Hmm.

Usually I don't follow book-to-movie adaptations TOO closely, but I must say I am interested in the adaptation of City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, because that book has one heck of a fandom. I know that if they mess up the film there shall be screaming, but I know there's potential for it to be a good movie too.

Which is why I am very interested in the reaction to Jamie Campbell Bower (reportedly) being cast as Jace, everyone-but-me's favorite character. I hate Jace but even I have to raise an eyebrow at this casting. I must say that he wouldn't have been my first, second, or third choice for the role, but I think he can work it. I can't really hate anyone who was cast in the Harry Potter films. Although, all I am going to be able to think while watching that film is "I STEAAAAL YOOOOOOU JOOOOOOHANAAAAAA" because I always mishear the lyrics when he sings that in Sweeney Todd.

And hey, at least it's not Alex Pettyfer. Probably in the minority, but I can't stand him.

Even better is that now they can cast SIMON, who really is the best character I do not care what you say LALALALALA.

And those are my thoughts for the day. Now I am off to read people's crazy reaction to this news. Have a nice day!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

[description from goodreads]

From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

Review:

I was initially a bit hesitant to read Beauty Queens, because the last time I read a strange-sounding Libba Bray book (Going Bovine), it did not go too well for me. However, once I read this book's "prologue," I knew there was nothing to worry about.

I'm sure there will be plenty of people who say that they didn't understand Beauty Queens, that they thought it was too weird, that it was just plain crazy, so if you don't like the strange, perhaps Beauty Queens is not the book for you. However, if you are like me and embrace crazy in all its forms, you will love this book. There is a never a shortage of oddities in this book, whether the girls are facing pirates, hallucinogenic plants, or crazy workers from The Corporation. Even when the book strays from the girls, there is plenty to laugh about. Throughout the book are "fun facts" pages about the girls, commercials of products and shows made by The Corporation, and loads of footnotes that satirize television, film, and other elements of consumer culture. No matter what they're about, though, they are freaking hilarious. I wish there were more of them so that I could see more of the evils The Corporation was taking part in, but I was more than pleased with what I got.

However, it wasn't just the "extras" that made this book a delight to read. Although I occasionally had some issues remembering which girl was who because there were so many, I loved each and every one. Taylor, Miss Texas, was a particular favorite because of her fanatic devotion to the pageant, though she also was my main complaint about the book, since I wanted more of her increasingly bizarre storyline by the end so that it would make more sense. All of the other girls, though, had perfectly wonderful story lines, full of twists and humor and plenty of crazy, even when they took their pageant platforms into preachy territory.

Beauty Queens is an absolutely hilarious, witty, and smart read that is sure to be loved by those who appreciate all things crazy.

Book details: Scholastic/Hardcover/$18.99

Source: ALA

Currently, I'm:

Stealing this list from Jordyn of Ten Cent Notes because lists are fun. (But I'm taking a few out because I can never complete lists, no matter how fun they are.)

Current Book: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. Oh man, it is amazing so far. So hilarious and so Libba Bray, even though it is crazily different from the Gemma Doyle trilogy. I am loving it.

Current Playlist: The Format and fun. all day every day.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: My obsession with the British panel/game show thingy Never Mind the Buzzcocks is only shameful because I watch it ALL DAY and get nothing done because of it.

Current Favorite Show: Friday Night Lights! I missed this past Friday's episode but I am watching it today and probably going to jump and flail because of it, as I have done in all other season 5 episodes.

Current Wishlist: For my homework to be done, for school to be done, for motivation, and for all the Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler books I have not read.

Current Needs: Finish history project, finish biology project, read The House of Mirth, among other homework assignments, answer email, write blog posts. My life is a never-ending party.

Current Bane of My Existence: See "current needs." However, another bane of my existence is whether to portray James Dean as angsty, fun, serious, or a combination of all three on my history project poster. HUGE PROBLEM, I KNOW.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie.


I got one book in the mail for review this week:

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

I don't think I've heard a single bad thing about this book, so I am hoping I like it as much as everyone else!

family by Micol Ostow

[description from goodreads]

i have always been broken.
i could have. died.
and maybe it would have been better if i had.

It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem. Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and—best of all—a family. One that will embrace her and give her love. Because family is what Mel has never really had. And this new family, Henry’s family, shares everything. They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs. And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do. No matter what the family does, or how far they go.

Told in episodic verse, family is a fictionalized exploration of cult dynamics, loosely based on the Manson Family murders of 1969. It is an unflinching look at people who are born broken, and the lengths they’ll go to to make themselves “whole” again.

Review:

Although this book claims to be only loosely inspired by the Manson family murders, it seems a bit more than "loosely" to me, as it goes as far as including "helter skelter" among Henry's ideas. However, its the more than loose inspiration does not really detract from the quality of the book.

family is largely dependent on its unique style to tell the tale well; the characters are not too remarkable, and the plot, while it does contain immense amounts of tension, was so familiar that it did not "wow" me. A lot of the characterization is dependent on shock value, I felt. Shelly, one of Melinda's sisters, is one who is seemingly most devoted to the group's "free love." Junior and Leila, two of the other family members, are shocking in their devotion to Henry and their bloodthirsty sides. Henry is shocking just by the fact that he is Henry-- there really isn't much else too him. Not like I know much about cult leaders, but he is quite an uncharismatic cult leader ever. I really did not understand why Mel was so compelled by him, why he was so powerful, because he was hardly ever in the book unaccompanied by a page of praise. I know that Mel felt like he was safer than the home she came from, but for a while I couldn't help by wonder why she felt the need to stay.

