Tripping Over Books

Book Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Mar 15

Title: Scarlet

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Genre: Historical Fiction YA, Fantasy YA

Publisher: Walker Children’s

Published on: February 14, 2012

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

Source: Bought it

Summary: Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Book Review | The Butterfly Clues | Kate Ellison

Mar 14

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Review | The Butterfly Clues | Kate Ellison

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Series: Lost Girl #1
Published by Egmont USA on February 14, 2012
Genres: Contemporary YA, Mental Illness, Mysteries & Detective Stories
Pages: 325
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher via NetGalley
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
four-stars

Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad’s consulting job means she’s grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she’s learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place—possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren’s death, Lo’s hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as “Sapphire”—a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can’t get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious “butterfly clues,” with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined—a world, she’ll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother’s tragic death.

Waiting on Wednesday (18): Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Mar 14

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. I love it because it is basically a squee-fest where book lovers can choose one book that they are DYING to get their hands on. Check it out!

Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)

by Morgan Rhodes

Sixteen-year-old Cleo has grown up in luxury, the royal heiress to a prosperous kingdom. But beneath her nation’s seemingly peaceful surface lies dangerous unrest. Whispers of war are growing ever louder—intensified by a murderous incident for which Cleo’s betrothed, Aron, is accused.

Amidst the ongoing intrigue, Cleo has a more desperate mission. She defies her father’s orders and sets off on a secret and perilous journey into a neighboring country, seeking a magic long thought to be mythical. If it’s real, it could be the cure that heals her ailing sister. If it’s only legend, Cleo will be stranded in a kingdom that has just declared war on her own.

This sensational series debut melds intricate storylines with unforgettable characters and vibrantly imagined magic. Falling Kingdoms is ideal for fans of Kristin Cashore, Cinda Williams Chima, and George R.R. Martin.

Guys, do you see those names right up there? Cinda Williams Chima (!), Kristin Cashore (!!), and GEORGE R.R. MARTIN (!!!!!!!!!!)? FOR REAL?!? I could merely cite those names as the only reasons I am BEYOND PYSCHED to read FALLING KINGDOMS by Morgan Rhodes and it would be sufficient. Because seriously. Those are some fantasy heavyweights, not to mention the fact that, around these parts, everyone knows that I’m OBSESSED with A Song of Ice and Fire, so shouting out my boy George is pretty much a guaranteed hook for me. But this book sounds like it’s going to be amazing in its own right, with long-lost magic, defiant heiresses, civil unrest, political scheming, and lots of juicy characters. I don’t know if I could ever accurately describe how excited I get whenever I see a new high fantasy series about to get started, and FALLING KINGDOMS by Morgan Rhodes couldn’t sound any more AWESOME if it tried. So trust me: I’M ALL-CAPS EXCITED. Waiting on this one HARD, friends. HARD.

FALLING KINGDOMS (FALLING KINGDOMS #1) is coming out December 11, 2012 from Razorbill.

Filed Under: Waiting on Wednesday Tagged With: anticipation!, fantasy YA, Morgan Rhodes, Razorbill, waiting on wednesday

Top Ten Tuesday (18)

Mar 13

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Middle Grade Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday‘s on their site!

***

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Top Ten Tuesday Tagged With: books, childrens, middle grade, top ten tuesday

Book Review | Wanderlove | Kirsten Hubbard

Mar 12

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Review | Wanderlove | Kirsten Hubbard

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
Published by Delacorte on March 13, 2012
Genres: Contemporary YA
Pages: 338
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher via NetGalley
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
four-stars

It all begins with a stupid question: Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria’s a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan’s a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they’ve got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can’t run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

In My Mailbox (18)

Mar 11

March 11, 2012

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. It’s awesome. Every week, we all get a chance to tell everyone what new books we’ve gotten so that we can tell you guys and we can all drool and squee together! Huzzah for squees!

Good mix of stuff this week, guys! A little YA action, a little historical romance action. Woo Hoo!

FROM NETGALLEY

Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan (September 11, 2012 from Random House BFYR). Sarah Rees Brennan’s Demon’s Lexicon series is still on my Pile of Shame–hopefully being conquered this year!–but that won’t stop me from CRAVING her new series, about a young girl who gets friendly with a voice in her head. But then all these mysterious things start happening in her town and the adjacent woods and, as they say, the ISH hits the fan.

The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland (May 10, 2012 from Speak). Guys, if I haven’t mentioned it before, let me say now that I LOVE FOOD. And I love reading books about summertime. I also love cute contemporary YA. Add all those three things together and BOOM! You get THE SUMMER MY LIFE BEGAN. It sounds like I’m going to love it. Plus, look at that cover! If that doesn’t scream, “I am a girl at the beach having FUN!” I don’t know what does.

