Alive by Chandler Baker

Release Date: 9 June 2015 | Publisher: Disney-Hyperion | Format: Hardcover

Review: .

After years of waiting for a heart transplant, Stella miraculously receives one but it comes with some strange consequences--recurring pain, nightmares, and hallucinations.  Despite these effects, Stella is determined to make the most out of her second change and that includes going after new student and bad boy Levi Zin.  Stella's magnetic attraction to Levi is intense from the beginning and eventually she begins to question the forces pulling them together and why she experiences less pain in his presence.  With the help of her friend, Henry, she begins to investigate and finds that there's much more to Levi than meets the eye. Thrown in brassy BFF, Brynn, and paranormal twists, and you have this creepy, engaging read. The plotline is a bit predictable but with a creepy atmosphere that will appeal to fans of paranormal suspense and horror. 

 



Review: Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Release Date: 2 July 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

Sawyer Dodd has it all. She's a star track athlete, choir soloist, and A-student. And her boyfriend is the handsome all-star Kevin Anderson. But behind the medals, prom pictures, and perfect smiles, Sawyer finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with Kevin. When he dies in a drunk-driving accident, Sawyer is secretly relieved. She's free. Until she opens her locker and finds a mysterious letter signed by "an admirer" and printed with two simple words: "You're welcome."

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: Broken by A.E. Rought

Release Date: January 2013

Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher

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Goodreads description:

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's.

The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks...

YA Book Review: All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen

Release Date: December 2012
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher

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Goodreads description:

What if your life wasn’t your own?

Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.

Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?

(ARC) YA Book Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Release Date: 16 October 2012

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux BYR
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads description:

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Release Date: 24 April 2012

Publisher: Walker Childrens
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free?

My Thoughts...

MG Book Review: Poison Most Vial by Benedict Carey

Release Date: 1 April 2012

Publisher: Abrams

Format: eARC

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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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: 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

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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...

(ARC) YA Book Review: Slide by Jill Hathaway

Release Date: 27 March 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: Double by Jenny Valentine

Release Date: 21 February 2012
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

When the sixteen-year-old runaway Chap is mistaken for a missing boy named Cassiel, his life changes dramatically. Chap takes on Cassiel’s identity, gaining the family and friends he’s always dreamed of having. But becoming someone else isn’t as easy as he hoped—and Chap isn’t the only one hiding a secret. As he teeters on the brink of discovery and begins to unravel the mystery behind Cassiel’s disappearance, Chap realizes that he’s in much deeper danger than he could have imagined.

After all, you can’t just steal a life and expect to get away with it.

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Meyers

Release Date: 14 February 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

Jocelyn's twin brother Jack was the only family she had growing up in a world of foster homes-and now he's dead, and she has nothing. Then she gets a cryptic letter from "Jason December"-the code name her brother used to use when they were children at Seale House, a terrifying foster home that they believed had dark powers. Only one other person knows about Jason December: Noah, Jocelyn's childhood crush and their only real friend among the troubled children at Seale House.

But when Jocelyn returns to Seale House and the city where she last saw Noah, she gets more than she bargained for. Turns out the house's powers weren't just a figment of a childish imagination. And someone is following Jocelyn. Is Jack still alive? And if he is, what kind of trouble is he in? The answer is revealed in a shocking twist that turns this story on its head and will send readers straight back to page 1 to read the book in a whole new light.

My Thoughts...

(ARC) YA Book Review: Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

Release Date: 20 December 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

Goodreads description:

Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living t...moreHannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living there, even though it's been deserted for years. And Colin doesn’t seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety.

Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.

My Thoughts...

(ARC) Ya Book Review: Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook

Release Date: 3 January 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

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Goodreads description:

Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.

But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

My Thoughts...

Unraveling Isobel was a delightful contemporary paranormal read! The story pulled me in from page one and I found myself turning page after page, finishing it in just a few hours one afternoon! It was highly engaging and impossible to put down. While the plot twists were not overly new or exciting, Ms. Cook has written a novel that truly keeps you on your toes.