However, though this review seems a bit overly negative thus far, I really did enjoy this book for the emotional intensity and the writing style. The verse it is written in will not sit well with everyone, but I thought it definitely enhanced the novel by making the novel more fractured and lyrical, which went along with Mel's fractured life. The writing is especially lovely in the more graphic or dark parts of the book, as it seems to take away some of the unpleasantness of it replace it with pure emotion.

Though it was hard to figure out the personality of each character, family was an excellently told, intense novel that is sure to be adored by those who don't mind the style.

Book details: EgmontUSA/Hardcover/$17.99

Source: ALA

5 Books I Can't Wait to Reread

School is over soon (though not soon enough) and I will finally have to reread some of my favorite books. Here are some I plan to reread over the summer:

1. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Oh how I love this series. Everything about it is just so lovely -- the writing, the characters, the setting. I have been dying to reread at least the first book for a while now so I can re-experience the awesome.

2. Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert

I've only read this book once, but I still think about it and how much it blew my mind from time to time. I'm sure it's as amazing as I remember, but I still want to verify that hypothesis. (What is this, science class?)

3. Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan

Of course a David Levithan book has to show up on this list, as he is my very favorite author. I think this is the one I want to reread the most, as I have a copy to mark up and write in and generally make all lovely and personal.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is probably the second book I've read the most, but I haven't reread it in a few years. However, my love has never dwindled, and I cannot wait to fall in love with it all over again.

5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

This is definitely the book I've read the most times. I've reread it in its entirety probably a dozen times, give or take, but sometimes pick it up and reread parts just because. Lately, I've reread only parts, but I am anxious to reread the whole thing, even though it makes me sad every time.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting on:

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

---

A bunch of my fellow bloggers are attending Book Expo America this week, and I have seen a few mention that they've received this book, which not only sent me into a fit of jealousy, but also made me want this book SO MUCH MORE. Anna and the French Kiss was my favorite read of last year and I am dying to read this book. I NEED IT IN MY LIFE.

Released September 29

Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Note: Fury of the Phoenix is the sequel to Silver Phoenix, so if you are wary of spoilers, do not read beyond this point. If you wish to read my spoiler-free review of Silver Phoenix, however, it is located here. However, I wrote that review literally years ago and it is not the best, so BEWARE.

And now, the review of this installment in the series:

[description from goodreads]

The Gods have abandoned Ai Ling.

Her mysterious power haunts her day and night, and she leaves home—with just the moon as her guide—overwhelmed by her memories and visions and an unbearable sense of dread. For Ai Ling knows that Chen Yong is vulnerable to corrupt enchantments from the under-world. How can she do nothing when she has the skill and power to fight at his side? A dream has told her where he is, the name of the ship he is traveling on, his destination. So she steals off and stows away on board.

The ocean voyage brings with it brutal danger, haunting revelations, and new friendships, but also the premonition of a very real and terrifying threat. Zhong Ye—the powerful sorcerer whom Ai Ling believed she had vanquished in the Palace of Fragrant Dreams—is trapped in Hell, neither alive nor dead. Can he reach from beyond the grave to reunite with Silver Phoenix and destroy Chen Yong? And destroy whatever chance Ai Ling has at happiness, at love?

In this sequel to the acclaimed novel Silver Phoenix, four lives are woven together and four destinies become one, now and forever.

Review:

I've been dying to read Fury of the Phoenix ever since its predecessor was released, and after about two years, I have finally been able to read it. I'm pleased to say that it so does not disappoint.

Fury of the Phoenix is different than Silver Phoenix not only because Fury seems to contain less food, but also because it is not as action-oriented. There are far fewer monsters and battles in this sequel than in book one, and even though I did wish for more action, I liked the direction this book went in. Though the switches between the story of Ai Ling and Chen Yong and the story of Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix sometimes seemed abrupt, I loved that both were included. The inclusion of Zhong Ye's rise to power was always a delight to read about, because in the last book he did not seem like he had much of a personality, just that he was all evil. However, in this book, it was proven that there is more to him than just evil, and that his reason for being so bad is valid.

However, this book is not good just because of how great Zhong Ye's story is-- Ai Ling and Chen Yong also have a fantastic tale. Though sometimes I wish their time on the boat would go by faster, there were always developments of their relationship that made my desire for a faster pace to be overshadowed. The new people that come into their lives, particularly the ones closer to the end of the book, made it so that their relationship was constantly taken to a new level. Their bond grew and fractured at different times, which not only made for an exciting read, but also made me appreciate their relationship so much more. I loved rooting for them to conquer all the evils they encountered, so the end of the book, while it was a bit abrupt, was even more delightful than I had originally anticipated.

Fury of the Phoenix was well worth the wait; while it did have less action that its predecessor, the fantastic stories, world-building, and characters more than made up for it.

Book details: Greenwillow/Hardcover/$17.99

Source: bought

The Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

[description from goodreads]

Fed up with her parents and all their ridiculous rules (they keep a binder full of them), fifteen-year-old Kendra Bishop writes away to The Black Sheep, a reality TV show that offers the chance to swap families with another teen. But when the camera crew shows up at her Manhattan apartment, Kendra starts to have second thoughts. Too late. Kendra’s whisked away to Monterey, California, to live with the Mulligans. The carefree household that couldn’t be more different that her own—complete with hippy parents, their five kids, and a pet ferret. And falling for Mitch, the Mulligan's seventeen-year-old son, only complicates things further, especially since Mitch despises the TV show and everything it stands for. But given the chance, Kendra might just be able to juggle first love, her new stardom, and a pushy TV producer who will stop at nothing for higher ratings.

In this hilarious and touching YA novel, Kendra learns to live under a new roof, but finds true refuge in the unlikeliest of places—her own family.

