Sway Review

Sway by Kat Spears

Title: Sway

Author: Kat Spears

Series: None

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Romance; Disability; Young Adult

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

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In Kat Spears’s hilarious and often poignant debut, high school senior Jesse Alderman, or "Sway," as he’s known, could sell hell to a bishop. He also specializes in getting things people want---term papers, a date with the prom queen, fake IDs. He has few close friends and he never EVER lets emotions get in the way. For Jesse, life is simply a series of business transactions.

But when Ken Foster, captain of the football team, leading candidate for homecoming king, and all-around jerk, hires Jesse to help him win the heart of the angelic Bridget Smalley, Jesse finds himself feeling all sorts of things. While following Bridget and learning the intimate details of her life, he falls helplessly in love for the very first time. He also finds himself in an accidental friendship with Bridget’s belligerent and self-pitying younger brother who has cerebral palsy. Suddenly, Jesse is visiting old folks at a nursing home in order to run into Bridget, and offering his time to help the less fortunate, all the while developing a bond with this young man who idolizes him. Could the tin man really have a heart after all?

A Cyrano de Bergerac story with a modern twist, Sway is told from Jesse’s point of view with unapologetic truth and biting humor, his observations about the world around him untempered by empathy or compassion---until Bridget’s presence in his life forces him to confront his quiet devastation over a life-changing event a year earlier and maybe, just maybe, feel something again.

When I first read the tagline Boy Meets Girl. Boy Charms Girl…For Someone Else., I immediately thought of Ten Things I Hate About You, one of my favorite movies, then I thought of Heath Ledger, then I sighed because Heath Ledger, then I picked up Sway because any book that can get me thinking about Heath Ledger is worth reading. Simple. Logic.

Jesse “Sway” Alderman specializes in getting people what they want. Drugs. Alcohol. An A on the semester exam. Done and done, with little to no effort. But when the school’s meathead, Ken Foster, asks Sway to get him a girl…well, Sway’s never turned down a challenge. When he realizes the “girl” isn’t just a “girl” but actually the town’s perfect do-gooder, Bridget Smalley, things get a little more challenging. Especially when he falls for her. Sway starts to change, even earns himself a new friend, Bridget’s younger brother. The only problem is he made a deal, and Bridget’s not his to keep. Will Sway fall surrender to the feelings he never knew he could feel, or will he tap into his steely, unemotional self and tell himself that this is “just business”?

First worry: The undoubtable presence of the dreaded Insta-love (Just add water!). Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. Even though “Oh, I love you! Don’t leave me! I can’t live without you!” did show up right of the gate, it didn’t bother me that much. It could be because I was expecting it, but I don’t think so.  Something about the way the author incorporated dark subjects like drugs and suicide made it, I don’t know, make sense.

Second worry: The lack of plot. I had some reasonable doubts about whether or not the nine word tagline revealed any and all plot the book contained. Would Sway turn out to be a lame, two-dimensional, superficial let-down? Or would actual tell a story worth reading? It turned out the answer would be the latter.

So, the story was good, the romance was good. Any actual complaints? Why, yes, thank you for asking. The only problem for me that almost ruined the entire book was Bridget Smalley. Too perfect, too pretty, too privileged, and waaay too hate-able. No one likes anyone that’s too perfect. And Bridget Smalley was too perfect. Sway was great. He had faults that made him all the more likeable. But Bridget had no faults. How am I supposed to like someone like that? Excuse me, but I’d like to think that guys don’t fall for just the perfect ones. However, I was able to overlook this small problem in the favor of Sway. So in the end, it’s just a tiny complaint, not a game-changer.

I liked it. In fact, it’s one of my new favorites. I would recommend it to any romantic in a heartbeat. 

The Murder Complex Review

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Title: The Murder Complex

Author: Lindsay Cummings

Series: The Murder Complex #1

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publication Date: June 10, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Dystopia; Science Fiction; Thriller; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 398

Format: Hardcover

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An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

A boy trained to kill. A girl taught to survive. What could possibly go wrong?

Zephyr and Meadow live in a state packed with too much people and too much crime. Their lives and their deaths are controlled by the MC, the Murder Complex (*cough* Title *cough*). The MC tracks the delicate balance of the population in their community. After Meadow’s mother died in the streets during the night, her father is bent on protecting her and the rest of her family. Being put through grueling training has heightened Meadow’s instincts and ensured her ability to survive. When a chance encounter forced Zephyr, a meaningless Ward, into her life, her world is flipped, and truths start to turn into lies.  

