Flipping Pages for All Ages

Tyger, Tyger E-book Special Promotion & Signed Paperback Giveaway!

2011-11-20T16:13:00.005-05:00

In 2010 at BEA I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton. It had an interesting summary and sounded like something I would enjoy. And I did enjoy it (Check out my review here!) It was unique compared to everything else I had ever read, and something like that sticks with you.

In just two days, the sequel to Tyger, Tyger, In the Forests of the Night, will be released. In celebration of the upcoming release, Kersten's publisher is having an e-book promotion for Tyger, Tyger. You can get it at a special price of only $2.99. This special is available at Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble and Google. Don't wait too long, this promotion is only going on for about another week!

Since In the Forests of the Night will be out so soon, Kersten has kindly offered up one signed paperback copy of Tyger, Tyger to one lucky winner.

This is a US only contest! It will run from now until Sunday 11/27/11.

This is my first time using Rafflecopter so I hope everything works well for you guys. Enter your name(whatever you don't mind people seeing) and email (only I will see). Leave a comment to enter and tweet to get an extra entry (you can do this once a day!).

To learn more about Kersten Hamilton check out her webpage!

Goodluck!

Sherry<3

Covers and trailers and EPICNESS! OH MY!

2011-11-08T19:19:00.002-05:00

Just because I've been absent from blogging lately, doesn't mean I still don't see the recently revealed covers of upcoming books, as well as the release of book trailers. If anything, I'm on the lookout more, so that I can keep track of what books are coming out and when, so I can snag myself a copy.

It seems that this week has gifted us with many a book covers, and one magnificentally well made book trailer.

First: As an inkpopper, I've known about Wendy Higgins' upcoming Sweet Evil ever since it was first announced (Coming May 1st, 2012). Well, yesterday Wendy tweeted the cover (you can follow her on twitter too @Wendy_Higgins) and I must say: WOW! It's incredibly beautiful, and elegant and it says so much without saying anything at all. It offers a contrast with not only the bright vs. dark side, but also the vibrant, rich red vs. the deep black. It shows that some type of romance is obviously involved, and I unsurprisingly, am okay with this (Duh). I want to stare at this book cover, and then I want to pet it. A little much? Probably... but I don't care. If I knew nothing about this book, I wouldn't care, I would still pick it up and buy it because of this cover alone. And while one should never judge a book by its cover, if you get this book and don't like it (I haven't read it so I can't tell you my feelings about it yet) at least you have a gorgeous book sitting on your shelf. Anyways... STARE AWAY!

Second: We got TWO cover reveals yesterday for two of Lauren Kate's books. One of which is Rapture: A Fallen Novel (June 12th, 2012 from Delacorte Books). This cover while being very similar to the other, a girl in a dress, is different because it feautures the girl in a white dress, rather than a black. And it is by far my favorite of them all. All of the covers are very beautiful but this offers a different tone. Each of the other covers shows a girl whose hanging her head. In this cover, at the very least she is looking straight ahead, maybe up a little. What are your thoughts? Do you have a favorite cover of the four Fallen novels?

Last but NOT LEAST: Trailer of EPICNESS. I have seen many books trailers, and I can say that this is one of my ALL TIME favorites (So many capitals, sorry this is kind of exciting). I have already had the great pleasure of reading Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Out Nov. 15th, 2011 from Harperteen), and this trailer does a wonderful job of showing off this wonderful book in such a short period of time. No need to say much, watch and decide for yourself. Share your thoughts in the comment section, I would love to hear what everyone thinks of this!

What are come recent cover reveals that you went ga-ga over? Book trailers?

Sherry<3

Deadly Cool Blog Tour: Character Interview

2011-10-07T17:47:00.000-04:00

For my stop on the Deadly Cool Blog Tour, I got to interview Josh, Hartley's boyfriend.

Enjoy!

***

1) Basics:

What is your birthday? Middle name? Favorite Color? Favorite Number?

Josh: Birthday: January 11

Middle Name: Xavier (But please don’t tell anyone!)

Fav color: Blue (I’m a guy. We like blue.)

Fav number: 10 (Because that’s how many days I spent in jail as an innocent man, and I will NEVER forget that experience!)

2) In Deadly Cool, Chase has an array of books on his bookshelf. Do you read, and if so, what type of books do you like?

Josh: Dude, I totally read! I have a subscription to MAD magazine, AND Sports Illustrated. Plus I’m, like, reading all the time for school. History text books, and Literature text books, and Math text books…

3) Hypothetically speaking, if you're going to cheat on your girlfriend, why not just break up with her first?

Josh: Ugh, I know. It was a mistake. I admit it. But I’m only human, you know? I mean, Courtney was really hot. And totally hitting on me. It wasn’t right, but I had a moment of weakness.

4) How does it feel to be a murder suspect?

Josh: It totally sucks! I mean, there’s a HUGE difference between cheating on your girlfriend, which I am totally sorry about, and being a murderer. Just because I made one little mistake did NOT mean I killed someone. Even now there are some people who still give me that stare at school. You know, the stare where I think they’re secretly thinking that maybe I really did do it? So not cool. All I can say is thank God for Hartley. At least she believed in me enough to investigate who really killed Courtney.

5) For fun: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Josh: Oh, wow, wouldn’t that be sweet? Okay, um, I think I’d want to be able to be invisible. That way I could totally listen to any conversation at school and no one would know I’m there. I could even, like, be standing over the teacher’s shoulder as he writes down test answers. I mean, not that I’d ever cheat on a test, but it would be kinda cool, right?

*****

*To learn more about Gemma Halliday or Deadly Cool check out her webpage.

**Special thanks to Gemma Halliday for the post and to Teen Book Scene for organizing this blog tour!

Sherry<3

Vanish Blog Tour: This or That List feat. Cassian

2011-09-15T14:12:00.001-04:00

Vanish by Sophie Jordan recently hit the shelves at the beginning of this month. As part of the blog tour for its release, my post features Cassian, who we get to see a different side of in Vanish.

A provided a list of This or Thats, and we get to hear from Cassian what he would choose, and why!

***

This or That List: Cassian

Spring or Fall: Spring … when everything is new again and full of hope.

Movies or Television: When I bother to watch anything at all … it’s usually movies.

Day or Night: Night … when I can fly.

Chocolate or Vanilla: Favorite flavor is verdaberry … probably the same with all draki. Nothing new there.

Fight or Flight: I’m an onyx draki, born to fight, born to fly … one of the fastest of my kind. I’m a warrior to the core of me. I’ll do whatever necessary to protect my pride and species.

Shoes or Sandals: Barefoot

Books or Music: Books

Written Letter or Email: Letter … not much use for email in the pride.

Blonde or Brunette: Redhead, naturally. A specific redhead, actually.

Peanut Butter or Jelly: Peanut butter with verdaberry jelly.

Coke or Pepsi: Water … or verdaberry juice.

Blue or Green: Green … like the mountains and woods that feed my soul.

*****

Giveaway:

One winner that leaves a comment (along with their email address) will win a Swag Pack. US only. This giveaway will run for five days only!

*****

Thanks for stopping by/following Sophie's Blog Tour for Vanish!

**Special thanks to Sophie for providing the This or That List and to Teen Book Scene for organizing this blog tour!

Sherry<3

Witch Eyes Blog Tour- Character Tens List: Trey Lansing

2011-09-06T17:26:00.000-04:00

Welcome to today's stop on the blog tour for Scott Tracey's debut, Witch Eyes (which officially hits stores in two days!!).

Today's stop consisst of a Character Tens List featuring character Trey Lansing.

***

10 Reasons why Trey Lansing's blood pressure is higher than it should be:

1. My sister's reckless endangerment of every vehicle she comes into contact with. Her driver's license has Murphy's Law printed on the back, I swear.

2. Talk about Angry Birds. A legion of them keep crapping all over my car. I'm single-handedly putting the car wash owner's kids through college.

3. My mother insists on throwing dinner parties at least twice a week. Attendance mandatory. There is only so much foie gras a man can eat.

4. English papers. Especially English papers on The Crucible or Macbeth. Find a new theme.

5. The woman at the gas station flinches every time I try and buy a coffee. Someone should switch to decaf.

6. There's a violent animal on the loose in Belle Dam.

7. People constantly asking me to talk to my mother about something no one cares about. In case you haven't noticed, Catherine Lansing doesn't take advice from anyone.

8. Jade keeps stealing my car and thinks I won't notice. Yet she never puts the seat back.

9. I think my boss keeps forgetting that he's the one in charge. He keeps asking me to make decisions for him.

10. Braden. Seriously, that kid needs to be surrounded by hazard cones at all times.

*****

Don't forget to get your copy of Witch Eyes which will be hitting shelves soon (Some have said Amazon is already shipping!)

*****

To learn more about Scott Tracey, check out his webpage or follow him on twitter.

***Special thanks to Scott Tracey for this wonderful Tens List, and to Teen Book Scene for organizing the Witch Eyes blog tour!

Sherry<3

Review: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

2011-08-31T10:14:00.000-04:00

Title: Vanish (Firelight #2)

Author: Sophie Jordan

Publication Date: September 6th, 2011

Published By: HarperTeen

Hardcover, 304 Pages

Source: ARC received from the Publisher for an honest review

Summary:

"To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?"

Review: ***** = 5 Stars

Last year when Firelight came out, I absolutely fell in love with the story of Jacinda and Will. It was intense and romantic, full of adventure and dragons (I love dragons). Vanish is full of everything I loved about the first book, and more.

When Jacinda manifested to save Will's life, she not only showed her true self to humans, but hunters. She had no choice but to travel back to the Pride with Cassian, along with her mother and twin sister Tamra. Vanish picks up right where we left off in Firelight. It's not long after you start reading the book that you will find out exactly what is going on with the girl on the cover (I was glad that my guess was completely right hehe).

When Jacinda returns to the Pride, she is treated differently than before, and even more so when Miram, Cassian's bratty little sister, spreads it around that she fell in love with a hunter. She decides to forget about Will, and try to make life for herself in the Pride easier. Except Will shows up at the Pride, pretending to be a lost hiker, and Jacinda must decide whether to continue on as she is, like one of the Pride, or leave the Pride forever and follow her heart.

Man does Sophie Jordan know how to write a book! There is so much emotion and romance within these pages I'm surprised they didn't spark into flames while I was reading it. Not only do I still love Jacinda and Will, but now I love Cassian too. It's easy to choose who you want the main character to be with when you only like her with one of the choices, but in this case, I'm so lost! I was able to learn so much about Cassian in this one, to see how he truly feels and to see what he really wants. His character has grown from the first book to this one. He's one of my favorites to read about now.

Don't think the choice of Pride or Will is all Jacinda has to face in Vanish! There are twists and turns, some expected and some quite surprising. There isn't a dull moment, and each page you read will leave you wanting more. I don't know anything about Book #3 yet, except that I want it in my hands as soon as possible. Vanish doesn't necessarily end with a cliffhanger, but I have to know how this entire story, from page 1 of Firelight to the last page of the final book, ends. How the story comes to a close.

Firelight was one of my top 10 books of 2010, and Vanish is definitely a top 10 pick of this year. If you haven't read it yet, make sure to mark your calendars for Saturday the 6th so you snag a copy and enjoy this for yourself. And if you haven't read Firelight yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??

****

To learn more about Sophie Jordan and her work, check out her Webpage or follow her on Twitter.

****

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book! Feel free to let me know in the comment section, or to send me the link to your review!

Sherry<3

Review: Possess by Gretchen McNeil

2011-08-27T15:42:00.000-04:00

Title: Possess

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Publication Date: August 23rd, 2011

Published By: Balzer & Bray

Hardcover, 384 Pages

Source: ARC received for blog tour for an honest review

Summary:

"Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king."