Review:

Confession: books about TV are some of my favorites, even though most of the time they are not too great. However, I continue to read them, and The Black Sheep turned out to be one of the better of the ones I've read, but I by no means loved it.

I love quirky books even more than I love TV books, so I was delighted to find that the family Kendra goes to join is full of weird people. At least, weird at first. I, like Kendra, pretty much initially assumed they were nothing but odd hippies, but luckily, as Kendra realizes just how lovely they are, so did I. I didn't get to have the fun adventures Kendra did in figuring it out, since she constantly gets to deal with parties full of annoying people, otters, and both real and fabricated drama, but at least I had a fun time reading about her many debacles. I especially enjoyed the debacles involving her producer, because she always brought plenty of crazy. Even if she was annoying, I always appreciate characters who bring the drama.

I wish I had appreciated some other characters, however. The story of Maya, the girl Kendra swapped lives with, is often mentioned but hardly ever talked about in depth. That's understandable since this is Kendra's story, told from her point of view, but Maya is mentioned so often that I felt I needed to know more about her in order to realize just how big of a change Kendra was for the Mulligan family. Similarly, I felt I needed to know more about Kendra's parents in order to understand just how big of a difference her life was the Mulligans was and how much more she enjoyed her new life.

Despite a few desires for more development, I did quite enjoy The Black Sheep for its never-ending series of debacles and delightful oddities

Book details: Hyperion/Paperback/$8.99

Source: borrowed

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie.

One book came for review this week:

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

From the author of the critically acclaimed Elsewhere comes this brilliant novel about an impossible romance, a family living outside of the law, and the ties that forever bind us.

Chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is increasingly scarce, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city’s most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine—going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until someone in her inner circle ends up poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she’s to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight—at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafiya family.

Engrossing and suspenseful, All These Things I’ve Done is an utterly unique, unputdownable read that blends both the familiar and fantastic.

No chocolate sounds like the worst kind of hell, but I'm excited to read this book anyway. Hooray for books with crime.

Top Ten: Dystopia/Sci-fi

Since I don't think I have ten favorites for either dystopia or sci-fi, I thought I'd put my favorites from both of them together, since they often overlap anyway, in honor of the nonexistent Rapture today!

And even though it says Top Ten, there's really only eight, because those are the only ones I liked enough to warrant a spot on this list. There are plenty of other dystopian and sci-fi books I like, but not as much as some of the ones on this list. Top Ten is just so I can tag the post properly, heh.

1. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson - This book is so delightfully original, offbeat, mysterious, surprising and so many other things, but I'll stop here, because I could go on for a while.

2. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - Of all the dystopian novels I've read, the apocalypse in this book seems like one that could actually happen, making it a bit uncomfortable to read, but excellent nonetheless.

3. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - This entire series is so freaking awesome, exciting, adventerous, etc. I never tire of reading them.

4. Grace by Elizabeth Scott - This book isn't exactly sci-fi or dystopia, but it's so sad and desolate that it sure does feel like the end of the world, even if it isn't.

5. Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien - One of the more original dystopias I've read, with its codes and whatnot. I'm a fan of anything with codes.

6. Peeps and The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld - One of my favorite takes on vampires, with its more scientific approach. These books are fexcellent.

7. The Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld - Yes, Scott Westerfeld really does need three spots on this list. This is my favorite series of his. There is nothing I don't like about these books, except maybe that they've made me constantly on the lookout for 13 letter words, which are sadly never found.

8. The Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix - This was one of my favorite series as a young'n, and I still love them. The setting it not as bleak in this series, but it still very much feels like the end of the world.

Yes, no The Hunger Games.

So Much Closer Winner

The winner of my So Much Closer giveaway is Lindsi. Congrats! I will email you after Friday Night Lights is over if you don't email me first (khyrinthia@gmail.com).

Sidenote: how good is season 5 of Friday Night Lights? SO AMAZING. I don't want it to end.

As per tradition, my jam of the moment:



Ugh this band and this song, forever and always.

Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

[description from goodreads]

As if transferring senior year weren't hard enough, Charlotte Locke has been bumped to lower level classes at her new school. With no friends, a terrible math SAT score, and looming college application deadlines, the future is starting to seem like an oncoming train for which she has no ticket.

Then Amanda enters her orbit like a hot-pink meteor, offering Charlotte a ticket to something else: popularity. Amanda is fearless, beautiful, brilliant, and rich. As her new side kick, Charlotte is brought into the elite clique of the debate team—and closer to Neal, Amanda's equally brilliant friend and the most perfect boy Charlotte has ever seen.

But just when senior year is looking up, Charlotte’s life starts to crumble. The more things heat up between Charlotte and Neal, the more Neal wants to hide their relationship. Is he ashamed? Meanwhile, Amanda is starting to act strangely competitive, and she's keeping a secret Charlotte doesn't want to know.

Talented newcomer Alexa Martin delivers a poignant story of first love, jealousy and friendship, where the ups and downs of senior year have never been so complicated. What else can Charlotte do but throw her hands up and ride?

Review:

In a lot of ways, Girl Wonder is everything I like and everything I don't. It's realistic, has some wonderful family relationships, a nice setting, but it also has so many types of characters I always have trouble tolerating.

I can't really decide what I think of Charlotte, the narrator. She's believable and smart (except in math), and I liked seeing her deal with her school issues along with everything else, even though I wish there was more about her school troubles. At the same time, though, she's so unbelievably oblivious. I liked that she set out to make new friends and take part in debate, but I couldn't understand why she became so caught up in her new friendships. Maybe it's because I've read about so many characters like them, and maybe they weren't supposed to, but Amanda and Neal really did not strike me as particularly amazing. Amanda was the typical pretty, fabulous, so-much-better-than-the protagonist character, but she didn't even manage to be a compelling kind of mean. Similarly, Neal didn't seem to be the most dazzling boyfriend. He was smart, I guess, and talented, but he never really seemed to care, which is why I was so confused when he and Charlotte's relationship escalated so quickly.

