Review of A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Title: A Midsummer's Nightmare
Author: Kody Keplinger
Published by: Poppy
Pages: 304
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads:  Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Kody Keplinger doesn't shy away from the awkward and uncomfortable situations people get themselves into...instead she makes them into fascinating and a bit scandalous YA novels. 

A Midsummer's Nightmare is a great contemporary read.  The characters themselves are realistic and even though Whitley and Nathan's situation may be a little extreme, they are both common teenagers.  They are not the type of people to be worshiped and put on a pedestal, instead they are real and flawed.  And the best thing is they change.  It gives hope to people that no matter what stereotype you may get filed under, you can still change and become the person you want to be.   

You cannot read a Kody Keplinger novel and not applaud her for the scenarios she puts her characters in.  There are edgy and saucy.  They are not a love affair at a boarding school, where everyone is perfect and very swoon worthy.  Instead she writes her stories as if she walked into the local area high school and just immersed herself in the culture.  Some of the character's you'll hate and some you'll love; there will be ones who annoying you and ones you want for your best friend.  You may not always agree with them or approved of them, but they are real.  To me this is a huge part of what makes a contemporary YA novel great. 

Though her novels do feature more swearing than I'd like, they also focus on sexual relationships of young adults.  This is a very touchy subject with many people and I know some parents would rather their children not be exposed to it.   I am not a parent so I cannot say what I would do in the situation, but I do know that by the end of the novel there is always a strong female empowerment and self-esteem message.  For me instead of focusing on the sexual aspect of the novel, it's more about the main characters realizing that they are women of worth and dignity; for me that's powerful message I want all young adults to know. 

Top Ten Tuesday

Today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 Top Ten Tuesday Freebie (whatever topic you'd like)!  So I'm going to go with Top Ten Book Related items on pinterest. 

original pin from http://justnerdgirlproblems.tumblr.com/

original pin not available

original pin from http://mylittlecottage.tumblr.com/page/11

original pin not available

original pin from http://vi.sualize.us/zhuzhy/books/

original pin from http://vintagerosegarden.tumblr.com/post/2612450281

original pin from http://veryveryfun.com/content/view/135/27/

oringinal pin from http://thebookofsecrets.tumblr.com/page/108

original pin from http://fewmorepages.tumblr.com/

original pin from http://www.someecards.com/usercards/nsviewcard/MjAxMi05ZjVjMzZjMzMzZGJkZDVi

 

Review of Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness & Giveaway

Title: Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)
Author: Deborah Harkness
Published by: Viking Adult
Pages: 584
Source: Viking/Publisher
Format: Finished Review Copy-Hardcover
Available: July 10, 2012
Rating: 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Shadow of Night was phenomenal, enticing, completely unforgettable. 

Deborah Harkness outdid herself with Shadow of Night.  Not only do we continue the compelling story of Matthew, Diana, and all their paranormal friends, we now add the components of time travel and historical fiction.  Deborah Harkness makes this transition flawlessly. 

Matthew and Diana have often had a complex relationship and their trip back in time tested their love for one another.  While neither of these characters are perfect, they still make a formiddable team along with their new circle of friends and allies.  With all of the obstacles the characters have to overcome, the reader gets to see all sides of their personalities.  There was deep character development as each chapter revealed more about Diana, Matthew and everyone else in the story.  Even the supporting characters grew and found a place in your heart.  It is impossible to read Shadow of Night and not become attached to these characters. 

One of the most fascinating aspects of Shadow of Night was that with the time travel aspect many new people were introduced.  These characters will sound quite familiar to everyone who has read a history book, but Deborah Harkness introduces new attributes about them you never would have thought possible. 

I adored the time I spent in 1590 as each description of clothing, food, and entertainment were luscious and detailed.  The story was so gripping and interwoven with love, deceit, scandal, and heartbreak; it was impossible to put down.      



And thanks to the amazing people at Viking I have a Finished copy of Shadow of Night and swag to offer my readers as a giveaway. 

Giveaway Rules:

The contest runs until Monday, July 16, 2012 at 11:59pm (CST)

You must be 13 years of age or older to enter

Leave a comment with your name and email address to enter.