The Vicious Deep (The Vicious Deep #1) by Zoraida Córdova (May 1, 2012 from Sourcebooks Fire). YO. I have been pining for this book for awhile now. So when I had the opportunity to get it from NetGalley, I jumped on it. Because mermaids, guys. Mean, vindictive, back-stabbing mermaids in a battle for the throne of the ocean. YES.

(CAPSLOCK THANK YOU to Random House BFYR, Penguin, and Sourcebooks Fire for this FABULOUS NetGalley haul!)

BOUGHT

A Rogue By Any Other Name (The Rules of Scoundrels #1) by Sarah MacLean (February 28, 2012 from Avon). *SQUEEEEEE!!* I just recently read Sarah MacLean’s Love by Numbers series, and I ADORED them. This one is the first in her new series and just the fact that these books are going to be about scoundrels has me AMPED UP. Especially because I hear that A ROGUE BY ANY OTHER NAME surpasses the already-high expectations people have for Sarah MacLean’s excellent historial romances.

FOR BLOG TOUR

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson (March 27, 2012 from Shadow Mountain). Another historical romance, friends! And it sounds great! Pam over at Bookalicio.us is hosting this tour, and she says the heroine and the hottie are both legit. That’s all the recommendation I need, guys. My date for this tour is MARCH 30, so look for my review, a guest post from the author (hopefully!), AND A GIVEAWAY. I’m going all out!

That’s it for me this week, guys! Hope your mailboxes were FANTASTIC!!

Filed Under: In My Mailbox Tagged With: books, IMM

Review: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

Mar 9

Title: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare

Author: Melissa Jensen

Genre: Contemporary YA

Publisher: Speak

Published on: February 16, 2012

Challenge: Completely Contemporary Challenge

Source: ARC from the author

Summary: Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that’s just fine by her. She’s got her friends – the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She’s got her art – and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it’s hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they’re dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

Book Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Mar 8

Title: Virtuosity

Author: Jessica Martinez

Genre: Contemporary YA

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Published on: October 18, 2011

Challenge: Completely Contemporary Challenge

Source: Library

Summary: Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen’s whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn’t just hot…what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can’t end well, but she just can’t stay away. Nobody else understands her–and riles her up–like he does. Still, she can’t trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what’s expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall….

Waiting on Wednesday (17): Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

Mar 7

Thou Shalt Not Road Trip

by Antony John

One crazy road trip that’s a mix of rejection, redemption, and romance.

When sixteen-year-old Luke’s book, Hallelujah, becomes a national bestseller, his publishing house sends him on a cross-country book tour with his older brother, Matt, as chauffeur. But when irresponsible Matt offers to drive Luke’s ex–soul mate, Fran, across the country too, things get a little crazy. On the trip, Luke must loosen up, discover what it truly means to have faith, and do what it takes to get the girl he loves.

Told with Antony John’s signature wit and authenticity, and featuring smart, singular characters who jump off the page and into your heart, this story is a spiritual awakening and rockin’ road trip in one.

Oh, but THOU SHALT!! I LOVE road trips, guys. LOVE ‘EM. And I read and very much enjoyed Antony John’s FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB last year, so I know that his writing is awesome. I confess (eek! Unintentional religious irony) that I’m not usually a huge fan of books that talk about faith and religion. However, reading about faith as an abstract thing as opposed to a religious thing is something I very much enjoy, and I feel like this book is going to have great depth about lots of stuff. Plus it sounds like the relationships are going to be interesting and complicated and SUPER. And seriously, they’re going on a road trip. Like there’s any way I’m not going to love this…

THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP is coming out April 12, 2012 from Dial.

Filed Under: Waiting on Wednesday Tagged With: anticipation!, Antony John, contemporary YA, Dial, waiting on wednesday

Excuse Me While I Fangirl: Game of Thrones DVD

Mar 6

BIG DAY at Amy’s house today, friends. Big day. I’m even wearing my House Stark shirt in celebration and honor (because, in the end, the Starks are always right. Winter Is Coming). I can’t describe to you how HARD I nerd Game of Thrones, both the TV show and the books on which it is based. So when I first found out the release date of the TV show’s first season on DVD, I preordered that shizz. And, friends, the DVDs arrived in the mail today.

Because HBO is BOSS and because the world of ASoIaF is so vibrant and fully imagined, there’s all manner of teeny awesome things about the DVDs (and one SUPER COOL thing that is nergasm-worthy. To me, anyway). And because I have nowhere else to fly my nerd flag, you guys are just going to have to indulge me a few images and some mild-to-obscene gushing. If you don’t mind. Ok? I THANK YOU in advance. (Also, you can click on any of the images to enbiggen them!)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Fangirl Tagged With: fangirl!, Game of Thrones, tv love

Tripping Over Books

Book Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Book Review | The Butterfly Clues | Kate Ellison

Waiting on Wednesday (18): Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes