Possession by Elana Johnson - Review and Author Interview

Published: June 2011

Publisher: Simon and Shuster

Pages: 416

Copy Provided by: Simon and Shuster Canada

Summary: Goodreads



Summary:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Author interview with Elana Johnson

Thanks to Simon and Shuster, I had an opportunity to briefly interview Elana and talk about her and her latest publication - Possession.  Thank you for taking the time to speak with The Paperback Princesses!

What was the inspiration for writing Possession?

I’d just finished reading a dystopian novel, and I wanted to write something where I could make up my own society. So I played that timeless author game of “What if?” See, I needed something to drive the entire world. My question ended up being, “What if people didn’t have their free will?”
And the brainwashing society was born. Vi emerged immediately after that, because not having the ability to make your own choices is just sucktacular. And, boy, does she let you know that right away.

The lack of control in society was built up throughout the book and you did a great job at weaving it into the story!

While reading, I found myself comparing Vi's hard-headed attitude to one of my favourite YA characters (Rose from the Vampire Academy).  If Vi had a best friend in another YA fiction book, who do you think it would be?

www.querytracker.blogspot.com) with 4 other amazing writers. Begin truly blogging on my own site (www.elanajohnson.blogpost.com).

Oh, yes! I love Rose from the Vampire Academy books. She and Vi would get along very well. I think Clare Fern from Kim Harrington’s CLARITY would be a great BFF for Vi. They have the same I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude.
Another one would be Kate Lowry from Lisa & Laura Roecker’s THE LIAR SOCIETY. She’s not afraid to sneak around and get her hands dirty, and well, Vi’s pretty good at sneaking.
I love strong female roles as well.  It isn't necessary in every novel that I read but it's a nice reminder that girls can be tough as nails and hold their own against the guys too.

Many people don't realize that you are very involved in providing other writers with information in publishing and how to query.  How long did it take you to get from start to finish? (writing Possession to becoming published)

Oh, man. It feels like a long time, even though it probably wasn’t. I know other writers have to go through much more. Here’s the run-down:

December, 2007: Write first novel.

April, 2008: Write third novel, POSSESSION (Yes, I draft very fast. It’s the revising/editing that takes months.)

May – December, 2008: Write more novels. Start to blog.

December, 2008: Revive the QueryTracker blog (

January – April, 2009: Revise/Edit POSSESSION

April – November, 2009: Query POSSESSION (That’s eight months for those of you who don’t want to count. Here’s a little bit of what happened during those months:)

June, 2009: First agent phone call! Wanted revisions, which I did.

July, 2009: More serious interest in POSSESSION. But no offers yet.

August, 2009: Second agent phone call! More revisions, which I wasn’t so sure about.

September, 2009: Third agent phone call! Aaaand, more revisions, which I felt good about and ultimately completed.

October, 2009: Submitted revisions to requesting agent.

November, 2009: Requesting agent—the fabulous Michelle Andelman—offered representation for POSSESSION.

December, 2009 – January 2010: Completed a couple more rounds of revisions on POSSESSION.

February, 2010: Submitted POSSESSION to editors. POSSESSION was bought by Simon & Schuster (Simon Pulse) very quickly.

March, 2010 – current day: Elana tries to keep up with the amazing roller coaster that is publishing a book. 

It sounds like a long process but well worth it!  I can only imagine what your schedule will be like now that Possession will be released shortly.  Lots of interviews, signings and promotion!  It's like the life of a literary rock star!

Are you working on more books now?

Like more books in the POSSESSION series? Or more books in general?
I have written more books since selling POSSESSION. I had written books before that too, and I think one of them is probably good enough (maybe) to be published. I am working on several loose ideas right now, two of them in the magical dystopian realm, and one YA contemporary.
As for more books in perhaps a POSSESSION series…yes. I have written a companion to POSSESSION. 
OK, so secretly I was just hinting/hoping that you had more to write about Vi.  You kind of left me hanging at the end...I am looking forward to the companion to POSSESSION though!

What are you reading now?  Or do you even have time to read?

I do have time to read! And I love it. Right now, I’m reading RUBY RED by Kerstin Gier, BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton, and THE SUMMER OF FIRSTS AND LASTS by Terra Elon McVoy. I just finished I DON’T WANT TO KILL YOU by Dan Wells, SOLSTICE by P.J. Hoover, and I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME by Lisa Schroeder. All fabulous books!

Great reads Elana!  I hope you get them all read before the rockstar madness begins!  Thank you for taking the time out to chat with us.  I'm certain you'll have a fantastic following with Possession.  It is well laid-out with plenty of action, romance and worldly adventure.  I certainly enjoyed it and I know that our readers will as well.

