Please welcome my sister Karen to the blog!  She normally reads history books (not the fiction ones either), but she found she loved the Everlost series so much she wanted to review it for the blog!

Everlost

Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Format: Kindle book
Release Date: August 22, 2006
Add to reading pile: Goodreads
Rating:

Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident... ...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth. When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he's found a home, but Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost. In this imaginative novel, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what just might lie in between.

My Thoughts:


Lord of the Flies met a ghost story and became a series. Not literally, but that's the best way to describe this trilogy.

When I bought this book on my Kindle, I had no idea it was a trilogy. I though, "Eh, I'll read it." Then I couldn't put it down, and then days blurred together and I had acquired and read all three of them. I don't even remember where each book begins and ends, it was days on end of my face on the Kindle desperate to find out what happens. I'm not the biggest fan of most YA books, so to win me over to the point that I forget what day it is means serious business.

In the beginning when Allie and Nick wake up as ghosts in a ghost forest, I was convinced this book would be extremely predictable. I was so wrong. None of the characters throughout this trilogy became and ended who I thought they would be, and the story itself kept me questioning everything and everyone. It was exciting stuff all the way until the last page.

I also loved that each chapter of this book switched back and forth between the main characters, so you see all of their perspectives and stories when they are not all together. These books also spoke to my little history loving heart in that places throughout history had crossed over into this ghost world and served as the setting for much of the story.

Definitely pick these up and read these. They were spectacular. Just remember to stop and take a shower and eat something.

Today's inspiration is none other than Peter Pan, because um, well I just read Tiger Lily (that was a shameless plug to my giveaway of the book) and am slightly re-obsessed with the whole tale.

Can you blame me?

Oh Peter, why did you have to fall for Wendy?  Stupid boy.

Gilt

Author: Katherine Longshore
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Source: Viking Juvenile (I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review)
Format: ARC
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Add to reading pile: Goodreads
Rating:

In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free— and love comes at the highest price of all.  

 When Kitty Tylney’s best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII’s heart and brings Kitty to court, she’s thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat’s shadow, Kitty’s now caught between two men—the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat’s meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

My Thoughts:

I've always been a so-so fan of historical fiction, but Gilt pushed my love of historical fiction over the top. I found myself devouring this book and unable to put it down.  And, because there's so much fact blended in with fiction, I found myself googling because I was so curious about the historical aspects of this book. it was awesome.

Gilt is told through the eyes of Kitty, who is best friends with Catherine Howard, known as Cat in the book.

Cat is daring and catty and, quite frankly, her outwardness made me uncomfortable, as it did Kitty in the book.  It was hard to watch her basically become a train wreck as the book went on, but, like all train wrecks, I couldn't stop myself from watching.  She made a lot of choices and did a lot of things that really put me on edge, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it all came back to bite her.

Kitty was a character I found myself really liking, even though she also made some interesting choices that I didn't always agree with.  It was obvious she wanted to be carefree like Cat, but she had her reservations.

There were a few times I wanted to throttle her and make her come to her senses.  And I'd say more on this but I don't want to give spoilers away.

Like I said earlier, I found myself googling Catherine Howard and discovering things I didn't know, which was a lot since I've never really been into history.  And then my sister (who is a history major) and I had discussions about King Henry VIII and I actually had an idea of what I was talking about.  

The only thing that keeps me from giving this book five stars is that at times I felt the pacing was a bit too slow.

That being said, this book definitely hooked me into historical fiction and I plan on picking up a lot more of it in the future.

Arise (Hereafter #2)

Author: Tara Hudson
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: HarperTeen
Format: eARC
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Add to reading pile: Goodreads
Rating:

Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her.

My Thoughts:

If you haven't read Hereafter, this review may contain spoilers.

I absolutely loved Hereafter.  I wanted to know who Amelia was and I was so curious as to the circumstances regarding her death, so I was excited to get to read Arise and learn more about her.

In Arise, Amelia is trying to figure out why she disappears whenever she and Josh get "too close."  If they kiss for too long, she disappears to random places.  Obviously this is frustrating for both parties.

Josh's family is taking a vacation to New Orleans for the holidays, and Amelia goes with him.  I couldn't help but wonder how Josh was able to whisper to Amelia without looking crazy. I mean, wouldn't you notice your son touching the air or moving his lips weirdly as though he's speaking under his breath?

That being said, the book threw a few twists regarding some of Josh's family members, which made the book interesting to read.

I think the character who really shone for me in this book though, was Gabrielle.  I really loved her and felt like she added sparkle into this book.

