Review: Imaginary Girls

Imaginary Girls (ARC) by Nova Ren Suma
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pub. Date: June 14th, 2011
Pages: 352
Age Level: 14+
Source: Bookmooch

Synopsis via Goodreads
Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

Review
With her eerie YA debut, Suma has created a tale so unlike anything I've ever read before. Imaginary Girls managed to take my emotions and my reason and tear them in two completely different directions.

I wasn't too far into Imaginary Girls when I realized that my brain saw Chloe and Ruby one way, while my heart viewed them in another. You're probably wondering what I mean by this, right? Well, I'll tell you. Let's start with Chloe. My brain viewed her as weak and overly dependent on her sister. The way she acted was like she didn't even exist without Ruby. My heart, however, said here's a girl who's only ever had her older sister to care about her and as a result, she almost didn't exist without Ruby. Ruby brought her to life, and when I put myself in Chloe's shoes, it is easy to see why her sister was such an encompassing, defining part of her life. Now on to Ruby. My brain tells me she's a manipulative, heart breaker who will do whatever it takes to accomplish what she wants and who takes advantage of her sister's loyalty. On the other hand, my heart tells me this girl is somehow special and it's obvious she loves her sister with all her heart. From the moment she was born Ruby saw Chloe as her's and she knew that she was the only person in the world she could really trust and count on. As much as Ruby worked her 'magic' to get people to do her own bidding, she would do anything for her little sister. Part of me couldn't help feeling that I should dislike these two girls, but I found myself loving and caring for them, wanting things to work out in the end. Their relationship was somewhat twisted, but it was also one of the strongest and truest bonds of sisterhood I've ever seen, a bond where blood really is thicker than water. Imaginary Girls also contained a small cast of well crafted supporting characters. There was London and Pete, both of whom I couldn't help but feel sorry for because of how their lives were affected by Ruby. Then there was Owen; I wasn't sure about him to start with but then grew to hate him. Oh and I can't forget the reservoir. Yes that's right, call me crazy but I really felt the reservoir itself acted not only as a setting, but as a character. Honestly though, I would have liked to have seen a little more development and involvement from some of the supporting characters than what I got.

Imaginary Girls starts out fairly subtle and gradually builds from there until it's dramatic climax. Throughout the book, little hints as to the truth behind it all are dropped at evenly dispersed intervals. These hints were confusing on their own but as I received them one by one, and began to piece them together, I could see the truth starting to form in front of me; this kept a high level of suspense throughout the book. My only problem was that the story did seem to move too slowly in places and this did somewhat hinder my enjoyment of the novel. However, I also appreciate Suma's ability to take her time because in real life, things don't always move as quickly as we'd like. Plus, she didn't feel the need reveal all of her cards at once. That being said, the plot does begin to quicken, but not so suddenly as to create inconsistency in the pacing. The mystery, twists, and overall story line were incredibly enticing and imaginative with the unique setting of the creepy reservoir contributing greatly as well.

Suma's writing style is haunting, vivid, and breathtakingly gorgeous all at the same time. It's not often that a writer's literary voice stands out to me as being distinct and unique in comparison to everything I've read, but Suma's did just that. I can't even begin to explain how raw and lovely it was, fully immersing me in the story though I can't deny that it was a little overwhelming at first. The best way I feel to describe this would be like taking someone who loves shrimp and then giving them caviar. Shrimp is super yummy, that's why so many people like it, while caviar is richer, packs more of a punch, but is also more of an acquired taste. Did that make any sense?

Sometimes I'll read a book and when I reach the end, I can't help but feel that the ending didn't do justice to the rest of the story. That's not the case with Imaginary Girls which ended in a powerful, emotionally gripping way that not only left me satisfied with where things were, but also kept me with a lingering sense of wonder and mystery.

What else can I say, without spoiling things, except that Imaginary Girls is a dark and stunning YA debut from an obviously talented author by the name of Nova Ren Suma. (Love that name!) There were aspects of this book that I can only describe as pure genius. It was so refreshing and original and while I highly recommend it, I acknowledge this book probably isn't for everyone. Just the same though, if Imaginary Girls sounds even the slightest bit interesting to you then you should not miss out on it. Suma is definitely an author to watch because I'm sure she's got many a marvel hiding up her sleeve.