The plot line was basic. Normal. Nothing new. Another Class A case of forbidden romance. Woo-hoo. It’s not like we don’t know how it’ll end. But the setting, that’s where it actually gets interesting.

The world Lindsay built was grotesque and horrifying, and ironically, intriguing. I’m not one for horror, but this book wasn’t a horror; it was a thriller. Big difference. Instead of being scary, it was more…thrilling. Edge of you seat, tips of your toes kind of thrilling. It’s the difference between captivatingly heart-stopping and just plain disturbing. While there’s plenty of death, guts, and blood, it’s all about suspense and mystery – not a showcase of the macabre.

The romance was vanilla. It gave me everything I expected, which honestly I didn’t really want. I wanted to be surprised. I wanted this book to give me the old razzle-dazzle. What I really needed were two things:

1.     Less of that gross mushy stuff. There’s no time for declarations of ever-lasting love! Hello?! You’re in a world ruled by murder – start acting like it please!

2.    More danger and frenzy and fear. See above points.

Be warned, there's no ending, just a real kick ass cliffhanger at the end. 

The Murder Complex was a good read for those still caught on the tail end of the dystopia fad or those you wanted to be thrilled with guts and glory. Honestly, it’s not a bad waste of time, and I wouldn't mind wasting more on it's sequel.

The Death Code

May 26, 2015

An Ember In The Ashes Review

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Title: An Ember in the Ashes

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Series: An Ember in the Ashes #1

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: April 28, 2015

Genre: Fiction; Fantasy; Romance; Adventure; Young Adult

Pages: 446                     

Format: Hardcover

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Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

I was put off by this book for some odd reason. I think it was the word “ashes.” Apparently, I’m naturally repulsed by the word “ashes,” especially in book titles. I can only guess it’s because of past traumatic experiences.  Thank the Powers That Be that I had a momentary lapse in judgement and decided to read this book.

Laia and Elias live different lives. Their paths were never meant to cross. They should have nothing in common. But they do, and there’s nothing they can do to stop the attraction between them, no matter how much they know they should. One is a soldier, and one is a slave. One rules over the other. Mutual hatred is expected. Elias is a soldier, top of his class, son of the terrifying Commander. Everything about him should scream “Martial Empire!”, and yet, it doesn’t. He resents his family, his past. He is a slave to his own duty, and he only wants freedom. When a search for the new Emperor pulls Elias even deeper the realm of the Martials, he can no longer run. He must fight. Laia is a princess of the rebellion, expected to continue her family’s line of duty in fighting against the oppressive Martial Empire, but she is unexpectedly reluctant to fight for what her parents died for. When her brother is captured, Laia is willing to do anything to retrieve the only family she has left, including joining the Rebellion singlehandedly built by her parents. She is tasked with spying in the heart of the Martial Empire. She may get everything she’s ever wanted including her brother and her freedom, or she may die a torturous death at the hands of the Commander.

When you look at the cover, what are your first thoughts? Mine were simple: 1. Cool. 2. Post-Apocalyptic. 3. Too many words. 4. Fire. 5. Stereotypical Armageddon, maybe with a pinch of not-so-well-written romance. Five thoughts in all, and none of them were correct. Yet another example of that cliché about book covers and judging and whatnot. But seriously, I was so wrong, it wasn’t even funny. First of all, this book was more than cool. It was fantastic. It was more like a fiery pit of awesome than just “cool”. Secondly, it wasn’t even post-apocalyptic. It was futuristic yet kind of medieval and magic-y and different and intriguing. Thirdly, the book didn’t have too many words. It didn’t have enough. Fourth, fire really wasn’t a big deal. And lastly, it was not stereotypical, or Armageddon-like, and the romance was definitely not badly written and did not exist in a quantity that can be described as a “pinch.” So, in conclusion, all my preconceptions about this book were absolutely wrong.

