamous by Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Every chapter begins with a short quote from Legend, usually one having some small relation to the contents of the chapter. Win.

Abbey is a character I can really relate to. I’ve never been in her position before, but I see a lot of myself in her. But that’s really only one small reason why I love this book so much. The romance is perfectly proportioned to the rest of the book, having just the right amount of fluff, and none of it made me nauseous, even if the romantic interest of the story does belong in the ‘doesn’t exist’ category. There’s plenty of emotion in this book, and I just feel so close to Abbey when I’m reading, I know Jessica’s done her job well.

This book was not tied up all nicely with a bow at the end, unlike most books today, especially romances. But this isn’t a bad thing. It left me craving more of the story, and looking forward to the sequel even more.

Also, you can buy perfumes based on the characters (Abbey makes perfume in the book), which is one of the coolest things ever. In my humble opinion, of course.

 

The Recommendation – Everybody needs to read this book. Seriously. If you like paranormal, YA, romance, or any combination of them, get this book.

The Other Books – According to Borders.com, The Haunted, sequel to The Hollow will be out August 31st, but I don’t know for sure how accurate that is. The only thing I know is that I can’t wait for it. Definitely high on the buy list.

The Vitals* – The Hollow is out in hardback for $17.99.

The Links – Official Website of the Hollow, Jessica's Blog

*=All prices are from Borders.com and are subject to change without notice, and without this page reflecting those changes.

Rebel Angels, by Libba Bray

I’m getting tired of writing summaries as well as the review, so I’m going to a cheat a little here and there.

Summary from Borders.com (Edited slightly for length)-

Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy -- spending time with her friends in the city, attending balls in fancy gowns with plunging necklines, and dallying with the handsome Lord Denby. Yet amid these distractions, her visions intensify -- visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened that only the realms can explain.

But all is not well in the realms -- or out. Kartik is back, desperately insisting to Gemma that she must bind the magic, lest colossal disaster befall her. Gemma is willing to comply, for this would bring her face-to-face with her late mother's greatest friend, now Gemma's foe -- Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task. . . .

 

Rhia’s Review – Rebel Angels is a fantastic follow up to A Great and Terrible Beauty. This is one of those sequels where nothing is lost in between books; none of the characters have sudden differences that weren’t brought on by the plot of the previous book, etc.  Gemma’s voice is still as strong as it was in the first book, and Libba Bray really blends Gemma’s experiences in London society and her  abilities and experiences in the realms and together well. She does a great job of showing how Gemma’s sudden vision are a danger to her social standing, and how that affects her family. Very well written.

 

The Recommendation – I’d recommend this book to pretty much anyone, though I’d suggest you read A Great and Terrible Beauty first. If you have read said book, and enjoyed it, pick up a copy of Rebel Angels. You won’t be disappointed.

The Other Books – The Sweet Far Thing is the third and final book in the trilogy. I already have my copy, but I haven’t gotten very far yet. What I’ve read so far, though, is great. I knew as soon as I finished Rebel Angels that I wanted the third book.

The Vitals* – Rebel Angels is available in both hardback ($16.95) and paperback ($9.99).

The Links – The Official Website of the series ; Libba Bray's Official Website

*=All prices are from Borders.com and are subject to change without notice, and without this page reflecting those changes.

Need, by Carrie Jones

 

After Zara's stepfather died, Zara’s mother saw that she was having a hard time coping. So Zara's mother sends her to Coldwater, Maine to live with her grandmother, hoping the change will do her good. Once in Maine, however, Zara finds herself apparently stalked by a strange man, and learns that boys have been mysteriously disappearing. Whilst probing into the disappearances, and the strange man, she discovers that something inhuman plague streets of Coldwater, and even she herself isn't what she seems.

Need is individual in choice of supernatural being, the pixie, which is one of my Favorite things about this book. Instead of giving into many of the most popular trends in teen fiction, such as vampires, Carrie Jones gives us something completely different because, even though pixies can be compared to fairies, another rising trend in YA Lit, they are clearly their own, different species.

Also, instead of the usual werewolf, which Carrie does supply, she also gives us other were animals, such as tigers and eagles, which is a nice little change.

All in all, this was a great read, great characters. Zara’s voice was loud and clear; she’s very individual.

Carrie Jones will be visiting Book Divas February 22-March 22.

The Recommendation – This is a superb read for anyone into Paranormal YA.

The Other Books – Captivate, the sequel to Need hit shelves in January. I’ve already bought it, and am currently diving in. I’ll have the review definitely before the 22nd. Carrie has confirmed that there will be two more books in the series, but I don’t know much about them yet.

The Vitals* – Need is available in hardback ($16.99) and paperback ($9.99), while Captivate is in hardback for $16.99.