Review: **** 1/2 = 4.5 Stars

Possess was a stunning, page-turning debut from author Gretchen McNeil. Taking place in San Francisco, the main character Bridget, who wants nothing other than to be left alone, begins hearing the voices of Demons after the death of her father. There are many things I look for in a YA paranormal novel, and this had it all, plus some. Action, romance, horror/thrills/mystery, and Bridget's attitude made it able for us all to relax a bit (even with the creepiness).

Bridget's ability to hear, and rid others of, Demons, was certainly a unique idea which allowed me as a reader to breathe a sigh of relief that not all books in similar genres have to share concepts/creatures etc. A breath of fresh air is the simpleist way to convey what this book is as a whole.

Bridget was a wonderful character. My favorite part about her has to be that she is consistantly her own character. She never lets others influence who she is. We see it time and time again, a female character will cave to her mans wishes, or even a friends, and let's face it, it's kind of depressing. It's refreshing to have a character that stands up for themself. Another thing I love, she has three best friends, all males, and she doesn't have something going on with any of them. They are best friends, that's it. Oh if only it were always that simple in books. Why can't a girl just have guy best friends without it elevating to something more??

Did I mention this book has a serious creep factor?? I've read YA books that can sometimes be creepy-ish... but this takes the cake. If you've read other reviews, I don't doubt that they mention the dolls. *chills* You'll have to read it for yourself, but let me tell you... read this during the day, or sleep with your light on... otherwise there is a high probability that nightmares will ensue.

Overall.. this is a must read. If you're looking for something original and captivating, Possess is right for you!

Cover Love: This dark, creepy cover fits the story within perfectly. Even without very much variety in the color within it, its still very eye-catching.

***

To learn more about Gretchen McNeil or her books, check out her webpage or follow her on twitter.

***

Sherry<3

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

2011-08-24T18:32:00.000-04:00

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Publication Date: July 19th, 2011

Published By: MTV Books

Paperback, 243 Pages

Source: Review copy received from author for an honest review

Summary:

"For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

Review: ***** = 5 Stars

As a huge fan of both Going too far and Forget You, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this book ever since I found out about it months ago. Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. Just as with Going too far and Forget You, Jennifer created an amazing romantic contemporary novel with great characters, an interesting storyline and of course, a love story to swoon over.

It seems that every book of Jennifer's I have read I have a connection too. With Going too far, one of the main characters is a cop, and I'm going for my Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice so I can relate. In Forget You the main characters were swimmers, and I swam competitvely from the age 5 until the end of high school. Love Story was no exception. In this story, the characters are raised near a horse farm, and I could relate because my family has horses. I love being able to find those little things in novels that make it that much more relatable, and for me, more enjoyable.

The main characters in Love Story, Erin and Hunter, are one of my favorite couples in romantic contemporary fiction. For one, the chemistry between them is off the charts. I think Erin was the only one unaware of this throughout the book. Everyone else seemed to pick up on it. The relationship throughout the book, even with the problems and situations where awkwardness should be present, runs smoothly (for the most part). They remain at civil with each other, even under the worst circumstances (ummm hello Erin's Stable Boy Essay??). I loved seeing the progression of their relationship, and I couldn't get enough of their back and forth essays. That made for quite an interesting read.

But the main characters aren't the only ones who made an impact on me. This book wouldn't have worked as well as it did without all of the side characters. Erin's grandmother and her schemes, Hunter's dad, the other students in the Creative Writing class, the english teacher. All of them added something to the story.

As for the setting of a Kentucky horse farm and NYC, I really enjoyed the differences in the areas. The mellow, relaxed country, and the busy, hustling city. And of course I love horses so having them be a big part of the story was wonderful.

Overall, I love, love, LOVE this book. I will forever and always be a fan of Jennifer's work, and I look forward to everything she writes.

A must read for any contemp fans, especially those looking for a great romance read. And if you haven't already read her other books, you should definitely try them.

***

To learn more about Jennifer and her books, check out her webpage and follow her on Twitter.

***

Have you read Love Story? Feel free to share your thoughts!

Sherry<3

Possess Blog Tour: Character Interview

2011-08-18T16:25:00.000-04:00

For my stop on the blog tour for Gretchen McNeil's debut, Possess, I got to interview the main character, Bridget. Interviewing a character from a book is much different than interivewing an author, but I asked some questions will hopefully give you all the opportunity to get to know Bridget's character better!

***

Getting to know: Bridget

Describe yourself using the letters of your name (example b for beautiful etc..)?

Ballsty
Resourceful
Independent
Disinterested
Guarded
Edgy
Torn

Who was the last person you sent a text message to and what does it say?

I texted my best friend Hector. He sent me a photo of this barista he’s crushing on, and asked my opinion. I told him it looked suspiciously like our friend Brad.

You are stuck on a deserted island, and have three of your personal possessions with you. What are they and what is their importance?

My charm bracelet. I never take it off. My dad gave it to me for my first communion. It’s one of the few things I have left that remind me of him.
My steel-toed boots because, well let’s face it, you never know when you’re going to need to kick a little ass.
My copy of Dostoyevsky’s NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND. Hey, I don’t want to be bored.

What are your favorite and least favorite: movie, book, candy, song, animal & color?

MOVIE – Favorite: Pan’s Labyrinth. Least favorite: Hannah Montana: The Movie
BOOK – Favorite: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Least favorite: Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
CANDY – Favorite: Peanut Butter Twix. Least favorite: black licorice.
SONG – Favorite: “The Fallen” by Franz Ferdinand. Least favorite: Anything by Coldplay.
ANIMAL – Favorite: Platypus. Least favorite: Cat.
COLOR – Favorite: Black. Least favorite: Pink.

If you have dinner with any person living or dead, who would it be, and why?

My dad. Because I’d give just about anything to be able to say goodbye.

**********

Gretchen McNeil is an opera singer, writer and clown. Her YA horror/paranormal POSSESS debut with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins, August 23, 2011. Her second novel, TEN – YA horror/suspense about ten teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer – is tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2012 release. Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk (http://www.cirqueberzerk.com ). Gretchen is also a founding member of the vlog group YARebels (http://www.youtube.com/yarebels) where she can be seen as "Monday."

*****

Sherry<3

Review: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

2011-08-10T14:32:00.000-04:00

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Publication Date: July 26th, 2011

Published By: Kensington Publishing Corporation

Paperback, 350 Pages

Source: Received from publishing company for honest review for blog tour

Summary:

"My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . ."

Review: **** = 4 Stars

Before I started reading this I was a bit worried it would be too similar to all of the other god/goddesses/mythology books that have come out lately. I was thrilled that that wasn't the case.

Gwen Frost is a gypsy and is enrolled in Mythos Academy. Shortly after she starts, the most popular girl in school is murdered. I really enjoyed how this book wasn't just mythology, but that it also involved some mystery and Gwen is able to use her powers to investigate what happened. I loved Gwen's very original ability/power. It was great seeing something different, rather than the same paranormal type character.

It's definitely always interesting to see the different twists and directions authors take when it comes to the same genre. When it comes to Gods/Goddessess some things will always be similar, but it is also such a wide category that things can be tweaked and changed depending on which way the author chooses to write the story. You can see that in this novel. Jennifer was able to make Touch of Frost very unique and enjoyable.

As for enjoyable, let's not forget about Logan Quinn. First off, I love that name! Second, this bad boy fit right into the story. Him and Gwen had great chemistry and interactions throughout the book. The other side characters were memorable as well, especially Daphne. Jasmine's one time friend who eventually becomes Gwen's friend.

The character relationships and world building really make this an excellent novel. I would love to attend Mythos Academy. This is one of the better novels set in a school atmosphere.

Fans of the Percy Jackson series will definitely enjoy this series as well. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series(which comes out later this year!). Recommend for any fans of mythology and paranormal books!

Sherry<3

Misfit Blog Tour: Author Jon Skovron's Tens List!

2011-08-04T16:42:00.000-04:00

I'm thrilled to welcome author Jon Skovron to my blog today. His novel Misfit was just released August 1st from Amulet Books. You can check out my review here.

For this stop on the blog tour, I got to send some different topics to Jon and he picked ten for each. Check out Jon's Tens Lists below!

***

Top ten places you would like to sneak into:

-The Vatican

-The Globe Theater in Straford-on-Avon

-Marvel Studios

-Neil Gaiman's house (wait, would that be creepy?)

-Back stage at a 9:30 Club Show (preferably someone cool like tUnE-yArDs or Wye Oak, but the experience itself would be interesting, regardless of the band)

-Google Headquarters

-The new Apple headquarters

-The pyramids

-A space station

-An alternate reality

Top ten songs from your teenage years:

-Wave of Mutilation by The Pixies

-Creep by Radiohead

-Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction

-Pictures of You by The Cure

-Just Like Honey by The Jesus and Mary Chain

-Freak Scene by Dinosaur Jr.

-Cannonball by The Breeder

-Something In the Way by Nirvana

-If You Have to Ask by Red Hot Chili Peppers

-Only Shallow by My Bloody Valentine

Top ten dog breeds:

-Great Dane

-Black Lab

-Cane Corso

-German Shepard

-Golden Retriever

-Coonhound

-Husky

-Weimaraner

-Standard Poodle (for my brother, Chris)

-and...uh... oh, what the hell...Skipper Key

Top ten dream vacation spots:

Not sure about vacation spots, but these are the places I'd like to go sometime soon:

-Scotland

-Iceland

-South of France

-Greece

-Rome

-Moscow

-Japan

-Egypt

-Alaska

-Berlin

**********

Ok I loved all of these lists! Espeically the places to sneak into and the songs list!

*To learn more about Jon, you can check out his webpage or follow him on Twitter.

**Special thanks to Teen Book Scene for organizing this blog tour, and to Jon for taking time to making the lists for this post!**

Sherry<3

Review: Misfit by Jon Skovron

2011-07-27T13:57:00.000-04:00

Misfit by Jon Skovron

Publication Date: August 1st, 2011

Published By: Amulet Books

Hardcover, 384 Pages

Source: ARC Tour- Blog Tour

Summary:

"Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

Author Jon Skovron takes on the dark side of human nature with his signature funny, heartfelt prose."

Review: **** = 4 Stars

I believe this is going to be a book people either really like, or just don't care for. Lucky for me, I thouroughly enjoyed it. Jael is the main character and I both love and hate certain things about her. Overall, she is pretty badass(I mean, come on she IS half-demon), but she's also pretty reckless(doesn't think about consequences before she acts). Then again a lot of teenagers act before they think so I guess I can't really dislike her for that reason. Rob is introduced and becomes the love interest. He's one of my favorite characters from the book. 1) He's a skateboarder(I wish I could skateboard) and 2)He likes math/science(ME TOO!).

One thing that I could have gone without is all the religion stuff. I'm not religious in any way so it didn't offend me, but I don't care to read about it either. I can see how it was essential for the story though so I just read through it.

I really enjoyed how the author was able to add so much comedic relief into the story. It really made the whole novel much more rounded. It pretty much had it all, comedy, romance, action. It was light and dark and it also makes the reader think(always a plus)!

Another major plus for me was the parent's backstory. I'm a huge fan of backstories, and Skovron does not dissappoint. I love reading a story and going back in that story to see how things were or what happened.

Overall, this was a great story that will have readers engaged from the beginning to the end. A definite recommend for any YA fans out there!

*Make sure to stop by on August 4th to check out Jon Skovron's Ten's List for Misfits Blog Tour!*

Sherry<3

Epic Fail- Elise's Playlist & Giveaway!

2011-07-26T15:12:00.000-04:00

Today I bring you Elise Benton's playlist. Elise is the main character from the upcoming Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik, which is to be released on August 2nd from HarperTeen. This story is a retelling of Pride & Prejudice and I absolutely LOVED it! Take a look at the songs Elise listed below (the choices make me love this this character even more!).