Grade
Characters: B+
Writing: A-
Plot: B
Ending: A
Enjoyment/Likability: B
Recommendable: B

Overall: B+

Cover: A-

Buy Imaginary Girls
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Noteworthy Passages: Haunted

Haunted by Joy Preble
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub. Date: February 1st, 2011
Pages: 290
Series: Dreaming Anastasia, #2
Age Level: 14+
Source: For review from publisher.

Synopsis via Goodreads
Anne is trying her best to live a normal life, but she's still got some power sparking inside her. She's hearing and seeing things that she tries her best to ignore-like being haunted by a Russian sea nymph that claims the princess Anastasia is still alive.

That's when Ethan Kozninsky-he of the stunning blue eyes, thick brown hair, and former immortal status-returns. Anne soon realizes that everything she's been trying to forget might be impossible to bury.

Noteworthy Passages

Baba Yaga; pg. 2
Water is not my true element. I am of the earth and the sky. I am of the fire. But in the seas and oceans, the rivers and streams, I am not at ease. I soar through the skies in my mortar. Nothing passes through my forest unchanged--not even this creature that floats below the surface of things, the one that has been haunting my girl. Honed to the bone, as I am. Skin pale as alabaster. Eyes dark with a hunger that verges on madness. Hair tangled and wild as her heart. Like me, she is not what she once was. But she in not what she wants to be either.
Then again, who really is?

Ethan; pg. 199
The rusalka's spell is as fast as the lightening in the sky above us and more potent than any magic left inside me. She's gripping my hand before I can move. The coldness of it shoots ice through my veins. The world around me slows to a crawl. I need to do something--conjure a spell, even though I have no real magic left. But all I can do is look at her. Every fiber of my body tells me that she's the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. Only one tiny fragment of my brain screams that it's a lie--and also reminds me that because I'm now mortal, it is quite possible that I will die.

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I hope you all enjoyed those passages; I just loved the writing. To find out more on my thoughts of Haunted, check out my Review.

As always, thanks for stopping by. :D

Buy Dreaming Anastasia
Amazon / B&N / Kindle / Nook / Book Depository

Buy Haunted
Amazon / B&N / Kindle / Nook / 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.

Money Savin' Monday (8)

Hello everyone! It's time for the eighth edition of Money Savin' Mondays. To find out more on why I started this you can read the first post. If you decide to use the Money Savin' Mondays title, I'd appreciate a small mention for coming up with the name. Also, you can stay up to date on the latest bargains through out the whole week by following my new twitter @PixieBookDeals. Other bargains can also be found in sidebar. Now, onto the deals.

~Kindle $0.99 to $2.99~

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~Paperbacks~

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~Hardcovers~

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In My Mailbox (88)

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.

For Review from Little Brown
~Forgotten by Cat Patrick

For Review from Adele
~Signed! Tighter by Adele Griffin

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Was so excited to get these two books in the mail! Hope you all got some great goodies in your mailboxes as well. :D

Review: Haunted

Haunted by Joy Preble
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub. Date: February 1st, 2011
Pages: 290
Series: Dreaming Anastasia, #2
Age Level: 14+
Source: For review from publisher.

Synopsis via Goodreads
Anne is trying her best to live a normal life, but she's still got some power sparking inside her. She's hearing and seeing things that she tries her best to ignore-like being haunted by a Russian sea nymph that claims the princess Anastasia is still alive.

That's when Ethan Kozninsky-he of the stunning blue eyes, thick brown hair, and former immortal status-returns. Anne soon realizes that everything she's been trying to forget might be impossible to bury.

Review
Here is what I love about Joy Preble's books: Not only do each of them thoroughly entertain me, but I also always learn something new about Russian folklore. I find it a very valuable quality in a book when you can come away from it with another wrinkle in your brain.

Reading Haunted was like getting to know the characters all over again, considering the long lapse in time between my reading this and Dreaming Anastasia. Anne is a strong, independent heroine with attitude. After all the craziness she'd been through, it was easy to see why she wanted to ignore the fact that her powers were stronger than ever and try to be normal. But when destiny calls, Anne knows she doesn't have much say in the matter and reluctantly realizes that she hasn't much choice but to forget being normal. I found her to be very likable as well as relatable, making her easy to connect with. Then we have Ethan, who's mature, handsome, and supportive though, like Anne, part of me was a bit ticked at him, in the beginning, for staying away so long when he knew something was wrong. The romance between the two of them is very realistically paced, taking it's time. They know they're attracted to each other but they aren't jumping each other and saying 'love' when what they are experiencing is 'lust' like some 'couples' I've happened across. Tess is Anne's loyal, protective, and spitfire best friend and let me tell you, that girl is a riot. She isn't very trusting of Ethan and I could understand why she'd feel that way and was kind of glad that she did. It showed how much she cared about Anne. Then we have Ben, the poor old sap who has no idea what he's gotten himself into. I could see why Anne started going out with him after Ethan left. He's pretty sweet and he's also very normal. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him when Ethan came back but there were some times when he annoyed me. The rusalka was a very intriguing, mysterious character and I loved getting to know her story. Baba Yaga, Anne's mom, and Mrs. Benson round off this great cast of characters.

