Exciting author events!

The 2009 Debs are pleased to announce Holidaze With the Debs, a series of author events in the U.S. and Canada this holiday season. At bookstores, libraries and schools in the New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Toronto areas, members of the 2009 Debutantes will talk about their own books and other 2009 favorites. A full list of events is available below.

2009 DEBUTANTES’ HOLIDAZE TOUR

NEW YORK
Dec. 6, 1-3 p.m.
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th St.
New York, NY
Including: Megan Crewe, Sarah Cross, Deva Fagan, Neesha Meminger, Kate Messner, Shani Petroff, Jon Skovron, Michelle Zink

CHICAGO
Dec. 5, 1-3 p.m.
Borders
161 N. Weber Road
Bolingbrook, IL
Including: Cynthea Liu, Saundra Mitchell, Aprilynne Pike, Kristina Springer, Darcy Vance, Lara Zielin

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

In this week’s WoW, the main characters have a special supernatural talent. Read on!

The Mark by Jen Nadol
Release date: January 19th 2010 by Bloomsbury
Synopsis:

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

This book sounds similar to Rachel’s Vincent’s Soul Screamers series i.e. characters knowing when a person will die. But I am super excited to read it! The plot sounds really good. I wish January 2010 came sooner!

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Release date: March 16th 2010 by HarperTeen
Synopsis:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

Yes I know I already have this book (currently reading it), but it can’t hurt to WoW it too right? I’m loving it so far. Jay is a really sweet best friend, just saying. You have to buy The Body Finder next year.

Mistwood by Leah Cypess
Release date: April 17th 2010 by HarperCollins
Synopsis:

Isabel is a shape-shifter, able to shift at will into any animal form. She senses that her power is great. She knows—deep in her soul—that she exists only to protect the king and the royal family. But when she awakens in Mistwood to the sound of approaching horses, she can’t remember anything and she flees. How long has she been in the forest? Who hurt her? Why is she hiding—because it is certain she is hiding. Who are these men riding after her with such determination? And most importantly, why can’t she shift?

Captured and thrust into the mysterious and dangerous royal court, Isabel must uncover her past, separate the truth of her heart from the legend of her magic, and, above all, keep the unbearably handsome new king safe. Even if protecting him means disaster for her. An astounding debut.

Sounds good right? I like the castle on the cover.

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
Release date: April 27th 2010 by Balzer + Bray
Synopsis:

Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears Jessica whisper: I want to kill my Hearing dead, and kill me too if that’s what it takes, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.

Excited for this one!

That’s all! Next week I’m going to share with you some wonderful covers!

Don’t forget, if you are from AUSTRALIA, please let me know here if you want to take part in an ARC tour in Australia!

Are you from Down Under?

I am doing a survey to see how many YA bloggers there are from Australia. Basically leave a comment in the comment section below if you’re Australian and would like to participate in a possible ARC tour.

The main purpose of the tour is to send out ARCs of US/UK books to Australian YA bloggers. Not many publishers ship outside USA so I thought this would be a good idea. Let me know! If you are living in USA but have blogger friends from AU? Please refer them here! Much thanks.

Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 1 Sept. 2009
Silver star (3/5 stars)

Synopsis: When fourteen-year-old Viola is sent from her beloved Brooklyn to boarding school in Indiana for ninth grade, she overcomes her initial reservations as she makes friends with her roommates, goes on a real date, and uses the unsettling ghost she keeps seeing as the subject of a short film—her first. (I found the original synopsis too long so I am posting the one which can be found on Adriana Trigiani’s website.)

Review: I wanted to love this book as I really liked the idea of it. However, initially, Viola was so whiny that I could hardly stand her. I felt sympathetic for Viola at the beginning but her constant whinning about her plight gets old quickly. You may get the same reaction as me but do give Viola a chance. As the story progressed, I definitely liked Viola more. But I think in the end, I still prefer her friends more. How ironic but I would love to be friends with Marisol and Suzanne!

I hate to say this but Viola could be a little unthoughtful at times and I felt her level of maturity is more of a 12 year old than a 14 year old. Viola’s character matures throughout the book so it was not an overnight transformation. I did not particularly enjoy the first half of book but I liked Viola a lot more after the incident with the Red Lady.

The romance plot of the book was showed that Trigiani made an effort to make it not those typical best friends falling in love plots. If there’s one main thing about Viola in Reel Life that irked me, it was that in the beginning I sensed that Viola had a potential love interest. But as soon as Viola meets someone new, Andrew suddenly hangs out with Olivia, making the love plot unrealistic. However, it was fun to read about but could have been smoother.

Overall Viola in Reel Life was an entertaining read which would appeal to younger teen readers. This novel is fun to read, but I do not recommend it to readers looking for something more meaningful. That being said, I feel that Adriana Trigiani made a good attempt at the YA genre and definitely has potential for great future novels.