The characters were so great. Mysterious yet understandable, complex yet simple. The romance was die-hard intoxicating and mind-controlling. You know the kind: the one where you walk around all day thinking about nothing but the complicated romance and the characters, and you constantly have to remind yourself it’s a book and you obsessing over it won’t change anything. Except, this one was a little different. Picture this: you’re at a basketball game and you’re cheering for a team, then suddenly, out of nowhere, the team you were rooting for changes into a completely different team, and even though you have no idea who they are, you continue rooting for them until you’re full heartedlly cheering them on. Then, BAM, you’re back to the original, and you’re still cheering like an idiot because you have no idea what else to do. Then there’s a giant puff of smoke and you’re in an entirely different game with entirely different teams, and now you’re really an idiot because you have no idea what’s going on, and you’re still cheering. It’s like that. But worse. It’s so great. Eventually, you familiarize yourselves with the teams and pick a favorite. I’m Team Elias all the way, baby. I can understand the other side, though. Actually, I take that back. I don’t get anyone who’s not on Team Elias because Elias ROCKS.

Read the book. You won’t regret it. I’ll even bet ten bucks that this is the next big thing. It’s that good. 

TBA

April 26, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Celebrating Diversity

Top Ten Tuesday is a fantastic meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This is my first time participating, and I am really excited about it. 

Prompt: Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters

Books (and life) without diversity would be so boring. Diversity makes things fun and exciting and weird (in a good way), and when you're exposed to different things and characters and stories, you learn so much more about perspective and compassion. My favorite books to read are the ones told from the point of view of someone that's different than everyone else around them. Whether it be LGBTQ, mental illness, physical deformities, etc, etc, I love learning about it. It expands my view of the world around me, and I learn that my life is so small compared to thousands and thousands others out there with their own problems and their own lives. These books taught me things I never would've known about before and have helped me celebrate diversity.



1. Shabanu (Shabanu #1) by Suzanna Fisher Staples: I read this book about four years ago, but I still think about it. Told in the setting of Pakistan, Shabanu taught me about the Muslim culture, and what it would be like to grow up in world where I would have very little of the rights I have today.

Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The second daughter in a family with no sons, she' s been allowed freedoms forbidden to most Muslim girls. But when a tragic encounter with a wealthy and powerful landowner ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is called upon to sacrifice everything she' s dreamed of. Should she do what is necessary to uphold her family' s honor-- or listen to the stirrings of her own heart?

2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: This was my first LGBT book, and I didn't even know it until about half-way through. I was surprised, but not in a bad way. It's sweet and hopeful, and the writing is beautiful. 

3. Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern: What book would be more perfect for Celebrating Diversity than a love story between a boy with crippling OCD and a girl with cerebral palsy? Unique in it's own right, this book will teach you the difficulties of living with both mental and physical disabilities.


4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: Three words: 2015 Printz Winner. This book is so great, so pure, and so meaningful. I would recommend it to anyone.

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.My Review

5. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson: A memoir written in verse, this thoughtful novel tells the personal story of growing up in the middle of the Civil Rights movement. Culture and acceptance play a major role in Woodson's intimate history.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie: A novel filled with growing pains and finding out who you are, The Absolute True Diary tells a story of both embracing and escaping your roots. It's told from the point of view of tender, innocent adolescence and can teach everyone a thing or two about growing up in one community and striving to succeed in another.

Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.

7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon: This book blew my mind. More than once. I've never read anything like it. The point of view is from a boy with autism, one of the most misunderstood mental disabilities. To be inside a mind as complex as this one was incredible.



8. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven: Many have noticed the growing popularity of books about suicide and depression in the YA book world, and All the Bright Places was one of the first. I loved it, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it. Influenced by the author's own memories, I consider this story as one of the most brave and unapologetic I have ever read.



9. Caminar by Skila Brown: Few books in the middle grade and young adult levels ever talk about the events of the Guatemalan civil war, and even fewer do it with verse. This one is one of the very few.



10. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: One of the reason why I think so many people love this book is because everyone, on one level or another, is a wallflower. They relate to Charlie's unique voice, and therefore, relate to Chbosky's writing on a very deep level. This book deals with a myriad of characters with different backgrounds and personalities, which is why I feel is deserves a spot of a list meant to celebrate diversity.



Which books do you think celebrate diversity?

Perilous Sea Review

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

Title: The Perilous Sea

Author: Sherry Thomas

Series: The Elemental Trilogy #2

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Historical Fiction; Adventure; Fantasy; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 414                     

Format: Hardcover

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After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

Yep. Sherry Thomas still got it.