I much preferred Charlotte's family and neighbor, Milton, to her friends. I wish they had played a larger role in the story, because they were so much more delightful. Charlotte's genius little brother was spectacularly annoying but also adorable, and I loved seeing him have an influence on Charlotte in ways he didn't even realize. I also thought the inclusion of Charlotte's author dad was nice, as he provides another wonderful source of angst and some humorous conversations regarding his novel.

There's always something happening in Girl Wonder, whether it involves school, family, or friends, but even with the constant source of amusement, I wasn't 100% satisfied. I wanted so much more from Amanda and Neal, but perhaps even more from Charlotte, who I wish would have realized her silliness earlier on.

Book details: Hyperion/Hardcover/$16.99

Source: ALA

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting on:

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.

---

This sounds like it shall be delightfully intense! I love the premise.

Released June 7.

Catherine Fisher on Worldbuilding

Today, I'm pleased to present to you a guest post from Catherine Fisher, author of Incarceron and the newly released opening to the Relic Master series, The Dark City.

Before I let Catherine take it away, here's a bit about the series:

Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it.

Sounds pretty great to me!

Without further do, here is author Catherine Fisher talking about the world-building of the series:

"Relic Master began with a picture. Someone sent it to me and I pinned it over my desk because I liked it. It showed a cromlech -a stone burial chamber- at twilight. On a slope below it was a fringe of dark forest, and one star was shining in the sky. I began to get the idea that a man was sitting behind the stones, waiting for a boy to come out of the wood. But where was this place, and what sort of people were they?

The Relic Master books are the only ones in which I have created another planet, completely from scratch. Mostly my books are set on Earth, either here and now, or in some alternative past or future. But Anara was another world, and I soon realised that meant a lot of work, and a lot of fun.

The freedom was wonderful. I could do anything. But the problem, as usual with fantasy, was to make it seem normal, and not to disrupt the readers' belief.

My first idea was that this planet had a very long year, so that the seasons were longer than earth's and more extreme. I decided that that meant it had a bigger orbit, therefore its mass would be a bit larger, and that it would have more than one moon. Seven being my magic number, I gave it the seven moons of the story, Atterix, Lar, Atelgar, Agramon, Cyrax, Karnos and tiny Pyra. What I only suspected then was that some of them might be artificial - the work of the Makers- and these seven satellites would also be mythologized, and appear as seven sisters in the folklore of the planet.

Anara had been colonised and altered by the Makers- a group from Earth, and I felt they would have changed flora and fauna, and introduced some species. In fact very soon it became clear that one theme of the books is how they started this process and couldn't control it, and it all went very wrong. So I got to invent a few weird species of animals and plants, and also to mix them with more common ones. Jeckles, afancs (a Welsh word) deathwort, draxi- it was a great chance to bend the language and play. I also developed the idea of the Finished and Unfinished lands- the latter being those places the Makers had abandoned, and whose ecology was simply unraveling.

(Above: A piece of the map of the world of Anara; each book in the series has one piece of the map, so when you get all four, you'll have the complete picture.)

And then I needed an intelligent species native to this world. The Sekoi are seven-fingered cat-like beings with a sophisticated society, the gift of telling stories so hypnotically fascinating the listener can get trapped in them, and a serious lust for gold. I didn’t know all of that at the beginning, of course, but put it together gradually as the quartet went on. And there were many things about the Sekoi that are secret, even from me.

With them came the history of this world, how the Makers had come, what happened to them, and the relics they left behind. Galen and Raffi are members of the Order of Keepers; they venerate the Makers and believe their relics have a hidden power. Basically, I was inventing a religion here. Religions are powerful things, and they also usually have scriptures and sacred writings, so then I had the delicious task of creating those- The Book of the Seven Moons, the Prophesies of Askelon, The Litany of the Makers. Also, there were poems and stories about the fall of the great city of Taskeron, and the tragic end of the Makers efforts to keep the planet whole.


And finally, there is the Watch. A dark, oppressive force that has outlawed the Keepers and now rules. The Watch has its own history and rules, horrible to live under, fun to invent.

Making a world is compulsive- from a small seed it grows to be a huge system with potentially no end. Every ramification provides more possibilities for stories. Having admired the world-building of writers like Tolkien, Silverberg, Peake, and countless others, here was my chance to be a sub-creator too, and I hope I didn't get too carried away. It is addictive. And in some ways it is an activity that showcases the ultimate power of the imagination - to raise and destroy cities, wage war, create legends. And no one gets hurt."

Thanks for the wonderful post, Catherine!

For more on the series, be sure to check out the series website or Catherine's personal website.

Or, you can watch the book trailer:

OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

[description from goodreads]

Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moly.

Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she's sure that if she wins the final tournament, it'll be her ticket to a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot-literally. His name is Devon and, whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she's confident enough to take on the challenge-until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship's benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity and heritage be worth a shot at her dream?

Debut author Amy Fellner Dominy mixes sweet romance, surprising secrets, and even some matzo ball soup to cook up a funny yet heartfelt story about an outspoken girl who must learn to speak out for herself.

Review:

You know, I don't really know why I try to avoid books involving religion, because as long as they don't try to preach to me, I usually like them. OyMG is certainly no exception.

