Noteworthy Passages: And Then I Found Out the Truth

And Then I Found Out the Truth (ARC) by Jennifer Sturman
Publisher: Point
Pub. Date: July 1st, 2010
Pages: 272
Sequel to And Then Everything Unraveled
Age Level: 13+

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

Synopsis via GoodReads
Delia Truesdale has no idea her life's about to change forever. She's too busy enjoying the California summer. Her internet tycoon mother, T.K. Truesdale, is out of town, and that means Delia can spend all her time at the beach, surfing. That is, until everything unravels.

Her mother suddenly goes missing, and everyone thinks she's dead - except Delia, who knows T.K.'s way too organized to simply disappear. But Delia's still sent to New York to live with her two aunts - a downtown bohemian and an uptown ice queen.

And in case that's not bad enough, she also has to deal with a snooty new school and trying not to fall for the wrong guy. Oh, and finding her mother.

As she delves deeper into the tangle of conspiracies and lies surrounding T.K.'s disappearance, Delia begins to suspect that the wrong guy may be the right guy...and that some secrets - especially the dangerous ones - were never meant to be unraveled.

Noteworthy Passages

Delia and Gwyneth; pg. 56
"I don't know if it's crazy or not, because I have no idea what's going on," I admitted.
"You didn't hear?" she said.
"Hear what?" I asked.
"You don't know?"
"I don't know."
"You really don't know?"
"No, I really don't know."
"How do you not know?"
"I don't know how I don't know, but I'd like to know." I managed to say this politely, but the conversation was getting a bit frustrating.

Delia; pg. 237-238
We probably looked terrible next to the people who really knew what they were doing, and in my jeans I could never match the elegance of the women in their flowing dresses, but it didn't seem to matter.
And somehow, at least for a little while, the messy, disturbing circumstances that had brought us to that ballroom at that moment in time melted away, leaving only the music and the dance and the two of us.

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Well there you have it folks. I hope you enjoyed my Noteworthy Passages picks for And The I Found Out the Truth. If you haven't picked up the first book, And Then Everything Unraveled, you really should. This really is a great pair of books and I hope Jennifer Sturman will be writing more YA in the future.

Hope you all are having a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by. And remember, comments make me happy. :D









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.

Review: And Then I Found Out the Truth

And Then I Found Out the Truth (ARC) by Jennifer Sturman
Publisher: Point
Pub. Date: July 1st, 2010
Pages: 272
Sequel to And Then Everything Unraveled
Age Level: 13+

Synopsis via GoodReads
Delia Truesdale has no idea her life's about to change forever. She's too busy enjoying the California summer. Her internet tycoon mother, T.K. Truesdale, is out of town, and that means Delia can spend all her time at the beach, surfing. That is, until everything unravels.

Her mother suddenly goes missing, and everyone thinks she's dead - except Delia, who knows T.K.'s way too organized to simply disappear. But Delia's still sent to New York to live with her two aunts - a downtown bohemian and an uptown ice queen.

And in case that's not bad enough, she also has to deal with a snooty new school and trying not to fall for the wrong guy. Oh, and finding her mother.

As she delves deeper into the tangle of conspiracies and lies surrounding T.K.'s disappearance, Delia begins to suspect that the wrong guy may be the right guy...and that some secrets - especially the dangerous ones - were never meant to be unraveled.

Review
In, And Then I Found Out the Truth, all is revealed as we come to the end of the fun and suspenseful mystery that began in Sturman's debut YA novel, And Then Everything Unraveled.

Delia and the rest of the characters turned out to be just as lovable as ever. That is something I really loved about these two books; the characters were so eclectic and had such great, unique personalities. Especially Charley and Carolina. I felt that Delia really continued to grow as a character in, And Then I Found Out the Truth. Also, I really got to see another, slightly surprising, side of her cousin Gwenyth. I only really had one problem as far as the characters are concerned and that is that there wasn't more of Quinn; he didn't really come in until the last half of the book. This disappointed me some what because I really wanted to get to know him more but for what parts he was there, I really liked him. :D

And Then I Found Out the Truth did a good job of summing up what happened previously in And Then Everything Unraveled throughout the beginning of the book. It didn't clump it all together but had is spread out a bit which I liked. However, I did find the book to be a bit dragging in pace towards the beginning. The sense of urgency and suspense that was in the previous book wasn't really there; at least not until the last half of the book at which point things really picked up the pace. While the first half of the book was fairly enjoyable and had some important info, the last half was really my favorite part, especially when Delia was in Argentina. Also the writing itself stayed consistent and, though the pacing felt a bit off, was fairly good.

