Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Book Blurb (from Goodreads): Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.


Why I loved this book:

• Beautiful Characters. Aria who seems soft but isn't and the brooding Perry who comes across as cold and ruthless, but is far from it. I loved how natural their relationship developed.
  
• Beautiful Setting. Awesome, awesome world building. I love how the book didn't go too in depth in how everything worked or functioned, but gave just enough to paint a rich and vivid picture of the world Aria and Perry were inhabiting.
  
• The Pace. It's rare for me to not be able to put a book down — even books I love and would give 100s of stars too and buy copies for all my friends. I love to read, but I love my sleep too. But I couldn't put this one down and stayed up half the night last Thursday finishing this book. Now hurry up 2013...I want to read the next one!
  

I love, love, loved this book!!!! I can't wait to see what comes next for Aria and Perry. It was a great book to start off my reading this year :)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book Blurb (from Goodreads): 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.

Hardcover, 342 pages

November 15th 2011 by Harper/HarperCollins

I've heard great things about this book, and I adore Tahereh Mafi's blog, so there really was no doubt in my mind that I was going to love this book.

I was surprised at first. The writing is different—very different. I admit it threw me off at first but then it became addicting—very addicting. Like caramel/cheese/butter popcorn, once I got going I could not stop.

Why you should read this book:

• Voice. It is unlike anything I've ever read before.
  
• Pacing. It's a fast read, and in today's busy, crazy, hectic world, I like fast reads.
• Plot. It's different. It's a mix of dystopian and paranormal...or maybe sci fi.
• Characters. The villain in this story, Warner is definitely not your cookie-cutter everyday antagonist. James, the 10-year-old little brother of the hero, is completely endearing.
• Romance. It's steamy, and that's all I'm going to say on that.
  

I recommend this book — to anyone up to trying something different, to fans of YA paranormal romance, and readers who love kissing scenes.

I cannot wait for Book 2...Shatter Me is a trilogy!

Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed by Ally Condie

Book Blurb (from Goodreads): In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake. Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

Hardcover, 384 pages

November 1st 2011 by Dutton Juvenile

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. In Matched, Ally Condie created the perfect opening act by introducing us to Cassia's world, and now in Crossed, the inner and outer journeys of both Cassia and Ky follow in perfect sequence.

I cannot wait for the conclusion.

Quote I Loved:

"I don't fool myself that I hold her together—she does that on her own—but holding her keeps me from flying apart." (chapter 23)

"...when someone knows your story they know you. And they can hurt you. It's why I give mine away in pieces, even to Cassia." (chapter 37)

"Everyone has something of beauty about them. In the beginning for me, it was Ky's eyes I noticed, and I love them still. But loving lets you look, and look, and look again. You notice the back of a hand, the turn of a head, the way of a walk. When you first love, you look blind and you see it all as the glorious, beloved whole, or a beautiful sum of beautiful parts. But when you see the one you love as pieces, as whys—why he walks like this, why he closes his eyes like that—you can love those parts, too and it's a love at once more complicated and more complete."
(chapter 50)

Why you should read this book:

• Because you just should, darn it!
• The Cover. I loved the cover for Matched, and Crossed is just as stunning. I heard an unconfirmed rumor that the covers are the colors of the 3 pills — which means the next book will be red. I can't wait to see it!
  
• The Voice. Although I love beautiful, lyrical, poetic writing that tastes like a sweet bite of my favorite dessert, I am a sucker for simple less-is-more writing. And Crossed is the perfect example of this. It's like popcorn. Plain, subtle, but once you taste it you're gonna want more.
• The Love Triangle. I'm a fan of the love triangles where it's more than just choosing between two boys, but two possible versions of yourself. I saw that in Matched with Xander and Ky. Xander was who Cassia was...Ky was who she could be... Crossed turns this around and upside down and inside out by changing and expanding the characters in ways I never saw coming. And I love to be surprised...
• Ky. In Crossed, we get a glimpse into Ky's demons and through his POV, a chance to follow along on his journey.
• Xander. Although he is barely present, Xander's story is revealed throughout the entire book. And he's not quite who Cassia thought he was...
• Everything! There are new characters who will fascinate you, amuse you, and break your heart, and the setting is breathtaking!

I recommend this book — if you loved Matched. And if you haven't read Matched yet, well what are you waiting for???

I absolutely cannot wait for November 2012.

Crave by Melissa Darnell

Crave by Melissa Darnell

Book Blurb (from Goodreads): Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

Harlequin Teen
416 pages.

I have a confession. I picked up this book because the back blurb intrigued me not completely realizing what it was about. And then I got a few chapters in and the "V" word popped up and I nearly set it down. I was never a huge fan of vampires to begin with and they've sooo been overdone. I mean, can't we just put a stake in it already?

But I'm soooo glad I did not set this book down. Because it was awesome. It was a dash of Twilight, The Secret Circle, Evernight, and Romeo and Juliet. Once I got into it, I could not put the book down and found myself craving more long after I read the last page.