When you're seventeen and the only friend you have in town is a stuffed animal that doesn't even belong to you, I think it's safe to say your life is officially in the shitter.

-p27, ARC

Isobel caught my attention from page one. She's so realistic--I'm totally convinced that we would have been BFFs in high school. Her sarcastic personality translates into her dialogue, both internally and externally. She's a strong young woman, but she's clearly susceptible to the same insecurities as all most high school girls. Thus, she has to deal with catty friends, a boyfriend, and parent issues, just like we all have at some point. I'm not really sure what else to say about her--I just really connected with her (well, except for the obvious...you know, seeing ghosts).

"Okay, fair enough. You're embarrassed and I made it worse. Do you want me to do something embarrassing to even the score? You want me to sing?"

-Nathaniel, p52, ARC

Nathaniel grew on me VERY quickly, once he got over being a bit of an ass. He sang "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in the library and from that moment on, I was won-over. The relationship between him and Isobel is very sexy and realistic...with that hint of "forbidden love," because, uh, they're step-siblings. Let's just say...I got over that real fast. :) I think two of my final comments while I was reading were "Yay Nate!!! <3."

There were really only three options. Either Evie was intent on trying to send me a message, Dick was behind everything to get rid of me, or I was crazy.

-p203, ARC

This storyline overall felt fun and fresh. I enjoyed the way that the paranormal played into the story in little ways throughout, but I was left, in the end, wishing that the ghosts would have played just a slightly larger role in the story, especially toward the end. I suppose part of me wanted the ghost to swoop in and scare the hell out of some people who I wasn't too fond of. The only other thing that irked me a little bit was how Dick's accusations of Isobel's potential mental illness seems to pop up out of everywhere. I mean, I seriously disliked Dick throughout but it was a moment that seemed out of place regardless. I found myself flipping back a few pages to look for the set-up to that moment. It was totally a "Dick" move, but I think that it just came too suddenly out of seemingly nowhere.

I would definitely recommend this as a read to pick up in January! It was a fun read with realistic, relatable characters.  The story moves at a quick pace that keeps the reader turning page after page.  This is a fabulous contemporary read with a perfect blend of the every day and the paranormal--a little bit for fans of both!

Tween Tuesday: Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day Goerge

Release Date: 25 October 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: NetGalley

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Goodreads description:

Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. This delightful book from a fan- and bookseller-favorite kicks off a brand-new series sure to become a modern classic..

My Thoughts...

I've ogled many a Jessica Day George book at the library while browsing the YA section but they never seem to make their way home with me.  When Bloomsbury offered this middle grade novel through NetGalley, I knew I had to request it.  What I encountered in reading this book was a darling mystery adventure that will really capture your heart. I quickly fell in love with the setting, the characters, the villians, the magic, the adventure--everything!

Castle Glower isn't a normal castle--it's enchanted.  It shifts its rooms and hallways to suit its mood and needs.  It shifts to show favor. It does all of these things seemingly on its own, but it shows special favor to Princess Celie, our young MC who loves the castle eccentricities and spends much of her time creating an atlas of the castle.  When Celie's parents and oldest brother go missing, she and her siblings, Rolf and Lilah, must work together with the castle to fight the bad guys who want to take over the kingdom, and Celie's knowledge of the castle comes in handy more than once.

Celie is an incredibly endearing main character. She's fiercely loyal to her family and deeply suspicious of outsiders.  She's also really smart and thinks on her toes.  She comes up with fabulous schemes to outsmart the bad guys and keep them guessing.  It's easy to see why the castle favors her because she simply believes in its magic to its fullest extent.  

Kids and adults alike will easily fall in love with this fun tale of daring tricks and escapes. I think kids will delight in the childrens' plans to outsmart and outwit the adults.  It's the kind of novel that will let your imagination run wild, from the ever changing castle to the plans that kids devise. Magic is well-incorporated into the story and the castle really almost becomes a character in its own right. It's ever-changing rooms and it's secret passages are sure to strike a chord with kids.  What kid doesn't imagine living and playing in secret passageways and spying on adults through secret peepholes hidden behind drapes? It's a kind of fantasy world that gives you a clear, beautiful picture of the surroundings but leaves a lot to your imagination.

