Noteworthy Passages: The Liar Society

The Liar Society (ARC) by Lisa & Laura Roecker
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub. Date: March 1st, 2011
Pages: 361
Series: Liar Society, #1
Age Level: 14+
Source: From publisher for review

Disclaimer: Please note that this is an ARC and passages and quotes below are subject to change in the final copy.

Synopsis via Goodreads
Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure.

To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)

Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Cameron.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.

Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder...

Noteworthy Passages

Kate; pg. 155
The air around me felt charged with electricity, possibilities, and danger. I knew I'd never be able to run fast enough. Sooner or later I'd have to stop and brave the storm.

Kate; pg. 270
I remembered the moment between Grace and Porter in the lake at Nativitas and realized there were two very good reasons that Seth wasn't equipped to handle the situation as well as I was. I unbuttoned the top buttons on the shirt of my uniform, adjusted the 'girls' to achieve maximum attention, released my hair from its ponytail, and licked my lips. I looked over at Liam and Seth. "I'm going in."

~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you all enjoyed those two passages and that they've got you wanting to read The Liar Society if you haven't already. For more on my thoughts, you can read my Review.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Buy The Liar Society Now: Amazon / Kindle / Book Depository









PLEASE NOTE: This is a feature hosted here at my blog in which I present you with selected passages or quotes that I deem Noteworthy from a book I've just reviewed. My hopes are of course, that these passages will make you want to pick the book up and read it. This feature was started and created by me in January in hopes of making my blog more unique. That being said, I would like to kindly request that you do not use this feature as it was intended to be for my blog only and is not a meme. If you see some one else using it, please know it is without my permission. Thank you.

Dundurn Press Giveaway!

Accomplice by Valerie Sherrard
Publisher: Dundurn
Pub. Date: February 21st, 2011
Pages: 152
Age Level: YA

Synopsis via Goodreads
Lexie Malton is an average Vancouver teen with fairly typical issues. Her stepmother is far from her favourite person, she has a sister with special needs, and life outside the home is the usual mix of school, friends, school, and social events. But Lexie has a secret. Her ex-boyfriend, Devlin Mather, is now a heroin addict living on the street, and only Lexie knows that she's the one who put him there. Guilt makes her give in to Devlin's demands for money time and time again, even though she knows how dangerous his drug use is. Lexie finally gathers the strength to stop enabling Devlin. But when he seeks treatment for his addiction, Lexie finds herself drawn back to him, never guessing what a dark and deadly path she has just chosen. Devlin relapses, and his desperation will lead to an act that will change both of their lives forever.


Crescent Star by Nicholas Maes
Publisher: Dundurn
Pub. Date: February 21st, 2011
Pages: 272
Age Level: YA

Synopsis via Goodreads
Avi Greenbaum is Jewish and lives in West Jerusalem. Moussa Shakir is Palestinian and lives in East Jerusalem. Both are 15 years old, live without their fathers, adore their older brothers, and belong to the same soccer club. Avi commemorates the Holocaust and celebrates Israeli independence, while Moussa mourns on Nakba Day, marking the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and land in 1948. Their lives are parallel lines: they have everything in common and nothing at all. Each is oblivious to the other’s existence.

As Avi and Moussa go about their daily routines in the spring of 2006, they face reminders of the conflict that has dogged the region for the past three generations; the security wall, suicide bombings, police operations, and the looming shadow of war. While navigating this legacy of suspicion and violence, they must decide what their own roles in the stalemate will be.

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Contest Details
Thanks to Marta with Dundurn, I have a copy of both Accomplice and Crescent Star to giveaway. There will be one winner for each book and you'll have the option to enter for either or both on the form.

Rules
~Comments are appreciated but you must FILL OUT THE FORM to enter.
~Contest is open to US and Canada.
~Contest will end at 11:59PM EST on April 4th.
~Winners will have 48 hours to reply to email with their address or another winner will be chosen.

Extra Entries
You can earn +2 entries by tweeting this contest. Please include @thebookpixie and @dundurnpress

Fill Out This Form To Enter

Review: The Liar Society

The Liar Society (ARC) by Lisa & Laura Roecker
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub. Date: March 1st, 2011
Pages: 361
Series: Liar Society, #1
Age Level: 14+
Source: From publisher for review

Synopsis via Goodreads
Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure.