The ending tied everything up very nicely. It turned out the suspicions I was starting to have about Quinn's dad, Hunter, were right. Plus I just really liked the overall ending. However, I was somewhat ticked that I didn't get to know if Delia passed her physics test. I know, I'm weird.

All in all, And Then I Found Out the Truth was a fun read and a great end to the mystery. And Everything Unraveled and And The I Found Out the Truth are two books that I think could be enjoyed by most all teens and even adults so I do highly recommend these books. I know I'll definitely be reading them again in the future. I really hope that Jennifer Sturman continues to write for young adults and I will likely check out her adult mysteries.

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

Overall: B-

Cover: B+

CSN Review: Bookcases & Picture Frame

I recently had the most fortunate opportunity to do a product review for the wonderful CSN Stores. What did I get you ask. Well, I'm about to show and tell.

CSN offered me $80 to use to select a product for review. I was browsing through the larger bookcases and found one that I liked but was concerned about the stability of it. So, I decided to go another route and look at the smaller bookcases. That is when I found this beauty. For only $30.99 and FREE SHIPPING, I was able to get not one, but TWO of these bookcases. Also, at 28lbs, this 3 shelf bookcase weighed more than some of the largers ones which means more stability.

Here are a few of the stats on this product:
~Color: Cinnamon Cherry Finish
~Dimensions: 35.25" H x 24.5" W x 11.5" D
~Weight: 28lbs

Before & After

My Review of Sauder Beginnings Bookcase

Aesthetics: I absolutely LOVE the color of these bookcases! It's a really dark brown with a slight redish hue to it. The wood look really works well with my other bookcases as well.

Assembly: These bookcases were surprisingly easy to put together. It took my mom and I less than an hour to get both cases put together and the books on them. I had bought a couple of bookcases from Wal*Mart back around Christmas with my left over B-day money. Let me tell you, these bookcases from CSN were way easier to assemble. Yes they were smaller but they had a easier way of going together. Oddly enough, the bookcases are made by the same company. The only problem I had was with the cardboard backing wanting to bow up and not tack down straight but we got it worked out.

Durability: After loading both my new bookcases up with books, I found them to be very stable, not wanting to wobble or tilt any.

Value: For only $30.99 each and with free shipping, these bookcases are an excellent value!

Shipping: My bookcases were shipped on September 2nd and arrived on the 7th. Very quick shipping. Plus it was free.

Grade
Aesthetics: B+
Assembly: B
Durability: A-
Value: A
Shipping: A+

Overall: A- aka 5 Stars!

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Now, I had some money left over with my code and didn't want to waste it. Soooo, I also got this picture frame, DanyaB Hanging Wooden Frame in Black, for only $12.99.

I am, admittedly, disappointed in this picture frame. The plastic that goes in front of the photos was very flimsy and I'm already finding it hard to keep it clean. Also, two parts of the frame are very loose, one part being almost completely loose. It's easy to tell it wasn't glued or fastened properly. Of course, this could have just been this particular frame. (See below picture) On top of that, this frame is supposed to hold two 3x5's and two 4x6's. When I tried to put one of my 4x6 photos in, it wouldn't fit and we had to cut off of the top and side of the photo to get it to fit. I have yet to see if a 3x5 will fit in it's rightful spot as I don't have any on hand. Once we got the two 4x6's trimmed down, they actually looked really good in the frame. The frame itself is very beautiful and most of the problems were easily fixed. However, I'm not sure that I would buy another one.

All in all, I would give this product 3 STARS out of 5.