Review:

I didn't know what to expect from this title when I first received it from Simon and Shuster (thank you!).  It was a little slow to start but as I began to get into the story, I really started to understand the main character Vi and how she had worked herself up to such tough street girl.  She was edgy in one way but it was like a shell to protect her more vulnerable side.  Also, as the story progressed, there were a few twists and turns that were unexpected.  I LOVE that in a novel.  If you can lead me in one direction and then spin the story so it leads another way, you've got me hooked!

When Vi and Jag first meet, it doesn't take them long to fall for one another.  This bothered me a bit because of Zenn, Vi's match.  He seemed so dedicated to her and truly loved her.  Then, as things started to unravel and the truth starts coming into focus, Vi and Jag just seemed to mesh and work.  All of my misgivings to begin with seemed to fall away and I started to enjoy this book more and more. 

Possession is a mix of dystopian and science fiction.  I think I was hesitant at first when I started reading because I'm not keen on too much sci fi.  I wasn't overwhelmed with the degree of science fiction in this novel though.  It was an interesting world created by Ms. Johnson and a great story overall.  If are looking for action, adventure, romance and some surprise twists, this is the book for you.  It surprised me and left me wondering...is there going to be another book?  How can you leave me hanging like this??

Possession will be released on June 7th. Make sure you add it to your TBR list!  Better yet, pick it up at your local bookstore this week!

In My Mailbox - June 6th

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which bloggers post about the books they have received for the week. Books may be won, taken out from the library or bought from a store.

I am SOOOOO excited.  Christinabean just called me and told me that Simon and Schuster sent some books for us this week, and the one that she is passing along to me is Dust and Decay.  OK, picture me here dancing a jig with a big smile on my face.  I enjoyed Rot and Ruin so much (read my review HERE) that I have hardly been able to wait for number 2 - and now I won't have to!   Thank you Simon and Shuster and Christinabean.

OMG...I seriously just called Curlypow about an hour ago and she posted this right away!!  That is way too funny!  I too have to give a big shoutout to Simon and Schuster Canada for keeping my mailbox from getting lonely.  Here's what I got this week -

I'm really excited about all of these new books..especially Witchlanders because it is one that I have not yet heard about....once again, thank you Simon and Shuster Canada!!

What's in your mailbox?

Enclave by ann Aguirre

Published: April 2011
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 262
Copy: Library
Summary: Goodreads

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

 As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.


Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first she thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.


As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

First off, I have to say I LOVED this book.  I really haven't heard much about it, so I was going in blind, so to speak, but I love the cover and the blurb hooked me from the get-go.  Enclave is not a book that starts slowly and builds up to the action - just the opposite in fact.  It starts with bang, albeit a small one, and the excitement never lets up. It is a story of survival, the breakdown of society and the fact that no matter how bad the odds are, humans will fight to live, in whatever way they can.

' There were different kinds of strength.  I knew that now.  It didn't always come from a knife or a willingness to fight.  Sometimes it came from endurance, where the well ran deep and quiet. Sometimes it came from compasion and forgiveness.' (page 244)

There really are no weak characters in the story. Deuce has incredible willpower and skills as a hunter. Fade is a true hunter with a soft core that he keeps well hidden from everyone.  Stalker, well he's just fierce, but you can see that he just does what has to be done to survive. Tegan, weak on the outside but with an incredible inner strength.  They are brought together through a bizarre set of circumstances and their journey is a continual fight to live.

The bad guys, well they are a sort of mutant scavenger/cannibal type, that are slightly reminiscent of zombies, but they are not dead. Strange, deadly and very, very frightening.  There are lots of dark tunnels and ruins and strange noises, and lots of nasty fights full of blood and gore. Lots of fun, right? I read Enclave pretty much in one sitting and really enjoyed it.  It's one of those books where I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.  Is there a love interest?  Well, perhaps the beginnings of one.  I must admit I am really pleased to see that there will be more books to follow this one.  Apparently Enclave is 'Razorland #1' and I personally can't wait to see what happens next to this intrepid band of adventurers.

Anyone who enjoyed Maze Runner, Hunger Games, Incarceron, Rot and Ruin etc will love this one I'm sure, so run out and get yourself a copy and sit back and get lost in the story.

Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

Published: 2010
Publisher: Self Published
Copy:  Received for review
Summary: Goodreads

With her best friend left behind, no prospects, no future, and her mother in jail, things couldn't get worse for Sarah. At least she will soon be eighteen and free to go back home. Freedom however doesn't come cheap, and when Angel, enigmatic and gorgeous, enters her life, suddenly staying doesn't seem like such a bad idea.


Unprepared for Angel's advances and passion, seduced by his charm and intense nature, Sarah goes down a forbidden path, keeping from him a secret. Before she knows it her secret has caught her in a web of lies she can't undo.


This book does include some adult content.