I've always held an interest in the history, culture, and age old tales of various countries. Preble's stories nurture and encourage my growing appetite for more with each book. In Haunted, not only do we get more of Baba Yaga, but we are also introduced to rusalkas, Russian mermaids whom were once human girls/women who died young and tragically near a body of water. There are many variations on mermaids but this legend was completely new and darkly mesmerizing to me. Weave in the magic and mystery elements and Preble's got me turning the pages, excited to see what happens next. The identity of the rusalka wasn't totally unexpected but it was a great twist and I can honestly say that while I knew she had to have some kind of connection to Anne, I wasn't completely sure what that was. Having been well over a year since I'd read Dreaming Anastasia, I had forgotten quite a few plot details but Haunted did a pretty decent job reminding me of most the details.

Preble has a luminous, captivating writing style that often verges on poetic. I thought this was particularly expressed in the chapters from Baba Yaga's point of view, a perspective I found so compelling and unique. Though totally different, Ethan and Anne's perspectives were also very well done and, like before, I thought getting to read both of their sides was beneficial to the story. The only problem was that on occasion the writing seemed a bit repetitive, but this was a very minor issue for me.

Haunted ended very appropriately with questions not only being answered but with a few being introduced as well, letting me know that there is more to come. I still feel like I have a lot to learn about the ways of Baba Yaga and Anne's involvement in them; I look forward to more being revealed in the next book.

Dreaming Anastasia and Haunted are refreshing and imaginative in a way that so many paranormal books aren't these days. The incorporation of the Russian folklore really gives these stories something special to make them standout among all the vampires, fallen angels, etc. Seriously, these books have a lot going for them and if you haven't given them a try yet, I definitely suggest that you do. I'm anxious to see what lovely stories Preble creates next.

Grade
Characters: B
Writing: B+
Plot: B+
Ending: A-
2nd in Series: B+
Enjoyment/Likability: B
Recommendable: B+

Overall: B+

Cover: A

Buy Dreaming Anastasia
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Buy Haunted
Amazon / B&N / Kindle / Nook / Book Depository

Noteworthy Passages: Ten Miles Past Normal

Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Publisher: Atheneum
Pub. Date: March 22nd, 2011
Pages: 211
Age Level: Upper MG
Source: For review from publisher.

Synopsis via Goodreads
Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with that: she’s not. She’s smart and creative and a little bit funky. She’s also an unwilling player in her parents’ modern-hippy, let’s-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that “normal target.” She has to milk goats every day…and endure her mother’s pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation—and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good…the threat of homemade jeans, not so much.

It would be nice to go back to that old suburban life…or some grown up, high school version of it, complete with nice, normal boyfriends who wear crew neck sweaters and like social studies. So, what’s wrong with normal? Well, kind of everything. She knows that, of course, why else would she learn bass and join Jam Band, how else would she know to idolize infamous wild-child and high school senior Emma (her best friend Sarah’s older sister), why else would she get arrested while doing a school project on a local freedom school (jail was not part of the assignment). And, why else would she kind of be falling in "like" with a boy named Monster—yes, that is his real name. Janie was going for normal, but she missed her mark by about ten miles…and we mean that as a compliment.

Frances O’Roark Dowell’s fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell’s relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated…and normal is WAY overrated.

Noteworthy Passages

Janie & Monster; pg. 67
"Probably a nickname," I tell her, moving out of the way for a skinny kid whose locker I'm blocking. "I mean nobody's going to name their kid 'Monster.' Nobody who's sane, anyway"
"They're crazy as loons," a voice booms. "That's a fact."
Sarah and I both jump. Standing in front of us--no, make that looming over us--is a Mack truck of a guy, six-two at the very least, in overalls and a tie-dyed T-shirt, his long red hair pulled into a ponytail. He shoves his hands in his pockets and leans back on his heels. "Monster Partin Monroe. It's right there on the birth certificate. I'll drive down to the county courthouse and get you a copy if you want."

