Waiting on Wednesday: 3 Hot Upcoming YA Releases! 11/30/11

WoW is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine and showcases upcoming releases we're dying to read!

release: Aug 2012

The trees swallowed her brother whole. And Jenny was there to see it. Years later, when she returns to the woods where Tom was taken to say good-bye at last, she finds herself lured into a world where stunning beauty masks the most treacherous of evils, and strange and dangerous creatures await—creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with allegiances that shift as much as his moods. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own.

Sounds very dramatic

release: July 2012

A girl and a vampire fall madly in love... The girl's best friend is deeply unimpressed.

Not much to go on but the authors are good

release: June 2012

Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she's never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone, when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in "the golden hills of the west" (California). 

Along the way she meets Jack a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there's also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

Described as good for lovers of the Gemma Doyle series

What are you waiting for? 

Movie Review: Breaking Dawn

We took the plunge and saw Breaking Dawn (part 1) this weekend. They kept it true to the book which is good in that it's authentic to the story, but bad in that this was our least favorite book in the series.

The Good:

• Kristen Stewart hardly ever gasped
• Kristen Stewart hardly ever stuttered
• In general, Stewart's acting is improved
• Charlie - every scene he's in is a treat. Loved his wedding speech.
• Jessica's wedding speech.
• Bella looked absolutely horrible, which made her transformation at the end very dramatic.
• Edward "in shock"
• Bella trying to seduce Edward - very funny
• Alice is always adorable
• The very good supporting cast
• Jacob with his shirt off
• Fighting scenes
• Always enjoy Edward

The Not So Good

• It was slow. Lots of lingering looks and not much happening. They should not have made this into two movies.
• The mental, or psychic, chat between the wolves.
• Bella and Jacob during their moment at the wedding. It just seemed awkward.
• Lack of uber hot chemistry between Edward and Bella 
• Jacob only had his shirt off once

The Creepy

• Edward eating Bella
• The birth
• The CGI baby face of Renesmee
• The imprinting. Sorry, it's still weird.

We went in with an open mind and didn't hate it, but it wasn't fantastic. Part of that is due to us not being crazy about the book and part is the splitting it up into two films. There just isn't enough going on to make it exciting. 

The theater had a lot of people commenting throughout, and laughing in moments where it was not intended to be funny. 

Several guys were part of a couple and clearly attending just for their girlfriends. During the imprinting scene, one guy behind us said, "Wait. So he's a pedophile now?"

So will you see it? Have you seen it? What was your Twilight Saga experience?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We hope your blessings are many 
and your troubles are few. 
Our heartfelt good wishes go out to you!


Okay, so we're not the best poets but enjoy the holiday anyway. We're doing something a bit different. Journeying out of town because Gregory has a big soccer tournament. 
But as long as the family is together, we're happy! 
Hope you are too. Stay safe, have some good eats, and enjoy a great book!
Wishing you a joyous and delicious Thanksgiving!

Blog Tour and Art Reveal: HARBINGER by Sara Wilson Etienne

HARBINGER by Sara Wilson Etienne looks like a hot "must read" for 2012. And it's fantastic when authors do something "out of the box" to promote their work of art. Kudos for Sara using original artwork to do just that!


We're thrilled to be part of Sara's blog tour where, one blog at a time, she's revealing original artwork inspired by her novel. 

She has 24 wonderful artists who have picked out favorite scenes and characters from the book and recreated them in original artwork to give you a taste of Faye's life at Holbrook Academy. Here is today's reveal with artwork by Aileen Holmes. 

Click on the image to go to a larger image of the artwork

Want more? "Walk the Path" and see the entire amazing gallery the HARBINGER-inspired artwork and read Sara's interviews with the artists. You won't be disappointed.


The Holbrook Academy website is great fun. You can check out the latest happenings at the academy as well get info on the campus, snitch on a friend, and even enroll!

 There's more on Sara at her website. You can also follow her on Twitter.

Be sure to look for HARBINGER coming February 2, 2012. The summary is below. It's promoted as a "Girl, Interrupted meets Beautiful Creatures fast-paced thriller." That sounds fun!

HARBINGER

Sara Wilson Etienne

release: 2/2/2012

genre: Teen Fiction/psychological thriller

When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn’t expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she’s going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she’s come home. She’s even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she’s the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can’t trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her—and the rest of the world too.

MIRROR, MIRROR Movie Trailer!

It's movie trailer week! Kind of. It just so happens that we did a post a couple of days ago about the battling Snow White movies - SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN and MIRROR, MIRROR - and the MIRROR, MIRROR trailer wasn't available. But it is now!


It actually looks fantastic. Weird, beautiful, and hysterical! Julia Roberts is amazing!




And, fun fact...Both Alex Pettyfer and James McAvoy tried out for the part of Prince Charming, but Armie Hammer (he played the twins in THE SOCIAL NETWORK) beat them out!

We're big fans of both of them - they are two of the recurring Prince Charmings in Alyssa's dreams -  and would have been happy with either. But Armie it is, and hopefully MIRROR, MIRROR will be as good as it looks! Release is March 2012.

THE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE TRAILER!

Finally, a REAL trailer for THE HUNGER GAMES!
You have to look very quickly to catch Stanley Tucci with his long blue hair. 

Awesome, right!

We can't wait, how about you?

