MG Book Review: Poison Most Vial by Benedict Carey

Release Date: 1 April 2012

Publisher: Abrams

Format: eARC

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

Murder in the lab! The famous forensic scientist Dr. Ramachandran is stone-cold dead, and Ruby Rose’s father is the prime suspect. It’s one more reason for Ruby to hate the Gardens, the funky urban neighborhood to which she has been transplanted. Wise but shy, artistic but an outsider, Ruby must marshal everything and everyone she can to help solve the mystery and prove her father didn’t poison his boss. Everyone? The list isn’t too long: there’s T. Rex, Ruby’s big, goofy but goodhearted friend; maybe those other two weird kids from class; and that mysterious old lady in the apartment upstairs, who seems to know a lot about chemistry . . . which could come in very handy.

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein

Release Date: 15 May 2012

Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher

Get a copy! B&N | Amazon

Goodreads description:

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy.

My Thoughts...

Waiting on Wednesday (60)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where book bloggers discuss the books that they are most anxiously waiting for! (And this fabulous button was designed by my dear blogger friend Lindsay at The Violet Hour)

This week I'm waiting on...

Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan
© 11 September 2012 by Candlewick Press

Can you save someone from something that’s already happened?

When Daniel Lever is dragged to Leisure World Holiday Complex for some "time away" with his depressed dad, his expectations are low. Daniel is overweight, he hates sport, and his father has brought along his beloved tomato plant. But soon Daniel spots a girl swimming in the fake lake. Lexi is elegant and smart, but very mysterious. Why are her bruises getting worse each time she and Daniel meet? And is her watch really ticking backwards? A dark figure stalks the pair, and as British summer time approaches, Daniel has to act quickly. Their souls depend on it.

YA Book Review: The One The I Want by Jennifer Echols

Release Date: 6 December 2011 (eBook version only)

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased from B&N

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend

My Thoughts...

Look! Another contemporary read that I enjoyed! *gasp* Are you getting the feeling that I might actually *like* contemporary YA sometimes? You're probably right and someday I will stop thinking and espousing that I don't.

Gemma is a really interesting chracter and I liked her, but I'm not sure that I ever *loved* her.  I connected with her in a lot of ways and she is clearly really looking for where she fits in. From the start, I found myself disliking both of her supposed best friends, Robert and Addison. Neither seemed to really fit the bill, and I thought that Gemma was really more friends with them because she was "supposed" to be?  Either way, I felt like Gemma realized that those friendships weren't what she really needed.  I was disappointed at her actions a couple of times because I guess I expected more for her and really wanted her to stand up for herself...but at the same time she felt authentic. Does that make sense? High school is confusing in so many ways and Gemma was a perfect exemplar of that.

Max is a totally swoon-worthy male lead and really difficult not to like! There were points when I seriously wanted him to slap some sense into Gemma and tell her she was awesome and being stupid.  I had a sneaking suspicion about what Addison had done when it came to that first date and I kept hoping that Max would set the record straight.  In the end, he does get Gemma to see some sense and I liked that he pushed her a little.

The One that I Want is a fun, quick read that fans of contemporary YA will love.  It's endearing story of friendship and "love" is enjoyable if not just a little predictable.  The romance is well-done and the characters are relateable but I think readers will see the end coming from the moment you meet the boys. Despite that, I really did think that it was an endearing story and a VERY quick read.

(ARC) YA Book Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Release Date: 24 April 2012

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Format: eARC

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all. But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

My Thoughts...

Waiting on Wednesday (59)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where book bloggers discuss the books that they are most anxiously waiting for! (And this fabulous button was designed by my dear blogger friend Lindsay at The Violet Hour)

This week I'm waiting on...

Charade by Cambria Hebert
© 18 May 2012 by Otherworld Publications

Dying at the hands of a psycho was a shock. Having my life returned to me by an angel was incredible. Being named a Supernatural Treasure and being given Sam as my guard was pretty darn awesome. Acquiring a debt for it all—well, I should have seen it coming.

Now here we are, fighting demons from Hell, caring for a boy that I just don’t trust, and traveling to faraway places to return a treasure to its rightful place. Nothing is as it seems. Everyone wears a mask; everyone puts on a charade. It’s up to us to separate the truth from the lies and reality from fiction. A hard task when my new reality involves fallen angels, witches and dragons… and did I mention Hell?