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Elise Benton’s “favorites” playlist on her iPod:

These are the songs I like to crank up when I actually get the house or the car to myself—which doesn’t happen nearly often enough, as far as I’m concerned. They all make me happy, even the sad songs, which I know sounds weird but there’s just something about every one of these songs that gets to me in a good way. I’ve added a note to each one to explain why I love it. -- Elise.

1. Adele, Rolling in the Deep (Adele’s a goddess. Period.)

2. Mumford and Sons, After the Storm (Spare, quiet, moving.)

3. Simon and Garfunkel, Scarborough Fair (Yes, it’s old. But sometimes you want to listen to a classic. Especially one that gives you chills like this one.)

4. Arctic Monkeys, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor (I was torn between this and Fluorescent Adolescent but this edged out for the win.)

5. Amy Winehouse, Valerie (Makes me happy.)

6. Weezer, Island in the Sun (Ditto.)

7. Vampire Weekend, Oxford Comma (Not to be played if Mom, Dad, or Kayla is within earshot—liberal use of the F-word—but smart and funny, and come on, a rock song about an obscure punctuation rule? It’s so nerdy it’s cool.)

8. Regina Spektor, Hero (“I’m the hero of this story, I don’t need to be saved”—every girl needs to repeat that to herself about ten million times, especially one of my sisters who shall go nameless)

9. Florence and the Machine, Between Two Lungs (Flo rocks it out like no one else.)

10. The Shins, Australia (Fun, bouncy, virtually impossible to sing along to.)

Also, fell free to check out Elise Benton's Playlist on Itunes! Just click the link below:

http://c.itunes.apple.com/us/imix/elise-bentons-best-songs-ever/id449946670

*****

GIVEAWAY!

As part of the blog tour, there is also a giveaway for a copy of Epic Fail & a stress ball!

This is a US ONLY contest and you have 7 days to enter.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment in the comment section (there are no requirements other than the winner must have a US mailing address!)

Good luck!

*****

Thanks to Teen Book Scene for organizing this blog tour and to Claire for supplying Elise's Playlist!

Sherry<3

Author Interview: Jennifer Estep (Touch of Frost)

2011-07-25T15:43:00.000-04:00

As part of the blog tour for the upcoming Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep, I got to ask Jennifer a few questions for the blog.

Please welcome Jennifer!

***

Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to thank Sherry for having me on the blog today. Thanks so much, Sherry!

Flipping Pages for All Ages: Describe yourself in five words OR Use the letters of your first name to describe yourself.

Jennifer Estep: Sassy, sarcastic, sugar-addict, bookaholic, geek

FPfAA: How does writing for young adults differ from writing for adults?

Jennifer: It’s definitely been a fun challenge for me to write a young adult series with my Mythos Academy books. My adult books are pretty dark and gritty so it was nice to write something a little lighter, but that still has a lot of action, magic, and danger in it.

Plus, there are so many elements that go into writing YA – capturing your heroine’s journey, finding her voice, showing her growing up, world building, even developing a romance. It’s a tough balancing act to juggle all of those things, but you always want to stretch and grow as a writer, and I thought writing a YA series would be one way to do that. So far, I’m having a blast writing YA.

Hopefully, folks will have as much fun reading Touch of Frost and the other books in the series as I did writing them.

FPfAA: Favorite social network(or the one you spend the most time on)?

Jennifer: I probably spend the most time seeing what folks are buzzing about on Twitter, but I also really like Goodreads. It’s great for finding new authors and books, and it’s a cool way to keep up with the books that I’ve read. Plus, I’m always surfing book blogs to see what new books are coming out and to find new authors to read. Can you tell that I spend way too much time online? LOL.

FPfAA: What items do you never leave the house without? (i.e pen, paper, nail polish..)

Jennifer: Lip balm, tissues, sunglasses, and a book or two to read

FPfAA: You have a time machine. Do you travel to the past or future (why)?

Jennifer: I think I would go to the past. I love reading stories about the American West, and I think it would be cool to travel back in time and see it for myself.

*****

Jennifer Estep writes the Mythos Acad¬emy young adult urban fan¬tasy series for Kens¬ing¬ton. The books focus on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psy¬chom¬e¬try, or the abil¬ity to know an object’s his¬tory just by touch¬ing it. After a seri¬ous freak-out with her magic, Gwen is shipped off to Mythos Acad¬emy, a school for the descen¬dants of ancient war-riors like Spar¬tans, Valkyries, Ama¬zons, and more.

Touch of Frost, the first book in the series, will be published on July 26. First Frost, a prequel e-story to the series, is available now as a 99-cent download. Kiss of Frost, the second book, will hit shelves on Nov. 29. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more information.

For contests, extra content and more information about Kensington’s Kteen Academy, please visit: www.facebook.com/kteenbooks

*****

Thanks to Teen Book Scene for the blog tour and to Jennifer for answering my questions!!

Look out for my review on August 10th!

Sherry<3

Early Buzz Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

2011-07-14T19:09:00.000-04:00

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Publication Date: November 15th, 2011

Published By: HarperTeen

Hardcover, 352 Pages

Source: Received from publisher for an honest review

Summary:

"Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel."

My Review: ***** = 5 Stars

(Spoiler-FREE review)

This has to be one of the toughest reviews I have ever written. Whether I write it now, a month before it comes out, or a month after, there is so much I cannot include if I don't want to spoil all of you out there that have not had the pleasure of reading it yet, and I REALLY don't want to spoil it for you. I will do my best to get my feelings across, and I will certainly not spoil anything for you.

I'll start with how I feel about the book overall. This truly is a beautiful book. With beautiful writing and characterization and words that will make you fall in love<3. It is so well written.. I couldn't have been happier with what I was reading, and how it was written, and that it was living up to my expections, even exceeding them.

Juliette is a complicated character. She is not the weakling girl that everyone has to take care of, nor is she the strong amazing never fail girl that can do it all. She has flaws, but she handles them with grace. Her main flaw or gift (to be deterimined while you read the book), is the power to kill with her touch, and this is very much what makes her so complicated. Her story is very much a heartbreaking one, but she grows and allows her heartbreak to also heal her.

The introduction of Adam, who you will learn all about when you read the book, is quite genius. The chemistry between Juliette and Adam is off the charts. Unfortunately, that is all I will say on this subject. ;)

Throughout the novel, there are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages until the very end. The character relationships and backstories were some of my very favorite parts of this novel. Probably some of my favorites from any novel (especially the backstories, Tahereh Mafi YOU'RE BRILLIANT!)...

Now I'll talk about what I didn't like. It's not enough to change my overall feelings, which is that this book is stunning and amazing, but I did feel that there were some things that if done differently could have made this book a masterpiece and not just close to perfect. The first half of the book, and the second half, had a very different feel to them. In the first half, the focus is on Juliette. Her story, backstory, how she has changed, what is going on with her internally etc. I really loved her internal stuggle, and how Mafi conveys that to us in the writing. It was definitely the most interesting and intriguing writing in the entire book. Near the halfway point though, the internal thoughts kind of fade away. Juliette's side thoughts are taken out. I know the book is moving forward and as the character changes, so must the story, but I really wish that part of Juliette stayed throughout the entire novel. Also, near the end of the book there is a huge twist. It definitely isn't bad so don't get all worried. But part of me feels that with this twist, it took Shatter Me and turned it from an amazingly unique one of a kind novel, into something we have seen before. It's very hard to explain without being able to tell you why I feel that way, but there you have it.

Now please don't let this deduct from all of what I have previously said.
THIS IS STILL AN AMAZING BOOK! I love it, and I have no doubts that most everybody will too.

One of the best of the year by far and without a doubt.

I definitely recommend this to any fan of anything. This isn't something you want to miss.

On a side note... let's talk about the cover^^^! I have waited to post this review until the cover was released, which was earlier today. This cover is just as stunning as the book itself, and it fits it perfectly. Mad props to HarperTeen on an outstanding job with this one!

***

Shatter Me is now available for Pre-Order. Check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Borders to pre-order yours now!

Want to learn more about debut author Tahereh Mafi? Check out her blog, tumblr or twitter page!

***

Sherry<3

Review: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

2011-07-12T19:53:00.000-04:00

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Publication Date: June 7th, 2011

Published By: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Hardcover, 288 Pages

Source: Review Copy received from Big Honcho Media for honest review

Summary:

Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies."

Review: *** 1/2 Stars

Forgotten was a great debut from author Cat Patrick. It deals with a girl named London that has a unique problem. She can't remember anything from her past, but she can remember things from her future. It makes for an interesting storyline, albeit a confusing one. Until you really understand what is going on, you have to think about what it means to forget your past, and remember your future (see are you confused yet??).

London was a memorable main character that you can't help but feel symphathy for with her unique problem/condition/whatever you want to call it. I enjoyed how the author wrote about London's life, how the character lived with her problem. However I don't think it is very possible. The only people that knew of London's problem was London, her best friend Jamie, and her mother. I can understand her writing notes about what happened every night, but to be able to pull off everyday that you remember everyone and everything that has happened is just... unrealistic in my opinion. Interesting and entertaining definitely though.

Throw in a cute guy with whom she doesn't remember (she remembers her future, and she sees him at school and has no recolletion of him from her future) and that adds some mystery and intrigue to the story (even more so than before), not to mention some great chemistry between Luke and London.

Overall, a good book, that keeps you interested from the start. Also, plenty of twists to keep you wanting more.

Learn more about debut author Cat Patrick at her webpage.

Sherry<3

I have a computer... finally!

2011-07-04T20:29:00.000-04:00

So for the past three and a half weeks I haven't had a computer to use. I've been tweeting and keeping up with the blogging world (or trying to) from my phone and iPad (which has potential but you certainly can't do posts and such on it, and if you can someone please teach me!).

Anywho, I haven't had access to posting reviews or anything. I have some stuff planned to go up pronto, that should have been posted in the past two weeks, and I apologize to the those that were supposed to have reviews go up (certain blog tours and special giveaways and such). I will be getting the up asap and I won't have to worry about lack of a computer anymore because I just got a new laptop (thank the lord!!!).

Once again, I apologize for the inconvience.

Please check back on Wednesday for a review of Forgotten by Cat Patrick and a Forgotten Prize Pack Giveaway!

Sherry<3

Guest Post from Crush Control author Jennifer Jabaley!

2011-06-15T13:41:00.001-04:00

I am super thrilled to be hosting author Jennifer Jabaley today as part of the blog tour for her recently released novel Crush Control (June 9th from Razorbill Penguin). A YA novel about hypnosis (It's pretty great, make sure you stop back by tomorrow to check out my review!).

Since Crush Control is about hypnosis, I asked her who she would hypnotize and why if she had the ability to.

Please welcome Jennifer! :)

* * * * *

When I was writing CRUSH CONTROL I did a lot of research on hypnosis. Hypnosis is a form of unconsciousness that resembles sleep but actually the person is fully awake and hyper aware. Under this state, they show a heightened suggestability, therefore it's easy to get someone to do something, however crazy, when they are in this trance-like state. Naturally, this leads to endless possiblities of humor which is the basis of stage hypnosis. This is the kind of hypnosis that leads Willow to perform a hypnosis show at a party and eventually try and control the mind and heart of a boy.

This kind of hypnosis that would be so helpful to me, as a mother, if I could hypnotize my kids and make them perfect angels :) "Why yes, Mom, I would love to clean my room and clean the bathroom and do my homework and by the way, you are such a great Mom..." Ahhhh, life could be so much easier. And while I'm at it, why not make my husband be a little more doting. "Have you lost weight, Jen? You're looking so tone and taught. And by the way, this dinner is amazing. You just sit back and relax and let me clean the dishes..." Yes, this hypnosis thing is looking more tempting all the time :) Ahh, but as I know, from poor Willow's story, trying to change a person's heart and mind is a tricky thing.