Janie and Trena; pg. 162-163
"I know Monster," I say, pulling a chair in next to hers. "He's a friend of mine at school."
Trena smiles and pats her heart with a delicate, if rather large, hand. "Oh, my Monster! Well, I call him Monny, don't you know, because Monster is a ridiculous name, but typical of that mama and daddy of his. His daddy being my son, Emmett, but he's a long story and not one you can tell right next to a church sanctuary, no sir."

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I hope you all enjoyed those two passages. Kinda funny how they both ended up being centered around Monster. lol. For more on my thoughts of Ten Miles Past Normal, check out my Review.

As always, thanks for stopping by. :D

Buy Ten Miles Past Normal
Amazon / B&N / Kindle / Nook / 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.

Author Guest Post: Cathy Ostlere

Today I have Cathy Ostlere here to share with you all how her new YA verse novel, Karma, was born. I really enjoyed getting the background information on how Cathy formed her story and I think you all will too. :D

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The Muscle of Karma
By Cathy Ostlere
The writing of Karma is one of those accidents of life or perhaps confluence is a better word for how writers find their subject matter – the meeting of rivers of experience, happenstance, and imagination. Karma is the result of a three-month trip made through India in 1984. A very long time ago, now. But that trip left a mark on me. I was twenty-five, not a writer, though I had a university English Literature degree, and I was travelling around the world for a full year with only $7000. By the time I got to India I had spent most of my money in eight countries and had less than $2000 left. So, I travelled by train and bus, often third-class, hitched rides with truck drivers, stayed with families in rented rooms, and ate what the locals ate. It was neither romantic or easy but it was rich, the richest kind of experience one can find when you are young and healthy.

I was not in Delhi when Indira Gandhi was murdered, but many of the situations that my character Maya experiences are drawn from my travels and memories. I also struggled with the intensity of the country but I came to love it as it continued to challenge my conception of who I was. And so, when I began Karma, I believed I was writing a love story to a country that had frightened me, thrilled my imagination, and was ultimately unknowable to a girl raised in a Canadian prairie city. Karma was my attempt to understand this great nation– particularly the events that followed Indira Gandhi’s murder.

When I decided to write Karma I naively thought a verse novel would be easier – there would be fewer words to wrestle with – and the original plan was for Karma to top out at 200 pages (not the 500 I ended up with!). But could I have been more wrong? What I learned through the writing was that each page of a verse novel must do the same work as one page of tradition narrative work. Each page carries an idea, develops a character trait, or moves the action forward (and sometimes all three). Even the white space and the line breaks must serve the narrative in some way. All of this was surprising to me. A verse novel is not just a narrative that is chopped up and shortened; it’s a muscular way of telling a story.

While much of Karma is extracted from my own memories and experiences, I did conduct research for certain aspects: Indira Gandhi’s murder; the riots of Delhi; the eye-witness accounts of the destruction and murders; Hindu and Sikh religions; Hindi and Punjabi words; the cities of Delhi, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer; train schedules; sand; and saris. Unlike some writers, I did the research as I was writing. I let the novel unravel quite unconsciously, allowing the characters to act until I came to a situation that I didn’t know enough about. Then through books (fiction and nonfiction), as well as searching the internet, I went looking for a detail or a fact that I thought was necessary to the overall veracity of the novel.

Every author hopes that her book will find its audience – the reader that is willing to go on an unusual journey, and is a risk-taker like the writer. I like to think that our world and our thinking is constantly shifting and expanding and it is literature’s responsibility to express this growth and sometimes lead the way.
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Thank you so much Cathy for that post. I hope all of you enjoyed reading this wonderful guest post and will consider adding Karma to your to-read list if it isn't on there already.

Buy Karma
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Review: Ten Miles Past Normal

Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Publisher: Atheneum
Pub. Date: March 22nd, 2011
Pages: 211
Age Level: Upper MG
Source: For review from publisher.

Synopsis via Goodreads
Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with that: she’s not. She’s smart and creative and a little bit funky. She’s also an unwilling player in her parents’ modern-hippy, let’s-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that “normal target.” She has to milk goats every day…and endure her mother’s pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation—and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good…the threat of homemade jeans, not so much.

