Waiting on Wednesday (26)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Here's what I'm waiting on this week:
The Latte Rebellion
by Sarah Jamila Stevenson
To be released: January 1, 2011

Summary from Baker and Taylor:
"When high school senior Asha Jamison gets called a "towel head" at a pool party, the racist insult gives Asha and her best friend Carey a great money-making idea for a post-graduation trip. They'll sell T-shirts promoting the Latte Rebellion, a club that raises awareness of mixed-race students.

Seemingly overnight, their "cause" goes viral and the T-shirts become a nationwide fad. As new chapters spring up from coast to coast, Asha realizes that her simple marketing plan has taken on a life of its own-and it's starting to ruin hers. Asha's once-stellar grades begin to slip, threatening her Ivy League dreams, and her friendship with Carey is hanging by a thread. And when the peaceful underground movement turns militant, Asha's school launches a disciplinary hearing.Facing expulsion, Asha must decide how much she's willing to risk for something she truly believes in."

I know this summary is really long, but I think this book sounds very interesting. I think it will have a great spot in YA fiction. I know sometimes books like this can be a bit preachy or something when it comes to race - hopefully this one will bring issues to light that may not have been before. I'm just looking forward to this inspirational book.

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Title: Shadow Hills
Author: Anastasia Hopcus
ISBN: 9781606840832
Publisher: Egmont
Page #: 388
Source: From my Public Library

Summary:
"Since her sister's mysterious death, Persephone 'Phe' Archer has been plagued by a series of disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts - the subject of her sister's final diary entry.

After stepping on campus, Phe realizes that there's something very different about this place - an unexplained epidemic that decimated the town in the 1700s, an ancient and creepy cemetery, and gorgeous boy Zach - and somehow she's connected to it all.

But the more questions she asks and the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town... might destroy her."
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First Lines:

"I had thought nothing could be worse than what they had already done to me, but I was wrong. The silent echo of nothingness filling the windowless chamber was infinitely worse. Not knowing how much time had passed, whether it was day or night. Not knowing when he would come for me."
Page 1
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Review:

This is a book I picked up because of the many positive reviews I had read about it. I knew it was a debut author and I thought the premise sounded really promising. I'm going to be honest here... I spent the first part of the book comparing it to other stories. Not because of anything other than there were bits that sounded like other things... a bit of cemetery emphasis like in Hush, Hush; The isolated town situation like in the Morganville Vampire series; The boarding school magic thing like many other books; the connection with the ancient like the House of Night series. I dunno, I was just initially worried that this book wouldn't find its own way.

I was relieved when I got beyond all of those comparisons and the story came through. There were still several aspects from other stories, but this book found its own voice. And it was all done with a creepy mystery thrown into the mix. Following Phe as she unraveled the many mysteries of this town and the people who live there was an interesting journey. I think I was left with a couple of questions in the end, but the author did a good job getting all the important bits in there.

One thing I thought was really cool was the emphasis on different types of music. It almost had nothing to do with the story itself, but it gave a common thread throughout the book without it being overdone. I was also kinda proud of myself because of the number of bands that I knew. There were a few that I hopped on iTunes to find out, but it was a really cool undercurrent of the story.

I think anyone into the paranormal romance genre will love this book. I think it fits right into all of those books/series' that I mentioned before. Perhaps it started out a bit rocky for me, but it was insanely cool at the end. I will be recommending this to many of my girls who are looking for a bit of creepy mystery tossed in with their romance. It's well done and I look forward to more things from this author.

Speaking of the author, check out her website here. I don't see any next projects mentioned, but I do wonder if she will set another book in this town. I would definitely be interested in that. We'll see, I guess... huh?
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Other Blog Reviews:

The Crooked Shelf
Library Lounge Lizard
The Neverending Shelf
Book Crazy
Presenting Lenore
Pure Imagination
Late Bloomer Online
There are tons of other blog reviews out there. I suggest you look around a bit. The reviews are a little mixed on this one. But good luck! :)

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

Title: The Grimm Legacy
Author: Polly Shulman
ISBN: 9780399250965
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Page #: 325
Source: From my Library

Summary:
"Lonely at her new school, Elizabeth takes a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository, hoping to make new friends as well as some cash. The repository is no ordinary library. It lends out objects rather than books - everything from tea sets and hockey sticks to Marie Antoinette's everyday wig.

It's also home to the Grimm Collection, a secret room in the basement. That's where powerful items straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales are locked away: seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White's step-mother's sinister mirror that talks in riddles and has a will of its own.

When the magical objects start to disappear, Elizabeth and her new friends embark on a dangerous quest to catch the thief before they're accused of the crime themselves - or the thief captures them."
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First Lines:

"Snow fell hard: big, sticky flakes that got under my coat collar where the top button was missing. The weather had delayed my subway, and I was worried I would be late for class."
Page 1
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Review:

This was absolutely a case of picking up a book simply because of its cover. Isn't it really cool?! I thought it was amazing, so I purchased it for my library and took it out as soon as we got it. Luckily, this was a situation where it actually paid off for me to pick this one up :).