Iolanthe (how do you say that? EYE-OH-LANthhh? EEE-uh-LAWNT? I wish I knew. It would make the book so much better if I wasn’t always thinking “DAMMIT WHAT IS THAT NAME?”) and Titus come back together after spending a summer apart after the crazy events of The Burning Sky. Iolanthe is still acting under the pseudonym of Archer Fairfax. She and Titus continue to work together, reading spell books, practicing magic, and a little something extra, if you catch my drift (*wink wink*). Things are going good until Titus decides to have a realization that will ruin all their plans and their relationship. Way to go, Titus. You put the im- in impossible romance. Iolanthe aka Archer can no longer serve the purpose she was originally promised. Can she recover from being tossed aside after everything that’s happened?

I had doubts. It had been a while since I read The Burning Sky, and I wasn’t entirely convinced that I would remember all that I was expected to remember. Like when you go back to school after summer break. Unrealistic expectations of you retained from last year’s chemistry class is inevitable. Lucky for me, this book was very different from a chemistry class (thank God). The story was surprisingly easy to catch up on with skillfully placed reminders.

The sequel was just as fantastic as the first book. The key to a successful series is to write the separate installments as separate stories with their own personalized story lines. Otherwise, readers are stuck with a boring continuation of a story to which they already said goodbye. Readers want new, exciting, suspense. They can’t have that if they are caught into reading a prolonged conclusion to a washed-up plot line. Sherry Thomas knew this and played it up. Her Perilous Sea story was exciting and filled with its own set of problems. I was just as entertained with the dazzling magic in this book as the previous.

The characters were built and written fully. They were well rounded and complex. Their romance was held back just enough to keep my intrigue and left me wanting just the right amount of more. Respectfully clever and hard to put down, this novel an overall success. With the bar set to sky-scraping heights, I can’t help wonder if Sherry Thomas can keep up with the standards she’s set for the final book.

The Immortal Heights

October 13, 2015

Mosquitoland Review

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Title: Mosquitoland

Author: David Arnold

Series: None

Publisher: Viking Children’s

Publication Date: March 3, 2015

Genre: Fiction; Realistic Fiction; Adventure; Contemporary; Disability; Coming-of-Age; Young Adult

Pages: 352

Format: Hardcover

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After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the "wastelands" of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland.
So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.
Told in an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic voice, "Mosquitoland" is a modern American odyssey, as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

“I am a collection of oddities, a circus of neutrons and electrons: my heart is the ringmaster, my soul is the trapeze artist, and the world is my audience. It sounds strange because it is, and it is, because I am strange.”

This book was a Book of Woah. As in, I couldn’t stop saying “woah” every five pages.

Mary Iris Malone is weird and unique and running away from home. She’s going to save her mom, who was abandoned and is now sick. Mary has to save her mother if it’s the last thing she’ll do, and she’s putting every resource she has into finding a way to Cleveland. She’ll stumble across different characters, each a little bit weirder than the last, until she finds a way back home.

This book gave me shivers. Chills. Goosebumbs. You name it, I got it. I devoured every little word, every perfectly written phrase like a feast. A literary feast of bottomless wisdom and refillable intelligence. I couldn’t stop rereading the really excellent quotes, scared that I would forget them or the fact that they even existed. I want to own this book just so I can read it over and over again, and commit the really good things to memory.

The character were by far some of the best that I have read ever. Mary Iris Malone, just by herself, was a unique character expertly crafted into something I’ve never seen before. With her messed up uvula, her one blind eye, and her war paint, she was fantastic to read and watch throughout the story. She was unapologetically weird, and is relatable by everyone, I think, because inside of everyone, there’s a little bit of an anomaly.

“Because even today, inasmuch as an anomaly is a thing that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. I can think of no more appropriate word to describe myself.”

The book is written like a journal some parts, and in normal novel format in others. You witness her journey from two sides, and you can barely wait to see how it will end. In the story, Mary travels with interesting characters that deviate from every strand of normal you could think of. From an old woman with a box she won’t let go of, to a boy with Down Syndrome and a contagious smile, Mary is accepting of everyone’s oddities, probably because she is a bit odd herself. She makes life-long, priceless friendships with unexpected allies and teaches the reader how important it is to just be.