It would be nice to go back to that old suburban life…or some grown up, high school version of it, complete with nice, normal boyfriends who wear crew neck sweaters and like social studies. So, what’s wrong with normal? Well, kind of everything. She knows that, of course, why else would she learn bass and join Jam Band, how else would she know to idolize infamous wild-child and high school senior Emma (her best friend Sarah’s older sister), why else would she get arrested while doing a school project on a local freedom school (jail was not part of the assignment). And, why else would she kind of be falling in "like" with a boy named Monster—yes, that is his real name. Janie was going for normal, but she missed her mark by about ten miles…and we mean that as a compliment.

Frances O’Roark Dowell’s fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell’s relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated…and normal is WAY overrated.

Review
Ten Miles Past Normal is a short and sweet read that kept me entertained throughout its duration, though I'm not entirely sure it will stick out to me as memorable later on down the road.

Though I never quite loved Janie, I still found her to be a well crafted heroine. She has a great sense of humor and her frustrations with fitting in and being different were understandable and made her easy for me to relate to. I enjoyed watching her grow and seeing her perspective on her life shift and morph into something better. My only issue with Janie was that at times she sounded older than fourteen, and at other times, much younger. I would have liked to have seen a more happy medium than what I got. Sarah, Janie's best friend, is very intelligent and goal oriented, a humanitarian in the making. There were times when she got on my nerves with how she could be with Janie and she often felt a bit unrealistic but she made for a decent supporting character overall. Then there was Monster, whom I kinda sort of loved. He's this tall, huge, guitar player living on his own after breaking away from his parents. But he's not the stereotypical bad boy you'd expect. He's sweet and respectful and just so different. I really would have liked to have seen more of his character. Emma, Sarah's sister, is another character I wanted to get to know better. As a matter of fact, I couldn't help thinking how I'd love to read a book about her. Mr. Pritchard and Mrs. Brown were also some great additions to the cast. Honestly, had more of these supporting characters been allowed even more of a chance to shine, I think it could have really made this book special.

Though far from a heavy or serious read, Ten Miles Past Normal still manages to work in some meaningful topics without weighing the book down. You have the trials of a teenage girl trying to fit in, or in Janie's case, blend in. The story also represents staying true to yourself and finding out who that true self is in the first place. I think it's important that kids know that it's okay to not be what traditional society tends to consider 'normal'. Sometimes being different is a good thing. Something I wasn't expecting was the incorporation of the civil rights movement brought into the plot by Mr. Pritchard and Mrs. Brown. I thought this provided Ten Miles Past Normal with a little extra oompf. In general, the plot is very humorous and I think the fact that it was Janie's younger self who wanted to move to a goat farm in the first place was a nice little twist. For some strange reason though, I felt I just wasn't able to fully immerse myself in this story.

Dowell's writing style is simple and to the point with an appealing wit and charm about it. However there were times, especially in the first part, where there were flashbacks and I sometimes found myself feeling slightly lost, wondering which tense I was currently in. The main problem for me was how the flashbacks flowed into the present tense with almost no warning which, ironically enough, actually disrupted the flow of the writing itself. As the story progressed, the writing improved and I moved more quickly through the pages. Also, Dowell paced the story quite well, fitting everything into the brief length comfortably.

What I liked about the ending of Ten Miles Past Normal was how it was almost like a beginning in that it showed how Janie had grown throughout her journey of self-discovery and it left me knowing she had great things to come with her newly found perspective on things. I thought this was a lovely way to draw things to a close.

While I've seen Ten Miles Past Normal often classified as YA, and despite Janie being almost fifteen, I would definitely be more prone to group this book in with the Upper MG age range. With it's innocence and taste of a first crush, I feel this is a coming-of-age story excellently suited for pre-teens, though a story us older folks can still appreciate. If you're looking for a light, fun contemporary read then I'd say give this book a try.

Grade
Characters: C+
Writing: C+
Plot: B-
Ending: B
Enjoyment/Likability: C+
Recommendable: B-

Overall: C+/B-

Cover: A-

Buy Ten Miles Past Normal
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Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop!

My Giveaway!
Alexa & Holly Books by Aimee Friedman



South Beach Synopsis
SPRING BREAK. SOUTH BEACH. 'NUFF SAID. On a trip to a place where anything can happen -- and does -- two ex-best friends discover that a chance encounter can lead to the chance of a lifetime. HOLLY: Dream date or bad fate? She wants true love--and a break from her strict parents. Perhaps a spring fling will do? ALEXA: Flirting with destiny or flirting with disaster? The guy of her dreams turns out to be her friend's first love. How far is she willing to go? This year, Spring Break is going to be scandalous!