In My Mailbox (31)

In My Mailbox meme was started by the awesome Story Siren.

Bought:
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
It’s almost the end of Miranda’s sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver’s license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda’s voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.

Doesn’t this book sound good? Can’t wait to read it!

Library:
How To Say Goodbye In Robot by Natalie Standiford
New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn’t made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It’s not romance, exactly – but it’s definitely love. Still, Bea can’t quite dispel Jonah’s gloom and doom – and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?

This book is really pink. And if you take out the jacket flap, you can see a pink telephone! The beginning pages are pink too. I think if I really love this book, I’ll buy a copy for myself! I haven’t read it yet but check back for my review in 2-3 weeks.

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers’ souls:

Goblin Fruit: In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today’s savvy girls?

Spicy Little Curses: A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse. (NEXT->)

Hatchling: Six days before Esme’s fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons?

People weren’t kidding about the beautiful illustrations in Lips Touch! Oh my, sooo well drawn. Seriously. Next time you’re at the bookstore, you might consider flipping through it and see the pretty drawings. My review will come soon.

Survival of the Fiercest: A Sloane Sisters Novel by Anna Carey
Sibling rivalry never looked so good.
Now that they’re officially family, the Sloane sisters are stuck living together in an Upper East Side town house and sharing everything—from cute clothes to even cuter crushes. Is New York City big enough for all four of them?
Cate: The once and future queen bee of Ashton Prep is at war with her ex-besties. Cate’s weapon of choice: the hottie next door. Because nothing says social dominance like serious arm candy.
Stella: London’s former It Girl is tasked to recruit cool friends for her and Cate’s new crew. Her mission: Make a nobody into a somebody. But will her protÉgÉe measure up? Or has Stella created a monster?
Andie: The petite beauty has what every girl wants: a crush who likes her back. Too bad he was stepsister Lola’s crush first. Um, dibs!
Lola: The class klutz is defying her rep by embarking on a high-fashion modeling career. When she becomes the muse of the craziest man in fashion, will Lola end up runway worthy or style roadkill?

I love this series, it’s like The Clique but I love the characters.

I support buying books from the bookstore! Today is National Bookstore Day! I may not be from USA but I still support this! Buy books from bookstores before they become a thing in the past!

This fall, we invite you to join Publishers Weekly in celebrating the first annual National Bookstore Day, a day devoted to celebrating bookselling and the vibrant culture of bookstores. This year’s day will take place on Saturday, November 7, and to make it a success we need your help and participation.

The Pharaoh’s Secret by Marissa Moss

Filled with intrigue and surprises, The Pharaoh’s Secret includes Marissa Moss’s original illustrations throughout. The novel skillfully weaves history with a personal story full of heartache and family tensions that will entice and enthrall readers.

When Talibah and her younger brother, Adom, accompany their father, an academic, to his homeland of modern Egypt on his research assignment, they become involved in a mystery surrounding an ancient, lost pharaoh—a rare queen ruler. Someone has tried to wipe her from the record, to make it appear as if she never existed! She needs Talibah to help her and her high priest, Senenmut, reclaim their rightful place in history. Exotic locales, mysterious strangers, and a sinister archaeologist round out an adventure that is full of riddles, old tales, and, most surprisingly of all, a link to Talibah’s and Adom’s mother, who died mysteriously.

I was sadly disappointed in The Pharaoh’s Secret. From the synopsis, I was expecting a fast-paced and exciting story but there was a shortage of action and the execution and development of the story were unsatisfactory. I found Talibah’s character hardly developed, while some may argue that this book is for ages 9-13, I still find that Moss could have made Talibah a stronger heroine.

The plot sounded promising but half way through the book, nothing happened. Talibah meets a few odd people, receives gifts, sees the name Hatshepsut everywhere but NOTHING is done. Why couldn’t Talibah do something like sneak away at night to snoop around for clues? That could have made things more exciting instead of sightseeing, discovering something, back to hotel and the next day repeat the same routine. I was really disappointed that nothing exciting happened. No actual spirits rising from the dead or mummies coming out of the tombs. Maybe something happens at the end but I am just going to skim through and read the ending.

Talibah finds Rashid, a colleague of Talibah’s father, creepy and suspects that he is evil. But there is no supporting evidence to back her up. Sure, he has a creepy ring but it came of as judgemental and stereotypical to me. Just because Rihanna (the singer who sang Umbrella) has a tattoo does it mean she is a bad person? No. Basically my point is, Talibah sounded superficial to me and I could not connect with her.

I could not finish this book but if you are a middle grader, this book may be of your liking if you enjoy mysteries. Not recommanded to anyone above 14. The Pharaoh’s Secret had so much potential but came off as mundane. Cover wise, I thought the cover was splendid! It had a element of mystery and intrigue but were missing in the actual story. Also, the illustrations in the book added a nice touch.

Bronze star (2/5 stars)