This contest is open to participants both from the US and internationally

Once the email is sent to the winner they will have three days to respond or a new winner will be chosen

**I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items. (I haven't had any lost or damaged and I really hope that none will be)

Questions for Chapter 1-6 of Fairy Metal Thunder:

1. At the beginning of the story, the Assorted Zebras are just a garage band, but they are expecting to make it big. Who knows, you just might find yourself at one of their concerts someday. Until then, show me your favorite concert t-shirt. It could be a picture of a concert you actually attended or a pic of a vintage tee of your favorite band. Be sure to tell me the story behind the tee.

The summer before my senior year of high school, five of my friends and I took a road trip to see Dave Mathews Band. The traffic for the concert was so bad that we drove the shoulder of the interstate for five miles just to get to the exit. As we were inching along my best friend (who was driving her car and was right behind my car) wasn't paying attention and rear-ended me and totalled my car. But never fear, after the tow truck came, we still got a ride to the concert and it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

And to make the story even better, I accidentally stole this shirt.  Someone was selling them during the concert and as I was hanging on to the shirt I went to get out my money and the guy disappeared.  Apparently the person was selling counterfeit shirts and the security guards came around just as I was reaching for my money. I had no idea and wanted to find the guy to give him my money, until my friends told me what went down.  As you can see, I decided to keep the shirt anyway. 

2. Jason’s mom forces him to agree to do some yard work for Mrs. Dullahan, which wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t rumored to be a witch. Tell me about the worst chore you were ever forced to do. Who make you do it? Bonus points if you have a picture to share of you doing the dirty work.

I really don't like to iron.  In fact, I am the type of person that if something is wrinkled I will just throw it back in the dryer.  (Please excuse the messy laundry room)  

3. Uh oh! There seems to be a jewelry thief in the neighborhood. Have you have had anything stolen from you? Or have you ever lost something precious? Did you ever find it? Make a Reward if Found poster for the stolen or lost item. Convince us to find it for you. Make the reward good!

A couple of years ago, I was at a party at one of my friend's place.  I was wearing some killer heals (literally, I think I still have the blisters) and so like any fun loving party girl I took my shoes off.  A couple of hours later my friend ran up to me and told me someone left wearing my new shoes!  Are you kidding me?  Who steals shoes? 

 

4. In Faerie, Jason declares himself as Jason the Guy Who Wants That Necklace Back. Weird, but then again every name has a meaning. What does your name mean? What is the origin? Do you go by any kind of nicknames? How did you get that nickname?

Lisa is Hebrew for "God's Promise."  As for nicknames my dad and sister called me kid-o until my sister had my niece.  Now I'm permanently known as "Auntie" to my immediately family.   

5. When Jason gets home from his all night adventures through Fairy, his parents unfairly ground him for a month! Care to share a time you were grounded by your parents for no good reason?

Surprisingly I was either a pretty good kid, or I was really good at not getting caught.  Believe it or not, I was never grounded. 

Review of Somthing Like Normal by Trish Doller

Title: Something Like Normal
Author: Trish Doller
Published by: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 214
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

Are you ready to be blown away?  Read Something Like Normal. 

What is not to love about this book.  First, it's told from Travis's point of view as he is home for a month on leave from Afghanistan.  After being gone for a year, his life has completely changed and how does he handle it...not the best.  Travis is one of those characters that you instantly like.  He may be a jerk at times, but you know that down deep he's a great guy.  I loved how complex Travis emotions were in this novel.  Trish Doller dives into Travis's head and you really get a feel for the struggles he goes through everyday.  Not only is he dealing with PTSD, but his family is falling apart and his brother has essentially taken over Travis's old life. 

Enter Harper.  Travis was a first-class-jerk to Harper back in the day and I love how the first time she sees him when he's on his leave, she slaps him across the face.  Oh she's definitely fiesty and my kind of girl. These characters that Trish Doller writes are so relastic and authentic you feel as if they could be people you know. 

There are not many novels featuring military personal, especially in the YA field.  I though Trish Doller did an amazing job at bringing this aspect of the novel to life.  She showed not only the good stuff associated with being a solider, but also the bad.  She explored the life of an active duty officer as well as one on leave.  It was intriging and connected us to Travis on a whole other level.