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Contest Details
Welcome to the Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop! I'm stop #279 on the list of awesomeness! For my giveaway, (ONE) lucky winner will win my like new copies of South Beach, French Kiss, and Hollywood Hills by Aimee Friedman

Rules:
~Comments are appreciated but you must fill out the form to enter.
~Following is appreciated but NOT required.
~Open to US only.
~Ends at 11:59PM EST on May 31st.
~Winners will be announced and contacted on or around June 1st.

Extra Entries:
For +2 entries, tweet about this giveaway. Please include @thebookpixie

Fill Out This Form to Enter

Author Interview: Jo Treggiari

Hey everyone. So I had the great fortune of interviewing the lovely Jo Treggiari, author of the YA dystopian, Ashes, Ashes. Here's how it went...

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TBP: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

JT: Tall, big-ring wearing, cake-baking writer and voracious reader who loves to hike and catch frogs with her kids.

TBP: Describe Ashes, Ashes in nine words or less.

JT: Post-apocalyptic adventure set in near-future Manhattan fraught with danger.

TBP: What inspired you to write Ashes, Ashes?

JT: So many things. Worries about global warming, war, dwindling resources, natural disasters. The adventure stories I read as a kid. One of the most pivotal scenes in the book was inspired by the experience of one of my closest friends who barely survived the 2004 Indian Tsunami. One minute she was eating breakfast on the beach, the next she was swept away in a massive wave which killed hundreds of people in the town where she was staying.

TBP: According to your Bio you 'penned personalized naughty limericks by request' in highschool. I want an example. :P

JT: A girl named Briana McNair
Had the most beautiful hair
Shiny and glossy
Curly and flossy
It sprung from her head to 'down there' (Hardy har har. :P)

TBP: Your Bio also says you like to bake desserts. Which is your favorite to make?

JT: I make a wicked two layer chocolate ganache cake. (*drools*)

TBP: What was it like growing up in such drastically different locations and what was the main thing you always found yourself having to adjust to? Your favorite? (Canada, Roccasinibalda, Italy and California).

JT: My parents are European and like to travel so it didn't feel that weird to me to spend my school year in Canada and my summers in England and Italy. After I moved to California as a teen we still spent most of each summer in Roccasinibalda, near Rome. I guess language was sort of an issue but I've noticed that kids and teens are always able to communicate with each other on some level. It's adults who get embarrassed and talk too loudly. Also, the Cali dialect isn't so weird once you get used to it ;). My favorite place in the world is and will always be Roccasinibalda.

TBP: If you could shapeshift into any animal, what would it be and why?

JT: A wolf. I love wolves and refer to my kids often as cubs. They are a terribly misunderstood species and preyed upon by people. I am devastated that they recently lost their endangered species status in the U.S. Their sociability and parenting is not so removed from our own. Most of my favorite animals- wolves, crows, rats- have a cruel history of human persecution.

TBP: If you could bring any fictional character to life and marry him, one not of your own creation, who would it be and why?

JT: I'd quite like to marry Ronald Weasley. In fact, I did marry a red-head.

TBP: If the world ended tomorrow, what would your last meal be comprised of?

JT: Sweet potato tempura sushi rolls, stuffed spinach and mushroom pizza from Zachary's in Berkeley, and from Oakland, Cali's Fenton's Creamery, a banana split- it's got like 2 lbs of ice cream and toppings on it. (The pizza and banana split sound amazing!)

TBP: What do you truly think will be our world's greatest downfall in the future?

JT: Greed.

TBP Anything else you'd like to add?

JT: Thanks for the opportunity. I really hope you love reading Ashes, Ashes as much as I loved writing it.

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Thank you, Jo, for letting me interview you. And folks, I hope you all enjoyed reading this interview as much as I enjoyed doing it. Don't forget to enter to win a copy of Ashes, Ashes HERE!

As always, thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear what ya think. :D

Blogoversary Giveaway #5: Ashes, Ashes

Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. Date: June 1st, 2011
Pages: 352
Age Level: YA

Synopsis via Goodreads
A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

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Contest Details
Welcome to the fifth, and final, giveaway in celebration of my 2 Year Blogoversary. Thanks to the awesome Amanda with Scholastic, (TWO) lucky duckies will win a finished copy of Ashes, Ashes.