Firstly I would like to apologize to Ms Reyes for taking so long to review this book.  I've discovered that if books are on my computer, it takes me much, much longer to read them than otherwise.  However, that said, I whipped through the last half of the book in about 2 days. 

It took me a little while to get into the characters.  Angel is a very possessive person, and I have never been particularly comfortable with macho, possessive men - they tend to give me the willies, so I had to warm up to Angel, and in the end, I did.  He was at least able to work through some of his issues and I liked that.  Sarah was nicely written and other than a having a distressing tendency to lie by omission, I quite liked the progression of her character as well.
The boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back again storyline was fairly predictable, but it works quite well and was a fun read.  I did find myself becoming a little anxious when things were getting to boiling point, so I must have been engrossed in the story at that point.  There is a rather unfortunate incident towards the end that didn't sit too well with me, but it did serve as a great reason for the 'boy gets girl back again' part of the story.  The moral of the story really is just be honest, which is a very important message.  If you're honest in the beginning and the other person can't accept it, then you're probably better off without them.

Forever Mine is a love story, through and through, and really not a lot else, so if you like romance, I'm sure you'll love it. My favourite parts to be honest were with the supporting characters. I loved Eric and Sofi, Valerie and Alex, and Romero was just great for some comic relief. The group dynamics worked well and I think I'll look out for the second book in the series, which is apparently about Valerie and Alex.


There is a lot of sexual content in Forever Mine, so I would very definitely not recommend it for younger teens at all, but other than that it was fun to read and I'm happy to recommend it to readers who like contemporary romances.  A great summer read.

Friday Blog Hop - June 3rd



In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

Each week, participating blogs are asked questions to post and answer on their websites.

This week’s question –

Share your favourite post from the last month and tell us why it's close to your heart!

This is a toughie.  There are so many great posts out there.  I love the bloggers who share their BEA experience with those of us who weren't able to go.  Also, one of the things that I love to read are the author blogs.  There was a post (I think it was by Kody Keplinger author of The Duff) who wrote about the "real" salary of an author.  It was fascinating.  We always think of authors as the superstars of the book industry but in reality, they aren't making much more than you or I...in fact many are making much less.  The comparison was done for a one book deal and the mega 3 book trilogy series.  The real value comes in doing something you love.  If anyone else read the blog post that I'd speaking of, I'd love to find the link again...

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Published: April 2011

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Pages: 264

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads



Summary:
It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.



Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future–and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Review:
I don't purchase many books unless I love them.  Usually I take most of my TBR titles out of the library but if I find a series that I love then I purchase it.  I will be purchasing this series.

Wow.  Where do I even begin with this one?  Gayle Forman wrote this book as a follow-up to If I Stay, a story about Mia, a girl in a car accident and locked in a coma.  Her entire family has died and she has to decide whether or not to return to her body or move on with her family.  If you thought that If I Stay was good, I think you'll enjoy Where She Went.

Where She Went is from Adam's perspective.  He has stayed by Mia's side throughout the entire tragedy and she has unceremoniously dumped him on the curb like yesterday's trash.  But wait, she didn't even officially dump him.  She just let him go and stopped communicating.  I'm not sure which is worse.  It has been several years now and they are leading separate lives.  This is the story of how they came apart and how they came back together.

My favourite quotes
Page 231
Go back to your ghost

page 235
Concert doesn't mean standing up like a target in front of thousands of strangers.  It means coming together.  It means harmony.

Page 253
"The band.  When you're with the band, I already have to share you with everyone.  I don't want to add my family to that pot, too."  then she lost the battle and started to cry.
All my annoyance melted.  "You dumb-ass,"  I crooned, kissing her on the forehead. "You don't share me.  You own me."

I am a romantic at heart and I have always loved a happy ending.  I even love a tragic ending when it is tragic and romantic.  Most women I talk to have those "great loves" in their lives.  The one who was unforgettable, the one who got away, the one you wished you could have said something to or maybe just "the one".  People change and grow up, grow together and grow apart.  Mia and Adam needed to grow before they could come back together to talk about what went awry.  Sometimes it is hard to walk away from the people you love.  Even when you see that you were meant to be together and they don't.  This is a love story and Ms. Forman etched these characters in words for us readers to feel the hurt, betrayal, denial, anguish and all of those ugly tormented feelings that come with disappointment.  But she didn't stop there.  She built the relationship back up to something new and wonderful and full of hope.

The summary of this story really does tell the story but it's the journey that I think you'll enjoy...if you're a romantic at heart like I am.  Ms Forman, this was a home run for me.  Thanks for making me remember what true love is really all about.

Waiting on Wednesday (June 1) - Double header

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is actually a double-header!  We can't wait to read -

Summary: (By Goodreads)

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Summary: (by Goodreads)
What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?


Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.

What are you waiting for this week?