To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)

Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Cameron.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.

Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder...

Review
Some of my favorite series as a child were mystery series, like the Mandie and Nancy Drew books. Now that I'm older, it's been difficult trying to find some really good YA mystery series. I began reading the Scarlett Wakefield series by Lauren Henderson back last year, which I'm really enjoying, but now I'm having to wait for the next book to release. Then The Liar Society walked into my life and I'm so delighted it did!

Together, the Roecker sisters managed to create a wide array of dynamic characters, both main and supporting. First we have our witty and sarcastic sleuth of a heroine, Kate. Kate is in no way a fool, knowing all along that there was more to Grace's death than just a freak accident. After receiving a mysterious email, Kate finally gains that extra push she needed to go out and investigate the death of her best friend for herself. Many have compared her to Nancy Drew and it is easy to see why; she's observant, determined, and lovable to boot. I really enjoyed getting to watch Kate grow stronger throughout the story and step out of the shell she'd built up around herself. Two other characters I absolutely adored were Seth and Liam, each for entirely different reasons. Seth is Kate's geeky, conspiracy theorist neighbor, who, bless his scrawny little heart, has got a bad case of the puppy love for Kate. I, the reader, know this poor boy doesn't have a chance but you gotta admire his spunk, spirit, and drive to keep on tryin'. At times, I thought Kate could be a bit harsh towards Seth but she was usually quick to apologize and I was glad to see them become friends. At first, I wasn't sure what to expect of Liam, this supposed shady bad boy with a rep. As it turns out, he wasn't at all like Kate or I expected and I found him to be quite sweet and charming once we both understood what all was going on with him. There were some very well done minor characters as well including, but not limited to: Ms. D.; Beefany Bethany; Taylor; Maddie; Porter; and Alistair.

The Liar Society is humorous and fun but also has some subtly serious undertones weaved in, providing texture. Stir in a compelling mystery that kept me guessing and you've got quite the story. While I did have a pretty good idea about who was involved in Grace's death, I didn't know the How's or Why's, which kept me flipping the pages to find out what really happened that night. I was surprised by how deep the plot went, involving the school's history and more. This just made the mystery all the more intriguing. I would have liked a little more background information concerning the 'S' and 'B' but I get the feeling more of that will come into play in the sequel.

I've only read a couple of books before that have been co-written. I've got to say, there was absolutely no way I could have told that The Liar Society was written by two different authors. Lisa and Laura's writing flowed seamlessly and was sassy and well paced.

I've got to admit, I wasn't really sure how I was expecting The Liar Society to end. I think it is safe to say I felt basically the same way as Kate did, shocked that after everything, that's how things worked out. However, I did really like the ending and think it did a great job setting up for the next book. Thankfully, it wasn't really a cliffhanger so much as it just left me wanting more.

The Liar Society is a refreshing and fun contemporary mystery that really stands out. This is one debut you will not want to miss and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. Lisa and Laura are a seriously talented pair of authors and I'm looking forward to seeing what these two sisters come up with next.

Grade
Characters: A-
Writing: B
Plot: B+
Ending: B
1st in Series: B+
Enjoyment/Likability: B
Recommendable: B+

Overall: B+

Cover: B

Buy The Liar Society Now: Amazon / Kindle / Book Depository

In My Mailbox (79)

In My Mailbox
IMM is a weekly meme hosted and created by Kristie at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Won from Walnut Springs Press
~Gluten-Free Cooking Made Easy by Susan Bell

Won from Shooting Stars Mag
~Signed! Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Bookmooch
~Girlfriend Material by Melissa Kantor

R.A.K. Gift
~Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel (Thanks Isalys!)

For Review from Little Brown
~Huntress by Malinda Lo

For Review from Egmont
~Never Sit Down in a Hoop Skirt by Crickett Rumley
~ARC The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey
~ARC Hourglass by Myra McEntire
~ARC Family by Micol Ostow
~ARC My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff

For Review from Author
~Last Bus Out by Beck McDowell
~Swag

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I'm feeling pretty blegh today, thus the lack of vlog. Plus I got a lot of other things to get done. But I did get a bunch of amazing books this week. So excited to read all of these. :)

Hope you all got some great books this week too and are enjoying your weekend!