Hearts On Fire, Hiding From the World

Expected Publication: May 28th, 2013
Monument 14: Sky On Fire (Monument 14 # 2)
By: Emmy Laybourne
Feiwel and Friends
ISBN-13: 9780312569044

The world hasn't ended...yet.

In this sequel to MONUMENT 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend.

But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

Review

 

     Brothers Dean and Alex have parted ways, with Dean staying behind at the superstore and Alex going away with most of the other kids on the school bus, trying to make it to Denver.  Both groups still face horrible dangers, with all of the kids in the store being Blood Type O which makes them violent when exposed to the chemical compounds in the air outside.  When the bus is hijacked and the store is under siege by a group of teenage raiders, it will be up to Dean and his brother to each try and keep their respective charges safe until they can find a way out of their destroyed world and back to their families, in the safety of the world beyond.  So, I had really enjoyed the first book and went into this one with pretty high expectations.  I mean who has never once wondered what it would be like to live in one of those superstores.  Well, this book picks up right where the first one left off.  It deals with some harsh realities, like when to give up on a friend if they're dying and there's nothing you can do.  Jake, the father of Astrid's baby, finds his way back to the superstore but because he wants the drugs in the pharmacy not to help anyone else.  Dean still has feelings for Astrid and she treats him like shit until the chemical reactions bring them together involuntarily (which I still don't know how I feel about that - did she even really like him, or was it 'just because?').  The kids on the bus deal with being stolen from, on the verge of starving, and being the guests of a crazy old guy in an airtight bunker (who is most likely a killer).  The fact that more than half of their parents are still MIA was very realistic and I was disappointed that not everyone made it to Denver, but the author's realism pleased me and makes up for it.  This is an 'apocalypse' book.  Not everyone gets a happy ending if the author's doing it right!  I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the next one in the series, especially with the cliffhanger the author dropped on me at the last second!  I highly recommend this series to fans of Ashfall by Mike Mullins, The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, and Article 5 by Kristen Simmons.

 

VERDICT:  4/5 Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on May 28th, 2013.*

3...2...1, I'm On My Way

Published: August 14th, 2012

Counting Backwards

By: Laura Lascarso

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13: 9781442406902

Three weeks ago I tried to run away from home. Now all I want is to go back.

When troubled Taylor Truwell is caught with a stolen car and lands in court for resisting arrest, her father convinces the judge of an alternative to punishment: treatment in a juvenile psychiatric correctional facility. Sunny Meadows is anything but the easy way out, and Taylor has to fight hard just to hold on to her sanity as she battles her parents, her therapist, and vicious fellow patients. But even as Taylor struggles to hold on to her stubborn former self, she finds herself relenting as she lets in two unlikely friends-Margo, a former child star and arsonist, and AJ, a mysterious boy who doesn’t speak. In this striking debut, Laura Lascarso weaves together a powerful story of anger and self-destruction, hope and love.

Review

   Taylor Truwell's home life sucked a lot.  With an alcoholic Mom who needs a parent to care for her (not the other way around like it should be), an absent and cold Father she has no reason to stick around.  So she steals a car and tries to run away.  But when she's caught the Judge throws her into Sunny Meadows, a juvenile psychiatric hospital, per her Dad's recommendation.  Angry, scared and seriously lost Taylor is now being forced to take a good long look at her life and why things are going so badly.  Is it really all her parents' fault or is Taylor somewhat to blame too?  Also, can she do things the right way this time and heal, even if it's easier to just run away?  I liked this book a lot.  I felt like I could really identify with Taylor, because even though my Dad wasn't as hardcore of an alcoholic as her Mom, it's still such a hard situation when you're growing up.  All of the broken promises, fighting and unpredictability really wear on your mental state after a while.  I appreciated how angry and seriously panicked she was, but sometimes her behavior made me want to shake some sense into her!  Seriously, stealing a car and running away was the only way to get out?  I think there were some other things she could have tried first!  My favorite character was probably Margo, who is a former child star and arsonist who is in Sunny Meadows due to a nervous breakdown.  But unlike Taylor we meet her when she's already almost completely healed and ready to re-enter the real world.  She is Taylor's mentor and really makes an effort to get her involved with life again and to take getting better seriously.  AJ intrigued me, at first because of his silence and then because of his absolute ability to do the right thing even when it hurt him to (like when Taylor tried to steal the car from Auto Shop and run away again).  The friendship that blooms between them is very realistic and is not easy, but definitely worth it.  I loved the ending for it's realism and it's burst of hope.  I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins (although it's A LOT cleaner than an Ellen Hopkins book, Yo!).  