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I would like to thank CSN again for allowing me to review for them. Overall it was a great experience and I look forward to hopefully working with them again in the future.

Guest Post: Christine E. Schulze

Hello everybody. Today we have Christine E. Schulze, author of the YA novel, Bloodmaiden. She has been kind enough to offer up a guest post for our reading pleasure. So everyone, give a warm welcome to Christine.


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The Amielian Legacy, Where Fantasy and Christian Literature For Young Adults (And Adults too) Converges
By: Christine E. Schulze

Hullo. My name is Christine E. Schulze, and I am a premier Christian/Fantasy author for young adults. Some readers say I am possibly the next great Rowling or Tolkien of our time, though I prefer to think of myself as the next great Tolkien, having compiled a fanciful history for the U.S. just as Tolkien did for his own country.

As a whole, my collection of books, comprised of both series and stand-alone books, is called The Amielian Legacy. While it is not necessary to read any of the books to read any of the others, there are rewards for readers daring enough to read them all! All the books ultimately connect in some way or other, especially in the last, Carousel in the Clouds, an epic, fantastical tale presented as a Christian allegory (akin to The Chronicles of Narnia) of the end of all worlds.

The Amielian Legacy is a vast, thirty-three book series comprised of Christian/Fantasy books. Well, it was twenty-seven, but I kept writing so much I had to expand the collection to thirty-three. I love fantasy, and I enjoy both reading and writing stories that include intricate plots and deep, multi-layered characters. I enjoy combining classic fantasy elements like fairies and dragons with unique elements such as the musical guardians, the Octavial Eight—found in my favorite series, The Gailean Quartet—or the Surpriser peoples, placed under a curse to look like animals.

I enjoy experimenting with language and enjoy doing something different with each new work, like in Bloodmaiden, where the first five chapters are written in present tense to really give readers the feel they're actually in the scene. I'm not afraid to include darker elements in my books, especially when they help contrast those moments of light and hope. Many readers have really enjoyed the mood this book creates, especially at the beginning.

And finally, though not of least importance, as a Christian, I feel both an obligation and an enjoyment in including Christian values, principles, and concepts. Some stories include the serious topic of salvation while many just include forgiveness, love, peace, and other Christian virtues. Some books directly mention God while others refer to Him by a more allegorical name such as Amiel or Aryel.

However, unlike a lot of Christian/Fantasy in which God is strictly allegorical, throughout The Amielian Legacy, it is discovered that Aryel and Amiel and all other such allegorical references are the same as the actual Christian God. Actual Scriptures are mentioned throughout the books, favorite passages from the ancient “White Scrolls”. The difference in names spawns from the fact that various races had different names for God depending on their different cultures and languages.

Many of the stories take place in or around Loz, which is a magical, small portion of North America before Europeans "discovered" it. Actually, the Lozolians, as well as the Surprisers, would often travel to Europe and Asia to study those cultures. This is how they learned of God, or "Amiel," as His name is translated in the Surpriser tongue. I actually consider The Amielian Legacy a tribute to U.S.A. mythology in the same sense that The Lord of the Rings is like its own, vast mythology.

Another note concerning Amiel is that while He is mentioned throughout the books, not much is revealed about His history until the last book, Carousel in the Clouds. A light-hearted sounding title, I realize, but most appropriate, and it points to the fact my books can be good for many ages. While I dub most as middle grade and/or young adult books, being a young adult (twenty-two) myself, I believe both younger readers as well as adults can enjoy them. In fact, I've had adults read Bloodmaiden and grant it excellent reviews, and also know a twelve-year-old girl who loved a short-story excerpt from the same book.

Well, hopefully that’s enough about my books to hook you and get you to read a few—or even just one—for yourself. I hope you will find my books not only timeless but ageless as well. That said, God bless, happy reading, and thanks for having me!

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Well I hope you all enjoyed the guest post and will leave your thoughts in the comments. Thank you so much to Christine for doing this post and thanks to all of you for stopping by.

Also, if you would be interested in entering to win a copy of Christine's upcoming novel, Tears of a Vampire Prince, you can enter HERE.