Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

Title: Rose Sees Red
Author: Cecil Castellucci
ISBN: 9780545060790
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Page #: 197
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"Rose has given up. She's given up on friendship, on happiness, on life being anything other than black black black.

Yrena wants out. She's a dancer who doesn't want to dance, a prisoner in her own home, a resident of New York who never gets to see the city.

To Rose, Yrena has always been the Russian girl who lives next door, seen through a window but never spoken to. At least not until Yrena crashes into Rose's room, setting in motion a night in New York City that neither one of them will ever forget.

From YA superstar Cecil Castellucci, this is the story of cold hearts and cold wars warmed by simple human connection and the liberty of being young and free in the early hours of a new day.

Rose's life is about to change in ways she never could have seen in the darkness."
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First Lines:

"I was black inside and so I took everything black. Toast. Coffee. Clothes. Heart.
It was the end of October, and a few leaves were still clinging on the trees, all bright yellow, red, and orange. These leaves were suckers, I thought, tricking themselves in thinking this fall would be different, that they wouldn't have to let go and turn brown and make room for snow."
Page 1
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Review:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but not many books for teens about the 1980s or the Cold War. That alone made this book unique and sort of refreshing. I've read several of Castellucci's books in the past and they are always much more than I was expecting. This book was no different.

I really enjoyed getting to know Rose through the first part of the book. You get the whole feel of who she is, how she sees the world, what her life is like... and it's a picture that not many of us would want to live. It's lonely, it's sad, it's worrisome. And, to be honest, it's real. I know a lot of teens feel this way - like they're alone in the world with no one to turn to. I'm pretty sure I spent a while in that mindset when I was a teen.

Her whole story changes when she meets Yrena - a girl from Russia who has lived next door for two years but never spoken. The girls are both dancers, but they had never connected before. This book is about that one day where they start to get to know each other, but it's the night of a lifetime.

There are some stories that take place in a short amount of time (like this one, a day), but it seems like too much is packed in to be reality. This book really feels like it could have happened. It feels more like a story being told to you by Rose a few years later - her looking back on this magical night and how it completely changed her life.

One thing that kinda threw me off while reading this book was the emphasis on the war and the differences in the countries. I guess I wasn't expecting the characters to have such huge opinions and things to say about it. The story started off feeling like a small story about a life that didn't affect anyone elses... and it ended up having a huge impact on a group of people.

In the end, I really wanted this book to be more about relationships than it was about the political stuff... but it was pretty swayed in the other direction. I also was wishing to know more about what happened afterwards - about her family's reactions... more about how friendships were continued... just more. Guess that's what I get for reading a small book, huh? :)

Though this book is short, it sure packs a punch. I think many who love realistic fiction will really dig this one. There's a lot to learn about humanity in it - not to mention the life of a girl who was so in the background. It's a little bit of an adventure - the carefree lives of teens who are just getting to know one another.

I'd recommend this one to those realistic lovers. And even a little to historical - seeing as it was set over 20 years ago. I always look forward to reading more from Cecil Castellucci. Who knows what will come next, right? Check out her website for more things coming :). She also has a fairly active blog that you should check out from there.
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Other Blog Reviews:

The Compulsive Reader
Pure Imagination
Emily's Reading Room
Stacked
Abby (the) Librarian
Reading Nook

Waiting on Wednesday (27)

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

Belle of the Brawl (Alphas #3)
by Lisi Harrison
To be released: October 5, 2010

Summary from Baker and Taylor:
"After a week of drama-filled days at the exclusive, fiercely competitive Alpha Academy, Skye, Allie and Charlie learn that someone has been keeping a huge secret from them, in the follow-up to Movers & Fakers."

I know I WoW-ed the second book when it came out earlier this year, but I'm excited to WoW this series again! I've loved each of the books so far and I really look forward to getting my hands on this book. They are such fun and easy reading - super clever too. If you like chick lit, this is a great series for you.