Rules:
~Comments are appreciated but you must fill out the form to enter.
~Following is appreciated but NOT required.
~Open to US only.
~Ends at 11:59PM EST on May 31st.
~Winners will be announced and contacted on or around June 1st.

Extra Entries:
For +2 entries, tweet about this giveaway. Please include @thebookpixie & @jotreggiari

Fill Out This Form to Enter

Money Savin' Mondays (7)

Hello everyone! It's time for the seventh edition of Money Savin' Mondays. To find out more on why I started this you can read the first post. If you decide to use the Money Savin' Mondays title, I'd appreciate a small mention for coming up with the name. Also, you can stay up to date on the latest bargains through out the whole week by following my new twitter @PixieBookDeals. Other bargains can also be found in sidebar. Now, onto the deals.

~Kindle $0.99 to $3.25~

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~Paperbacks~

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~Hardcovers~

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Blogoversary Giveaway #4: The Map of Time

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
Publisher: Atria
Pub. Date: June 28th, 2011
Pages: 624

Synopsis via Goodreads
A Map of Time by Felix J. Palma. Set in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time is a page-turner that boasts a triple play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigage purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence. What happens if we change history?

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Contest Details
This is the 4th giveaway in celebration of my blogoversary! Thanks to Mellony with Simon and Schuster, (TWO) lucky people will win a FINISHED copy of The Map of Time.

Rules:
~Comments are appreciated but you must fill out the form to enter.
~Following is appreciated but NOT required.
~Open to US & Canadian mailing addresses only.
~Ends at 11:59PM EST on May 31st.
~Winners will be announced and contacted on or around June 1st.

Extra Entries:
For +2 entries, tweet about this giveaway. Please include @thebookpixie

Fill Out This Form to Enter

Noteworthy Passages: Hourglass

Hourglass (ARC) by Myra McEntire
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pub. Date: June 14th, 2011
Pages: 397
Series: Hourglass, #1
Age Level: 14+
Source: For review from publisher.

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

Synopsis via Goodreads
One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

Noteworthy Passages

Emerson; pg. 1
My small Southern hometown is beautiful in the haunting way an aging debutante is beautiful. The bones are exquisite, but the skin could use a lift. You could say my brother, the architect, is Ivy Springs's plastic surgeon.

Emerson; pg. 122
Autumn always fascinated me--so much beauty in dying. Leaves holding on until the bitter end, finally going down in a blaze of glory, almost as if they were trying to convince us to keep them alive.

Emerson, Kaleb, & Michael; pg. 229
"First of all, no one is the boss of me but me. Secondly, if you ever reference 'my chain' again, I will kick your ass." I jabbed him in the chest with my finger. Possibly breaking it. "And thirdly, don't call me Shorty."
Kaleb sat silently for a second, his eyes wide as he looked at Michael. "Where did you find her? Can you get me one?"
I blew out a loud frustrated sigh and dropped down beside Michael, who didn't even try to hide his smile. "You should probably apologize to Emerson."
"I am sorry." Kaleb grinned at me. "Sorry I didn't meet you first."

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If these passages don't have you dying to read this book then I don't know what will. I thought the first two were excellent examples of McEntire's exquisite writing style while the third really displays Emerson's wit and a small glimpse at why I love Kaleb. For more on my thoughts on Hourglass, you can read my Review.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Buy Hourglass, like, NOW:
Amazon / B&N / Kindle / Nook / 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.

In My Mailbox (87)

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.

For Review from Ednah
~Signed! ARC of Betrayed by Ednah Walters
~Two signed bookmarks

Book Trade with Kit
~ARC Wildwing by Emily Whitman
~Swag

Won from Teens Read and Write
~Personalized! Compulsion by Heidi Ayarbe
~Swag

RAK Gift from Anna
~Red Glove by Holly Black

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Okay so I got some really great books this week! Hope you all got some awesome goodies in your mailbox this week as well. :D

Author Guest Post: Janice Hardy

Bio:
Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, and BLUE FIRE. DARKFALL, the final book of the trilogy, is due out October 4, 2011. She lives in Georgia with her husband, three cats and one very nervous freshwater eel. You can visit her online at http://www.janicehardy.com/ , chat with her about writing on her blog, The Other Side of the Story ( http://blog.janicehardy.com/ ), or find her on Twitter @Janice_Hardy.

