Sunday, March 29, 2015

New Releases: March 29- April 4


Release of the Week
The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer 
When Stephen is forced to move back to the nowhere town where his father grew up, he’s already sure he’s not going to like it. Spencer, Michigan, is like a town straight out of a Hitchcock movie, with old-fashioned people who see things only in black-and-white. But things start looking up when Stephen meets the mysterious twins Cara and Devon. They’re total punks–hardly the kind of people Stephen’s dad wants him hanging out with–but they’re a breath of fresh air in this backward town. The only problem is, Cara and Devon don’t always get along, and as Stephen forms a friendship with the charismatic Devon and something more with the troubled Cara, he starts to feel like he’s getting caught in the middle of a conflict he doesn’t fully understand. And as Devon’s group of friends, who hang out in a cemetery they call The Playground, get up to increasingly reckless activities to pass the summer days, Stephen worries he may be in over his head.

Stephen’s fears prove well-founded when he learns of Spencer’s dark past. It seems the poor factory town has a history of “bad times,” and many of the town’s oldest residents attribute the bad times to creatures right out of an urban legend. The legend goes that the only way the town will prosper again is if someone makes a sacrifice to these nightmarish creatures. And while Stephen isn’t one to believe in old stories, it seems Devon and his gang might put a lot of faith in them. Maybe even enough to kill for them.

Now, Stephen has to decide what he believes, where his allegiances lie, and who will really be his friend in the end.
 Other releases:


Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Published: February 10, 2015
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Pages: 383 (Hardcover)
Series: Red Queen #1
Source:
Bought
My Rating:
2.5 of 5 stars

Mare Barrow's world is divided by bloodthose with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own—an ability she didn't know she had. Except...her blood is Red.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince—and mare against her own heart. 

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Thoughts for Thursday: Adult Books

 
Over the past year or so, I've realized that most of the characters in the books I read I younger than me. It's a strange thought since I've never thought of myself as older or even remotely like an adult, but I'm 18 and I'll be going to college next school year. I still love young adult books and will probably (hopefully) never stop reading them, but I also want to expand my horizons and try more new adult and adult books.

Recently I read The Song of Achilles and I absolutely loved it. While reading it I kept thinking about whether I should write a review because I typically skip reviews for books that aren't considered young adult. But when I finished it I knew exactly what I would say if I wrote a review, but I was still hesitant. Why? I think that's partially because I've never written and posted a review of an adult book and I was almost a little scared because I've always thought of adult books as something that I wasn't old enough for or something like that. I felt like I should be restricted to only young adult books because for awhile those were the only books I could relate to. I had the same feeling when I went from middle grade books to young adult books. I think that's mostly because instead of reading about characters that are my age or slightly younger than me, they are now more likely to be older than me, which can give the book a very different feel.

I've still only read a handful of adult books and most of them were for school, but I really want to start reading some more adult and new adult books. I'm probably still going to read young adult books more than adult books, but if you see some adult book reviews pop up, just know that I'm not leaving the young adult books behind, I'm just trying to find some more great books to read.

Did you ever feel like your were confined to certain age groups for books?

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Published: August 28, 2012
Publisher:
Ecco
Pages: 378 (Paperback)
Series: N/A
Source:
Bought
My Rating:
5 of 5 stars

Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful— irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Review: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid
Published: July 29, 2014
Publisher:
Harlequin Teen
Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
Series: N/A
Source:
Harlequin Teen Panel
My Rating:
2 of 5 stars

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost. 

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most. 

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love. 

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.