Rather, there is another type of hypnosis and that is called hypno-therapy. It's when the same priciples of hypnosis are used to try and help a person change a habit. This type of hypnosis can be successful in helping someone with insomnia, weight loss, fear of flying....so many things. So to answer your question, if I had the ability to hypnotize someone, I think I would use hypno-therapy to help a guy I know fight a twenty year smoking habit that he's been unable to kick.

Thanks so much for having me!!

* * * * * * *

Thanks so much for stopping by Jennifer!

To learn more about Jennifer you can check out her webpage here, or follow her on Twitter.

Sherry<3

The Nine Lives of Chloe King

2011-06-14T18:14:00.000-04:00

As today is (finally) June 14th, ABC Family's new show, The Nine Lives of Chloe King will be premiering at 9pm(8c).

Even before the Nine Paths game I was looking forward to this! And since the show is based on a book series, that increases my intrigue ten fold.

If you aren't doing anything you should definitely tune in, and if you're busy, DVR it and watch it later.

I want to hear all of your thoughts on the show after it's over, but please no spoilers for the followers/readers of this blog who won't be able to watch tonight but DO STILL want to watch it without being spoiled ahead of time.

Let me know, will you be tuning in?

circle 13, aka Sherry<3

Die for Me by Amy Plum (Review)

2011-06-02T12:29:00.000-04:00

Die for Me by Amy Plum

Publication Date: May 10th, 2011

Published By: HarperTeen

Hardcover, 352 Pages

Source: ARC received from Inkpop/Publisher for Honest Review

Summary:

"In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again."

Review: ***** = 5 Stars

I saw the (original) cover for this book before I heard anything about it, and that is what initially got me interested (Don't get my wrong I love the final cover too!). After I read the summary, it definitely sounded like something I would enjoy. And it was. Die for Me has everything we readers look for in a novel. Characters that come to life(which is ironic if you've read the book), a great and unique storyline, action, mystery and of course, romance. Not once throughout reading this did I ever think it needed something more, or something different. I was thrilled at reading something with such a different concept than most books out there, but one that was still able to give us what us YA lovers crave, some good romance!

Kate, the main character, travels with her sister to Paris after the death of their parents. They settle in with their grandparents and go about exploring all of the things they once knew (from previous visits). I have to say, the setting in Die for Me is amazing. As someone who has never been to Paris, I loved the descriptions this book offered. I didn't have to worry about coming up with any ideas about how things might be over there, Amy did a pretty amazing job of making certain us readers KNEW and were able to see just how everything is, the food, the city, and the museums. It was like I was exploring the city on my own.

Along the way Kate meets Vincent. A (gorgeous) guy for the most part, but also somewhat of a mystery. Since the majority of this book deals with Vincent and his friends, I won't go into detail about The Revenants. It's just not the same reading a book when you know everything ahead of time. But I will say that I loved the characters in Die for Me, and the relationships they all had.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I've already made some of my family members read it, and they have all loved it too. If you like paranormal books, action, mystery and romance, then this is one you don't want to miss!

What did you think of Die for Me, or if you haven't read it, will you give it a shot?

Sherry<3

The Nine Paths to Chloe King

2011-05-29T11:06:00.000-04:00

I recently received an email from ABC Family asking me if I wanted to participate in a game that takes place in the three weeks prior to the premier of their new show, The Nine Lives of Chloe King.

I was lucky enough to participate in last years Pretty Little Liars challenge and that was a lot of fun, so of course I said yes.

While I was away at BEA, the "game box" showed up at my house. I wasn't able to see it until I came home on Friday, but what was inside was definitely exciting.

Here's what came in the box:

An custom Ipad2, or for the game, a "MaiPad"

A Russian Birth Certificate

A Letter

A Circle Charm

A Bib

(The box itself is wooden with symbols carved into it)

I've already completed the first two tasks (there is a total of 9). The first one consisted of folding up my birth certificate and finding a location. I then had to go to my "MaiMap," which was located on the MaiPad. I then had to look up the meaning of the location. The second task consisted of answering three questions about an ancient egyptian sculpture, and then using those answer to watch a Youtube video. If you want to check it out, simply put "Bastet Sun Bubastis" in your Youtube search engine and you can listen to the message yourself!

ALSO, ABC Family has a free gift offer going on now. You can get your very own circle charm, from now until 6/14/11(or until supplies last). All you have to do is be a follower of any of the people participating in The Nine Paths to Chloe King game, and use the code given. This offer is open to residents of the 50 US states and D.C.

Just go here and enter the code below.

http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/nine-lives-chloe-king/nine-paths

The code for the circle charm is "Circle"

Please know it will take 8-10 weeks to receive your free gift!

I will keep updating about the challenges as they come (I may need your help)!

Sherry<3

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

2011-05-25T09:00:00.025-04:00

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Publication Date: May 10th, 2011

Published By: Walker Books for Young Readers

Hardcover, 352 Pages

Souce: ARC received from the author/ Teen Book Scene Blog Tour

Summary:

"Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance."

My Review: **** = 4 Stars

I was very eager to read this book as it pertains to mermaids and I haven't read any mermaids books(at least none that I can think of at this time). It is a relatively less written about paranormal type of book than say vampires or werewolves, so it was unique in that aspect alone.

Tempest Maguire's mother left home for the ocean when she was eleven years old. When Tempest's 17th birthday approaches, and the time following, she will have to make the choice of whether to stay human, or to embrace the life her mother passed on to her, that of a mermaid.

I really enjoyed the character relationships throughout the book. Tempest has her on-again off-again boyfriend Mark, and her best guy friends, as well as her best girl friends. She also meets Kai, a fellow water creature, with whom a relationship blossoms. When it comes down to it she is very close to her family, thanks to her mother for abandoning them six years prior.

The whole mermaid ordeal was quite interesting to read about. Especially everything that happens to Tempest along the way, and the ultimate decision she has to make. I really loved the direction it took and I was very pleased with the outcome.

The general idea has definitely opened up my eyes to other books that fall in this category and I hope I can find other books portraying such creatures as mermaids. Definitely recommend for any fans of magic/paranormal and the likes.

Sherry<3

Into the Past w/ Tracy Deebs + Giveaway (Tempest Rising Blog Tour)

2011-05-12T13:30:00.000-04:00

I'm so pleased to host Tracy Deebs today, author of the recently released Tempest Rising (Walker Books for Young Readers, May 10th, 2011).

For Into the Past, the question is:

What books do you think your past self would recommend at ages 5, 12, 17 and 20?

Please welcome Tracy! :)

***

Thanks for having me, Sherry! I’ve been a huge reader my whole life, so your prompt made me very, very excited!

At 5, I would have recommended the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, and any book that had Wonder Woman in it (I’m still a huge fan of both to this day)  Oh, and If I Ran the Circus by Dr. Seuss.

At 12, I probably would have recommended the Sweet Valley High series and Forever by Judy Blume. I also loved the Sunfire Historical YA series, where each book was a girl’s name and she lived in a different time in history (the gold rush, New Orleans during pirating times, the American Revolution). A new one came out each month and I devoured them. This was also the time I feel in love with romance novels—especially ones by Jude Deveraux, Nora Roberts and Linda Lael Miller.

At 17, I was obsessed with Anthem by Ayn Rand, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

At 20, the Awakening by Kate Chopin changed my life. I also loved the Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and the poetry of Anne Sexton and Pablo Neruda.

How about you? What is one of your favorite books? Leave a comment and be entered to win a copy of Tempest Rising.

*******

There you have it!

Go ahead and leave a comment telling us one of your favorite books and be enetered to win a copy of Tempest Rising! US Only! Will run for 7 days: 5/12/11 - 5/19/11 and the winner will be announced on Friday 5/20/11.

*Special thanks to Teen Book Scene for hosting this Blog Tour and to Tracy Deebs on taking the time to stop by!

Sherry<3

Character Tweets: Compulsion by Heidi Ayarbe Blog Tour + Swag Giveaway!