Books involving culture and family are some of my favorite types of books, so when I realized that this book was so involved with family, I was incredibly happy. Although I do wish there was more about Ellie's parents, since they do influence her life quite a lot and yet appear so little that I often forgot exactly what they were supposed to be like, I loved Ellie and her grandpa. Her grandpa is intensely Jewish and always seems to be making matzo ball soup or speaking Yiddish, often to Ellie's dismay. I loved his intensity and how deeply he was held to his beliefs, because as he stuck to his ways and made it very clear how he felt about Ellie trying to hide her heritage, she was able to see the benefits of her religion/heritage/I do not know the right noun. Her grandpa also provides plenty of laughs and drama, which helps make the often bizarrely paced plot a bit more fun.

The many story lines of OyMG were a bit odd, as in the beginning, the book alternates quickly between camp and home, but as the book goes on, the scene changes are still frequent but less speedy. This did provide a never ending source of new, interesting material to read about, but sometimes when I wanted to read more about camp, Ellie went home, or vice versa. However, wherever Ellie was, she was always providing plenty of laughs. I especially enjoyed her relationship with Potential Boy Devon, because as their relationship developed, they became more adorable because their humor and personalities fit so well together. However, this book isn't all funny-- it manages to pack in some heavier themes and issues as well. I think the racism in this book was handled well, and I wish I could say how that story line ended, but because I don't want to spoil it, I will just say that I think the ending was perfect and accurately reflected Ellie's growth throughout the book.

OyMG may seem like nothing but a fun camp book, and while it is, it's also much more. It manages to be fun, have a lovable protagonist, contain (some) fantastic relationships, and deal with big issues all in just a few hundred pages.

Book details: Walker/Hardcover/$16.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Thoughts, randomosity, etc.

Usually I do In My Mailbox on Sundays, but because I got no books this week, RANDOM TIME:

1. I really hate Blogspot for crashing the other day, because of that I couldn't post on Thursday, which is the first day I haven't posted since April 2009. It's even worse that I had a review written for that day and only needed to edit it before hitting "publish," but alas, the site went down before I could do that. Oh well, moving on with my life.

2. I'm reading this for school:

I've only read chapter one but I can tell this book is going to be a fun game of "who do I hate the most?" Right now I am leaning toward this Selden fellow, because the line "a great many dull and ugly people must, in some mysterious way, have been sacrificed to produce her." bothered me a great deal, for some reason. I just...what?

3. Should I catch up on Pretty Little Liars or The Vampire Diaries first? Because I am horribly behind on my watching of both.

4. I am so excited for Summer's Crossing, a novella from the Iron Fey series world, by Julie Kagawa. Puck > Ash foreva.

5. I have to write a practice college apps essay for class and I am pretty sure I am going to write about my blog in some way. Do you know how odd the prospect of that is? Like, people not from the internet do not understand the internet. This essay will make no sense to the non-internet people of the world. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

Thoughts on Endings

A random collection of thoughts about endings:

• I am not the biggest fan of happy endings.
• I prefer endings that leave the characters somewhere that isn't perfect, and is still relatively lame, but somewhere that I know they can get past. Does that make sense?
  
• Like, if I'm reading about a drug addict, I don't want them to get all the way to the end of their stint in rehab. Just at the point where they enter rehabilitation, the point where they could stay there or end up leaving, or the point where they at least figure they need help. But, I think that if the book ends where they begin rehab, I should be able to guess what they will do, based on their growth throughout the novel.
  
• In a sense, I suppose I like the endings where another ~journey~ seems to begin.
• If we are talking about books in series ending, I hate the ones where they literally leave off in the middle of something big, like The Hunger Games. I need SOME sort of resolution.
• I am always skeptical of epilogues.
  

My favorite ending ever:

• Real Live Boyfriends, the conclusion of the Ruby Oliver series, by E. Lockhart - As much as I wish this series never ended, because all I want in life is more Ruby Oliver debacles, I love where the last of the series stopped. All I wanted to know going into this book is that Ruby would be ok, and that's what I got, plus oh so much more.

I don't think I can make a post of thoughts without including Ruby Oliver. I love her and her stories too much.

Favorite types of endings? Favorite specific book endings? Endings you hate?

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

[description from goodreads]

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

Review:

I read Stolen months ago, but for some reason unknown to me, never reviewed it. However, the book was lying out on my dresser the other day, and I picked it up to reread the first few pages, and then promptly reread the entire thing. Obviously, I am a fan.

The letter format of Stolen is a bit unusual, but it fits the story perfectly. Because Gemma is writing to Ty, she is able to write the most personal feelings about what he did to her and how she felt about it. I loved being able to see her talk directly to Ty in both the narration and the dialogue, because as the two were woven together, it was easy to see how Gemma started to move past her initial perception of him. It was also useful to see her musings on the past, because as she reflected on her abduction, she was able to notice more of the little things about Ty’s personality and her own growth. It was easy to see how their relationship developed, therefore, and as she pondered, I started to believe in the good side of Ty as well. Does that mean I might have Stockholm syndrome too? Of course not, I’m not the one who has been kidnapped. But, my belief that he was not all bad definitely helped make the ending even more emotional.

Even though it’s obvious Gemma eventually leaves Ty, since she is reflecting on the past and all, it never occurred to me that she was actually going to be ok in the end. (Well, as ok as one can be after being abducted.) I was constantly worried about what was going to happen, how her story would unfold. As each new bad—or even good—thing happened, I grew more engrossed in the story, more so during the second read than the first, which is just a testament to how fabulous this book really is.

Stolen definitely deserves its 2011 Printz Honor Award—it’s an intense, emotional, and delightfully original read, and I hope you think the same if you read it.

