Heather Zundel is having an amazing contest! Here's some of what you can win:
Amazing! All you have to do is go to her blog and become a follower. Just go to this post and enter the contest. Be sure to tell her that A Reader’s Adventure sent you!
Thanks!
Author: Hilari Bell
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Release Date: January 3, 2011
Received From: Author via Traveling To Teens
Summary:In the year 2098 America isn't so different from the USA of today. But, in a post-9/11 security-obsessed world, "secured" doesn't just refer to borders between countries, it also refer to borders between states. Teenagers still think they know everything, but there is no cure for cancer, as Kelsa knows first-hand from watching her father die.
The night Kelsa buries her father, a boy appears. He claims magic is responsible for the health of Earth, but human damage disrupts its flow. The planet is dying.
Kelsa has the power to reverse the damage, but first she must accept that magic exists and see beyond her own pain in order to heal the planet.
Review:
I was super excited about reading this book, I mean read that synopsis and try not to want to read it.
I loved the combination of science fiction and magic in this semi dystopian novel. The combination of genres gave this book a really different feel than any other YA book I have read before.
Kelsa was very relatable, the way she tried to skirt her mother and their relationship. Raven was a fun character as well seeing him try to understand Kelsa while trying to get them where they were going. Without him this story would have been really boring all the mischief he got into was refreshing compared to Kelsa’s uptight attitude.
I liked the premise about the leys but I kind of wish healing them would have been a little harder, I mean the journey was hard but the actual healing was pretty boring.
Finally the ending was lame. It basically just ended, and Kelsa went home the end. Maybe there is going to be a sequel I don’t know but the ending was thoroughly unsatisfactory.
(UPDATE there is a sequel, I looked at the cover and low and behold it says Raven duet. So maybe the ending will be a bit more satisfactory knowing that.)
Author: Janette Rallison
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 12, 2011
Received From: ATWT
Summary: Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn't exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control. Janette Rallison pulls out all the stops in this fresh, fun-filled follow-up to the popular My Fair Godmother.
Review:
I loved My Fair Godmother and all of Janette’s books are hilarious and fun filled! So I was super excited to read this follow-up!
I liked My Unfair Godmother even more than the first book! Chrissy was back and in full force, “trying” to do good but just causing more chaos. I definitely liked Tansy as a character, while whiny she was filled with spunk and was very relatable. Her non Chrissy caused problems were things that many teens deal with everyday.
One of the things I love about these books are the fairy tale retellings. There are a huge variety of stories retold in this one book but they all seem to fall into place. From Robin Hood to Rumpelstiltskin, each story brings even more hilarity to the scene.
I enjoyed Tansy and Hudson's relationship so well, especially how it went from the police station and grew into so much more.
There were a couple issues between Tansy and her father that I wish had been dealt with a little more but the story did not lose anything from that not being dealt with.
Overall this was another great book by Janette!
I know some of you are really creative so if any of you would be willing to create a button for this feature I would really appreciate it!
If you are willing to help me do this please email me at a_readers_adventure@yahoo.com
Thanks so much for your help!
So many of you entered this contest! It was my biggest contest to date! So without further to do the winner is….
ferretvamp14
Congratulations! I will email you to get your address but if you see this before I get a chance just email it to me!
I will be having another contest soon so be on the look out for that!
I am a huge fan of strong female heroines, not only in fantasy novels (though there are many of them) but in all literature. Most of these heroines go on great adventures either literally or within themselves so I have decided to do a new feature every Sunday until I run out of people, where I will be spotlighting one of these character’s. I hope you like it, and if you have any suggestions for heroines leave them in the comments and I will see what I think!
I know this is kind of late but oh well…
This year I participated in two holiday swaps! They were so much fun and I am definitely going to be participating next year!
The first package I received was from Alison
Thanks Alison!
The second package I received was from Laura
Thanks Laura!
This was so much fun and I defiantly recommend it!
Today I have with me Bonnie Doerr the author of Island Sting! These are her top ten best author experiences so far….