2011-05-05T12:30:00.000-04:00

As part of the blog tour for Heidi Ayarbe's Compulsion(which was just released from Balzer & bray/HarperCollins on May 3rd!), she's allowed us to see what the twitter feed of some of the characters from her books might look like. Featured in this feed is Luc from Compulsion, Cappy from Compromised, and Jason from Freeze Frame!

~~~~~~~

Character Tweets: If some of your characters had Twitter accounts, what would their tweet convos be like?

(Character tweets between Jason (from Freeze Frame), Cappy (from Compromised) and Luc (from Compulsion) …)

Jason: Hey, Cappy. Thought you couldn’t read and write.

Cappy: Listen, Dead Boy, if you can do some other-world tweeting, I’ll take care on my end. At least I can touch the fuckin’ keyboard.

Jason: Mind over matter.

Cappy: You’ve got neither, dead boy. Or do you have a mind? Do dead people keep their minds?

Luc: Hijueputa. And I thought M&M was nuts. I’m tweeting with dead guy and illiterate. I’ll take OCD boy, any day.

Cappy: Watch what you say, Pablo. Dude, are you really Colombian? Did you know Escobar? Orejuela?

Luc: Did you know Al Capone? There are like 40 million Colombians. I know about fifty. Escobar isn’t one. And he’s dead.

pause

Cappy: Hey, Dead Boy, can you get Escobar on the line?

Jason: I have a name. It’s Jason. And you could show a little respect for the dead.

Cappy: Whatever.

Luc: Mierda, a sensitive dead guy. That’s all I need.

Jason: You’d think you could appreciate the effort I’m making to contact the living world.

Cappy: You need a ghost whisperer or something?

Luc: Or an exorcist?

Cappy: Or a séance?

Luc: Did you hack into someone’s twitter account. Hey. Can you do that? Like an FBI Ouija board.

Jason: Thanks guys.

Cappy: Dude, take an upper or something. Or were you on the life’s a picnic train? What’s it like up there, anyway? Do you get to hang out with … I dunno.

Jason: Why does everyone always assume it’s up?

Luc: And he’s a pendejo, too.

Jason: I’m just saying that the notion of heaven and hell being up and down is pretty elementary.

Luc: Did you even have friends when you were alive? You seem like a total tool.

Cappy: No kidding “notion of heaven and hell” hoity-toity. So. Do you know anybody up there?

Luc: Here we go with the Escobar cliché. Christ. I don’t know who’s worse, you with Escobar obsession or … never mind.

Cappy: I’m not thinking of Escobar. I’m just wondering if he knows kids up there.

Luc: Yeah. It’s probably like one big happy Facebook page, poking, and farm animal collecting.

Jason: It’s not up.

Cappy: You can’t tweet with this dude. At all. Like total asswipe.

Luc: Agreed. We’re not trying to get all transcendental and shit. Just answer the gd question.

Jason: I’ve been out of touch for a while. What’s Facebook? This Twitter thing is weird enough.

Luc: What are you, pre-historic?

Jason: I died in 2008.

Cappy: Luc: PREHISTORIC !

Luc: Jurassic Dead Guy!

Cappy: He probably was there for the Big Bang.

Luc: The Ten Commandments. Dude, @Jason chiseled on stone? Paint some caves?

Jason:

Luc: @Cappy I think we pissed him off. C’mon, man. We’re just messin’ with you @Jason.

Cappy: @Jason Hello? Hello?

Cappy: @Luc, did you hear an echo?

Luc: Maybe he got disconnected. Imagine WiFi with that kind of range. Crazy unstable.

Jason: I’m here. I think this must be hell.

Luc: What? Twitter? Nah. Learn to use the hashtags, and you’ll be all over that #chatwithdeadboy

Cappy: Nice #chatwithdeadboy

Jason: Can you at least give someone a message?

Luc: Don’t forget #chatwithdeadboy hashtag, tool.

Cappy: I knew this was coming. Some dead guy always has to leave a message. #chatwithdeadboy.

Luc: Very Hollywood. #chatwithdeadboy

Cappy: Why don’t you just tweet your message? #chatwithdeadboy

Jason: Nevermind. I’ll find this Facebook thing.

Luc: @Jason DON’T FORGET THE FREAKING HASHTAG #chatwithdeadboy This is pointless.

Jason: That’s it?

Luc: You can follow me, dude, but I’ve got shit to do. In the real world. Have fun with the angels. Oh. BTW. Are they mad hot? Like sizzling?

Jason: You want to know about hot angels? Really? You forgot #chatwithdeadboy

Luc: Ran out of characters.

Cappy: Hey @Jason I’ll send your message if you send mine.

Jason: I’m going to regret this.

Luc: Making deals with the dead. Pass. Just watch out for my old man. He’s a mean hijueputa.

Jason: @Luc Thanks for the tip.

Cappy: @Jason Waiting. Message?

Jason: I’ll DM you.

Luc: Catching on.

Cappy: Fine. DM.

Luc: Jason: Cappy: Bye.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Very interesting! Now I'll have to pick up Compromised and Freeze Frame!

In addition to the Twitter Feed, Heidi is giving one lucky commenter(US Only, sorry guys!) some awesome SWAG!

Here's a list of what is included in the Swag Pack: signed book plate, book marks, Colombia surprise (magnet, coffee candy, CHIVA) etc.

You have one week(3/5/11-3/12/11) to leave a comment(be sure to include your email address) and the winner will be selected the following day!

Good luck!

*Special thanks to Heidi and to Teen Book Scene!

Sherry<3

Review: Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese(Blog Tour)

2011-04-30T14:55:00.000-04:00

Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese

Publication Date: April 26th, 2011

Published By: St. Martin's Griffin

Paperback, 320 Pages

Source: ARC received from published, Teen Book Scene Blog Tour

Summary:

"Ade Patience can see the future and it's destroying his life. When the seventeen-year-old Mantlo High School student knocks himself unconscious, he can see days and decades into his own future. Ade's the best of Denver's "divination" underground and eager to join the heralded Mantlo Diviners, a group of similarly enabled teens. Yet, unlike the Diviners, Ade Patience doesn't see the future out of curiosity or good will; Ade gives himself concussions because he's addicted to the high, the Buzz, he gets when he breaks the laws of physics. And while there have been visions he's wanted to change, Ade knows the Rule: You can't change the future, no matter how hard you try.

His memory is failing, his grades are in a death spiral, and both Ade's best friend and his shrink are begging him to stop before he kills himself. Ade knows he needs to straighten-out. Luckily, the stunning Vauxhall Rodolfo has just transferred to Mantlo and, as Ade has seen her in a vision two years previously, they're going to fall in love. It's just the motivation Ade needs to kick his habit. Only things are a bit more complicated. Vauxhall has an addiction of her own, and, after a a vision in which he sees Vauxhall's close friend, Jimmy, drown while he looks on seemingly too wasted to move, Ade realizes that he must break the one rule he's been told he can't.

The pair must overcome their addictions and embrace their love for each other in order to do the impossible: change the future."

Review: *** 1/2 = 3.5 Stars

The idea behind Future Imperfect is quite creative and interesting. Ade Patience is a teen in high school that can see the future by giving himself concussions. How far in the future can differ, sometime weeks, and other times decades. The after effect of seeing the future leaves Ade with a Buzz, his type of high.

The beginning focuses on Ade's ability, and what he has done to himself in the past to look into his future, as well as the love of his life, a girl he has seen in his visions. The story is fast paced and I'm glad for Ade's constant thought processes and repeated concussion attempts. It keeps the story moving at a swift pace and also kept me interested.

I will admit that some aspects of the story are kinda crazy. What Ade does himself in some situations is just messed up(diving off a skate ramp head first??). But then I think, what about some users out there that do absolutely rediculous stuff to get more of the drug they need a fix on? It's the same thing, and while it works, its still out there.

Vauxhall, Ade's true love, has an addiction of her own. His friend(not really friend) Jimi, is just messed up, and his best friend Paige is just kind of there. She's mostly seen throughout the novel telling Ade he's selfish. I was there was more to their relationship. Other than that he doesn't really have any relationships throughout the novel, besides the one with his mother, and shes a total church nut who thinks Ade's visions have significant religious meaning.

A lot of connections come together at the end, and there was a lot more meat to the story in the second half.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I wanted more from it. It was worth the read though for the concept alone.

**Special thanks to Teen Book Scene for hosting the Future Imperfect Blog Tour.

Sherry<3

When I'm Not Writing w/ Janet Gurtler(I'm Not Her Blog Tour)

2011-04-29T11:26:00.000-04:00

Joining us today is Janet Gurtler, author of the upcoming release I'm Not Her(Sourcebooks Fire, May 1st, 2011). As part of the blog tour for her books' release, she's here to tell us what she does when she isn't writing!

Please welcome Janet!

******

What do you do when you're not writing?

Gosh am I ever not writing? If not at the actual laptop usually I’m plotting or making notes in my head even when I don’t even realize it. But of course I do have a life outside of writing too.

I am Mom to a super cool ten year old boy who swims with a swim team in a town close to the city where I live. He swims every day except Sunday so I spend a lot of time at the pool. I use that time to either work out at the gym in the recreation centre where he swims, or I um. Write.

Right now I am not working at a job outside of writing, but that may change. I have worked in sales years. (more than I care to remember lol). Up until January I was working for a cool toy company as a sales rep/merchandiser. I’ve also been a liquor representative and worked for major consumer goods companies like Kraft. And yes, all those jobs did involve free samples.

Oh. I’ve done some Mystery Shopping lately, for a company one of my old bosses runs. Jobs come up once in a while and it’s pretty easy and mostly fun to do, but I usually end up spending more money than I make when I’m doing it.

Things that I love- Bargains! I am way more excited at finding bargains than I should be. I have been known to buy things I don’t need because they are such a great deal. I kind of have a closet that proves it. For example, my son has about 359 t-shirts. And I have a bin full of party favors I’ll probably never use.

I actually really like to exercise and it makes me feel so much more sane. When I’m not exercising I get kind of grouchy. I’m not super fit or super athletic. A few years ago I did a couple of sprint triathlons, the short easy kind. But I came to terms with the fact that I really am not that fond of running. I’m not very good at swimming and I don’t own a road bike. So now I do weights and use the treadmill or elliptical machine and it’s all good.

I have a nutty but loveable husband who is crazy about building and fixing things, so somehow I became co-pilot to a cabin he is building in the mountains. It’s a lot of work and takes up a lot of our time (and money) I was never really a fix it kind of gal, but it’s his passion, and he tries to support mine, so I try to play nice. It may even be finished sometime this century.

I love music, loud and dancey. I love puppies and books of course and have a sweet tooth and when I get upset I eat my emotions. I have no self-control around cake mostly due to my love of icing.

**********************

Thanks so much for sharing with us Janet!

Special thanks to Teen Book Scene for hosting this blog tour! Check out their webpage to see where the next stop on this tour is!

Tens List: Amy Plum(Die for Me Blog Tour)

2011-04-26T10:07:00.000-04:00

I'm so happy to have Amy Plum on the blog today, sharing with us her OCD List of Favorite Films! Amy is the author of the upcoming Die for Me(Revenants #1), which is being released on May 10th from HarperTeen. I was lucky enough to read this early and I can't wait to share my review with you! It's wonderful! :)

Please welcome Amy!

~~~~~~

Amy's OCD List of Favorite Films

I love films SO MUCH that it is impossible to choose only ten. So I'm going to cheat. The uppermost echelon of my film pantheon can be grouped under the following categories:

ALMOST EVERYTHING WITH OR BY, listing only my top 2 of each

Audrey Hepburn (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday);

Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine, Being John Malkovich);

Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums)

The Coen Brothers (Raising Arizona, Fargo)

Pedro Almodovar (Women on the Verge, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down)

Monty Python (Holy Grail, Life of Brian)

Terry Gilliam (Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen)

Cedric Klapisch (When the Cat's Away, Not For or Against)

Rob Reiner (Princess Bride, Spinal Tap)

Luc Besson (Nikita, The Big Blue)

Once you subtract these movies out of the pot, I would then have to list my favorite French movies, which are:

10 FAVORITE FRENCH MOVIES (besides those listed above): A Very Long Engagement, The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain, Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children (all four by Jean-Pierre Jeunet), The Young Girls of Rochefort, Jean de Florette, Manon des Sources, Babette's Feast, Belle du Jour, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Which leaves:

Blade Runner, Matrix 1, Donnie Darko, Love Actually, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Pretty Woman, The Moderns, Juno, A Room with a View, Bridget Jones's Diary, Napoleon Dynamite, Dr. Strangelove, Pretty in Pink, The Winslow Boy

(What? That's more than 10? It's the best I can do!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing with us Amy!

Special thanks to Teen Book Scene for hosting this blog tour!

Sherry<3

Review: Compulsion by Heidi Ayarbe(Blog Tour)

2011-04-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

Compulsion by Heidi Ayarbe

Publication Date: May 1st, 2011

Published By: Balzer&Bray(HarperCollins Imprint)

Hardcover, 304 Pages

Source: ARC, Teen Book Scene Blog Tour

Summary:

"Today has to be perfect.

Magic.

I look at the clock.

10:14 am.

Ten fourteen. One plus one is two plus four is six plus ten is sixteen minus one is fifteen minus two is thirteen. OK.

I turn from the clock and walk into the hallway. "Ready.”

Saturday will be the third state soccer championship in a row for Jake Martin. Three. A good number. Prime. With Jake on the field, Carson City High can’t lose, because Jake has the magic: a self-created protection generated by his obsession with prime numbers. It’s the magic that has every top soccer university recruiting Jake, the magic that keeps his family safe, and the magic that suppresses his anxiety attacks. But the magic is Jake’s prison, because getting it means his compulsions take over nearly every aspect of his life.

Jake’s convinced the magic will be permanent after Saturday, the perfect day, when every prime has converged. Once the game is over, he won’t have to rely on his sister, Kasey, to concoct excuses for his odd rituals. His dad will stop treating him like he is some freak. Maybe he’ll even make a friend other than Luc.

But what if it doesn’t work?

What if the numbers never go away?

Acclaimed author Heidi Ayarbe has created an honest and riveting portrait of a teen struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder in this courageous and breathtaking novel."

My Review: *** 1/2 = 3.5 Stars

I'll start off this review by telling you all that this has got to be one of the most unique books I have ever read. Reading about a topic that you have no familiarity with is quite a different experience but possibly more enjoyable than books that repeat the same ideas over and over again. I don't suffer with OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and I don't know anyone that does. I have also never read anything about it, so I have nothing really to compare this to. I imagine that what the author has written is pretty close to how this disorder actually is for some people.

Jake Martin is a star soccer player that also suffers with OCD. In his mind, he is constantly using math on different sets of numbers(i.e the time) in hopes of getting a prime number. Times when primes aren't found, find Jake getting anxious and sick. Everything in his life is related to these numbers (at least that is how he feels). His continous winning on the soccer field, and especially, his family's safety.

While the book was good, parts of it were definitely confusing and at times, seemed irrational, but to people with OCD, it's not irrational at all. That's how everyday life is for them. It's actually quite amazing to get a glimpse into a persons life who suffers from it. That said, it was kind of distracting to constantly read about the numbers. I know that's what the book is about, but I felt like everytime I had to stop and read about adding this and subtracting this and so on that when it got back to the story I had to think back to where I was before everything went all mathematical.