Book details: Chicken House/Hardcover/$17.99

Source: bought

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today, I'm waiting on:
Past Perfect by Leila Sales

A summer job is exactly the distraction that Chelsea needs in order to finally get over Ezra, the boy who dumped her on her a** and broke her heart to pieces just a few weeks before. So when Chelsea's best friend, Fiona, signs them up for roles at Essex Historical Colonial Village, Chelsea doesn't protest too hard, even though it means spending the summer surrounded by drama geeks and history nerds. Chelsea will do anything to forget Ezra.

But when Chelsea and Fiona show up for their new jobs, they find out Ezra's working there too. Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. ...or will this turn out to be exactly the summer that Chelsea needed, after all?

---

Leila Sales's first novel, Mostly Good Girls, was one of my absolute favorite books I read last year. It was hilarious and witty and oh so wonderful, and I'm sure this book will be too. Plus, historical reenactment village? DO WANT.

Released October 4.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

[description from goodreads]

Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.

Review:

I could not care less about sports, but I do love a good sport injury story.* And that's exactly what this book is, plus more.

The Running Dream begins as soon as Jessica loses her leg-- there is no back story as to what her life like was before, no build-up to the accident. Just a hospital room. While I do wish I would have been able to read about Jessica's life before the accident to see just how differently people were treating her afterward, the opening of the book could not have been more perfect. Jessica's narration is not exactly sparse, but it is rather short, with each word is chosen carefully, especially in the shorter chapters. This was clear from the start, which helped to fit the tense and somber nature of the hospital, giving the opening an even more powerful punch. The terse narration never really stops, which helps keep the tone of the book tense, even though things do look brighter for Jessica later on. Sometimes. Other times, things go horribly wrong, she feels terrible, people do silly things, but even when the events were bad, this book was a non-stop joy to read. There is always something happening, which helped keep my attention. I was not as big of a fan of the ending because of how unbelievably fast it occurred, but I did appreciate the place it ended.

Similarly, I loved most of the characters, but there were a few I was not a fan of because how small or fast the story lines involving them happened. I loved Jessica, of course, not only for her wonderful narration, but also for the details she includes in her story. Her feelings are described so vividly that I could not help but sympathize with her and hope for the best. Even when she was being angsty, I wanted to help her with her recovery, just like her friends and teammates did. I also loved seeing her get over her injury with the help of her new friend Rosa, because even though Jessica needed help with her situation, she still managed to reach out to help another. I wish I could say the same about some of the other characters, particularly Jessica's Potential Boy, Gavin, but they were hardly ever in the book so I had trouble believing Jessica's such strong feelings about them.

Despite some unbelievable minor characters and a far too speedy ending, The Running Dream is an emotionally intense and powerful story, one that is well worth the read.

*Especially when the story is in the form of season one of Friday Night Lights. JASON STREET I LOVE YOU.

Book details: Knopf/Hardcover/$16.99

Source: ALA

A Discovery of Witches Winner

The winner of my A Discovery of Witches giveaway is Margay. Congrats! Email me (khyrinthia@gmail.com) with your address and I will forward it to the publicist mailing out the prize.

(Also, to the winners I announced last week: I will respond to your emails today! Later, when I get home from failing my bio exam.)

As per tradition, my jam of the moment:



I've been addicted to the British game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks recently, and one of the members of the above band appeared on an episode, so then I obviously had to give the group a listen. I quite like this song, and not only because it references Steve McQueen, who definitely deserved to be dubbed the "King of Cool."

Obligatory Steve McQueen photo.

AND! Bonus grandson of Steve McQueen, Steven R. McQueen, who plays Jeremy on The Vampire Diaries:


Jeremy is one of my favorites, even though I am horribly behind on the show.

In honor of Mother's Day...

... six great books that feature mom/daughter relationships.

1. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

This book is so wonderful and tackles family relationships like few other books do. Even though it's totally heartbreaking at parts, it's also totally lovely and hopeful and I love it.

2. "Mascara Wands are Instruments of War" by Jordyn, from Red: Teenage Girls Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today

Technically this is an essay in an anthology, but it is so good that I am including it on this list anyway. Jordyn manages to write about mother/daughter relationships perfectly in only a few pages, so perfectly that this is one of my favorite essays in the anthology.

3. Stealing Heaven and Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

I couldn't choose only one Elizabeth Scott to put on this list, so I had to put both. Both of these books are so different but both excellent. Dani's mom in Stealing Heaven is a thief and is not exactly good for her daughter, but it's lovely to see Dani try to overcome their past and move on to better things. Hannah's mom in Something, Maybe is essentially a playboy, and seeing Hannah trying to deal with her mom's lifestyle makes for a great read.

4. Bitter Melon by Cara Chow

And now we reach the kind of crazy moms on the list. Frances's mom is so unbelievably set on her daughter's success that their relationship is similarly unbelievably strained. Seeing Frances overcome her mother's control and finally do what she wants is utterly fantastic.

5. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Ruby's mom is a bit of a madwoman and not the best mom ever, but I don't know if it's possible for me to make a list that doesn't feature my love for Ruby Oliver. Ruby's mom is really just another issue she has to deal with, but Ruby deals with all her conflicts in a way no one else does, and for that I love Ruby and her mom.

And now that we're at the end of this post, I'd like give a bit of a shout-out to my mom, who is more awesome and far less crazy than any of the moms on this list. She is always so supportive of me (and my blog) and I can't thank her enough for being so amazing. Love you, Mom. (:

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie.

Normally In My Mailbox is a Sunday thing, but today I am too tired to think of anything to post, and I have no idea what to post since my reading life has been unbearably dull for the past few weeks. Unless you want to read reviews of my AP review books, I'm afraid I have nothing to complain about/discuss. Soon, however, I get to return to the land of the living and read again and watch movies again and generally do fun things again, none of which relate to studying. I cannot wait.

