The Book Scout: March 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday (31)

This week I'm waiting on...

The Mosts by Melissa Senate

"Madeline finished freshman year at Freeport Academy just as invisible as when she started. But after a summer in Italy with her sophisticated aunt, she returned as a sophomore with cool clothes, European attitude, and a hot new boyfriend, Thom.

Maddie's part of the in crowd . . . the Mosts. Her best friend, Caro? Most Beautiful. Her other friends, Fergie, Annie, and Selena? Most Stylish, Most Hilarious, and Most Hot, respectively. And Madeline? Most Popular. Her life is great.

While it lasted.

Now Thom's moved to California-so Maddie's no longer the girlfriend of a popular guy. The guy Caro likes only has eyes for Madeline-can you say social suicide? And a group of misfits at school are begging Madeline to help make them over.

Madeline knows there's a fine line between being a Most . . . and being a Not. She doesn't want her status to change . . . but what if she doesn't have a choice?

Fun summer fiction from Melissa Senate, THE MOSTS is sure to be a favorite among tweens and teens looking for a great beach read."Summary Courtesy of Goodreads

This sounds like a fun, light read, with a complicated twist!

Release date: June 8, 2010

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Away!

So, I'm leaving for Virginia today. I'll be back on Saturday. I'm scheduling a few posts, but I won't have much internet access. I'll reply to all emails when I get back!

I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done, as it's a nine hour car ride! Look for a lot of reviews upon my return!

Adios!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Review: Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful—but cut short. For they’ve been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering allegiances in which the next move could topple a kingdom...or part them forever.

Review:

Darklight picked up rather quickly after Wondrous Strange left off, so if you haven't read Wondrous Strange- you need to before you pick this one up!

Lesley Livingston has a way with words that draws the reader in and holds them to the pages until the end. Her descriptions are beautiful and to the point. The plot is also amazing, I was on the edge of my seat through most of the novel, and by the end when I thought I had everything figured out- BAM, new secrets are revealed, characters are different than you originally imagined, and there are twists and turns in the plot throughout. Sonny is still the great guy I loved in Wondrous Strange, but his past is more complicated than you ever imagined. Kelley was also still the awesome, kick-butt, strong female lead. The chemistry is great between her and Sonny and readers are rooting for them throughout.

There are many new characters, and some of the original characters are more developed in Darklight. Fennrys has a pretty big role in Darklight and while in Wondrous Strange I never really thought twice about him, I love him now! We get to see more of the other Courts and their leaders (Spring and Summer) and a few new species are introduced. Including leprechauns. I never thought I'd come to say this but: I HATE LEPRECHAUNS! They are vile and evil and.... *shivers*. There was a lot of action involving the leprechauns and the end fight scene with them was OMG. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and praying that my favorite characters would come out unscathed.

The ending definitely left me hanging. I need book three NOW! There were a lot of questions left unanswered and some loose ends I really want to see tied up. I'm hoping to have all my questions answered in the third, and final, addition to the Wondrous Strange series.

Once again, if you're thinking Darklight may be less amazing than Wondrous Strange- think again! It may have been better! This is a fantastic series that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. With great characters, an intriguing plot, and beautiful writing, Wondrous Strange and Darklight will captivate readers. In addition, I just have to quickly mention the covers. I love the covers for this series!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

December 22, 2009/HarperTeen/312 Pages/Young Adult/Book Two

Source: Publicist (Hardcover)

Other books in the series: Wondrous Strange and Tempestuous

Sunday, March 28, 2010

In My Mailbox (31)

This was a terrific review week!

For review:

Borderline by Allan Stratton (Second Copy)

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (Finished Copy!)

Heist Society by Ally Carter (Finished Copy!)

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Paisley Hanover Kisses and Tells by Cameron Tuttle

Stalker Girl by Rosemary Graham

The Evil Within: A Possessions Novel by Nancy Holder

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien- Jones

Gifts:

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg (Second Copy)

Snap by Carol Snow

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliot

IMM Was Started By: The Story Siren

Saturday, March 27, 2010

YA Author/Pet Contest!

Objective:

Match the pet pictured with their YA Author owner. (Keep in mind, Lisa Schroeder, Suzanne Young, & Alexandra Diaz have 2 pets featured below)

Winners are whoever get the most matches correct!