Here are my reviews of the first two books:
Alphas
Movers and Fakers (Alphas #2)

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey)
Author: Julie Kagawa
ISBN: 9780373210138
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Page #: 359
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey - ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart."
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First Lines:

"The Iron King stood before me, magnificent in his beauty, silver hair whipping about like an unruly waterfall. His long black coat billowed behind him, accenting the pale, angular face and translucent skin, the blue-green veins glowing beneath the surface."
Page 9
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Review:

If you haven't read the first book, my review of that one is here. Looking back on that review, I realized how "meh" I sounded about the book. I don't know if this second one was just better or I was more into the story, but this review is going to be a bit more complimentary of the author! :)

This book pulled me in hard during the first few chapters and didn't let me go - even after I finished reading it. It didn't take long to get back into the story line. I'm not sure whether that's because the characters and storyline from the first book stuck with me or she just does a seamless job of connecting the two together.

The story is very similar to the first in that our main character Meghan has a huge quest she sets out on and you see every step of the way and the people she meets along the way. Many of the same characters make an appearance in this book, but are treated differently for their own reasons. That gave the story a little different feel than the first one.

Romance is a huge factor in this book. The first book was really more fantasy and adventure, but this one really sits in the paranormal romance genre. That's not a bad thing in the least, I'm just not sure that I was expecting it. One thing seemed to happen once Meghan was focused on her feelings... she turned into a bit of a wuss. I spent a few chapters wishing she would break out of the dreary and just fight! Though, i have to say that the fights/battles are epic in this one.

I still love the whole concept of the iron courts existence and how it's moving in to take over the other courts. It's a cool idea and it works really well with how things could be. I was also very shocked at the ending - like the last few chapters, really. I'm not going to give anything away, but it was just much more than I was expecting.

Take a look at Julie Kagawa's website and keep up with her on her blog. The next book, The Iron Queen, is coming out next February (2011)... and I'm very excited. I'll absolutely be picking it up. I honestly think Kagawa is an author to watch. This first series is fantastic, so I can only imagine what she comes up with next!
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Other Blog Reviews:

All Things Urban Fantasy
Pure Imagination
Karin's Book Nook
Katie's Book Blog
Stiletto Storytime
The Sweet Bookshelf
Reading Teen
There are tons more reviews out there. Please take a look at all of them! It'll give you a good idea of how this story runs :).

Gunnerkrigg Court by Thomas Siddell

Title: Gunnerkrigg Court: Volumes 1 &2: Orientation and Research
Author: Thomas Siddell
ISBN(s): (1) 9781932386349; (2) 9781932386776
Publisher: Archaia Studios Press
Page #s: (1) 292; (2) 252
Source: From my public library

Summary: (#1)
"Antimony Carver is a precocious and preternaturally self-possessed young girl starting her first year of school at gloomy GunnerKrigg Court, a very British boarding school that has robots running around along side body-snatching demons, forest gods, and the odd mythical creature.

The opening volume in the series follows Antimony through her orientation year: the people she meets, the strange things that happen, and the things she causes to happen as she and her new friend, Kat, unravel the mysteries of the Court and deal with the every day adventures of growing up.

Tom Siddell's popular and award-winning webcomic (www.gunnerkrigg.com) is here collected in print for the first time."
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First Lines:

"Gunnerkrigg Court does not look much like a school at all. It closer resembles a large industrial complex than a place of learning. Within the first week of my attendance, I began noticing a number of strange occurences. The most prevalent of these oddities being the fact that I seemed to have obtained a second shadow."
Page 2
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Summary: (#2)
(same first paragraph as summary #1)

"Finding a secret tomb of ancient robots beneath Kat's workshop leads the two friends to question how they are linked to the mysterious ghost that attacked Annie the year before. And as a new Medium In Training, Annie is able to visit the powerful trickster god Coyote in Gillitie Forest, a visit that reveals more than she ever imagined possible. Parts of Annie's past are revealed, as well as mysteries hat tie back to the origins of the Court itself, in this sequel to Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation, Gold Medal winner of FoWord Magazine's 2008 Graphic Novel of the Year Award."
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First Lines:

"Throught the summer I realised the similarities between Gunnerkrigg Court and Good Hope, the hospital in which I used to live."
Page 2
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Review:

So.... I loved these books. The reason I picked them up is because of the art as I flipped through. I've read so many graphic novels that either use very little color or even just black and white. While these are just fine for many books, I was completely drawn in to the bright, vivid colors in this book.

