Pretty Crooked- Elisa Ludwig

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 12•12

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Synopsis: High school sophomore Willa and her artist mother move to Arizona where Willa starts attending an elite prep school after her mother finally sells some paintings, and Willa attempts to even things out by stealing from the rich students and giving to the poor ones. -Goodreads

Review: Pretty Crooked is a fun YA debut with a cute premise, and is absolutely worth a read. This story has all the hallmarks of an enjoyable contemporary teen title with a dash of the Robin Hood legend that we all know and love. Simply put, it’s a modern retelling with a twist! The main character Willa knows what it’s like not to have everything you want, so when she finally gets in with the popular rich crowd, she uses every opportunity she can to help even the score for everybody else.

All that being said, this book took a turn away from what I expected into a deeper and even a slightly darker place. The characters are all fresh and engaging, exactly what you look for in a YA read, but somehow the story as a whole managed a vibe that was completely different than what you might expect from the cover.

It’s hard to decide whether Willa is heroic in her own right, or just a little naive and yet I love how it is entirely believable that she got herself into the situation she did with this story. She is who she is and things really couldn’t have gone any other way. It was great! You can see how she thinks stealing from the rich kids might help to make a difference at her school but at the same time you are madly flipping pages because you know things could go horribly, horribly wrong at any moment.

I’m really glad I got a chance to read Pretty Crooked and highly recommend it to both fans of YA and die hard Robin Hood fans. Enjoy!

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Zoey’s Uncreatively Titled Blog
@The Irish Banana Review
@Rachel Reads

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In My Mailbox (03/11/12)

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 11•12

For Review
Sooo excited about this weeks review haul! The bulk of it comes from Valerie Estelle Frankel, the author of a wide variety of books that you should definitely check out. I will be reviewing Katniss the Cattail on March 23rd in celebration of the Hunger Games movie release and will be featuring the rest of her books later in the summer. I also received Fair Coin by E.C. Meyer’s this week which has flown right up near the top of my TBR pile as I’m so excited to read this one!

           

     

Purchased
I went into ‘The World’s Biggest Book Store’ in Toronto with a friend on Wednesday. I was only planning to buy one book. Then I noticed that the buy 3, get 1 free deal was on. Soo… four new books for Kellie! Bringing this weeks total up to 9! Blood Red Road and Angel Burn are both titles I’ve been meaning to check out for awhile. Anna and the French Kiss was a book I borrowed from a friend and fell in love with (so, of course… needed my own copy) and finally Titanic: First Accounts is for ReaWrite’s upcoming Titanic week.

        

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The Shifter- Janice Hardy

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 09•12

Synopsis: Nya is an orphan struggling for survival in a city crippled by war. She is also a Taker—with her touch, she can heal injuries, pulling pain from another person into her own body. But unlike her sister, Tali, and the other Takers who become Healers’ League apprentices, Nya’s skill is flawed: She can’t push that pain into pynvium, the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it into another person, a dangerous skill that she must keep hidden from forces occupying her city. If discovered, she’d be used as a human weapon against her own people.

Rumors of another war make Nya’s life harder, forcing her to take desperate risks just to find work and food. She pushes her luck too far and exposes her secret to a pain merchant eager to use her shifting ability for his own sinister purposes. At first Nya refuses, but when Tali and other League Healers mysteriously disappear, she’s faced with some difficult choices. As her father used to say, principles are a bargain at any price; but how many will Nya have to sell to get Tali back alive? -Goodreads

Review: Gotta say this right off the bat as I actually took the time to jot this down, by page two of this book I was already impressed with a couple different witty lines. Great start! I loved the concept of The Shifter, as I’m always pretty impressed when someone manages to come up with a different spin on a magic system for the world they’ve created. The world Nya lives in has a healers guild filled with people who have the power to heal others, take their pain and put it into metal… on it’s own, that’s pretty cool. Nya can’t quite manage that much, she’s different. She can heal others and take their pain, no problem… but instead of putting it into any kind of outlet, her only choice is to put it into other people. Now there is a concept with potential.

