YA Book Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Release Date: 31 July 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher

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Goodreads description:

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between themrefuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
© June 2011 by HarperCollins

Goodreads description:

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

My Thoughts...

I have to say, first, that the Browse Inside feature offered by HarperTeen may be the death of me (financially, of course) because it causes impulse buys--for example, my Nook pre-order of this book. That being said, from the moment I opened the file to read until the moment that I finished my Nook copy while standing in the Dark Days of Supernatural signing line, I was hooked.

When the book starts out, Amelia is lonely and caught in a cycle of disappearing back to her place/moment of death.  Then, one time it's different--someone else is drowning and she has to stop it.  When she saves Josh, she creates an impossible bond with him--he becomes the only person who can see her and touch her (at least as far as she knows).  Now, I know some people will rail against the "insta-love" that occurs in this book, but I personally thought that it made a little sense that Amelia would make such a connection--she hasn't been able to TOUCH or interact with anyone since her death (and not for lack of trying).  I thought that Tara Hudson did a fabulous job describing the electric nature of their first physical encounters.  They had that hesitant nature of young love where things are new and different and you're just curious and in awe.

Overall, this one was a "win" for me.  I really felt myself pulled into their story and Hudson pulled some elements in that I didn't expect at all.  It's had the right amount of darkness for me paired with the romantic elements.  I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book (although I will admit that I would have been just as happy with this book as a standalone, which is always a nice feeling). However, I do look forward to more character development in the next book so maybe we'll get to know more about Amelia and Josh.

My fabulous signed copy!

Some other reviews you might check out:

• Well-Read Reviews
• Fantastic Book Review
• A Cupcake and a Latte
• Bewitched Bookworms

YA Book Review: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
© 28 June 2011 by HarperTeen

Goodreads description:

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
© August 2010 by Atheneum

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Goodreads description:

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

My Thoughts...

I wanted to LOVE this book.  I really, really did.  When this showed up in my inbox as part of my email book club, I wasn't very interested.  By the end of the week, I HAD to get this from the library so I could finish it.  I loved the premise (however cliche it might seem) and I thought the Poe twist/incorporation sounded really unique.

From the beginning, I was completely sucked into the story. I was totally and completely intrigued by Varen and he held my attention while Isobel grew on me. The story presents the reader with some awesome twists and turns and pulls you in completely.  There is so much intrigue and mystery surrounding Varen and you can't help but want to go along for the ride as Isobel learns more about him and his secrets. These were definitely two well-written characters with a lot of depth and surprises in store.

However, about 3/4 of the way through the book, I kind of started to lose interest.  I'm not sure what did it for me, but this book started to drag a bit.  I found myself having trouble staying interested.  I'm not sure if it was the dream world that lost me or just the pacing.  I wanted so badly to know what happened at the end, but I dragged my feet about finishing the book.

That all being said, the ending...well, the ending has me waiting rather impatiently for the next installment, set for release next year!