(Pictures are numbered 1-24, left to right, starting with the first picture on the top left)

Author choices are on the form linked below!

PRIZES!!

Dirty Little Secrets

Far From You

The Naughty List

Troy High

Girl, Overboard

Prophecy of the Sisters (ARC)

The Heart Is Not a Size (ARC)

We Hear the Dead (ARC)

The Body Finder (ARC)

The Unwritten Rule (ARC)

TONS of swag
Homemade Katie Alender bag

and more!

--

Fill out THIS FORM to enter!

Rules:
US Only
Ends April 24

**Please email (kelseythebookscout at gmail dot com) for clues, senders will randomly be awarded a clue!**

Friday, March 26, 2010

Blog Tour: Bree Despain

Is there a specific person that inspired you to start writing?

I really don’t think there was one person in particular who inspired me to start writing. I’ve had many great influences in my life. But I do remember my 9^th grade English teacher being the first person who really made me feel like I have writing talent. I loved her class because she was the first teacher who encouraged (and required) us to read YA fiction.

She also made us write a short story—and then read them in front of the entire class. For a shy kid, this was pretty frightening, but when I was done reading mine out loud, she marked my story with a large ‘A+’ and told me that I should become a writer. That was the first time anyone ever said that to me—and it definitely made an impact.

If you could choose a character from any book, to meet in real life, who would it be?

Daniel. No question about it. I’d like to take a ride with him on his motorcycle to the Garden of Angels. Also, I’d like to be 17 again—just for that day.

What is one sentence that summarizes The Dark Divine?

Oh man, I hate it when people ask me to summarize my book. If I were good at being brief, I’d write poems instead of novels. Okay, for you, I will give it a try . . .

Actually, this is how I described my novel in my query letters: THE DARK DIVINE is a modern retelling of the Prodigal Son parable with a paranormal twist, exploring love, redemption, and what happens to the brother who can’t forgive.

How did you decide on your character names?

In the beginning, I just thought about what kind of names the children of a pastor would have. Grace, Charity, James, and Jude were the names that came to me. It wasn’t until I was deeper into writing the book that I realized the importance of Grace’s name and how it would play out as a theme in the book.

Daniel’s name took a little longer to choose. Sometimes I thought about switching his name to with Jude’s. But I also kept thinking about all the horrible things this character had been through, and it reminded me of the story of “Daniel and the Lion’s Den.” Plus, the name just seemed to fit someone who was a mischievous kid.

Thanks again Bree!

Also, click here to visit Bree's website.

Please go to YA Book Queen, http://yabookqueen.blogspot.com/, tomorrow to see the next stop on The Dark Divine Blog Tour.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

OMG! New Cover!

This is one of my all time favorite series. This is the cover for book 5 releasing October 5, 2010!

"This book is about the journey that Jack and Schuyler go on to fulfill the Van Alen Legacy by checking all the gates to make sure Lucifer doesn't escape." Summary Courtesy of Goodreads

OMG! So excited for this :)

Waiting on Wednesday (30)

This week I'm waiting on...

Deception: A Haunting Emma Novel by Lee Nichols

"When Emma Vaile’s parents go missing while away on a mysterious business trip, she’s left all alone in her creepy old house. But her brother’s very cute best friend, Bennett Stern—Emma’s knight in J. Crew armor—arrives unexpectedly to whisk her away to New England. There, Emma settles into his family’s museum-like mansion and enrolls at an old-fashioned private school. She quickly finds friends in the popular legacy crowd at Thatcher and spends her free time crushing on Bennett. But the eerie visions she’s been hiding from everyone have gotten worse. Emma has memories of Thatcher that she can’t explain—it’s as if she’s returning home to a place she’s never been. Finally, Emma confides in Bennett and learns she is a ghostkeeper, a person who can communicate with ghosts. Bennett brought Emma to Thatcher to protect her, but now he needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

A rich New England setting filled with mystery, tradition, and prep-school intrigue make Deception the perfect choice for fans of series like Kate Brian’s Private, as well as all those paranormal fans. The shocking ending will leave readers desperate for book two. " Summary Courtesy of Goodreads

Ghosts? Cute boys? Shocking ending? Sign me up! This sounds fantastic!

Release date: May 25, 2010