The most surprising thing about this book is actually what Nya does with her unusual powers. Not all of the choices she makes are 100%, morally correct. Nya does what she has to in order to protect the people she cares about and that made this really interesting. There were even some choices she made that I’m not sure I could have done. Even better… there were genuine consequences for all of her actions. No question, this book was extremely well thought out. Hurrah!

All that being said, I only rated this book a three (it would probably be more like a 3.5) which means I definitely enjoyed it but couldn’t always manage to lose myself in the story. I found a lot of the names hard to pronounce or hard to take seriously which threw me every now and again. I also never really got to feel like I knew who Nya was as a character. She was hard to relate to and never seemed to show any complex reactions to the situations she was put in.

Great world building and complicated moral decisions will absolutely have me picking up the next book in this series, and sometime soon. It’s always great when you find a series you enjoy that hasn’t just come out, meaning you don’t have to wait at least a year to find out what happens next. If you’re looking for an unusual fantasy tale (with more than a hint of dystopia) then you need to pick up The Shifter.

You can visit Janice Hardy at her website, here.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions
@Timeless Violet
@Life in the Thumb
@Alaskan Book Cafe

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Katana- Cole Gibsen

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 07•12

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis: Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline had given her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn’t explain her dreams of 15th-century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings.

While worrying that she’s going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she’s harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana–a deadly Japanese sword that’s also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she’s always been and embracing the warrior inside her.
-Goodreads

Review: I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Katana but I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Katana is in one word, cool. I’d even go so far as very cool. It’s well thought out, has a great concept and characters you really root for. Plus, I would absolutely agree with the comparisons everyone keeps making to Buffy and Kill Bill, and what’s not to love about that? Still, I didn’t looovvve it and I can’t really say why.

There were a lot of really great action scenes in Katana, which is what really defined this story for me. I’m hardly an action novel junky but without question, Cole Gibsen can write a fight. I also really enjoyed the main character’s journey as she learned what she was capable of, taking her from a fairly average girl with no combat skills to speak of to someone you really don’t want to mess with.

If you’re a big fan of action, then you need to give Katana a read. This was a fun book with some really cool elements that you wont want to miss.

Buy the Book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

Second Opinions:
@Death, Books and Tea
@Stories of My Life
@Nyx Book Reviews

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Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 06•12

So, yesterday I did something pretty spontaneous. I registered for Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference 2012 about ten minutes after learning of its existence. The timing was just too perfect to pass up. I’m actually on my reading week from school this week and am of course, always looking for info on how to be a better book blogger. Hurrah!

Obviously, this will be my first year attending so I actually have no idea what to expect. I don’t know how it works etc. but I’m madly researching to try and find out what to expect before it starts up… tomorrow! I hope we will have access to everything even if we are unable to attend at the exact time as I already have plans for tomorrow and am still really interested in the opening days panels, but I will have to wait and see for that.

This years panels include topics like…

– Building a relationship with publishers
– NetGalley and Bloggers
– Working with Large Publishers
– Genre Diversity
and a lot more!

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, then sign up today and I will see you there tomorrow!

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My Rating System

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 05•12

Recently I’ve been noticing myself giving a lot of four star reviews and started thinking about my rating system and what it means. So, for future reference here is a somewhat thought out breakdown of what each rating on my star scale means to me and why some ratings are infinitely more common than others. I tend to avoid books I’m not confident I will like. With so many great books out there I haven’t read yet… why waste time on ones that aren’t jumping up and down on my shelf shouting at me to read it. This is exactly why I always have a massive TBR pile because I always let new titles that seem fantastic jump up to the front of the line because I just can’t wait to read them… and that’s how it should be.

 

Five stars! Wowza! I really, really insanely loved this book. I was hooked right from the get go and probably read the whole thing in a day, or even in one sitting (if possible). Five star books are the ones I can’t stop thinking about and that will be bumped up to a place of honour/ showing it off on my bookshelf. These books will definitely be reread, multiple times and for years to come. You will also probably see other reviews from this series not long after as I’m officially hooked.

