Ninja Librarian

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (74)

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

The Space Between
by Brenna Yovanoff
To be released: November 15, 2011

Summary from Baker and Taylor:
"Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?
Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be."

I absolutely loved Brenna Yovanoff's first book. It was spooky and interesting and just really well done. I can only imagine that this book will be the same. Not to mention that it's set in a world made of steel. How crazy is that? I think this book looks and sounds wonderful. Don't you think?

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
ISBN: 9780525423287
Publisher: Dutton Books
Released: September 29, 2011
Page #: 338
Source: My local public library

Summary:
"Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume. the more expressive 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, Calliope and Cricket, returns to the neighborhood.

When Cricket - a gifted inventor - 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."
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First Lines:

"I have three simple wishes. They're really not too much to ask.
The first is to attend the winter formal dressed like Marie Antoinette."
Page 3
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Review:

Stephanie Perkins is swiftly becoming my favorite author. I know she's already my fave for realistic fiction.

Lola dresses in crazy costumes and dates a lead guy in a band. She's pretty much the most awesome person you can know. Not that everyone else knows that. But when her old neighbors move back, lots of her old emotions and fears come back up. She starts to see things differently and worries about losing herself.

I cannot imagine someone being as cool as Lola. Seriously. I would have loved to know someone who literally dressed in costume every day and rocked it. I think some people felt like they were in costume... but didn't quite get the effect right :). But I can only imagine what every day would be like with her around. Can you?

So... I'm totally in love with Cricket. In a not-a-real-dude kinda way. And way too young for me. Ahem. But he's pretty much the perfect guy. Sensitive, Sweet, Funny, Original... I'm gonna stop now. I'm not sure how you can read this book and not be on team Cricket all the way. And I'm not even a fan of all the team whoevers! See? This book just changed my mind.

This story had me cheering... and booing... and almost crying (seriously.)... and then cheering again. There's something about how this author tells a story that is just perfect. I can't even put my finger on it. I just know that it's seamless and engaging and I had some trouble putting it down. Didn't get much sleep last night, ahem.

If you haven't read Anna and the French Kiss, you should really do that asap. And if you have, this book has a little peek into the life of Anna now. a very cool little addition to the story :). And don't worry, you don't have to read the first one to get any references. So seriously don't hesitate to read this book. It's totally worth your time.

I do think that the appeal is for girls, mostly. Hopefully some guys will read it to - if nothing more than to see how a real man behaves :). Anyway, it's a well written book and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who reads. To be vague. I truly urge you to get this book. I don't think you'll regret it.
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Other Blog Reviews:

Jessica Lawlor
Presenting Lenore
The Book Pushers
Bibliopunkk
Chick Loves Lit
Fictitious Delicious
Proud Book Nerd

Sunday, October 9, 2011

I Love Him to Pieces (My Boyfriend is a Monster #1) by Evonne Tsang

Title: I Love Him to Pieces (My Boyfriend is a Monster #1)
Author: Evonne Tsang; Illus. Janina Gorrissen
ISBN: 97807613370796
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Released: April 28, 2011
Page #: 126
Source: My local public library

Summary:
"Can love survive the zombie apocalypse?
Maybe Dicey Bell's first chance at a real relationship was dead from the start. She's the star of her high school baseball team, and Jack Chen's the star of the science program. Her idea of a study session includes sleeping in the sun, and his idea of a good game involves dungeons and dice. But opposites start attracting when they are assigned to be partners in a class project. When an outbreak of a weird infection hits the town - it eats your brains and makes you hungry for the living - it might not mean just the end of their first date. It might mean the end of everything.

Will Dicey and Jack's relationship fall apart faster than zombies in the Florida sun, or can they beat the odds and find a happy ending?"
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First Lines:

"'Where's Jack Chen? Jack Chen? Anyone?'
'I think Jack's in the Bio Lab.'
'Thanks! Jack Chen?'
'Yes?'
'Jack Chen, you're the father of my baby!'"
Page 3
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Review:

I don't do a ton of graphic reviews, but that's mostly because it feels a little like cheating. It takes me no time at all to read them, so I feel like I'm not doing them justice. But after reading this book, I just knew it deserved a review.

