Every Other Day by Jennifer LYnn Barnes

Title: Every Other Day
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
ISBN: 9781606841693
Publisher: Egmont
Released: December 27, 2011
Page #: 329
Source: My public library

Summary:
"Every second day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to high school. She attends pep rallies (reluctantly). She's human.

And every other day... she's not.
Though she's not quite sure what she is on those days, Kali knows what she does - she hunts, traps, and kills demons, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures that threaten her world. On those days, she is practically indestructible.

But when Kali notices a mark on a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of those unworldly beings. And she knows she has only twenty-four hours to save her.

There's only one problem - it's the wrong twenty-four hours."
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First Lines:

"The decision to make hellhounds an endangered species was beyond asinine, but I expected nothing less from a government that had bankrolled not one, but two, endowed chairs in preternatural biology (one of them my father's) at the University That Shall Not Be Named. The same government that thought you could train a horde of zombies just as easily as Pavlov's dogs."
Page 1
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Review:

Can you imagine living in a world where preternatural beings are sort of the norm? I can't, but it's an interesting start to a very cool story. There's so much more to it besides what the summary mentions - I even felt a little confused when the summary was solved in the first hundred pages.

Okay, so it is the story about a girl who spends every other day as a super-hunter of preternatural beings. She doesn't know how or why this happens to her, just that there's nothing she can do to control it. That is, until a girl at school is attacked by one of these creatures and she has to take action. This sets into motion something much bigger than you'd expect. There's a whole world of people studying these beings and are looking for ways to understand them. And Kali throws that into a whirlwind.

I really enjoyed this story. Kali may be a confused teenager, but her core is a kickass girl - even though she's not sure what to do with it and needs to find out if she's the only one. But once things are set into motion in this book, she really starts to understand her purpose and why things are happening. It gives the story a little mystery and depth to it.

There's a whole mess of government stuff in this book - including Kali's father. She starts to realize that there have been cover-ups on top of cover-ups... and that her existence may just be one of those things. While she has always been a loner, she starts to meet people at school. But soon realizes that their friendship was on purpose.

It really is a great story and I'm having trouble explaining it without giving too much away. There are layers upon layers of story in this book. I know many people who are into the supernatural books will get into this one. I definitely think it is worth a read. I will be recommending it to many fantasy readers. Fingers crossed that there will be another book - there's so much more to discover!
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Other Blog Reviews:

Mundie Moms
Book'd Out
A Dream of Books
Bewitched Book Worms
The Book Smugglers
The Windy Pages
Moonlight Book Reviews
Book Passion for Life

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Out This Week Feb 12-18

Here are some awesome things coming out this week! And it's just a handful of them...

• 2.14.12 Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
• 2.14.12 The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
  

• 2.16.12 The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
• 2.14.12 The Nightmare Garden (Iron Codex #2) by Caitlin Kittredge
  

• 2.16.12 The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
• 2.16.12 Trafficked by Kim Purcell
  

• 2.14.12 Various Positions by Martha Schabas
• 2.16.12 My Family for the War by Anne G. Voohoere
  

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Waiting on Wednesday (91)

Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Here's what I'm waiting on this week...


The List
by Sibhan Vivian
To be released: April 01, 2012

Summary from Barnes and Noble:
"An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.
It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.
This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two."

I have read one other book by this author and I absolutely loved it. I know the concept of the list in high school is sort of out there already, but I know it will be well written. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book.

What are you waiting on this week?

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52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Title: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father
Author: Jessica Brody
ISBN: 9780374323035
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Released: July 03, 2012
Page #: 337
Source: ARC from the publisher

Summary:
"Famous teen heiress Lexington Larrabee has never had to work a day in her life. But all of that changes on her eighteenth birthday when her ever-absent mogul father decides to take a more positive approach to her life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever want to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there's anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it's dealing with the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her. Readers of all ages are sure to fall in love with Jessica Brody's delightful riches-to-rags comedy."
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First Lines:

"My father is going to kill me.
Actually, on second thought, he probably doesn't have time to kill me. But he is going to send someone to do it for him. He's really good at that. Sending people."
Page 3
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Review:

The story of a girl with too much money, too much time, and not enough common sense. Wouldn't that be a great problem to have. She does have problems though - the press. Her absent father. And her father's employees who seem to be out to get her. Because of her recent show of disregard for life in general, her father has decided to implement a year of menial jobs for her to do. Each one more tedious than the last. Not to mention that she now has a babysitter who is basically a robot.

In all honesty, I hated the main character from page one. Not in a "what a terrible chacter" or "I envy that life" kinda ways. It's more of a "I just want to shake some sense into her" thing. I do realize that I needed that opinion to really feel better about the ending. There are some changes that happen halfway through the book that make it all worth while.

This book was a little bit like watching a Disney movie. The characters are people you can really easily picture and understand. They seem to wear everything on their sleeves (for the most part). There are some funny parts where you think, "oh, that's just like her!" or something... then there are serious bits that don't seem so serious. See? Made for tv movie. Really, that's not a knock on the book - it's just an observation.

Um, update. I didn't see this article till after I wrote my review: http://www.jessicabrody.com/2011/01/52-reasons-film-option/

Because I'm such a girl sometimes, I would have liked a little more buildup into the relationship stuff. I was excited to realize where the relationship was going to go, but I had hoped for a little more of the pre-relationship jitters. I think smoe of my favorite characters were the ones at the different jobs. Especially Rolando. I loved that he made another appearance in the story later.

I really did have fun reading this story. It's light and easy and fun to think about an heiress learning to vaccuum - and other wonderful stuff like that. I think it will definitely find its place among all of the fun chick lit out there. If you're a fan of that genre, I'd suggest you get your hands on this novel as soon as it comes out. I've read other things by this author and loved them - and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the future.
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Other Blog Reviews:

I've looked around, but I don't see any reviews out yet. So if you review this one, let me know so I can add it to my list here. Thanks!

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Waiting on Wednesday (90)

Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Here's what I'm waiting on this week...

Goddess Interrupted
by Aimee Carter
To be released: March 27, 2012

Summary from the author's website:
"Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans. As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.
Henry’s first wife, Persephone."

I really thought the first book to this series was so much fun. Looking at this description, I may have had a few things that were wrong about it.... but I'm excited to get my hands on this second one. I'm always up for a modern myth retelling!

What are you waiting for this week?

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