I don’t know what I expected from this book. All I know is that I got everything I bargained for plus a little more. I can’t wait until this book gets the attention it deserves, because it deserves all the attention in the world. I loved this book, its messages, and its characters. In my mind, it’s one of the classics, and I cannot wait until other people experience it for all its magnificence.

“And as simple as it sounds, I think understanding who you are—and who you are not—is the most important thing of all Important Things.”

What's Next? Highly Anticipated Releases of 2016

Now that all the books with the 2015 release date have either been released or have been already published and devoured, we book lovers have already started looking toward the future. What will be available for all the bibliomaniacs to stock their libraries and cram their faces with in the coming years? As we all expected, the answer is too much yet too little. We can look forward to new releases from the most talked about authors and continuations of the book world's hottest series. John Green, anyone?

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare
First up, we have Cassandra Clare, the author that put the hot in Shadowhunter. Of course we all saw this coming. One thing's for sure, Clare ain't fading into the night (aka Washed-up-author-ville) without a hearty fight. With that suggestive (and might I say intriguing) end to her Mortal Instruments series, I would've been mad if this wasn't coming out. A devoted (not as much as some but still) follower of Jace and Clary, I wanted more than the ending Clare gave me. Excuse me if I get a bit book-righteous, but I feel I deserve this new beginning of the much-wanted new series, along with all other the Mortal Insturment-obsessed. Of course, Cassandra Clare will have to do the almost impossible: live up to all the hype. And nothing can kill a book or an author's career like hype. Release Date: March 8, 2016 by Margaret K. McElderry Book
+summary

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

P.S. Cassandra Clare is also said to be working on another one of the five series she hopes to write about the Shadowhunters. Chain of Thorns is the first novel in The Last Hours trilogy, said to take place in 1903 following the next generation after The Infernal Devices (Tessa Gray and Will Herondale). Unfortunately, we have even less information about it than the Dark Artifices. More waiting, I suppose.


Untitled by Stephanie Perkins
Up next in the brigade of books is Stephanie Perkins. Known for her witty, light books of the romance variety, Perkins has made a name for herself among the young and old of the young adult crowd, with the help of Lola, Isla, and Anna. Her humor and sweet, feel-good stories are iconic, which is why it's so surprising that her new novel is anything but. The changeover between chick-lit to horror-suspense is sure to be a rough one. Am I so wrong to doubt the Perkins' revolution? Release Date: 2016 by Dutton
+Summary

A YA horror novel in the vein of the movie Scream in which a cadre of high school students are being stalked and attacked by a mysterious killer with no obvious motive.
From the author's blog:
Yes, it's a contemporary. The killer is not a supernatural creature. I'm talking about ye old traditional knife-wielding maniac.
Yes, it will be bloody.
Yes, it will be sexy.
Yes, it will be scary.

Untitled (Untitled #1) by Marissa Meyer
Little is known about this series. The few bits of knowledge available are that it doesn't have a title, it's part of a trilogy that also has no title, and has something to with "super heroes and super villains". Cyborg super humans perhaps? Princesses with a thing against being in distress? All, I think, are likely possibilities. Release Date: Fall 2016 by Feiwel and Friends
+Summary

To be published Fall 2016. This will be the first installment of a trilogy about "super heroes and super villains".

Heartless by Marissa Meyer 
Along with her new series, Marissa Meyer is said to also be publishing another new novel called Heartless. If anyone has the control of the reins of the writing train, it seems to be Marissa Meyer, pounding out novels as she is. This book is rumored to be a prequel to Alice in Wonderland and will tell the tale of the notorious Queen of Hearts. Meyer apparently has a thing for fairy tale spin-offs. Who knew? Release Date: November 8, 2016 by Feiwel and Friends
+Summary

A prequel to “Alice in Wonderland,” HEARTLESS will tell the tale of how a marquis’ teenage daughter became the infamous Queen of Hearts. It will be a story of whimsy and madness, passion and tragedy, ravens and writing desks.

Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan
I read the Lynburn Legacy. I fell in love with the first one, then fell into a spell of depression after reading the next books which I lovingly refer to as The Epic Fails. I'm not sure my love (or lack thereof) will keep me from reading this new one, however. I know Brennan can write well because the first book of the Lynburn Legacy is evidence. And besides, this is the first book, if not the only book, of a series, and if Brennan has a talent for anything, it's humor and first novels. Release Date: 2016 by HarperCollins
+Summary

Tell the Wind and Fire is about a young girl called Lucie who lives in a New York very different from the New York we know: the city is torn between two very different kinds of magic, and Lucie’s own family was torn apart years ago by that conflict. Lucie wears magic rings and carries a burden of guilt she can’t share with anyone.
The light in her life is her sweetheart boyfriend Ethan, but it turns out Ethan has a secret too: a soulless doppelganger created by dark magic, who has to conceal the face identical to Ethan’s with a hood fastened by a collar nobody but a Light magician with magical rings can take off… and who introduces himself to both of them by, for reasons nobody can understand, saving Ethan’s life…

Flamecaster (The Shattered Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima 
This book is one I am genuinely excited for. Chima is a goddess when it comes to really good fantasy novels. Don't even get me started on The Demon King series because I could go on for days about how much I love it. And finding out that Chima is writing about The Seven Realms a generation later? Did I die? Cause I'm pretty sure this is heaven. I've been waiting years for this to happen, and it's actually happening. I just...I'm just so happy. Release Date: April 19, 2016
+Summary

Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it?
Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told that the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.
Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.
Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.

Untitled by John Green
Basically, the only thing we know is John Green is writing a book. And that's enough to see fireworks in some people's eyes, including mine. Release Date: Unknown by Puffin
+Summary

There is none.

AND SINCE IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO LOOK INTO THE FUTURE, HERE'S A HEALTHY DOSE OF 2017...

Untitled by Veronica Roth
It's widely known that Veronica Roth is sore spot amongst the YA community, you know, after the whole Tris episode. Some words were said, some rash actions taken, but hopefully all of that is behind us. We can move on, forget, and forgive. Okay... maybe, we'll just forget. ...Or just ignore anything happened, like they do in all unhealthy relationships. It'll be fine. Anyway, Veronica Roth is publishing a duology, and I believe the words "Star Wars" were used. Hopefully, this series won't cause an uproar and a near miss with an all-out rebellion. Crossing my fingers! Release Date: 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books
+Summary

In the untitled first novel of a highly anticipated duology in the vein of Star Wars, Veronica Roth explores—with poise and poignancy—the story of a boy who forms an unlikely alliance with an enemy. Both desperate to escape their oppressive lives, they help each other attain what they most desire: for one, redemption, and the other, revenge.
The first of Veronica Roth's upcoming young adult novels will publish in 2017, with the next novel to follow in 2018.

I Was Here Review

I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Title: I Was Here

Author: Gayle Forman

Series: None

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Publication Date: January 27, 2015

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Fiction; Contemporary; Romance; Disabilities; Coming-of-Age; Young Adult

Pages: 270

Format: Hardcover

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When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

I’ve read multiple books that confront the subject of suicide and depression. With this one, Gayle Forman adds her own element of writing that sets it apart from others. I Was Here is by no means like any of Gayle Forman’s previous light romance reads. It has a ton of baggage. So much so, a reader has to purposefully carve out time in his schedule to make sure he reads this book thoroughly and cover to cover.

Cody is caught in a tidal wave of misunderstanding, confusion, and guilt after her best friend commits suicide in a hotel room. Meg seemed to have thought of everything right down to the tip for the maid. While everyone is focused of healing, forgetting, and moving on, something keeps Cody from letting go of her best friend. She can’t accept the one and only explanation for Meg’s death. When opportunity hands her a ticket to Meg’s old dorm room, Cody takes it as a chance to discover what exactly was going on with her best friend.  

I respect Gayle Forman’s decision to write about a topic as serious as teen depression and suicide. I also respect her work on the characters and the emotions they encountered in the story. Her attention to the disasters surrounding the suicide, like the damage wrought around the epicenter of an earthquake, was realistic and tell it like it is. This story could’ve so easily been preachy, but she managed to stay away from that line.

The writing was unrecognizable as Gayle Forman’s. It was dark in all the places where her other books are lighter, and it was about ten thousand pounds heavier. She really pushed her boundaries with I Was Here.

 This book didn’t entertain me as much as it educated me. I left with more of an understanding of what drives people to suicide and the effects it has on those around us. I Was Here has an important lesson to share with all its readers, one that I will definitely remember.