I did enjoy how the story went into the family dynamics. We get to see the relationships with his parents (his mom is also Obsessive Compulsive) and his younger sister. There is also a really strong relationship throughout the book with Jake's best friend Luc.

Overall, this is something I recommend to anyone. People who have never had any experience with OCD, it will be eye-opening(it was for me), of for those of you who do, it might be interesting to escape into somebody elses OCD. There is some adult language so if you have a problem with the F work.. be warned it is used throughout the book.

To learn more about Heidi, check out her webpage.

Special thanks to Teen Book Scene for hosting this blog tour!

Sherry<3

Winner of The Goddess Test!!

2011-04-20T19:09:00.000-04:00

I have FINALLY selected the winner of a brand new copy of The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter.

There were a total of 232 entrants (the most that have ever entered a giveaway on my blog!) and 1242 total entries. Yea, it was crazy adding it up. There was no way I could verify all the entires so we totes went the honor route this go around.

After randomizing the numbers, and selected a random number from there (kinda like a drew out of a hat), the lucky winner is....

(drum roll please)

........

.......

.....

A Rick (email starting danceislove)

Congrats A!

I am sending you an email now!

To those of you who didn't win this time, I will be hosting another contest soon!

Sherry<3

There's still time! Inkpop Weekly Writing Challenge featuring Die for Me

2011-04-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

The latest weekly writing challenge, which started April 14th, still has another three days to go. The 6th event in the Dark Days of Supernatural Writing Challenges features Die for Me by Amy Plum.

Here's the summary for the writing challenge:

"Die for Me is unlike any other paranormal you have ever read. Instead of a cold and rainy atmosphere, imagine being shipped off to Paris after a tragic accident leaves you orphaned. While there you meet a dark and mysterious guy who, instead of living forever, dies repeatedly. That is just beginning of Die for Me.

So now that you know there are paranormals unlike any you have ever imagined lets reimagine what immortality might do to you. Write a short story, poem or essay that imagines a life that never ends. What does this world look like? Are you happy, sad or weirdly immune to the world around you? Did you give up the hope of death to save someone you love or to be with that person forever? Tell us about it in the Die for Me writing challenge."

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the weekly challenges over at HarperCollins Inkpop site, writers can submit a short story, poem or essay following the given guidelines, two people who submit entries and two people who comment on the entries, will win the featured book, Die for Me by Amy Plum, as well as three other books from the HarperTeen Catalog.

For more info on how to enter, go check out the main post over on Inkpop!

Good luck to those of you that enter!!

Sherry<3

Review: Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

2011-04-17T21:19:00.000-04:00

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Publication Date: March 8th, 2011

Published by: Flux

Paperback, 312 Pages

Source: Purchased

Summary:

"Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone's admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

That summer, Chelsea's dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and "boot camp" trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint's haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak?"

Review: *** 1/2 = 3.5 Stars

I've heard much praise for this book, and as a fan of all things contemporary, I knew I had to check it out for myself. As a whole, I enjoyed the book. The idea of a one time star athlete, losing out on her dreams and passions due to an injury, is very interesting to read about. I imagine it happens to people all the time, but it's not something I've read about in a YA book, so I really appreciated how well Holly was able to transfer that into something I would actually pick up.

There is one major factor that took away from this book for me, and that is the cheating that occurs. The main character and her family head out on vacation for three weeks during the summer, where Chelsea, a one time basketball star who broke her hip, gets a personal instructor for the summer. Can you guess what happens from there? I won't deny that the relationship between Chelsea and her instructor, Clint, wasn't combusting with chemistry. It's obvious that the two of them are supposed to be together, even if for just three short weeks. My problem comes in when Chelsea, who has been with her boyfriend Gabe for two years, doesn't even care that she has a boyfriend back home and begins a sexual relationship with Clint. I've seen where some people have justified the cheating in this book saying things like oh they weren't right for each other and so on and such, but come on, even if you don't know yet that you aren't right for each other, you still shouldn't hook up with someone else all while planning to go back to your actual boyfriend. I think if anyone is considering doing something with someone other than their partner, than obviously there are issues in your relationship and you probably shouldn't be with your significant other in the first place. In my opinion, break up with someone if you want to fool around. Relationships are serious things, and should be taken seriously. As someone who has been cheated on before, I would much rather get dumped than have someone go behind my back.

Okay, my apologies for the rant. I get a little heated when it comes to that topic. Moving on.

As the book was focused on Chelsea and Clint, the chapters went back and forth between the two. This is something I really enjoy reading when done right, and Holly definitely has. We are able to see both different characters, but are also able to see the relationship between the two. It was very well written. I also enjoyed the side characters even though we don't get to know any of them too much.

One thing that I really loved was the healing that Chelsea and Clint both experience. It was great to see them change in 300 pages. While the book takes place over three weeks, which is a relatively short time frams, their growth isn't rushed. We get to see them come out of their shells and experience things they never thought possible again.

Definitely a good contemp read. As far as who I recommend this book too, definitely older teens because of some mature content (sex scenes).

Feel free to share your opinion on the book in the comment section!

Sherry<3

Author Interview: K. Ryer Breese (Future Imperfect)

2011-04-11T07:32:00.000-04:00

Today, as part of the Teen Book Scene Blog Tour for Future Imperfect, I have the honor of hosting author K. Ryer Breese for an interview!

Please welcome K!

~~~

Flipping Pages for All Ages: Where did you get the idea/how did you come up with the idea of a teenager who can see the future, but who also has an addiction to that ability?

K. Ryer Breese: Hi Sherry. It was a few years ago. The book started life in '08 as a completely different manuscript. It centered on a young woman, mid-20s, who could see the future due to a certain genetic defect. It wasn't addictive but destructive. She needed medication to "treat" her divination and wound up addicted to the drugs. I took that basic idea and tweaked it. I've always thought that if a person truly had a supernatural ability -- something that breaks or bends the laws of physics -- it would likely be either very painful or very pleasurable. I can't imagine a bland ability.

FPfAA: How is having a book published different from having poetry and other fiction published in magazines?

KRB: Pretty different. This is my first YA novel but I've published several general fiction titles under another name. Switching from short fiction -- and even earlier, poetry -- involved a very steep learning curve. Writing for magazines, or websites, the canvas is not only more contained but the audience is typically more niche. It evolves and changes very quickly and you need to be on your toes. Novels are these glacial things that take quite a long time to move from your fingertips to the bookshelf. That being said, there is a wonderful thrill in seeing your book in a bookstore. And, now, on an e-reader. Addictive, really.

FPfAA: Did you know you wanted to write for young adults or did it just happen that way?

KRB: A little bit of both. I didn't read YA as a teen but jumped into adult novels at a fairly early age, around 10. But I always kind of wanted to find a YA novel that captured some of the same stuff that I found in the adult novels. When I started writing, I decided it'd be fun to attempt to write a novel that would have appealed to the teen me. Something edgy. Something complicated. Something that felt a bit dangerous. When "Future Imperfect" started coming together, I envisioned it as a "Fight Club" for teens.

FPfAA: Your website tells us your favorite authors, bands/groups and directors. What are your favorite book, song, and movie?

KRB: Hard one. I hate to be that guy, but I'm going to have to say I can't pick just one. So, cheating, I'll say this: My favorite book as of right now is Karen Russell's "Swamplandia." My favorite song as of last night is Freur's "Kiss Me." And most powerful movie I've seen in the past ten years is "The White Ribbon."

FPfAA: Do you have any other projects in the works?

KRB: Definitely. I'm hard at work on the sequel to "Future Imperfect" titled "Past Continuous." It'll likely be out next winter. I also write screenplays and have several currently "in the works."

~~~~~~

Thanks so much for letting us get to know you a little better K!

For more info about K. Ryer Breese, check out his webpage.

Future Imperfect will be released by St. Martins Griffin/Thomas Dunne Books on April 26th!

Sherry<3

Author Interview: Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed)

2011-04-09T15:12:00.000-04:00

I'm pleased to welcome Josephine Angelini to Flipping Pages for All Ages. I recently read her debut, Starcrossed(will be released by HarperTeen on May 31st), and fell in love with it. She was kind enough to answer some questions for us!

If you missed my review of Starcrossed, you can check it out here.