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book became available for purchase on August 14th, 2012.*

We Are Closer Than Time Allows

Expected Publication: October 9th, 2012

Time Between Us

By: Tamara Ireland Stone

Disney Hyperion

ISBN-13: 9781423159568

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s unique ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life, and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate—and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, TIME BETWEEN US is a stunning and spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new talent in YA fiction.

Review

   Anna and Bennett are worlds apart - literally.  She is living in 1995 Chicago and he is in 2012 San Francisco.  They were never supposed to meet, but Bennett is able to travel through time and space.  While he is looking for a missing person, he stays in Anna's town and goes to her high school (posing as a college student so his real Grandma will let him board/live with her and not ask questions).  Bennett tries to avoid Anna and not get involved, but as they get to know each other he finds it impossible to stay away.  Even though Bennett will eventually have to return to his own reality, whether he chooses to or time chooses for him.  Anna also has a decision to make - put her life on hold for something that might be impossible or take a chance on the life she's offered that she's always wanted.  I really loved Anna and Bennett.  They were both great main characters, fleshed out enough to sympathize with and feel like real people to me as a reader.  Anna is someone that I identified with majorly.  She is runner, works in her parents' bookstore and she wants to travel the world someday.  Plus we have the same name! :)  Bennett is confused, detached from his family and in search of something real.  Anna's best friend Emma, who is awesomely British, was a wonderful addition to the story and I adored their interactions - they were very realistic in the alternating conflict and unconditional support they offered each other.  Justin is another one of Anna's friends present in the story, but he is kind of a background character who doesn't really offer much with his presence.  The fact that Anna and Bennett try and be completely honest with each other was a novelty for me, because you see so much lying and acting behind the backs of others in YA literature these days.  Who knew honesty was alive and kicking?  Plus this book had one of my favorite elements EVER in a novel, time travel!  I would die with excitement if I ever had the ability to time travel.  It would be wonderful to go to different countries and historical places that no longer exist.  Plus Bennett can also travel through space, so if he just wants to go to modern day Paris for breakfast he can!  One thing that did make me mad was when he and Anna changed the outcome of a possibly tragic accident and there weren't any major consequences.  I would have liked to see it affect them just a little bit more than it did.  Overall, this book was a fun and heartrending read about the choices we have to make growing up, the effect they have on our lives afterward and what it would be like if we could change them for the better in time to make a difference.  I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of time travel, but be prepared to cry a little bit.

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on October 9th, 2012.*

Our Plane Is Hitting Turbulence

Expected Publication: October 23rd, 2012
Ask the Passengers
By: A.S. King
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780316194686

Astrid Jones copes with her small town's gossip and narrow-mindedness by staring at the sky and imagining that she's sending love to the passengers in the airplanes flying high over her backyard. Maybe they'll know what to do with it. Maybe it'll make them happy. Maybe they'll need it. Her mother doesn't want it, her father's always stoned, her perfect sister's too busy trying to fit in, and the people in her small town would never allow her to love the person she really wants to: another girl named Dee. There's no one Astrid feels she can talk to about this deep secret or the profound questions that she's trying to answer. But little does she know just how much sending her love--and asking the right questions--will affect the passengers' lives, and her own, for the better.

In this unmistakably original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's boxes and definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking and sharing real love.