The simplicity of the writing strikes a beautiful contrast to the imaginative landscape of the novel. This is a quick read because once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down, and Ms. George's writing simply flows wonderfully.  One of the best things (for me) about this book is that it has a well-structured beginning, middle, and end--despite being the first in a series.  Gone are the all-too-popular cliffhangers. This book will make readers want to pick up the next book because it's sure to be a fun, magical read--not simply because the author left them hanging in the previous book.

YA Book Review: Variant by Robison Wells

Release Date: 4 October 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads description:

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive. Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

My Thoughts...

WOW.  Fresh, exciting, and completely unique, Variant is truly the type of book that will hook you on page one and then throw surprise after surprise at you.  There was so much intrigue in this book and it definitely kept me guessing from chapter to chapter, which I LOVE in a book.

When Benson Fisher arrives at his new school, he's looking for a new start--new opportunities, new friends, a new LIFE.  What he gets is a school without adults run by gangs of students locked in an eternal power-struggle. Not exactly what he had in mind when he applied for the scholarship! Benson is determined to escape the confines of the school, something no one has successfully done before.  What he discovers along the way--well, let's just say it's although unexpected and a bit terrifying.

Benson is a likeable character from the get-go.  He's got this fresh, positive attitude as he looks forward to starting school at Maxfield Academy that is almost instantly destroyed by what he discovers there. However, his determination to escape is never destroyed by the pressure of others and even after finding a girlfriend, he is focused on escaping.  I enjoyed his exploits throughout and his near constant planning for his eventual escape.  Each day and new experience seems to bring new insights into his escape plan.

The plot of this book is seriously awesome.  I loved the twists and turns that Robison Wells wove into the story.  You couldn't ever really guess what was going to happen next.  It had the perfect combination of mystery, action, and adventure that all leads to a mind-blowing ending.  Seriously, this ending will SHOCK you.  (And I'm going to warn you, it's quite the cliffhanger.)

Really, all I can say is that this is definitely a book to check out! It's a fabulous read for fans of YA action/adventure fans with a certain atmosphere that will appeal to YA dystopia fans as well.  Everything comes together smoothly to make this a quick-paced read that will appeal to even your most reluctant readers.

Tween Tuesday: Vanished by Sheela Chari

Release Date: 26 July 2011
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: NetGalley & Disney-Hyperion

Buy It! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

Eleven-year-old Neela dreams of being a famous musician, performing for admiring crowds on her traditional Indian stringed instrument. Her particular instrument used to be her grandmother’s—made of warm, rich wood, and intricately carved with a mysterious-looking dragon. When this special family heirloom vanishes from a local church, Neela is devastated. As she searches for it, strange clues surface: a teakettle ornamented with a familiar-looking dragon, a threatening note, a connection to a famous dead musician, and even a legendary curse. The clues point all the way to India, where it seems that Neela's intrument has a long history of vanishing and reappearing. If she is able to track it down, will she be able to stop it from disappearing again? 

My Thoughts...

In a blending of Indian and American culture, Sheela Chari has crafted an endearing mystery that will enchant readers and teach them a few things along the way as well!

Neela is a pretty typical sixth grader--often late to school, has friends and enemies at school, and, like so many kids her age, plays a musical instrument. However, while many other students take up the violen or the flute, Neela plays the veena--a traditional Indian stringed instrument. Until recently she has practiced on her teacher's student veena; then, one of her grandmother's coveted veenas shows up in the mail! It's absolutely beautiful and Neela is thrilled to have a veena all her own. She decides to take it to school as a sort of "show-and-tell" and is surprised at the students who take interest in her instrument. On the way home from school, Neela gets caught in the rain and takes shelter in a church, where she meets Hal. Hal claims he used to work for the church and makes her a cup of cocoa. He disappears rather abruptly and Neela returns to the closet where she stored her veena only to find it missing!