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Birth of a Book: The Story Behind The Shifter
By Janice Hardy
My fantasy adventure, The Shifter, started out as a pretty simple idea. What if someone could pull pain from one person and shift it into another?

There were a lot of evil uses I could think of for this skill, but I wanted to do a story about healers and explore the darker side of a magic that is almost always portrayed as a good thing. I started thinking about pain shifting. How exactly would it work? Maybe this was the way people treated illness and injury. A healer would pull pain from someone and put into something to store it.

Of course, that made me wonder what they’d store it in.

I created a magical metal called pynvium, which could be enchanted to hold pain. When someone was healed, their pain was taken away and then put into this metal.

The next question was easy--what would they do with all that pain-filled pynvium? They couldn’t just store it forever. They’d have to get rid of it somehow, like toxic waste.

Then it hit me—what if there was a darker side to healing? What if this society bought and sold pain just like any other goods?

That opened up a lot of new questions. If people were buying pynvium, then what were they buying it for? It seemed to me, that something full of pain would make a great weapon or a great defensive item. Imagine a burglar who sneaks through a window and gets zapped by a windowsill lined with a pynvium strip. Or a bracelet that would hurt anyone who tried to grab you? It didn’t take much to see there were a lot of interesting things I could do with pynvium.

But first, I needed someone who would sell these items and weapons. I just couldn’t see the same person who healed you, also selling something to hurt you. A person who would do that would be in it for themselves, maybe even part of the seedy underbelly of the healing world. I figured this group would be looked down upon by most people, and used only as a last resort.

I called these guys the pain merchants. They bought pain from the poor and used it to fill pynvium items that they then sold to the rich for a lot more money.

One of the things I liked about this situation is that any time someone is healed, that pain gets turned into something that could hurt others. I really loved that you could help someone, then turn around and use it to create something to hurt them.

Something was still missing from the story, though. I just didn’t know how my pain shifter fit into this world. I knew she was different, I knew her ability was rare and dangerous, and I knew she had to suffer because she could do it. I just didn’t have a clue how it all went together. But I was close.

Then one day I was flipping TV channels and came across a rerun of the show, Firefly. An important part of the show’s history is that there had been a war for independence and the heroes had been on the losing side. I knew instantly I’d found my missing piece.

What if my city had tried to rebel and been crushed? What if that city was still under occupation by enemy forces? And what if my pain shifter was an orphan from that war?

It all started to fall into place and Nya was born. An orphaned girl who could heal by shifting pain from person to person, but who couldn’t shift that pain into pynvium like a regular healer could. Because of this, she had no way to make a living and had to struggle every day just to find food and a place to sleep. It made her vulnerable to the pain merchants, who would happily take advantage of her ability. If anyone ever found out what she could do, they’d either lock her away or use her as a weapon against her own people.

I felt just making Nya poor wasn’t enough, she needed bigger challenges. So I gave her a lifelong dream to be a real Healer and work for the Healers’ League, even though she knew deep down they’d never let her join.

Since she couldn’t put pain into pynvium, she was useless to them. But I wanted her to know what she was missing, so I also gave her a younger sister, Tali, who has a normal healing skill and has just joined the League as an apprentice. Tali has all the things Nya wants, but can never have.

Nya naturally loves her sister, and has spent five years taking care of her after their parents were killed in the war. But she’s a little jealous because Tali’s life is so easy. Tali feels guilty because she knows she has what her sister wants, and there’s not much she can do to help her.

But I wasn’t done being mean to Nya. We all know that in any good story there’s a huge problem that has to be overcome. In The Shifter, Nya has two big problems. One, is that Tali disappears from the Healers’ League. Two, in order to save Tali, Nya has to do some things she knows are wrong—things that require her to use her shifting ability for the pain merchants. What made it even more interesting is that the bad things Nya does actually help people.

This is an aspect of the story I really liked. Putting good people in situations where they have to do bad things. Think about it…how many bad things can you do and still be considered a good person? Is there a line you can’t cross? And what if those bad things have a good result in the end? Does that make it okay, or is it still bad? These are all questions Nya faces and she doesn’t always have the right answers. It really puts her in some tough moral quandaries.

Luckily, Nya is the type of person who doesn’t let anything stop her, and she charges in without thinking when people she loves are in danger. This makes it easy to keep her up to her eyeballs in trouble.

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I don't know about you all but gosh, that guest post sure has me wanting to read this trilogy even more! Thank you Janice for writing this. :D

Want to read The Shifter. Enter my giveaway!

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