I'm so glad I picked them up too, because the story was just as fun as the colors. I honestly didn't have any ideas about what the story would be like, so that it turned out to be a sci-fi/fantasy/mythological wonderfulness... well, that was just lucky. Completely in my wheelhouse. It's a fun story about a girl starting at a boarding school where things are not as they always seem.

I didn't realize it was a webcomic until I had finished the first book and looked into the second. Luckily, I had already checked that one out. But if you want to read the whole thing online, you can! The url is listed above in the summary, but here's a link for you just in case :). There's more beyond the second book that hasn't made it into a book yet. I know these were published a year or two ago... so I'm not sure if it's still being updated. I sure hope so, though. It's wonderful!

If you're into comics, I'd love to hear your opinion on this one. I really loved it and I think others will too. The writing is very clear and you get pulled into the mystery of Annie's story. Little by little, the story unravels and you learn more about her character. It's well done and I can't wait to read the rest of these online.

It was a little silly at times, but I thought it was really cool how they pulled in characters from mythology and ancient stories. It gave this book some depth that I wasn't expecting. But it was a welcome change. Figuring out how the main characters fit in with all of the history at the Court is really interesting.

It's got a little bit of magic, a lot of science, some really fun robots, and more. I think this one will be loved by anyone who gets their hands on it. There really was no point in the story where I felt lost or anything. I loved looking at all of the different landscapes in this little world that was created. I thought it was very interesting how they pulled in new characters throughout the story. Just really clever and fun.
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Other Blog Reviews:

Comic Book Resources
Jenny's Books
The Daily Genoshan
Fantasy Book Review
ComicMix
Tita's Playground
Bookslingers! Reviews

Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell

Title: Glee: The Beginning
Author: Sophia Lowell (based on the series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan)
ISBN: 9780316123594
Publisher: Poppy/ Little Brown and Company
Page #: 216
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"All great performers deserve a warm-up! Enroll early at McKinley High - before New Directions was even a glimmer in Mr. Schuester's eye. When did Rachel first decide Finn was more than just a jock? When did Puck and Quinn start their secret romance? And how did the fledgling Glee Club function without a fearless leader? Hint: It wasn't exactly a perfect melody.

Break out the gold stars and refill the slushies: It's time to find out what happened to all of your favorite characters before the show-mance began."
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First Lines:

"Rachel Berry paused outside the door to Principal Figgins's office just long enough to straighten her kneesocks and smooth down the sides of her corduroy skirt. Her bright white button-down and pink-and-green argyle sweater-vest seemed to scream overachiever - not that Principal Figgins needed to be reminded that Rachel Berry was special."
Page 1
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Review:

I can honestly say I've never read a book about a tv show that was written after the show or movie had been released. I've read a lot the other way - Pretty Little Liars, Lord of the Rings, etc. All books before the movies/shows. But this one? This one is written based on the hit tv show. And, I'll be honest, I picked up this book only because I love the show so much.

I wasn't sure how the story was going to pan out. I did realize that it was the before-hand stories before you get to episode one. I figured there would be a lot of territory to cover. There was a lot to love in this book for me - but I'm not sure if it's because of my fan-itude of the show.

I had to stop myself a few times while reading this book and remind myself that this book had to be written for people who haven't seen the tv show. It does a great job setting the stage, showing you the world of McKinley High and describing the characters down to their fashion sense. And I think someone who hasn't watched it will have a good idea about the lives of these characters.

There were a few times that I was sitting back and wondering if we hadn't pulled some topics straight from the first few episodes. I know there had to be some meat to the story, so I let that all go. One thing that I thought was great was the look into the home lives of more of the characters. On the show, you have a few families (and perhaps we will see more of that in the future), but it was very interesting to imagine the family of Mercedes and Artie and all.

I think I recommend this book. I hope my fan-dom isn't standing in the way of my judgment, but I had a lot of fun with this story and I look forward to more books based on this series. I think they are light and fun and easy reads that are perfect during the school year :). Hopefully some other fans will pick this one up and give their opinions.
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Other Blog Reviews:

Wondrous Reads
The Beaucoup Review :)
Lavender Lines
Rhiana Reads
So Many Books, So Little Time
Planet Books
Empire of Books