Please welcome Josephine!! :)

~~~~~~

Flipping Pages for All Ages: Starcrossed is based on Greek mythology, who is your favorite Greek God and why?

Josephine Angelini: I’ve always had a soft spot for Dionysus. He was the only Olympian that was born human, and he won his god-hood through a series of horrific events. He’s like Batman—he wasn’t born on Krypton or bitten by a radioactive spider, he just put in that extra effort, making wine and whatnot, to become “super”. Plus he loved plays and parties. Guy sounds like a blast.

FPfAA: The Delos family is made up of some pretty good looking guys, do you have a favorite? (I personally adore Hector!)

JA: My favorite is Lucas, of course!

But I do worry about girls that gravitate toward Hector, like you said you did. This is the boy your mother warned you about, you know. Don’t walk—run! He’s not a bad guy… but he will always pick his family over you and, sooner or later, he will totally break your heart!

FPfAA: You have finished book 2 in this series, Dreamless, and a third book will be released as well. Do you have any other books, not part of this series, in the works?

JA: I have another YA trilogy I want to write someday, hopefully right after this one. I actually came up with the idea before Starcrossed, but it was more complicated, and a bit darker with dystopian elements. My husband (rightly) suggested I start with something simpler for my first book. Not that Starcrossed is simple. Basically, what I did was start with a simple idea and complicated it from there… but the intent was to at least start simple.

FPfAA: You're stuck on an island, you have these following items with you, what are they?

JA: CD: In Rainbows by Radiohead or The Verve years of Billie Holiday

Book: Collected Shakespeare. Can’t go wrong with good ole Will.

Nail Polish: I’m more of a lip-gloss girl. Korres lip butter in Jasmine.

Shoes: On an island? Whatever didn’t get me bit by sharks.

Hot Male Celebrity: Whoever’s the funniest and smartest. After the “new car smell” wears off a guy he better be good at conversation and he’d better make me laugh. I don’t care how buff he is—knuckleheads are not allowed! After a few months I’d be trying to feed him to that shark.

FPfAA: They're making a biography about you, which actress would you prefer played the lead role?

JA: Angelina Jolie. It makes no sense whatsoever. We don’t look anything alike and she’s about a million times both cooler and hotter than me (just go with the paradox), but I don’t care. I’ve always wanted to be a sexy action heroine, like Lara Croft.

FPfAA: This or that:

JA: Pepsi or Coke: Coffee

Chocolate or Vanilla: Licorice (both red and black)

Movies or Television: Books

Night in or Night Out: Out for dinner, back home early.

Paperback or Hardcover: Kindle

Winter or Summer: Fall or Spring

FPfAA: You're all time favorite:

JA: I only have an answer for one of these questions. I’m not really a “favorites” kind of person. I spend a lot of time on the fence about things, if you hadn’t already noticed from my previous answers! But Meryl has never let me down. Love that woman!

Book-

Author-

Animal-

Actress-Meryl Streep.

Actor-

Vacation Spot-

FPfAA: What is the one question you get asked all the time, and hate answering?

JA: I have to say it’s the “most embarrassing moment” question, which you, thankfully, didn’t ask. Who the heck would ever answer that one truthfully? I’m serious! Would you ever spill your guts like that and tell the whole world the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you? It doesn’t even make any sense.

FPfAA: And what is the one question that never comes up, but that you wish someone would ask?

JA: No one ever asks me about zombies. I’m just dying to tell someone what I really think about zombies.

FPfAA: You're kind of bored with your name and decide to pick something new, what is it?

JA: Angelina Jolie. Or Meryl Streep. Or the love-child of their names, Angeryl Joreep.

~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for stopping by Josephine!

To learn more about Josephine Angelini, you can check out her webpage here

go follow her on twitter.

Make sure to stop by later this week, I will be giving away a Pre-Order of Starcrossed! :)

Sherry<3

Review: Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

2011-03-28T17:42:00.001-04:00

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Publication Date: April 19th, 2011

Published By: Simon Pulse

Paperback, 336 Pages

Source: Simon&Schuster Galley Grab for Honest Review

Summary:

"Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....

Not your typical beach read"

Review: **** 1/2 = 4.5 Stars

I read Hannah's first book, Break, last year, and I loved it. I am very glad that Invincible Summer was great as well, and has lived up to its hype, IMHO. Hannah writes with a certain roughness. I don't mean the writing itself, but the characters and relationships. Break was very gritty and powerful and Invincible Summer is very much the same in that way. I appreciate the way she writes. It comes off as honest and real and when I read the words she puts together, it feels as if she holds nothing back. You can tell when you read her work that she puts all of herself into and holds nothing back, and there is something quite amazing about that.

There were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed immensely. For one, the characters. While I wish there was more of them, more revelation of who they are, were and especially what will become of them, books can only last so long. There were many characters that played huge roles throughout the novel and with that many characters I imagine it is hard to delve to far into any one character. I enjoyed the Camus quotes that are scattered throughout the text, and I think it was one of the main things that tied some of the characters together. I really enjoyed the format of the book. I think splitting the novel off into four different summers was brilliant. Maybe its the fact that for each section, Hannah was able to pick up a year later and could show growth as well as similar aspects from the summer before. I read in an interview that Hannah did over on A Good Addiction, that for this type of story the author really needs to know the characters and what goes on in between each summer, even if we don't see that stuff, because its important that we see the same character but we also need to see the effect and change and growth. And it is apparent that she knows her characters, otherwise the transition from summer to summer in this book would not have been so smooth.

I feel that the cover doesn't do this book justice. When I look at the cover I imagine this book would be Chick Lit, but after reading it, Invincible Summer is so much more. It is very much a family-oriented piece. It deals with family problems, a hearing disability, first loves, sex, sibling bonding, friendships, loyalty, loss and so much more.

I would definitely recommend this to any Contemp fans(Readers- there is sex involved in this novel, so it might not be appropriate for younger readers).

Opinions? Have you read or do you plan on reading Invincible Summer? I would love to know what your thoughts are!

Sherry<3

Inkpop Weekly Writing Challenge featuring Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer!

2011-03-26T12:16:00.000-04:00

The newest weekly challenge is posted over at inkpop and this is one you don't want to miss. It coincides with Jennifer Archer's upcoming April release, Through Her Eyes.

Summary of Through Her Eyes:

"Every ghost has a story to tell.

The last place Tansy Piper wants to be is stuck in Cedar Canyon, Texas, in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of small-town kids. But when her mother decides to move to the desolate West Texas town, Tansy has no choice but to go along. Once there, Tansy is immediately drawn to the turret of their rickety old house, a place she soon learns has a disturbing history. But it's the strange artifacts she finds in the cellar—a pocket watch, a journal of poetry, and a tiny crystal—that have the most chilling impact on her.

Tansy soon finds that through the lens of her camera, she can become part of a surreal black-and-white world where her life is intertwined with that of mysterious, troubled Henry, who lived in the same house and died decades earlier. It seems their lives are linked by fate and the artifacts she found, but as Tansy begins spending more and more time in the past, her present world starts to fade away. Tansy must untangle herself from Henry's dangerous reality—before she loses touch with her own life forever."

The Challenge:

"Photographs represent a moment captured in time. Now it's your turn. Write a story, poem or essay about a photograph you would like to step into to enter a moment in time from the past."

There will be four winners, two writers and two commenters, and each will snag a copy of Through Her Eyes as well as three additional picks from the HarperTeen Catalog!

To get all of the information, and/or to sumbit your entry, just go here.

Good luck to all of you who choose to enter!!!

Sherry<3

Divergent Winner!

2011-03-26T11:51:00.000-04:00

Hello my lovelies!

Sorry for the delay(and recent absence from the blog), but I have finally selected a winner for a Pre-Order of Divergent by Veronica Roth!

The entries were tallied and I used the wonderful Random.org to select one lucky winner....

and that lucky winner is.....

**********

*****

Jasmine aka The Reading Housewife

***********

Congrats Jasmine! I will send you an email shortly and your book will be pre-ordered for you!

If you didn't win, don't fret. I will most likely be having another contest for Divergent because of it's epicness. You can also enter to win a Pre-Order of The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter, that contest ends 4/15/2011.

On a side note: I want to apoligize for not being around lately. My job and school have me so stressed and worn out, that I haven't had time to read/blog/have a life. It's unfortunate but when times like this arise, we have to choose, and while I may enjoy blogging more than school or work, they are my priorities. Sucky but that's the way it is. So bear with me, I swear I'm not gone for good!! :)

Sherry<3

In My Mailbox: March Edition

2011-03-19T17:24:00.000-04:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, and inspired by Alea at PopCulture Junkie.

Seeing as the last time I did one of these was a month ago, we'll just call this the March edition.

For Review:

My Life, the Theater and Other Tragedies

Trials by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Illusions by Aprilynne Pike

Animorphs: The Invasion & The Visitor by K.A. Applegate

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Rage by Jackie Morse Kesslar

Not Pictured:

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

When Colors Bleed by Estevan Vega (ebook format)

E-galleys from Netgalley:

Die for Me by Amy Plum

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett

Possession by Elana Johnson

The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

*Special thanks to Egmont Books, Scholastic, HarperCollins/HarperTeen, Hyperion, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon&Schuster, Little Brown books for Young Readers, Harlequin Teen and Estevan Vega*

For Teen Book Scene Blog Tour:

Complusion by Heidi Ayarbe

*Special thanks to HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray*

Gifted to me:

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

*Special thanks to Pam*

Won:

A Season of Eden by Jennifer Laurens (signed)

Timeless by Alexander Monir (signed)

*Special thanks to Jennifer and Alex!*

I also won a signed hardcover of Wither by Lauren DeStefano from ebay. I ended up paying $35 but it all went to a local animal shelter. Thank you Lauren for the book and for supporting such a great cause!!!

Phew! So that's what I got this past month. I hope your mailboxes were just as full!

Sherry<3

Must Havessssssss!

2011-03-17T16:58:00.000-04:00

Hello again!

I'm scouring the blogging world for ARCs of Karsten Knight's Wildefire and Andrea Cremer's Wolfsbane,

I have some things I would trade like the following:

Finished Copy of Wither by Lauren DeStefano

ARC of Divergent by Veronica Roth (I wasn't going to trade this bc I love it so much, but I will for one of those books above)

ARC of Illusions by Aprilynne Pike

and others ARCs that I haven't read yet but will read asap if you want to trade for them... like:

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Trials by Fire by Jen Lynn Barnes

The Near Witch by Victoria Schawb

I don't usually resort to such measures, but I really want to read these books. They are the only two I am interested in trading for at this time.

Let me know peeps! :)

Sherry<3

A note for my followers:

2011-03-17T15:47:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone. I just want to address a certain subject that I've heard whispers about lately.

If you look at my blog, you will see that many of the recent reviews, are all 5 stars. Most of the time, the books I read will get rated 4 and above. Someone recently made the comment that they wouldn't take recs from a reviewer who rates everything 4 and above, specifically for the reason that they (they being me) are not harsh enough. Now of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, I'm a free speech and thought kind of person , I respect whatever you want to think.

But...

I want you all to know, that I LOVE the books I read. As a reader, I know exactly what it is I am looking for, which is why I specifically purchase those books and request those books and not other books that I don't feel I would enjoy.

If I don't enjoy a book by a certain point, I stop reading. If I don't finish it, then I don't review it. Hence, why the majority of my reviews are high rates.

I just want you all to know I'm not simply reading books and raving about every single one I can get my hands on. If you take a look around and ask other bloggers (as I already have) you will see that there are A LOT of awesome books recently released and coming soon.

I bring this up because....

I really don't want my readers to think they can't trust my opinions. I don't want you thinking that I'm only here to get you to buy the books I'm raving about. Publicity of these books is certainly an important factor of blogging, we want the book world to stay strong and grow, but I'd say the most important factor is that we all love reading and enjoying books. We want to be able to find new books that we will love. There are a lot of reasons why people blog. I'm not going to say I don't enjoy the perks of being a blogger, getting free books is awesome, but it should be about something more. I know it is for me.

I know not all readers who read the same genre will love each book the same. Some will love one book that others might just hate. I know of a few books that almost EVERYBODY loved, but there were some people that just didn't like them at all. There will always be that. No author can please everyone, no matter how hard they try or no matter how awesome that would be.

Anyways, sorry for the rant. I want my readers to be able to come to my blog if they are looking for a new book and not have to worry that I rate ALL books the same. I haven't even posted a review this week because the last two books I read were also 5 Stars in my opinion. I was thinking I was just being too kind too, until many other people spoke up and said that most from this year are just that amazing.

I have already considered changing my reviewing methods because I don't want to just throw all these 5 stars around. Some people take out rates and simply stick to recommending ones they like, and thats fine. But whats the difference between me rating books I love 5 or me recommending it to everyone in a blog post, rates and recs go hand in hand in my opinion. At the end of it all though, I thought, I really love these books and I want my readers to know that. I stick by everything I have said in all of my reviews and I wouldn't change a thing.

End rant.

Love you all!!! :)

Sherry<3

New Inkpop Weekly Writing Challenge

2011-03-10T17:01:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, the new weekly writing challenge has been posted over on inkpop. The Dark Days of Supernatural Writing Challenge #4 features none other than Kimberly Derting's recent release, Desires of the Dead, the sequel to The Body Finder.

About this writing challenge:

"See me, hear me, touch me, feel me. What must it be like to have heightened senses? To understand the world through intense smell or know something is wrong the moment that you touch another person. In Desires of the Dead, the second book in Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder series, Violet senses the dead, or rather the brutally murdered, through heightened sense of smell, touch, sound and even sight. How can a girl have a normal relationship with her new best friend turned boyfriend whens she is constantly haunted?