I highly recommend Something Like Normal!  Trust me...you won't regret it. 

Review of Sunrise at Sunset by Jaz Primo

Title: Sunrise at Sunset
Author: Jaz Primo
Published by: Rutherford Literary Group
Pages: 430
Source: Obtained free from Amazon on June 18, 2012
Format: ebook
Rating: 2 stars

Summary from Goodreads: My name is Katrina Rawlings, and I am a vampire. I declare that with neither pride nor ego. I am simply nature’s most dangerous predator. On occasion, it’s a very valuable quality. It helped me protect Caleb Taylor one day when he was very young. But that single, traumatic day is behind him now; wiped from his memory, or so I hope.

Caleb has finally matured into a rather striking young man, and believe me, I like what I see. I’ll readily admit that there are issues for us to confront and overcome, though a sense of mutual commitment isn’t one of them. I’m feeling hopeful for our future together, in fact. But an adversary from my past has returned to haunt me, and she’s trying to get back at me through Caleb. That was her first...and last...mistake. I’ll protect my Caleb at all costs, and I’ll make her regret the day she was born.

 I had not heard of this book before the Why Buy the Cow? reading challenge decided to do this as a June read-a-long.  I normally enjoy paranormal romance novels so I was excited to read it, but this book did not click with me. 

It had the right elements...gorgeous but dangerous vampire chick, humble male love interest with a past connection to said vampire, blood, romance, and of course some action, but they didn't seem to come together. 

Katrina was bossy, controlling and overprotective.  If I were Caleb I don't think I could have handled how disrespectful she was in taking control of his life.  I felt she went a bit overboard with trying to protect Caleb against her enemy by secluding him from everything.  I did, however, like that Katrina wasn't portrayed as some harmless being.  She was vicious, dangerous and blood thirsty. For the other characters, Alton and Paige who were two vampire friends of Katrina's were an improvement.  You got to see more into their lives and who they were as "people."  They were interesting and lively and made you want to know more about them.    

The plot itself was lacking and needed some work.  I liked to overall story but I felt the execution was a little befuddled.  The "planing" scenes were drawn out, whereas the action was over in a few pages.   I also did fully believe Katrina's and Caleb's love for one another; it felt insta-romance, but without any real conviction. 

I enjoyed the beginning of this story but the rest didn't live up to my expectations. 

Happy Fourth of July for you all Americans.  I hope you all have a wonderful day and get to see some fireworks tonight!

Top Ten Tuesday

Today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books For People Who Liked X Author

1.      If you liked Simone Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry series, try Trish Doller. Both are told from the male POV and are hot, hot, hot with a touch of some serious issues underlying the humor.

 

2.      If you like Sarah Dessen, try Melina Marchetta. At first glance this may seem like they don't have much in common, but both write about issues common to teenagers and they both have "beautifully flawed" characters.

 

3.      If you liked Alice Hoffman, try Sarah Addison Allen. They both have a touch of realistic magic in their novels that makes them gripping and unforgettable. They make you believe in magic!

 

4.      If you liked Lisa T. Bergren's River of Time series, try Jennifer Donnelly's Revolution. Ok so maybe the only thing these two books have in common is time travel, but you have to admit that that is a pretty awesome commonality.

 

5.      If you like Jandy Nelson, try Hannah Harrington. Both of these authors wrote about a similar situation and their writing styles are both very lyrical.

 

6.      If you liked Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches, try Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Both involve old texts and a long line of witch descendants.  They are laced with magic and mystery.

 

7. If you liked Jennifer Brown's Hate List, try Amy Efaw's After. Both books will make you think about morals and what you would have done in a similar situation.  Not only will you think about this when reading these books, but you’ll think about them long after you’ve finished them.

 

8.      If you like Veronica Roth, try Monica Leonelle. Both wrote dystopian novels that involve people getting split into different "groups" and are trying to run/fight/hide from the officials.

 

9.      If you like Philippa Gregory, try Sarah Dunant. Both write compelling historical fiction novels with lots of scandal involved.

 

10. If you like Stephanie Perkins, try Leila Sales. They both write ultra-cute books.

 

 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a SIGNED copy of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.