YA writer muses on writing, books, movies, and the occasional space monkey.
Monday, November 29, 2010
HEX HALL
Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.
As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.
Kristi's take: This was a fun, fast, and furious read by Rachel Hawkins. It reminded me of when I have a rare night alone and have Fritos and Diet Coke for dinner. Fritos + Diet Coke + Hex Hall = pure enjoyment.
Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!
Labels:
book recommendation,
kristi
Friday, November 12, 2010
BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver
Before I Fall
Before I Fall What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined. (less)
Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined. (less)
Hardcover, 470 pages
Published March 2nd 2010 by HarperCollins
Kristi's Take: (No Spoilers)
I reluctantly picked this book up two days ago. Don't get me wrong--I'd heard great things about the book and Ms.Oliver's immense talent. But I knew it was about a girl dying, over and over and over again. One thing about me: I have to gear myself up for intense books and they tend to sit longer on my TBR pile than others. They also take me longer to read, as I have to ingest them in small doses. Not so with BEFORE I FALL. This book was flat-out amazing and I could not put it down (and it's not a short book). Those who know me know sleep is my all-time favorite thing and there's not much that I allow to interfere with those precious hours. I could not go to sleep last night until I found out what happened to Samantha Kingston.
The characters literally leap off the page in this beautiful, funny, real, and heart-breaking novel. I won't give away the ending except to say it's something you'll think about long after you stop reading. I highly recommend moving this book to the top of your TBR pile. You'll be glad you did.
Labels:
book review,
kristi
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Book Recommendation: MATCHED by Ally Condie
I admit that if a book or movie is over-hyped, I tend to be disappointed by it. My expectations are set sky high and then the experience doesn't quite live up to it. I'm reading an ARC right now that has had so much buzz, it made me a little hesitant to pick it up. I'm halfway through it and all I can say is: holy flippin' cow. That's right--I'm recommending a book I haven't even finished yet. I haven't liked a book this much since The Hunger Games/Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. This book has met and exceeded all my expectations. In fact, I don't even want to write this blog post because I want to go find out what happens next (sshhh...don't tell me if you've already read this ARC). The book is Matched by Ally Condie. The awesome cover looks like this:
From the back of the book:
In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.
If you read or write dystopian fiction, you'll LOVE this book! It comes out November of 2010, so pre-order it now, if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed. :)
From the back of the book:
In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.
If you read or write dystopian fiction, you'll LOVE this book! It comes out November of 2010, so pre-order it now, if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed. :)
Labels:
book recommendation,
kristi
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