Girl meets boy. Boy meets girl. They decide to skip school together. Zombie outbreak ensues.

Okay, so it's not quite that simple (or is it?). They are high schoolers from two separate worlds - nerd-dom and jock-dom. All of Dicey's friends are boys, but they're her teammates. When she is forced to work with someone so intriguing and from a whole other world, she starts to fall for him. On their first date, the zombie virus takes over their town. Luckily, Jack's parents are scientists studying this particular thing. But for the moment, they are on the run and fighting for their lives.

I love Dicey's character. She's spunky, funny, and very real about things. She seems like just the type of person you'd want to be friends with. She's also a jock - and spends all of her time surrounded by guys. I think that allows you to build up a pretty tough skin. Jack, on the other hand, seems a little emo. It's a fun combination and I love how it's handled.

The illustrations in this book are very cool. Keep in mind that art isn't really my area, but I loved the way the zombies are portrayed. It's almost more like something is eating them than the other way around. Which is how the virus is described. I'm definitely a fan.

If your a graphic fan, I really think you'll like this one. It's realistic, it's fantasy, it's horror, it's a love story... it has everything. I have already requested the second book from the library - I'm sure it's going to be just as awesome!
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Other Blog Reviews:

An Abundance of Books
Book Dragon
Attack of the Book
Ana Mardoll's Ramblings
everead
1 More Page Please

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Title: Wildefire
Author: Karsten Knight
ISBN: 9781442421172
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Released: July 26, 2011
Page #: 393
Source: My local public library

Summary:
"Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She's struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve's violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California's redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her.

But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn't go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy her new school - being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot local park ranger - she discovers that a group of gods and goddesses has been unknowingly summoned to Blackwood... and she's one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she's got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within her before she clashes with her sister one more time...

And when warm and cold fronts collide, there's guaranteed to be a storm."
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First Lines:

"Ashline Wilde was a human mood ring. Sixteen years old, and she was a cauldron of emotions - frothing, bubbling, and volatile. She had never heard of 'bottling it all up inside.' She was as transparent as the air itself."
Page 1
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Review:

I'm about 99.9% sure that I picked up this book because of the cover. Yes, the summary seemed really interesting, but it was the cover that sold me. I'm kinda superficial like that.

It's the story of a girl who has never truly found her place in life. Things start to fall into place when all goes crazy. She starts seeing crazing black-void creatures with blue flame eyes... and a blind girl keeps summoning her places and tells her she's a god. This is all way too much for Ash, but she's worried about her powers never showing up. All the while, her sister shows up and things get even more complicated.

I love any type of story that weaves mythological characters with realistic situations. For me, it seems like that's the way those stories were always meant to be told. Knight does a great job pulling in elements from each of the myth characters in this story - but none of them are all that familiar. The only one that's super familiar is a Siren. Otherwise, the characteristics were new for me. That was one of the things that made the story more interesting for me.

There's a huge love/hate relationship between Ash and her sister Eve. On one hand, they've been together through thick and thin. What's better than sisterly love? But on the other, Eve has developed these powers and only does evil with them. She seems to have no remorse and will do whatever she needs to get the end result she wants. It's a very realistic dynamic - with the supernatural thrown in.

I truly hope there is going to be a second book. Yes, the story has a satisfying conclusion, but I would love to know what happens next. The characters are built so well that I know the next chapter in their lives will be amazing. I haven't done the research to see if there is another, so I'll stick with crossing my fingers!

I will absolutely be recommending this book. It's a great story and I can already think of several people I need to tell about it. Of course, anything with a cover this amazing will be an easy sell. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. You should definitely give this one a shot!
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Other Blog Reviews:

Book Loving Mommy
The Book Addict
A Trail of Books Left Behind
Remarkable Reads
Candace's Book Blog
Fyrefly's Book Blog
Sarah Reads Too Much