Review

   Astrid Jones feels like an outsider in her small town, her family and sometimes even with her best friends.  She feels like no one she knows needs her love, so she sends it into the sky to the passengers of the airplanes that go overhead.  Her Dad is always stoned, her sister has given into the small-town, Stepford mentality and her Mom is a complete control freak.  Her best friends Justin and Kristina are using each other to hide the fact that they're both gay and Astrid herself might be in love with her co-worker Dee - another girl.  Astrid only knows for sure how confused she is and that she can use all the help she can get, even if it's from Socrates (he's dead but he gets her).  How much will she lose before she finally admits to herself who she is and what she wants from life?  Can Astrid be accepted by others and more importantly by herself?  Honestly, my favorite part of the book was the side passages that had the stories of the airplane passengers.  I thought they were more easy to connect to than Astrid by far.  Her disconnect from the rest of her life really was something empathized with, but it made connecting with her emotionally as a character almost impossible for me.  I was pissed at how pushy and hypocritical Kristina was towards Astrid when they were caught by the cops at the gay club, Atlantis, and arrested for being underaged.  She blamed everything on Astrid.  Yeah right.  I think the person whose story affected me the most was Astrid's little sister, because she was caught between her uncaring Dad, her detached sister and her emotionally manipulative Mom, on top of the small town societal bigotry.  Poor girl was confused and it's no wonder.  What pissed me off the most, as someone who is personally bisexual (if you want to label it, which I normally don't), that the possibility of Astrid being able to bat for both teams wasn't even touched upon.  She liked girls and boys.  But she had to be either straight or a lesbian.  I'm sorry, but that is not how the real world works!  I liked the ending and it's stark realisticness.  However, this book just didn't do it for me, no matter how well written it was.  My favorite part was Astrid's conversations with the imaginary Socrates - something I might have done as a teen.  Overall, a decent read but not the best ever.  I much prefer the author's Printz winning novel, Please Ignore Vera Dietz.

VERDICT:  2.75/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on October 23rd, 2012.*

Owner of a Lonely Heart



Expected Publication: October 9th, 2012
Iron Hearted Violet
By: Kelly Barnhill
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780316056731

IRON-HEARTED VIOLET is a story of a princess unlike any other. It is a story of the last dragon in existence, deathly afraid of its own reflection. Above all, it is a story about the power of stories, our belief in them, and how one enchanted tale changed
the course of an entire kingdom.

Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden
room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. It tells a story of an evil being—called the Nybbas—imprisoned in their world. The story cannot be true—not really. But then the whispers start. Violet and Demetrius, along with an ancient, scarred dragon, may hold the key to the Nybbas's triumph…or its demise. It all depends on how they tell the story. After all, stories make their own rules.

Review

   Violet is a beloved princess, the only living child of her parents and they live in a kingdom ruled by tales of the old gods who created their world.  But she isn't the way a princess is supposed to be.  Violet isn't pretty, graceful or cautious.  Violet only has one real friend, Demetrius (the stablemaster's son) and she loves to tell stories about beautiful princesses and evil dragons.  But when her Father goes on a quest to find the last living dragon (not to kill it, but to learn from it) and her Mother becomes sick, she and Demetrius find a book in a hidden room.  Violet thinks the book and the creature trapped in it are the answers to all her problems.  But the Nybbas may not be all that it presents itself to be.  When her very world starts to crumble, only Demetrius and the Dragon will be able to help her stop the Nybbas from taking over the world.  Can they change the story for the better?  This book is from the point of view of the court storyteller which was an interesting departure from  the ususal third-person omniscient or first-person point of views.  At first I was really drawn into the enchantment of the mirrored-world and it's unconventional princess.  I immediately knew what was going to happen when Violet's Father went away and her Mother became ill, and it made me sad.  I loved the fact that Violet was best friends with the stable boy Demetrius.  But the fact that she is so eager to get rid of everything that made her unique and she didn't see anything wrong with it made me angry.  Even by the end of the book I felt like Violet was only sorry that things had gone so wrong, barely understanding that she was perfect the way she was.  I liked the fantasy aspect of the evil god being trapped in the Forbidden Book.  But I felt like the book was overly moralistic and it really began to annoy me by the last 50 pages or so.  The characters were interesting, but I felt like the only ones that were developed enough were Violet and the court storyteller.  The rest of them were slightly two-dimensional.  The plot was intriguing, but I feel like there was too much filler surrounding the main points of action for it to truly shine.  The fact that this book was an ARC and didn't contain the illustrations that will be in the final version also detracted from my enjoyment.  Overall, a good middle-grade, fantasy novel but not really one I would recommend to anyone over thirteen and expect them to fall in love with it.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on October 9th, 2012.*