Determined to find her Veena, despite her mother's insistence that the instrument is bad luck, Neela embarks on a charming mystery adventure.  As she uncovers clue after clue, Neela must connect the dots and figure out: is the veena truly cursed?  Neela's personality is endearing and she is nothing if not persistent.  I enjoyed how determined she was to find her instrument.  Her friends aren't as well-developed as charcters as I might have liked, but I felt like I knew them enough to enjoy their presence in the story, especially Matt, who I felt was probably one of the most developed side characters.  Matt is the kind of character that you can't help but like. His friendship comes fairly easily, and he's always willing to help.  He ends up almost as involved in solving the mystery as Neela!

While I kept reading because I desperately wanted to know what happened to the instrument, the novel did seem a bit lengthy to me.  I felt that it could have been condensed a bit to increase the pacing for younger readers.  When the action does pick up towards the end, it is engaging and fun to read.  I found once I hit that point in the story that I couldn't put the book down!  This was definitely an enjoyable read that I would recommend to MG mystery fans.

YA Book Review: Shine by Lauren Myracle

Shine by Lauren Myracle

© 1 May 2011 by Amulet Books

Goodreads description:

When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

Thoughts, Ramblings, Musings...

I've actually been struggling quite a bit to write this review--not because I didn't enjoy the book but because I liked it SO MUCH that I'm worried I won't be able to convey that love. This is so different from much of what I've read lately and it was an engrossing, thrilling, and much-needed change of pace.  (Also, a disclaimer before you begin reading--this reviews is kind of long!)


From the moment I read the opening newspaper article to when I read the final page, Lauren Myracle's Shine pulled me in. It was a truly spell-binding read--one that I put off for far to long. I know I won't be the first to say that some of Myracle's other popular novels don't hold a lot of appeal to me--not that they're not probably fantastic reads, just not my type. I guess it just goes to show Myracle's diversity as a writer because Shine was my "type" of book.


From the start, I felt completely sucked into the atmosphere the author creates. The bigotry was so indicative of the small-mindedness that is often engendered in that setting. I could connect so well to the characters that I felt stifled right along with them - stuck in a world where my ideas didn't fit in.


The main character, Cat, was incredibly relatedable in all her flaws. She's far from a perfect character, but I fell in love with her more and more every page. She became my best friend. I wanted to know on a personal level why she had separated herself from all her friends. I wanted to understand and I wanted to be there for her as she worked through years of pain and separation. When the description calls this a coming-of-age story, it's spot on. Watching Cat essentially grow up in the span of just over a week is harrowing and beautiful all at the same time--watching her open back up to people in her life and even the possibility of a new friend/love.


All the characters in this novel were really well-done. They were so dynamic and did things that you didn't expect. It was truly refreshing. It made every turn of the page a new adventure because the characters could turn out to be or do something different than you expected at every turn. The mystery is, of course, the plot focus, but I really felt that the atmosphere and character were the driving force. They created the mystery and moved it along and created the twists that made the story unpredictable and kept me turning page after page.


This is truly a fabulous read. I want nothing more than to own a finished copy of this one so I can read it over and over again. I bet your library has it--you should go borrow it.


Disclosure: I received this book as an eGalley via NetGalley from Amulet Books for my honest opinion.  The source has in no way affected my review.

**Be sure to check out the Graveminder giveaway while you're here!**

YA Book Review: Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clarity by Kim Harrington
© 2011 by Point (Scholastic, Inc.)

Goodreads description:

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth? 

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift. 

And a curse. 

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Thoughts, Musings, Ramblings...


I liked this book from start to finish.  I mean, really, how can you not like a supernatural murder mystery?! (Maybe that's just me...)  Chapter One pulls you in immediately (super intense first two pages, let me tell you!) and you honestly can't put this one down until you've gotten to the end.

My honest-to-goodness favorite thing about this book was that I did not solve the mystery before the main character.  I'm sure that many readers will figure it out, but I'll readily admit that I was so into the story that I didn't see it coming! I was *completely* convinced the murdered was someone else and had a "NO WAY!" moment when it was revealed.  That's always a good feeling when you're reading a book--like you're learning right alongside the main character.