 

 

 

Four stars! Easily my most common rating as I tend to pick books (for the most part, not always) that I really enjoy! I probably finished this book in under a week, will consider rereading it in the future and will definitely be continuing with the series. Four star books are always highly recommended to those who have similar taste in books to me.

 

 

 

Three stars, pretty much means what you think it would mean. Average. Now to me, average actually means pretty good. Most of the books I read, I enjoy. To me, a three star book has a cool concept, a fun plot and characters I can relate to. Maybe for other reviewers, three stars means just okay but they probably aren’t reading enough of what actually looks good to them.

 

 

 

A book with a two star rating was hard to get through and didn’t have many, if any redeeming qualities. Odds are the writing was at least passable, and I finished the book but it wasn’t really for me and there is almost no chance I will be continuing with the series. Two star books are ones that may appeal to other people but really aren’t for me. I found the experience of reading the book just okay.

 

 

 

I’m not sure if I’ve ever even used this rating… Usually means I didn’t finish the book and that I found almost no redeeming qualities when reading the story. This doesn’t happen very often because I tend to choose books that at the very least, have intriguing concepts.

Posted in Reading , | 1 Comment »

This World We Live In- Susan Beth Pfeffer

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 03•12

Synopsis: It’s been over a month since Miranda Evans (from Live As We Knew It) has written in her diary and nearly one year since the catastrophic event of a meteor colliding with the moon. Miranda’s father, stepmother, and baby brother show up at her door. Accompanying them are three strangers: a man named Charlie Rutherford, and two teenagers, Alex and Julie Morales (from The Dead & The Gone).

But before Miranda and Alex can go off together, a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and in its aftermath, Miranda makes a decision that will change forever her life and Alex’s, and the world that they live in will never be the same. -Amazon

Review: So, I’ve been gushing about this series for a couple of weeks now ever since I picked up the first one (Life As We Knew It) and was hooked. This entire series has offered a relatively more realistic look than most apocalyptic YA books and for some reason, the entire concept really resonated with me. Anyways, books one and two each dealt with a different set of characters who came together for this final addition to the series.

Fair warning, despite this being the end of the series where everything should come together, this book is easily the most bleak of the series. What keeps you hanging on in this series is each tiny bit of good news and it just feels like there is so little in this final installment.

What I really love in this series is the characters and their relationships with each other. It really doesn’t matter where they are or what they’re doing, the beauty of this series is in their doing everything they can to protect the people the love.

Still without a doubt, a great series and one I will absolutely be rereading, I just wish it could have finished with a little more hope.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Emily’s Reading Room
@Karin’s Book Nook
@That’s What She Read

Posted in Young Adult Books , , | 1 Comment »

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Written By: Kellie - Feb• 29•12

Synopsis: Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship–or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with six months to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word… especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate stars scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood — not even from each other. -Goodreads

Review: I’m used to the books I end up loving being the ones that suck me in right from the get go. This wasn’t the case with Born Wicked, but instead I found myself falling more and more in love with the story as I went along, which was really a lot of fun. Born Wicked started out feeling a little stuffy but intriguing and turned into a well crafted story about family loyalty and secrets.

Born Wicked merges (alternate) historical fiction, with a rigid dystopian society and adds a dash of forbidden magic… what’s not to love? What really hooked me though wasn’t the relationship between the main character and her two love interests (yes, something of a love triangle here… I know) but between her and her sisters. Cate has a unique relationship with both Maura and Tess and these relationships are what drives the story forward at the most pivotal moments.

Cate is a great character who is easy to like, even though you will continuously find yourself wishing that she would be willing to trust in some other characters from time to time. She’s strong, loyal and someone you can really root for.

There were a few elements of the story that probably could use a little tweaking. I’d like to see both of the sisters personalities fleshed out a little farther, and the ending of the book could have used a little extra oomph but overall, there is nothing stopping me from eagerly anticipating the next book in this series.