Overall, the story line in Arise feels very similar to Hereafter and it doesn't feel like we get many more answers, only more questions.

Seraphina

Author: Rachel Hartman
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Random House Children's Books
Format: eARC
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Buy the Book: Amazon
Rating:

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page.

My Thoughts:

Seraphina is probably one of the best heroines I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time.

Despite the fact that the setting is clearly a kingdom with a hierarchy, she remains strong and true to herself, and doesn't appear to be afraid to talk to anyone. On more than one occasion, she addresses the prince as though he were the same social class as her.

Seraphina discovers she is half dragon, and she has a smattering of scales across her waist and also on one arm. This causes her to wear tied long sleeves each and every day, even in the summer. The people believe dragons to have no souls, and even though there's a treaty that both species are to be peaceful to one another, it's very clear that dragons are considered a threat and not worthwhile.

Among discovering she is half dragon, she also discovers that she has "grotesques" (as she calls them) in a "garden" (which is really her mind).  I have to say, I predicted a completely different outcome when the grotesques were first mentioned. I do love when a story brings in a good twist and Seraphina didn't disappoint.

I truly loved the romance in this story, because it wasn't about her being protected like most romances seem to be.

The only reason I rated this book a four star book and not a five star book, was the amount of unique verbiage in this story.  It really took me a while to understand all the names of the dragons, and I actually had to go back and re-read the first 30 pages because I was so confused at first.

However, once I figured it all out, I couldn't put this book down.  This is a book I'd purchase and re-read again and again, it's that good.

This last week was officially my first week of summer break.  I got a lot more accomplished than I thought I would.  I went to the gym a few times, had a session with my personal trainer, bought Diablo 3 and started playing that, and read quite a few books.

Let's hope the rest of summer is as productive as this last week, haha.

Book I got this week:

 

The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake (I literally squealed and danced next to my mailbox)
Florence by Ciye Cho


Currently Reading:

White Cat by Holly Black.  I'm not gonna lie, I'm about halfway through and I kinda lost interest.  I will try to pick this up and finish it though.

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake.  Yes, I just got this yesterday, but I couldn't wait.

Plus, I have a wait list of friends who are dying to read this as well and they might come after me with pitchforks if I wait too long to read it.

Coming up this week on the blog:

Seraphina by by Rachel Hartman REVIEW
Gilt by Katherine Longshore REVIEW
Blogspiration post
Everlost by Neal Shusterman GUEST REVIEW (by my sister!)
Caterpillar by Kate Oliver REVIEW and GIVEAWAY!

Current Giveaway:

Enter to win my ARC of Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson! If you click the book cover, it should take you to the giveaway post!

It's going to be a busy week on the blog!  What's going on with you guys?

Tiger Lily

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: HarperTeen (I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review)
Format: ARC
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Add to reading pile: Goodreads
Rating:

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .
Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.
With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

My Thoughts:

First of all, it's been YEARS since I've watched Peter Pan or have even thought about him or any of the characters.  Reading this has completely sparked my love in the tale all over again.

Told from the perspective of Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily is a darker and edgier version of Peter Pan, and one I ultimately loved.

Tiger Lily was found by Tik Tok, the village shaman, who takes her in and raises her.  Even as a small child, she had an air of mystery around her.  She doesn't speak much, she can hunt better than the boys and she doesn't appear to be afraid of anything.  Not only that, but people who cross her tend to mysteriously die.

I think it's safe to say that I absolutely am smitten with Tiger Lily as a character.

The tribe (the Sky Eaters) has a truce with the pirates, who are portrayed as dirty and murderous drunks. Captain Hook is imbalanced and Smee is not the cute round Disney guy that we all know.  They are on the hunt for the lost boys, as Peter has been stealing the boys who are supposed to work on Hook's ship and keeping them with him.

The lost boys are a terribly frightening lot.  There's rumors that they can fly, and people stay far away from the forbidden forest, because there's stories of the boys killing people.  I was absolutely terrified for Tiger Lily when she finally did run into Pan, because I didn't know what he would do with her.  And once they did run into each other, I found myself loving the lost boys immensely.

I've never been a huge fan of Tinkerbell ever, but I found myself really endeared to her through this book.  I understand why she disliked Wendy so and I found myself disliking Wendy a lot too.  Girl should have just stayed on her own dang boat and left everyone alone.

This book was written so beautifully, that it was easy to lose myself in the enticing darkness that is Neverland.

And now, one of you can win my ARC of Tiger Lily! :)


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