Quote I Loved:

"I understood then why humans have noses. So we can find each other to kiss in the dark."

Why you should read this book:

• YA is full of brooding, mysterious, bad-boy heroes, but I've always been a fan of the sweet guy. And Tristan is a sweetheart.
• Tristan's older sister Emily. She's wise, helpful, and kick-ass...and I'm a sucker for brother/sister relationships.
• The parents. Maybe it's because I am one, but I always love to see the parents make appearance. I love it even more when you can see they love their children, but they are also real—warts and all.
• A star-crossed love. This book isn't all vampires. Nope. Throw in some witches (actually lots of witches) and a long, long history of animosity between them, and two young lovers caught in the middle. Oooh yes, totally my kind of story.
  

I recommend this book — even if you're sick of vampires. The beginning was on the slow side, but the middle and the ending more than make up for it.

I cannot wait for the sequel, The Covet, coming out in 2012.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

It doesn't happen very often, but every now and then a book comes along that has me counting down the minutes until my lunch break or bedtime or...I'm surprised to say - exercise.

With a family, a day job, and lofty writing goals every day, finding time to read for fun is difficult. So I usually reserve my lunch hour, a half-hour or so before bed, and the time I spend spinning the foot pedals on my elliptical as "reading time". Now I'll admit, I hate exercise. For me it's about as much fun as cleaning toilets or going to the dentist. So for a book to actually have me looking forward to those thirty sweaty minutes I absolutely abhor, well it better be a darn good book.

Divergent was exactly that. And here are 5 non-sweaty reasons why:

1. An intriguing premise. In Divergent, the city of Chicago has been divided into five factions, each representing a certain virtue: Abnegation (selflessness), Amity (peace), Candor (truth), Dauntless (bravery,) and Erudite (knowledge). 16-year-olds are given the opportunity to choose their faction - whether it means staying with their family in the faction they've grown up in or transferring to a new one. Our protagonist, Beatrice "Tris", chooses to leave her faction, Abnegation, to become a Dauntless.

2. A super kick-butt heroine. Beatrice "Tris" rocks. I love it when the girl saves the day. I love it even more when the girl saves both the guy and the day.

3. A love interest worth falling for. Four was everything a girl could ask for - mysterious, brooding, hot. Even better - he not only let the heroine be kick-butt and independent, he encouraged it.

4. Friends worth having. The other initiates transferring into Dauntless come complete with their own strengths and flaws. They make you like them, hate them, want to slap them, and sometimes even cry for them. They are a diverse group, and even more important, they are real.

5. Kick-butt parents. Lately most of the parents in the YA books I've been reading are dead or non existent. And while you won't find Tris' parents overtaking the pages in Divergent, they do show up in the nick of time willing and ready to do what any parent who loves their child will do.

Goodbye Harry...

I know everybody is talking, writing, watching, reading, sleeping, eating, and anxiously awaiting the final film of the beloved Harry Potter series. And being one who does not like to be left out, I thought I'd take this moment to add my own thoughts to the billions of blog posts out there on the subject.

Unlike the majority, Harry Potter did not define my childhood. It wasn't even part of my childhood. I was well into adulthood before I could tell you who the Dursleys were or the real name of he-who-shall-not-be-named.



My first encounter with the boy with the lightning scar came when my oldest daughter was barely one. I had a seasonal job at a local bookstore over the holidays, and at the time the Prisoner of Azkeban had recently been released. The book was flying off the shelves as the holidays approached and several co-workers praised the series (even the adults were devouring them they claimed).

But I wasn't interested. At the time my bookshelves sagged with the weight of Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts, Jude Deveraux, and Linda Howard. Since the moment I had traded my children's books for the thick romances my mom read, I hadn't looked back. I didn't think I could look back.

But then my little girl grew up and several years later wanted to read the Harry Potter books herself. Being a responsible parent I listened to all the conflicting controversies surrounding the series. They were too dark. They would encourage kids to dabble in witchcraft. Being a responsible adult, I decided I needed to read the books and judge for myself. So I did.



I picked up the first book in October of 2007, and I set down the last one just 8 days later. During the week I read the series, the laundry piled up, the dishes filled the sink, and dinner was always something microwaveable. I couldn't put the books down.

And so my love affair with the Harry Potter series began.

For many, this week is an end of an era. It's a bittersweet goodbye to the books and movies they have grown up with over the better part of the last decade. Many are sad.

I will be seeing the last movie on Friday with the daughter that persuaded me to pick up that first book. We are highly anticipating the movie, but when the credits roll, I'm not sure I'll be shedding any tears that Harry Potter has finally come to an end.

Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with the Harry Potter franchise. Maybe it's because I only discovered the wizarding world four years ago, rather than fourteen. Maybe it's because I know the DVD will probably be out in time for Christmas.


Or maybe it's because deep in the crystal ball I see myself, a few years from now, picking up that first book. This time it's my youngest daughter at my side.

And once again, I will ride the Hogwart's Express.