Anchoring me down through it all is Sam. Sam, who must face tragedies of his own and is put to the test again and again.

If we fail in our task, life as we know it—life as you know it—will end. Forever.

(ARC) YA Book Review: Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole

Release Date: 15 May 2012

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Get a copy! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

The summer after high-school graduation, a year after her mother’s tragic death, Anna has no plans – beyond her need to put a lot of miles between herself and the past. With forever friend Kat, a battered copy of Kerouac’s DHARMA BUMS, and a car with a dodgy oil filter, the girls set out on an epic road trip across the USA. Maybe somewhere along the way they’ll prove or disprove the existence of God. Maybe they’ll even get laid . . .

It’s a journey both outward and inward. Through the Badlands and encounters with predatory men and buffalo. A crazy bus ride to Mexico with a bunch of hymn-singing missionaries. Facing death, naked in the forest with an enraged grizzly bear . . . Gradually, Anna realizes that this is a voyage of discovery into her own self, her own silent pain – and into the tangled history that she and Kat share. What is love? What is sexual identity? And how do you find a way forward into a new future – a way to declare openly and without fear all that lies within you?

My Thoughts...

Waiting on Wednesday (58)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where book bloggers discuss the books that they are most anxiously waiting for! (And this fabulous button was designed by my dear blogger friend Lindsay at The Violet Hour)

This week I'm waiting on...

Blackwood by Gwenda Bond
© September 2012 by Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot

On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.

Miranda, a misfit girl from the island's most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can't dodge is each other.

YA Book Review: Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser

Release Date: 8 March 2012

Publisher: Flux
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads description:

Two families. Four teens.
A summer full of secrets.

Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities…and escape from their everyday lives.

Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too—at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she’s not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it.

Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie’s secret gets out, forcing each of them to face reality—before it tears them to pieces.

My Thoughts...

@EntangledPub Cover Reveal! Greta & the Goblin King by @Jacobs_Chloe

If you stop by frequently, then you know that I kind of, sort of, REALLY love Entangled Publishing.  Their cover reveals have all been FABULOUS.  Their novels have been superb. I think that they do a really great job. Anyway, you're REALLY here for the cover reveal, right? Not just to see how much I love Entangled? Well then...here you go!

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Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: 13 November 2012

While trying to save her brother four years ago, Greta was thrown into the witch’s fire herself, falling through a portal to a dangerous world where humans are the enemy, and every ogre, goblin, and ghoul has a dark side that comes out with the full moon.

To survive, seventeen-year-old Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young Goblin King, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her determination to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. The full moon is mere days away, and an ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back…

Isn't the cover great?! It has a very fairy tale/fantasy flair to it that I really like.  I think it captures the mood of the story (at least based on the description).

Add it to your "To Read" List on Goodreads!
Pre-order the paperback from Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

website | twitter | goodreads | facebook

Check back in September for an excerpt from the story!!

So, what do you think of the cover! Leave some thoughts for Chloe & Entangled!

Waiting on Wednesday (57)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where book bloggers discuss the books that they are most anxiously waiting for! (And this fabulous button was designed by my dear blogger friend Lindsay at The Violet Hour)

This week I'm waiting on...

Shift by Em Bailey
© 22 May 2012 byEgmontUSA

Olive Corbett is not crazy. Not anymore.

She obediently takes her meds and stays under the radar at school. After "the incident," Olive just wants to avoid any more trouble, so she knows the smartest thing is to stay clear of the new girl who is rumored to have quite the creepy past.

But there’s no avoiding Miranda Vaile. As mousy Miranda edges her way into the popular group, right up to the side of queen bee Katie – and pushes the others right out – only Olive seems to notice that something strange is going on. Something almost . . . parasitic. Either Olive is losing her grip on reality, or Miranda Vaile is stealing Katie’s life.

But who would ever believe crazy Olive, the girl who has a habit of letting her imagination run away with her? And what if Olive is the next target?

(ARC) YA Book Review: A Girl Named Digit by Annabelle Monaghan

Release Date: 5 June 2012

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Format: ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

Get a copy!

Goodreads description:

Farrah "Digit" Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping-- all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in . . .

My Thoughts...