Shattered Souls book picks!

Today Mary Lindsay author of Shattered Souls is here to tell us what Alden’s book picks are.

But first, here is more about Mary;

Mary Lindsey's debut young adult novel, SHATTERED SOULS, is scheduled for release December 8, 2011 from Philomel/Penguin.

Having received a B.A. in English literature with a minor in drama from the University of Houston, she currently teaches acting to children and teens at a private studio in Houston, Texas.

Mary lives with her husband, three kids, two dogs, her daughter's pet rats, an Australian Bearded Dragon, and dozens of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.

She is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

Now for Alden…

Alden Thomas is a big reader and he’s been reading for a long time—lifetimes, in fact. Some of his favorite authors are Shakespeare, Milton, and Hugo. He’s also a fan of Twain and Poe.

This lifetime, he favors fantasy because it is a dramatic departure from fiction in his past lives. He loves the Harry Potter Series as well as others he grew up with this cycle, like Leven Thumps, A Series of Unfortunate Events and the Alex Rider Series.

He’ll read anything. Put it in front of him, and he’ll devour it. His most recent preferred reads this cycle are The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.

On Alden’s nightstand right now are copies of The Intercessor Manual, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Hunger Games, and a book of poems by Tennyson.

Thanks Mary!

About Shattered Souls

A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger

Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.

Sounds good right?

For more information visit Mary’s website www.MaryLindsey.com

LINKS:

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shattered-souls-mary-lindsey/1101075440

Shattered Souls at Penguin

http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780399256226,00.html?Shattered_Souls_Mary_Lindsey

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9366996-shattered-souls

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger Review

Title: Shut Out

Author: Kody Keplinger

Publisher: Poppy (Little, Brown)

Release Date: September 5, 2011
Received From: Publisher in return for a honest review (Thanks!)

Summary: 

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.
Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Review:

Now I don’t request books very often, I mean of course there are books I really want to read and would love to receive a copy of, but most of the time I just wait till it comes out or join a blog tour.

But I LOVED Kody Keplinger’s first book The D.U.F.F. so the combination of that and reading the synopsis made me break down and request this book, and thankfully they were generous enough to send it to me!

Ok, on the book! I had never heard of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata but I enjoyed this book so much that I might go pick it up! Shut Out was another awesome book by Kody! It was funny and real, as well as slightly incorporating some difficult topics.

I do have a warning for this and The Duff, these are not books for younger readers. They both deal openly with issues of sex and other related things. And while I had no problem with it, and as an older young adult really didn’t mind reading about it. (There is no actual sex in the book) The readers of this book should be mature about the issues that are brought up. With that being said I really liked that it was the center of the book, because honestly it makes total sense. I think that’s what I love the most about Kody’s books, they are real. I also liked how Kody brought up insecurities that girls have about sex, and how girls can be afraid to even tell their friends that they are virgins. That part made this book for me.

Lissa was a great main character, she had her quirks and  was someone that I could totally see myself being friends with. Her obsessions made her real and I think is something that people deal with. Also Cash… Um… Yeah he was HOT. I want one!!!!! Finally a sweet guy! I loved him definitely in my top ten!

Overall a great sophomore novel for Kody Keplinger! The combination of topics and characters creates a realistic and hilarious take on the power of girls!

 

 

WOW: Hallowed

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: Hallowed (Unearthly #2)

Author: Cynthia Hand

Pub Date: January 24, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (HarperTeen)

Summary:
For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.
Described by Richelle Mead as “utterly captivating,” Unearthly received outstanding reviews, garnered accolades from New York Times bestselling authors, and was named an Indie Next Pick. In this heart-wrenching sequel, Cynthia Hand expertly captures the all-consuming joy of first love—and the agony of loss. This beautifully woven tale will appeal to fans of Lauren Kate, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Aprilynne Pike.

Why I can’t wait!: I love angel books especially Unearthly so I am so excited to find out what happens next in the story!

 

Deadly Cool

Title: Deadly Cool
Author: Gemma Halliday
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Received From: Publisher in return for a honest review

Summary: 

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool. But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

Review:

I WOW’ed this book earlier this month so I was super excited to get the chance to review it.

First of all I love this cover! I think it is really pretty and the headphones totally make sense after the beginning of the book, oh and I totally want the girl’s eyes!

This book, like it says on the back, is similar to Veronica Mars. I watched Veronica Mars for the first time this summer and really enjoyed it, so there were aspects of this book that were similar to the show.

I really liked Hartley but I didn’t really understand her relationship with Josh, I mean he cheated on you, and while I could see looking into the murder, I wouldn't put myself in danger to find the killer. But then again I’ve never been put in that position so I don’t know for sure what I would do.

I adore mysteries and did enjoy this one. I like how couldn't figure out who the killer was till almost the very end. The twists in this story really made it for me. 

I would recommend this story for someone who likes mysteries, and even people who aren't sure, because it’s not too complex, so anyone could enjoy it.

 

 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books

Release Date: May 1, 2011
Received From: Public Library

Summary: 

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. (REMOVED FOR SPOILER)  Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

I had heard many wonderful things about this book and all of them were true! It was engaging, entertaining, and really made me think about what I would do if I were in that situation. What faction I would choose etc..
I loved Tris as a character, she was strong, but vulnerable, and her worries were valid and sound. Her spunk is what propelled this story. The other characters were great as well, the tension between Four and Eric really showed the cracks in the system as well as creating a great foil for the conflict between Abignation and Erudite.
I’m not going to lie, most of this book was set up for the next books but Roth did an excellent job making sure it wasn’t boring or too drawn out. I especially liked the different stages and thinking about how I would react in that situation.
The romance in this book was not too in your face, for the first 3/4 of the book it was barely there which I liked because it grew not just instant love like in many other books lately.
Overall an amazing dystopian tale which will keep you on your toes and challenge what you believe about society.