Born Wicked is some of the most fun I’ve had with a YA debut novel in awhile and definitely one I will be recommending as the combination of magic and history will make this a must read title of the year.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Katie’s Book Blog
@Read Breathe Relax
@The Unread Reader

Posted in Young Adult Books , , | 2 Comments »

The Dead & The Gone- Susan Beth Pfeffer

Written By: Kellie - Feb• 27•12

Synopsis: Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event–an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex’s parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.

With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities. -Goodreads

Review: So, in case you didn’t notice it after last weeks review of Life As We Knew It, I am really enjoying the Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer. This series offers a really refreshing look at how people might behave at the end of the world.

The first book in the series focused on suburbia after a shift in the moon caused the worlds tides to go a little mad. In The Dead & The Gone, we get a look at how things were after this same disaster but in downtown New York City. With so many people stacked on top of each other, and no nearby food sources, it is arguably much harder to survive. The main character Alex, also doesn’t have either of his parents with him to lean on and guide him. He is solely responsible for his own survival and that of his two younger sisters.

Like Life As We Knew It, this book offers a stark take on how bad things could really get. So many books focus on the handful of heroes that step up when our world comes crashing down around us, but Susan Pfeffer has a way of showing the every day people who do what it takes to survive as the real heroes of these kinds of stories. Love it! Not a feel good read by any means, but every small victory seems that much bigger when you’re struggling to stay a live, and each month that passes seems like Eden compared to how much worse things have gotten even though you think you have hit an all time low.

I found Alex and his sisters a little hard to relate to but still very compelling characters. You will be rooting for them right away, even before they know they are in any danger. There are so many ups and downs in The Dead & The Gone that you will be holding on for dear life until the book ends and you collapse in a heap.

Granted, not everyone loved this book (or series, really) quite as much as I do. Mainly citing the lack of action as the biggest draw back, and while I love the non- stop action apocalyptic novels, I think this route of story telling has a lot of merit as well. Sometimes you can’t just strike out on your own and save the world, sometimes you have people that need you, people that you will do whatever it takes to keep alive. That’s what The Dead & The Gone gives us.

If I haven’t made it blatantly obvious yet, I think you should read this book. You can even read it before the first book in this series, just make sure you read both one and two before seeing how everything ends. Enjoy.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating

Second Opinions
@I’m Booking It
@Badass Book Reviews
@Infinite Shelf

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , , | 1 Comment »

Planning for Book Expo America- Part 1

Written By: Kellie - Feb• 26•12

This June, I am planning on making my first trip to Book Expo America, and honestly… I’m practically thinking about it non stop because I’m just that excited. Not sure how I’ll manage to keep my mind on track for another three months before I go. So, for anyone else who might be thinking of going this year, I might as well document the planning stages… who knows when it might come in handy.

At this stage I have mostly been focusing on research, reading any and all blog posts relating to BEA by other book bloggers. I’m the type of person who likes to know exactly what to expect.

Right now my biggest concern is figuring out room and board. New York City is not an inexpensive place to sleep, even for just a week. My options seem to be…

1) get a hotel room to myself which will either be really expensive or a significant hike away from the Javits Center
2) find other book bloggers to bunk with for the week, which seems to be what a lot of people do. I love the idea as it would be very cool to really get to know some like-minded readers to explore BEA with while saving on hotel costs
3) couch surfing, which is pretty much staying on a couch at someones place. I met a lot of couch surfers when I lived in Ireland and it’s a pretty cool experience but would make me pretty nervous

I also need to figure out what is considered a good deal on a flight from Toronto to NYC. I may end up flying out from Buffalo, we’ll see how it works out.

Anyways, that’s where I’m at now. I need to just chill for a month or since the rest of the world doesn’t seem to be obsessing about this quite yet buuuttt I’ve gotta say, I’m pretty excited and can’t wait to see some of you in New York!

If you’re reading this and you are in fact, looking for a BEA roommate then definitely let me know!

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos, Reading , | 2 Comments »
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