Perhaps due to my utter lack of reading time, I only received one book this week, which I won at the LA Times Festival of Books:

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

From National Book Award winner Judy Blundell, the tale of a sixteen-year-old girl caught in a mix of love, mystery, Broadway glamour, and Mob retribution in 1950 New York.

When Kit Corrigan arrives in New York City, she doesn't have much. She's fled from her family in Providence, Rhode Island, and she's broken off her tempestuous relationship with a boy named Billy, who's enlisted in the army.

The city doesn't exactly welcome her with open arms. She gets a bit part as a chorus girl in a Broadway show, but she knows that's not going to last very long. She needs help--and then it comes, from an unexpected source.

Nate Benedict is Billy's father. He's also a lawyer involved in the mob. He makes Kit a deal--he'll give her an apartment and introduce her to a new crowd. All she has to do is keep him informed about Billy . . . and maybe do him a favor every now and then.

As she did in her National Book Award-winning What I Saw and How I Lied, Judy Blundell traps readers in a web of love, deceit, intrigue, and murder. The result? One stunner of a novel.

I got to choose my prize at the festival and picked this one for a variety of reasons:

1. Because it was nearby and the swarm of other winners did not grab it first.
2. Because historical fiction is the (second) best. (It ranks just below contemporary on my "favorite genres" list.)
   
3. Because I read a positively glowing review of the book over at Good Books and Good Wine, one that made me want to read this.

And with that, I return to my biology review books, because I am cool and spend my Saturday nights studying for AP exams. Have a lovely rest of the weekend, all.

Susane Colasanti Guest Blog and Giveaway

Today, I'm honored to be a part of the blog tour for Susane Colasanti's latest novel So Much Closer. Before you read Susane's guest post, here's the description of the book:

When Brooke's crush, Scott, moves from their suburban town to New York City, she decides to follow him there. Living with her formerly estranged dad and adapting to a new school are challenging, and things go from bad to worse when Brooke learns that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she builds her new life, Brooke begins to discover a side of herself she never knew existed. And as she finds out, in the city that never sleeps, love can appear around any corner...

And without further ado, here's Susane talking a little bit about the book:

"Greetings, friendly neighbors! I’m stoked to share some of the inspiration for my fifth book, So Much Closer.

Realistic fiction is my thing. I like incorporating details inspired by my own experiences to make my books feel as realistic as possible. So Much Closer takes place in my neighborhood, the West Village. I had lots of fun including my fave New York City places and things in this book. For my blog tour, we thought it would be fun to share some of them with you. So here we go!

5. Water towers



Water towers rule.

That is all."

I concur with her assessment.

Now, thanks to the lovely people at Penguin, Susane's publisher, I have one copy of So Much Closer to giveaway. Fill out the form at the bottom of the post to enter! But before you do, be sure to check out Susane's website, follow her on twitter, or watch the book trailer:

Winners!

The winner of Imaginary Girls is Marissa G. and the winners of Dreamland Social Club are Molly (a dazzling distraction) and Capillya. Congrats! Email me with your addresses (khyrinthia@gmail.com) so I can mail out your prize.

And tradition requires me to post my jam of the moment on contest winner posts, so here you go:



This soundtrack is going to be on repeat all night. Need to cram in as much APUSH studying as possible. Good luck to anyone else taking the exam (or any other APs) tomorrow! For my fellow APUSHers, may Henry Clay be with you.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting on:

Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis

My Name is Zelah Green and I'm a cleanaholic. I spend most of my life running away from germs, dirt, and people. And I'm just about doing ok and then my stepmother packs me off to some kind of hospital to live with a load of strangers. It's stuck in the middle of nowhere. Great. There's Alice who's anorexic. Caro who cuts herself. Silent Sol who has the cutest smile. And then there's me.

---

I love books set in mental hospitals or ones involving mental illness, and this one sounds like it will be awesome.

Released October 1.

LA Times Festival of Books

On Sunday I was lucky enough to be able to attend the LA Times Festival of Books. Here are pictures and anecdotes and whatnot:

The YA stage, while shade is still visible. Soon after this photo was taken, it was a bazillion degrees out, which is not nice when you are as pale as I am.

The first YA panel of the day was Powerful Pairs: Co-Writing Young Adult Fantasy, with the panelists being Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures) and Garth Nix and Sean Williams (Troubletwisters).

Things discussed on the panel included:

• Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl write their books primarily by each writing a few chapters and then rewriting over each other before moving on, while Garth Nix and Sean Williams wrote largely by rewriting each others' drafts.
• Garth Nix being stubborn about selling movie rights to his books because he wants some creative control so the movie does not end up as bad as The Dark is Rising, which I have not seen but have heard is awful.
  

That is all my brain can recall at the moment. Curse you, studying.

I have been reading Garth Nix's books since I was 11, so I was incredibly exciting to see him speak and get my books signed. While in line, the girl in front of me spotted my AP US history review book in my bag and we proceeded to have a "the College Board sucks but omg the Abhorsen series is so good!" conversation. The College Board: uniting people since 1900.

Garth Nix

The second panel was Believe in Yesterday: Historical Young Adult Fiction, featuring Judy M, Blundell (Strings Attached), Sherry Shahan (Purple Daze), Sherri L. Smith (Flygirl), and Cecil Castellucci (Rose Sees Red).

Things discussed included:

• Sherry Shahan's book being inspired by the box of letters from her friend in the Vietnam War that she found, and Sherri L. Smith's being inspired after hearing an NPR piece on the WASP program in WWII.
  
• Judy Blundell discussing how she discovered in research there were air raid drills being held in NYC during the 1950s, and that once she heard this, she had to set a scene of Strings Attached during one.
  