Now, Clarity, or Clare as she prefers, didn't necessarily pull me in as a character right away.  I'm not sure why but I didn't connect with her at the beginning.  As the story progressed, I did feel like I warmed up to her quite a bit.  I also really thought that the minor characters in this one were well done.  I felt like I knew each of them fairly well...with a lot of room for growth in #2!!   Also, on the character side of things, I actually tliked the love triangle in this one because it wasn't the FOCUS.  It was there, it was minor, and it was a cute romance.

I can't wait to read the sequel when it comes out next March (gah, 2012?!).  The story was really well written and I want more (especially of the romance--this was SO just the tip of the iceberg on that!).  I can't wait to find out what happens between Clarity, Justin, and Gabriel and what adventure is in store next.

Tween Tuesday: The Blackhope Enigma

"Tween Tuesday" is a weekly meme hosted over at GreenBeanTeenQueen.  If you're looking for a good middle grade book or have a review to share, be sure to check it out!

This week I wanted to share Blackhope Enigma as my "tween" pick.  I'm not sure that this is "supposed" to be a tween book, but the characters are 14 years old and the storyline is quick-paced with adventure and mystery all mixed into a cute story.  The book definitely lacks the sexual overtones, violence, and crude language of many YA books, which (for me) made it appropriate for MG readers.  I wouldn't hesitate to offer this book to a reader 10+.

Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin
(c) August 2011 by Candlewick Press
(UK release 2010)

Goodreads description:

When Sunni Forrest’s stepbrother accidentally transports himself into a Renaissance painting, she and her friend Blaise set out to bring him back. They find themselves in a strange world of labyrinths, monsters and pirates.

Can they evade their greedy pursuers? And will they ever find their way home?

Thoughts, Musings, Ramblings...

The Blackhope Enigma is a fun mystery that all starts when Sunni’s stepbrother, Dean, accidentally transports himself into one of Fausto Corvo’s magical paintings. Sunni, determined to get him back, follows the labyrinth path and joins him in the picture, leaving Blaise standing alone and shortly thereafter being shuffled out of the room by a guard.  Determined to get Sunni and Dean out, Blaise finds a way into the picture with them, despite the media and police crowds searching for two lost kids.

In a fast-paced story, Dean, Sunni, and Blaise have to work their way through a maze (literally and figuratively) to escape from the paintings within the painting and make their way back home.  Of course, it’s easier said than done most of the time.  The three encounter a fun cast of good guys, bad guys, and everything in between as they battle deadly creatures, sail on the high seas, and trek through a deserted island—all in the hopes of finding a way back to their own world.

The book has its share of predictable and slightly cheesy situations, but they don’t interrupt the flow of the story or detract from its overall telling.Teresa Flavin has crafted a fun story that many readers will enjoy.It’s full of fast-paced adventure and mystery with just a splash of magic and history.Readers will be drawn in by her descriptions of this magical world (or worlds) within the painting.

The premise of this book really struck me as original. I don’t think it can even really be compared to any books I’ve read lately and I struggle to draw a comparison between this book and many others. It’s not quite time travel yet it doesn’t really have a real fantasy feel to it.For me, that just shows how well the story is woven together to seamlessly incorporate elements of contemporary, fantasy, and historical stories. I also really loved the descriptions that Teresa provided as they moved between worlds within the paintings, describing the white paint that covered the magic world that existed under the exterior painting.

There were a few points at the beginning where I felt like things were almost going too fast for my liking.We meet our characters and next thing you know they’re in the painting! I wouldn’t have even thought to look for Dean in the painting and it was surprising (and maybe a tad unrealistic) how quickly Sunni figured it out.Once the actual adventures began inside the painting, I definitely found myself settling into and enjoying the story, but the beginning just seemed a tad rushed to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It was a fast-paced readI think I would recommend it to “tweens” (or young teens) as a good read.  I think it would appeal to a wide variety of readers since it incorporates elements of many different types of stories.

(Oh, and as an added bonus, you can actually download teaching resources for this book! How cool is that?! Maybe that’s just the former teacher in me...)

*Disclaimer: I received this eGalley from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. The source of this book in no way affects my opinions thereof.