The Links – Carrie Jones Official Website, Official Website for Need and its sequels

*=All prices are from Borders.com and are subject to change without notice, and without this page reflecting those changes.

Bones of Faerie, by Janni Lee Simner

Bones of Faerie is a post-apocalypse type tale set after a war between the Human and Faerie worlds. The after affects of faerie magic leave a mark upon the human world, such as plants and crops that attack at will, and faerie children born to human parents. Liza was born after the war. Her baby sister was born with trademarks of faerie heritage, and her father leaves her out on a hillside to die, for any trace magic found within their town must be destroyed, including children.

Shortly after Liza’s mother disappears into the dangerous forest surrounding their town, Liza discovers she has the faerie ability to ‘see’, into the past, the future, and so she flees the safety of the town to seek out both her mother and refuge for herself. But what Liza finds is a journey into Faerie and back, and the possibility of healing both the Faerie world and the Human world.

 

This book was shorter than I thought it would be, which does slightly count against it for me. But the story, the characters, and the world make up for the short length.

 

The Recommendation – Those looking for a faerie story similar to other YA faerie stories on the market today probably won’t find it here. But it is a good read, and I think most people can enjoy it.

The Other Books – There will be a sequel to Bones of Faerie tentatively scheduled for sometime in 2011. I haven’t really decided how far up the buy list it will be, but we’ll see as the time gets closer. Factors such as it’s plot and our economic standing have a lot of affect here.

The Vitals* – Bones of Faerie is currently available in hardcover for $16.99, and releases on January 27th in paperback for $9.99.

The Links - Janni Lee Simner's Official Website

*=All prices are from Borders.com and are subject to change without notice, and without this page reflecting those changes.

Recent and upcoming reviews

I was recently sitting at my desk hammering away at the keyboard writing up reviews. I was hoping to schedule them all and have a nice little regular type update.

Somehow I got distracted and none of them got published. So I published one (I may to need to proofread it later) and this weekend I’ll finish what I started. I’ll read like Mr. Dickens (I assume he read a lot) and type like nobody’s business, and get a bunch of reviews done.

And then I’ll try to tame my stack so I’ll finish books quicker.

Then dad will have buy me more mwa ha ha ha ha ha.

Okay, just kidding about that last part.

Mostly.

Happy Reading!

A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Book One)

Gemma Doyle is determined to leave her home in British India and seek out a proper education at a boarding school in England. After a brief meeting with a mysterious man with an odd message about a woman named Circe, Gemma’s mother dies. in the light of this, and her father’s growing addiction to laudanum, Gemma is sent to the foreboding Spence Academy for young ladies. There she meets new friends and enemies, and learns that she has a special power to enter a magical place called the realms. With her own powers and the help of her friends, she discovers the dark history of the school, as well as he own heritage and the power she possesses.

 

This book really captured me, and it didn’t take me long to finish it and begin longing for the others. I really how Libba Bray is really able to blend Victorian England with fantasy that really suits the time. Although the magical elements aren’t as bold as, say, Harry Potter, which I usually prefer, it simply suits the story and era so well, that it really melds together. Plus, I really like historical fiction.

Now, when I had originally read about the books, and it mentioned  ‘popular girl’ (Those may not have been the exact words, but that’s essentially the meaning) I was a bit put off because I thought it would be another of the usual YA fantasies filling the shelves, only set back in time a bit. I wrongly assumed that the new girl would be jealous and trying to fit in with the popular crowd. However, Gemma isn’t like that, and the way the relationships develop between all the characters is definitely not the norm.

Gemma has a strong voice, the setting seems accurate (I haven’t done an extraordinary amount of research to know), and all the characters are real and easily imagined. You can easily compare this book to everyday life, which means that the author has done their job of creating a believable story

 

The Recommendation – This book is great for anyone, especially fans of fantasy, YA lit, and historical stories.

The Other Books – Well, I’ve already bought them. So that should tell you something. :) Their reviews are coming up.

The Vitals* – A Great and Terrible Beauty can be purchase in either hardcover($16.95) or paperback ($9.99). Also available in audio for $44.00, and other bindings as well.

The Links - The Official Website of the series ; Libba Bray's Official Website

*=All prices are form Borders.com and are subject to change without notice, and without this page reflecting those changes.

In My Mailbox

I know a lot of people do this meme called In My Mailbox, which is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren. This isn’t exactly like that, but it’s similar, so I thought I’d share the new books I got over the weekend. We had coupons, so Daddy took me to Borders.

I got:

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Captivate by Carrie Jones

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

So, look for some back logged reviews, as some of those are sequels, and new reviews as well, as I’m trying to steadily work my way through my growing pile of books.