• Little things like no phone cords in the 50s and such causing a bit of annoyance in writing because characters are not able to walk when on the phone.
• It taking a while to find an editor/publisher willing to take on their novels, because marketing people often find historical novels a hard sell. Which made me sad, because I love historical fiction.
  

Sherry Shahan, Judy Blundell, Sherri L. Smith, Cecil Castellucci

After that, it was the Hard Truths: Writing Addiction for Teens panel, featuring Panelists: Ned Vizzini (It's Kind of a Funny Story), Blake Nelson (Recovery Road), and Lauren Strasnick (Her and Me and You).

Things discussed included:

• The movie adaptations of It's Kind of a Funny Story and Blake Nelson's Paranoid Park. Both authors said they had hardly anything to do with the movies, but one of Ned Vizzini's shirts makes an appearance in the film, and 1/23 songs he sent the producers made it to the soundtrack. Anyone seen either of these movies?
  
• Lauren Strasnick always remembering that her dad is going to read her books, while she attempts to write the more hardcore parts of her novels, which is just a very awkward thing to remember.

And I am blanking again. Probably not a good idea to write this while reviewing plant anatomy.

Ned Vizzini, Blake Nelson, and Lauren Strasnick

The last panel was Perfectly Paranormal: Writing the Fantastic, featuring Lisa McMann (Cryer's Cross), Alyson Noel (Shimmer), DJ MacHale (Morpheus Road: The Black), and Neal Shusterman (Everfound).

Things discussed included:

• The setting of a place between life and death showing up in more and more books.
  
• How third person works very well for some stories, but the authors wrote the books they read from in first person because it helps the story more personal and whatnot. First person for the win.
  

This panel was actually cut short, so I think I can be excused for not remembering much.

Neal Shusterman, DJ MacHale, Alyson Noel, Lisa McMann

After that panel was the LAYAPALOOZA game show, featuring many lovely authors, including Alexa Young (Frenemies) and Cherry Cheva (She's So Money). I forgot to take pictures of this event and there is not much to tell about it, but the team I was on, Team Holden (I think) won. Go us. I also got to speak with the aforementioned Alexa Young and Cherry Cheva after the game was over, and from our conversation I can conclude that the Frenemies movie will be something...special.

Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

[description from goodreads]

Lady Catherine is one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite court maidens—until her forbidden romance with Sir Walter Ralegh is discovered. In a bitter twist of irony, the jealous queen banishes Cate to Ralegh's colony of Roanoke, in the New World. Ralegh pledges to come for Cate, but as the months stretch out, Cate begins to doubt his promise and his love. Instead it is Manteo, a Croatoan Indian, whom the colonists—and Cate—increasingly turn to. Yet just as Cate's longings for England and Ralegh fade and she discovers a new love in Manteo, Ralegh will finally set sail for the New World.

Seamlessly weaving together fact with fiction, Lisa Klein's newest historical drama is an engrossing tale of adventure and forbidden love—kindled by one of the most famous mysteries in American history: the fate of the settlers at Roanoke, who disappeared without a trace forty years before the Pilgrims would set foot in Plymouth.

Review:

I've read all but one of Lisa Klein's books, but no matter how much I want to love her books, I always end up only liking them. Cate of the Lost Colony is no exception to that. I loved the premise, the main character, and the setting, but the book jumped around far too often and was far too predictable for me.

But let's start with the positives. I enjoyed the setting immensely, both when Cate was in England and in Roanoke. The many descriptions of the housing, weather, clothes, etc., as well as the dialogue in both places helped bring the setting alive, without it feeling dry, as historical novels often can be. I also loved Cate herself, for she managed to have strong opinions and actions despite her often inferior position to those around her. Her narration was also lovely, with its vivid descriptions and the old-fashioned-but-not-boring tone that also helped bring the setting to life.

I was less impressed with the other characters of the novel. The minor characters were intriguing enough to keep by attention, for they each had their own unique background and different challenges to face in the New World. Manteo and Ralegh I was less a fan of because for a while I had no idea what they were supposed to be doing. There are chapters from both of their points of view, but because those chapters appeared randomly throughout Cate's story, I was more inclined to be annoyed by them. The chapters did provide a nice new perspective and historical background, but they appeared too randomly for my liking. I also did not find their relationship with Cate very compelling, as the relationships between both Cate/Ralegh and Cate/Manteo moved so quickly that I had trouble believing. As far as me thinking this book is predictable, the summary practically outlines the entire book, so there were few surprises, but this book would be a pain to summarize without giving some things away, so I understand the summary chosen. I did enjoy the subplot not mentioned in the summary, involving those in the Croatoan tribe who did not like the new settlers, as it provided much-needed action to the story.

Despite the jumping around and predictability, I did at the very least enjoy Cate of the Lost Colony for its strong heroine, delightful setting, and lovely writing.

Book details: Bloomsbury/Hardcover/$16.99

Source: BEA

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie.

Since I am too lazy to do full summaries and covers this week, list time!

For review:

- The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab - I may be burned out on paranormal books, but witches never get old.

Gift/bought:

- Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison - I already read, adored, and reviewed this one, but I'm still sad to let Georgia go.

- Split by Swati Avasthi - I haven't heard a bad thing about this one, so I'm sure it will be awesome.

- It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini - This book seems to be adored by most everyone (or at least the people on tumblr) so I am sure I will enjoy it as well. It also happens to have one of my most favorite book titles ever.

- The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson - YESSSS. I absolutely love Maureen Johnson and 13 Little Blue Envelopes so I am ecstatic that this book is finally out. Now I just need the time to read it. Curse you, AP tests.