Top Ten Best Author Experiences
10. Opportunities to connect with real life environmental heroes during research.
9. Schmoozing with NY Times best-selling mystery/suspense author Erica Spindler.
8. Sitting on a panel with NY Times best-selling mystery author John Hart.
7. Talking with crime novelist Jeffrey Deaver about his work and listening to him talk about writing the next James Bond novel.
6. Meeting and celebrating with fellow YA authors at events.
(Are you sensing a theme here? I’d never thought about an author having unique opportunities to meet and learn from amazingly gifted people. I’m so grateful for these experiences.)
5. Seeing my title on a bookstore shelf next to books by my idol, Carl Hiaasen.
4. Discovering online comments by readers who not only enjoyed my stories, but also appreciated learning something new while they read.
3. Speaking at conferences and interacting with readers and writers at book festivals sponsored by SCBWI, teacher organizations, libraries, and other associations.
2. Receiving mail from readers.
Ta Da! Number one:
Best of all is discussing writing and reading with kids who love books.
Thanks Bonnie!
Kenzie didn't expect her first summer in the Florida Keys to be murder. Or cute guys, awesome boats, endangered species, and gun-toting thugs...
When city girl Kenzie Ryan moves to a Florida wildlife refuge, she plunges straight into an eco-mystery. Kenzie trades New York streets for Keys pollution cleanup, and now, instead of hailing cabs, she's tracking down a poacher of endangered Key deer. Her new home does have some benefits-mainly Angelo, an island native, who teams up with her to nab the culprit. But will they both survive when the killer turns from stalking deer to hunting humans?
Island Sting includes notes on the endangered Florida Key Deer and the National Key Deer Refuge.
Title: Nightshade Summary:
Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: January 4, 2011 (Today!)
Received From: Net Galley
Summary:
In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Review:
I have not traditionally been a big angel fan. All the angel books I have read were too “unearthly.” This was not the case with Unearthly, Clara was a real girl who happened to be part angel.
I liked that Clara knew that she was an angel because it made the story less “oh look what I can do” and more about her journey. I really liked the variety of characters in this book, and the real way that Clara interacted with them. Especially her relationship with her mom, it was a fresh breath of air to find a character who did not hate her mom 100% of the time, and to find a mom that for the most part was in the story. Even though sometimes she was kind of AWOL.
The one thing that I absolutely loved about this book was the slow growing relationships. During the relationship that was important it was a slow love not just ‘ooh a boy, I love him!” I liked the way it developed and was not just instantaneous as it is in many other books.
The ending was very unexpected, while I did kind of guess at one of the things, many of the twists were completely unexpected. Hopefully there is going to be another book because with that ending it needs one!
This book was beautifully written, and the characters and relationships were relatable. A fabulous Debut!
Title: Linger
Summary: In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.
I've been seeing this around and I thought it would be fun!
Rules: It's simple, really. Just answer the questions using the name of a book you've read in 2010. You can go for serious answers that most closely match what your real answers would be, or you can go with the funniest ones you can come up with for your available titles. Try not to repeat any titles. Have fun!
Describe Yourself: The Duff
How do you feel: Inside Out
Describe where you currently live: City of Glass
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Mistwood
Your favorite form of transportation: Mockingjay
Your best friend is: Jane
You and your friends are: All Unquiet Things
What's the weather like: Ice
Favorite time of day: The Beautiful Between
What is life to you: Magic Under Glass
Your fear: My Unfair Godmother
What is the best advice you have to give: Linger/ My Fake Boyfriend is better than yours. (I could not pick!)
Thought for the Day: I So Don’t Do Make-Up
How I would like to die: Front and Center
My soul's present condition: Matched
I love reading these, so if you did one leave a link and I'll check it out!
Happy New Year everyone! I am so excited it’s finally 2011 (I graduate this year!) I’m absolutely certain that it is going to be a great year for books!
Here are my blog related resolutions!
Have a happy new year!