Now it's your turn. Write a story, poem or essay that uses a heightened sense (touch, sight, sound or smell) to influence a protagonist relationship? Maybe your heroine can not find anyone to date because men smell noxious to her, or maybe you have a poem about a feeling a pain so great, your body aches. Let your sense drive your writing in the Dark Days Supernatural Writing Challenge #4: Desires of the Dead."

For more on this challenge, how to enter, and what prizes you could win, go check out the full post here.

Good luck for all of you that enter! :)

Sherry<3

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

2011-03-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Publication Date: May 31st, 2011

Published By: HarperTeen

Hardcover, 496 Pages

Source: E-book from Netgalley courtesy of HarperTeen

Summary:

"How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart."

Review: ***** = 5 Stats

This is the second book with a Greek mythology twist that I have read in the past week. I was worried that reading two books with a similar concept that close together might have me comparing too much. I was glad that that wasn't the case. While both books (Starcrossed & The Goddess Test) have themes of Greek mythology, the books are completely their own and I didn't find myself comparing them to each other at all(phew!).

At some point after I finish a book, I usually look on Goodreads to see where I rate a book compared to where others rate the book, to see the different opinions. I was surprised to see the ratings for this book range from 2 to 5 stars. For me, I'm with the 5 star crowd. While the book might have started out a tad bit slow, once it gets into it, there's no turning back. I also saw some people saying there are too many comparisons to Twilight, and I honestly have to say I don't see it. I mean, I can see things that are the same but it's not like I'm reading and thinking, oh hey this is too similar to that book. It's doesn't read as it's copying elements, it reads like it was written well enough to be it's own story. Or maybe I just realize that all books will have similarites to some extent no matter what, if you look hard enough, you will find some.

There are many details I will leave out, because a lot of them play into the bigger picture, and it's no fun going into a book knowing how everything will turn out.

Helen is an only child that lives with her father, her mother having left them long ago. She stays under the radar for the most part due to painful cramps that she gets when being the center of attention. A new family has just moved onto the island and talks of them spread through the halls of the high school quickly. The first one Helen has contact with is Lucas Delos, and the instant their eyes lock she heads straight towards him and attacks to kill. She doens't know what is wrong with her, but the idea of her going crazy becomes more realistic everytime she is near one of the Delos' and she sees the image of three women crying tears of blood. It isn't until one night after a mystery person attacks Helen, that an encounter with Lucas will change everything she knows about herself and her future.

I was enchanted by the relationship between Lucas and Helen, as well as the relationships between her and the other characters, such as her best friend Claire and the other Delos family members. A lot of the questions I was asking throughout the novel got answered as I went along, and some were left in the open. I CANNOT wait to continue this story in Dreamless(Starcrossed #2). I have to know what happens and what direction Josephine will take the story. Oooo I'm giddy just thinking about it!

Starcrossed is the perfect blend of romance and action, that will have you hoping a family like that of the Delos' move to a town near you. Fresh, exciting, and unputdownable, you will race to finish it and then wish you took your time since book two won't be out for a while... =P

Also, as far as the Greek mythology is concerned, I don't have a degree in it. I certainly couldn't tell you much about it. I enjoyed how it was written in this book. I can't say how accurate it is or isn't, but I probably won't be wasting my time to research it. When it comes to fiction books, I really don't mind if things are changed around or different, as long as I enjoy them when I read them, and I definitely did in Starcrossed.

So, this may be one of those books that you either dislike or really love, I personally loved it. HarperCollins and Harperteen have some awesome books coming out this year, and this is just one more to add to the list!

To find out more about Josephine Angelini or to keep updated on all things Starcrossed, check out her webpage here

go check her out on twitter!

Feel free to leave your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree, or whether you can't wait to read it, I love hearing with my readers have to say!

Sherry<3

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter: Review & Giveaway!

2011-03-08T11:18:00.000-05:00

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Publication Date: April 19th, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Paperback, 297 Pages

Source: E-galley from Netgalley courtesy HarlequinTeen

Summary:

"Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails..."

Review: ***** = 5 Stars

There were three major points that had me initially interested in reading this book. First, just by looking at it I knew I wanted to read it. The cover is lovely and I don't care what anyone says, a cover can most certainly sell a book. Second, the blurb on the front comes from none other than Cassandra Clare, who just happens to be one of my all time favorite authors. If she has good words to say about it then... I want to read it! Lastly, the summary.. did you see it ^^^ up there. It just sounds amazing. Add all three things together and BAM you have just created a book I consider a MUST-READ.

Everything about this book drew me in. The characters, the relationships between those characters, the setting, the greek mythology that was weaved into it, the romance, the mystery. Need I go on?? It was like a big pile of awesomeness was combined into one book, and wonderfully done I might add. I couldn't set it down, I even got a headache from reading on my Nook for too long but I still had to finish it. I mean, I sacrificed my own health to continue reading.. that should be a cue to how much I loved this book.

Kate and her mother head back to her mother's hometown, Eden, when her mother's battle with cancer goes downhill. Kate adjusts, willing to do anything to make her mother's remaining time pleasant and as happy as it can possibly be. She enrolls at the small school in Eden, and quickly makes a friend and an enemy. Her whole life is turned upside down when a prank goes horibbly wrong and she makes a deal with the devil, or in this case, Hades. The world that unfolds to her is one of make believe, but soon she realizes she has two options. Pass the tests, or possibly die trying.

There are so many surprise twists and turns, a few times I had to close my mouth, not realizing my jaw had dropped at the shocking revelations. Aimee Carter has managed to combine an array of elements, and do it well, leaving an end product of a remarkable debut that will have readers feeling a mixture of emotions, but mostly leaving them clamoring for book 2!

To find more about debut author Aimee Carter, check out her webpage here or

go follow her on twitter.

GiVeAwAy TiMe!!!

Since I loved this book so much, I'm going to give away a copy from the Book Depository... so its international.. YAY! The book will be released on April 19th, 2011 so we will have this contest end on April 15th so I can get the winners info and have the book ordered before the release date.

Please fill out the form to enter, no comment entries will be accepted, but review love is always graciously accepted. :)

Sherry<3

Review: The Other Side of Life by Jess C. Scott(Blog Tour)

2011-03-03T21:04:00.000-05:00

The Other Side of Life by Jess C. Scott

Cyberpunk Elven Trilogy #1

Publication Date: 2011 (First Published in 2010)

Published by CreateSpace

Paperback, 234 Pages

Source: Ebook Courtesy of Jess C. Scott / Teen Book Scene Blog Tour

Summary:

"A thieving duo’s world turns upside down when an Elven rogue uncovers the heinous dealings of a megacorporation.

* Recommended for adults or young adults seeking cyberpunk themes (not hardcore sci-fi), and a love story (not fluffy romance)."

EXCERPT:

Nin knew how much humans loved money, riches, and material things — though he never really could understand why. The more technologically advanced the human species got, the more isolated they seemed to become, at the same time. It was alarming, how humans could spend entire lifetimes engaged in all kinds of activities, without getting any closer to knowing who they really were, inside.

My Review: **** = 4 Stars

I was interested in reading this book because of the elements in\t combined, elves and technology. It sounded like a fun read, but I had no idea that I would enjoy it so much. Once I started reading, I had trouble putting it down, I couldn't wait to see what direction the author would take me.

Anya and Leticia and are two teenaged girls who make a living by "stealing" items and returning them to their rightful owners. Nin is an elf with a difficult task, so he enlists the help of the two girls. In addition to these three, are two other elves, Tavia and Dresen. Friendships are formed, relationships blossom and these thieving friends start on something that might just change the fate of the world. The adventure that ensues over a two day period, is artfully written. Scott did a wonderful job at blending the cyberpunk and elven worlds, so that they formed one. This is definitely unlike anything I have read before. I will say that this is something I wouldn't normally pick up. If I wasn't part of the the blog tour I'm not sure I would have read it. But I'm so GLAD I did.

Scott's writing is simply amazing. She had me hooked right from the get go. I fell in love with all of her characters and knowing that this is one journey I get to continue, makes me so happy. I can't wait to see where things go. I have a feeling about some of the things that might be plot points in Book 2, and I hope I'm right!!

I know not all books are for everyone but I really hope you guys take a chance on this one. It was a wonderful mix of action/adventure, some mystery, the perfect amount of romance added in and so much more. I know I need to step outside of my comfort zone more and this is the perfect example why. You don't want to miss the good ones just because you were scared to try them!!

If you're interested in learning more about Jess and her other work, check her out here

or follow her on Twitter.

Any thoughts you would care to share?

Sherry<3

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

2011-02-24T11:01:00.000-05:00

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Publication Date: Feburary 15th, 2011

Published By: HarperCollins / Katherine Tegan Books

Hardcover, 464 Pages

Source: ARC / Teen Book Scene

Summary:

"When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

My Review: ***** = 5 Stars

Wow wow wow! I absolutely loved this book. There have been so many wonderful debuts lately, I'm always worried that the next one I pick up won't be as wonderful, but I didn't have to worry about that with Angelfire. Moulton has crafted a remarkable debut, leaving its readers drooling for whatever she throws at us next. (Wings of the Wicked: Angelfire #2, 2012).

The characters in this novel are just one of the many amazing pieces that make up the whole. Ellie is such a badass, especially when it comes to the fighting scenes. I love seeing a chick in this position. I mean, there are a lot of strong female characters out there, but Ellie is truly one of a kind. And Will, her ever faithful gaurdian is awesome AND swoon worthy.

The whole book is filled with a ton of action, and a portion of those action scense are very intense. It was all written so well, Courtney has an incredible imagnination.

I've only read a few angel books, Hush, Hush and Fallen(which I both loved) to name some, and this book was so different. I know books in the same genre will have similar aspects, but this book stands on its own. It was like an action/adventure mixed with paranormal and a hint of romance. I mean, you can't really go wrong.

I don't know what else to say. I loved every part of this book and I can't wait to read the sequel. This is definitely something I recommend to any fans of paranormal books, and it even has a touch of romance for those of you who need your love fix. I'm already making my family members read it!

Have you read Angelfire yet? What are your thoughts? If not, is this something you would pick up?

Sherry<3

Into the Past with Jess C. Scott(The Other Side of Life Blog Tour)

2011-02-23T12:36:00.000-05:00

Guest Post by Jess C Scott—Into The Past

BOOK SUMMARY (The Other Side of Life): A thieving duo’s world turns upside down when an Elven rogue uncovers the heinous dealings of a megacorporation.

What books would Jess recommend at 8, 16 and 24 years old?

Tough question, but I’ve tried to narrow the list down (with my own sneaky methods)!

Book Recommendations @ 8 Years Old

1. The Twits, Matilda (any of Roald Dahl’s books for kids)

2. Robin of Sherwood (Michael Morpurgo / beautifully illustrated by Michael Foreman)

3. Tales of King Arthur (James Riordan / I think the Robin Hood and King Arthur legends are timeless, and are a great introduction to the vast world of books and reading)

Book Recommendations @ 16 Years Old

1. Anything by Vivian Vande Velde, and Jane Yolen

2. Classics [Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare—whatever suits your fancy :)]

3. Anything/Everything you can get your hands on (magazines, blogs, textbooks, non-fiction books, novels, etc).

Book Recommendations @ 24 years Old (Jess’s current age)

These are books which I think people HAVE to read at least once, in their lives.

1. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)

2. 1984 (George Orwell)

3. Little Birds by Anais Nin; Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence; and/or Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (mature audience)

Happy reading, and thanks for having me as a guest today!

---------------

Author Bio:

Jess identifies herself as an author/artist/non-conformist. Her literary work has appeared in a diverse range of publications, such as Word Riot, ITCH Magazine, and The Battered Suitcase. She is currently working on several multiple-genre-crossing projects, including her trilogy featuring cyberpunk elves.

Find Jess at any of the links below!

Website: www.jessINK.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jesscscott

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jesscscott

Thanks for stopping by! A special thanks to Teen Book Scene for hosting this tour! And de sure to check back on March 3rd for my review of The Other Side of Life by Jess C. Scott!

Sherry<3

In My Mailbox: The Way Overdue Edition

2011-02-19T16:40:00.001-05:00

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren; inspired by Alea from Pop Culture Junkie.

I haven't done one of these in quite some time(like 2 months).

Books received for Review:

Father of Lies by Ann Turner

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Not pictured- Egalleys:

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Wither by Lauren Destefano

Stay by Deb Caletti

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

(Special thanks to Harpercollins, Harperteen, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Simon and Schuster and Candlewick)

Books Purchased:

Looking for Alaska by John Green

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley

Not Pictured- Books purchased on my Nook:

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (audiobook)

His Eyes by Renee Carter

Books Won or Traded:

Love Me to Death by Allison Brennan *signed

Playing with the Boys by Liz Tigelaar

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Emily the Strange: Dark Times by Rob Reger

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto *signed

All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

(Special thanks to Harperteen, Bookalicious Pam, Random Buzzers, Allison Brennan and PaperbackSwap)

It has been two months so I might have missed something. But phew, thats a lot.

Get anything good this week, or these past two months? ;)

Sherry<3