Check out THE HUNGER GAME Facebook Page for more info.

The Battle of the Two Snow Whites - at the Movies!

Here is the amazing trailer for SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN!

Love Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. We'll have to wait and see how Kristen Stewart does. It does look epic, and has a fun twist with Snow White teaming up with the hunky Hunstman to vanquish the evil queen. But we do find it interesting that in the trailer, Theron and Hemsworth get to speak while we only see Ms. Stewart - she doesn't say a word. 

Release is supposed to be June 1. We hope it's as awesome as it looks!

 

The other Snow White movie, MIRROR, MIRROR, starring Lily Collins as Snow, Julia Roberts as the Queen and Armie Hammer as the Prince comes out in March but doesn't look as epic. It's more visually artsy and geared to family audiences. 

 

 

 

 

 So epic fight drama or artsy, family fun, which are you most looking forward to?

 

Teen Fiction Review: SHATTERED SOULS by Mary Lindsey

SHATTERED SOULS
by Mary Lindsey
release: 12/8/11
Amazon/Website/Blog/Facebook/Twitter

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.

With plenty of twists and turns, SHATTERED SOULS will keep you on the edge of your seat! 


Lenzi is a tough, brave heroine, struggling to help others while keeping herself from falling apart, and evading nasty spirits set on destroying her. In the midst of figuring out her new role as Speaker, she's torn between boyfriend Zak, and new, mysterious hottie, Alden. 


Zak tries, and he seems to truly care for Lenzi, but he has some serious baggage which puts him in the "Girl, quit hanging on and get rid of him before he hurts you" category. Alden is such sweet fellow. Madly in love with Lenzi but doing his best to do what's right by her. Ah, the torture of forbidden romance!  


Mary Lindsey's writing has a haunting quality that lends beautifully to the steady build up and slow reveals that wind through the path of this captivating plot. It also compliments how the romance between Lenzi and Alden develops into a deep emotional connection that has transcended time. 


With plenty of intrigue, mystery, ghosts, evil spirits, reincarnation, and an intense surprise ending that that will have you holding your breath, SHATTERED SOULS is a fantastic addition to your Christmas list. Look for it's release December 8th! But FYI, Mary is having a giveaway on Goodreads!

And I can't do a review without gushing over that amazing cover! It's even better in person. So gorgeous, and kudos for how it captures the feel of the story. 

Be sure to follow Mary on her TEEN BOOK SCENE blog tour! 

Mary's writing is a natural expression of her love of reading and a fascination with the flexibility of the human imagination. Books make the impossible possible.

Prior to attending University of Houston Law School, Mary received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Drama from the University of Houston. She has taught drama and playwriting in a large public high school and English in a private school. Currently, Mary teaches acting to children and teens at a private studio in Houston, Texas.

Mary lives in Houston with her husband, three kids, two dogs, her daughter's pet rats, an Australian Bearded Dragon and dozens of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. (The roaches are long story—don't ask.)

Waiting on Wednesday: Hot Upcoming YA Releases! 11/9/11

WoW is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine and showcases upcoming releases we're dying to read!

DARK EYES

William Richter

March 2012

Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child and grew up in a wealthy New York City family. At fifteen, her obsessive need to rebel led her to life on the streets.

Now the sixteen-year-old is beautiful and hardened, and she's just stumbled across the possibility of discovering who she really is. She'll stop at nothing to find her birth mother before Klesko - her darkeyed father - finds her. Because Klesko will stop at nothing to reclaim the fortune Wally's mother stole from him long ago. Even if that means murdering his own blood. But Wally's had her own killer training, and she's hungry for justice.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens, this debut thriller introduces our next big series heroine!

UNDEADLY

by Michele Vail

Feb 28, 2011

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird... Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper-and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts. Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with. To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly-against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.

THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED

by April Henry

April 2010

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part time as a delivery girl at Pete's Pizza. One night, Kayla another delivery girl goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night. Gabie can't move beyond the fact that Kayla's fate was really meant for her, and she becomes obsessed with finding Kayla. She teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete's. Together, they set out to prove that Kayla isn't dead and to find her before she is.

STRUCK

by Jennifer Bosworth

May 2012

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s been struck so many times she’s lost count. She can’t sleep, she’s covered in veiny red “lightning scars,” and repeated strikes have even stopped her heart on occasion. Still, Mia can’t resist a storm. That's why Los Angeles, where it never rains, is the perfect place for her to find peace . . . until a massive earthquake devastates the city. Now Mia finds herself struggling to hold her family together in a strange and terrifying new version of Los Angeles. The beaches have become massive tent cities populated by millions of homeless. Downtown is a wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the attendees drawn to the destruction by a magnetic force they cannot deny. The blind prophet of a doomsday cult called the Church of Light, who predicted the earthquake with frightening accuracy, says a storm is coming to usher in the end of days, and only his Followers will be saved. Mia’s traumatized mom has become obsessed with the Church of Light, while her younger brother Parker is desperate to join a second doomsday cult called the Seekers. But Mia is the one both cults need. The Seekers are recruiting people with an energy-based power they call the “Spark,” and Mia has it stronger than most. They claim the false prophet of the Church of Light will bring about the end of the world, and they are the only ones who can stand against him. But without Mia on their side, they will fail. Mia’s lightning addiction is both the key to saving the world . . . and destroying it.

What are you waiting for?