What a fun story! It's all about a girl getting a job in a repository - aka library. I mean, how could I not like it! I mean, the whole description of the pneumatic tubes, organization system, all of that... it just made me smile. But that's probably just my lame-o librarian self. I also really enjoyed some of the descriptions of the librarians - especially when they're super-typical. :)

This has a great portion of mystery thrown in with all of the magic. The magic stuff is mostly centered around the Grimm stories. I won't lie, this book made me wish I knew all of the fairy tales - I know a lot of them, but this book referenced a few I had never heard of. But I really like how the mystery unfolded... the mystery of the disappearing objects. I was really worried through the first part of the story that I was going to figure it out too quickly, but really I was off track a bit. It was very rewarding.

I think this book fits so well in both mystery and fantasy categories, I would give it to either genre-lover. A fun story that I know many people will enjoy. There's only one bit that I wish I could have changed - the main character, Elizabeth, spent her entire first introduction to the repository worried about the Grimm Collection. Everything related back to it. Everything was about it (even when it wasn't). On and on. But that's not something that ruined the story or anything - just enough to irritate me a little bit.

Very recommended. I think a lot of people will enjoy this one. Everyone remembers being told fairy tales at one point or another - and this does a great job bringing those back in a new and interesting way. Check out the author's website and look at all the other great books she has to offer! This one was a great read :).
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Other Blog Reviews:

The BookKids Blog
Abby (the) Librarian
The Bibliophilic Book Blog
The Patchwork of Books
Book Aunt
Stories & Sweeties

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Here's what I'm waiting on this week:
Last Sacrifice: a Vampire Academy Novel
by Richelle Mead
To be Release: December 7, 2010

Summary from Baker and Taylor:
"Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them."

I know a lot of people have listed this book for their WoW picks. So I'm adding mine to the list. I'm so excited for this conclusion! I've loved the rest of the series and the last book left me really wondering what was going to happen. If you haven't read the Vampire Academy series yet, then you're really missing out. :)

Pretty Tough by Liz Tigelaar

Title: Pretty Tough
Author: Liz Tigelaar
ISBN: 9781595141125
Publisher: Razorbill
Page #: 246
Source: From My Library

Summary:
"Charlie: My older sister Krista and I used to be friends. We'd hang out, go to the beach together. Krista watched me while I surfed. I couldn't wait to go to high school.

But now? Everything has changed. Krista is perky, popular, and pathetic. All she cares about are designer clothes, her fake friend Brooks, her boyfriend Cam, and her image as the most perfect girl in school.

Straight-A student, star athlete - when I stand next to her, I might as well be invisible! But this year, I've been recruited to Krista's soccer team. Shin guards? Twelve dollars. Uniform? Thirty five bucks. The look on Krista's face when she finds out I'm playing? Priceless.

Krista: My sister Charlie is a total freak. She thinks she''s some kind of surf-girl rebel. But the truth is, she's just mean. That's why she has no friends.

Charlie is always giving me a hard time. She has no idea what my life is like! Between Brooks critiquing my outfits, and Cam pressuring me, I feel like I'm going to lose it!

Now, Charlie's joining the soccer team. My soccer team. And I'm supposed to be captain this year. She doesn't even care about soccer. She's just doing it for the same reason she does everything - to be a brat. Well, if she thinks she can beat me at my own game, she's got another thing coming."
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First Lines:

"For nearly twenty seconds, Charlie was convinced she was dead. Strangely, the thought didn't sound half bad. With her sophomore year of high school looming on the horizon, she'd already come to the conclusion that her first fifteen years on the planet were a bust...
And yes, a lot of that had to do with her name."
Page 1
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Review:

I do realize that the summary is amazingly long. I guess they just wanted you to get a sense of the two main characters before you opened the book. The story is told from their two perspectives, so I suppose it makes sense.

This was such a fun book! Of course, I tend to have a soft spot for soccer stories. I have no idea why that is - it's not like I've ever played it. But I love movies and all that involving this sport. This book is no exception. I don't think that's the reason I liked this book so much. I think it was mostly the wonderful writing and interesting story that pulled me right in.

I know some people don't enjoy reading from different points of view within one book. I really didn't have any issues with it in this one. It always made sense when the speaker changed. And there was so much going on with both of the girls, you almost have to get their entire story. I loved the sisters. It felt like a real relationship and normal sibling rivalry... but with some extra umph thrown in. They are both characters that I feel like I've met before.

The setting itself was interesting because of the beach, the soccer field, the school, the other parts of town... they were all just so well described and so fun that it kept the story very fluid. There's also the amount of drama that kept the story moving along - there were so many things that went into the relationships of the sisters. But you really end up loving them both without too much difficulty.

I know this book was published a few years ago, but I'm going to recommend it and say it was totally worth getting. It's a fun, quick, sisterly story that gives you a case of the "aww"s :). I loved it. I think there's a book after this one, so I'm going to see about getting it. Oh! I just looked it up - it's a companion novel with the same setting, but about a girl playing football. I'm so there.

I wish I could find a website for this author, because she's definitely got a great talent for the realistic teen romances. I know I'll be watching for more from her! Dude, she writes for a tv show?!? I'm gonna have to investigate.
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Other Blog Reviews:

The Compulsive Reader
flamingnet young adult book blog
PaperBack Swap
The Book Reader