It All Started With a Dare

Author: Lindsay Faith Rech

Published: Sept. 13, 2010

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

# Pages: 312

eARC provided by: Publisher and Netgalley

Summary: Netgalley

Self-proclaimed nobody CG Silverman sees her move to an upscale new school as her chance to be somebody different. Her devil-may-care attitude attracts the in-clique, and before CG realizes it, a routine game of truth or dare launches her to iconic status.
While this rebel image helps secure CG's newfound popularity, it also propels her through a maze of unprecedented chaos, with each new lie and every dare opening doors that, in most cases, were better off left shut.
CG is on a collision course with disaster. Will she be able to keep up the façade? Or will the whole world find out she's a fraud?

'It all started with a dare' had me laughing from almost the very first page. Ms Rech's dry sense of humour is just wonderful, and I was chuckling my way through the entire book. But don't think that the book was just funny. There were actually some fairly serious themes throughout the book. One that stood out very strongly to me, was the idea that every action has consequences. Situations keep arising in the book and CG just gets in deeper and deeper, no matter what she does. I actually found myself getting quite nervous for her at one point, which just goes to show what a well written character she was. CG's surprise at quickly becoming one of the 'in crowd' seemed quite genuine, and I didn't feel it was unreasonable that she would want to stay there.

One of the things that becomes apparent early on in this book is the extremely colourful language that Ms. Gibsons' characters use. Now I personally did not find this offensive, but some people might. A lot of the language is used as internal dialogue, and I don't know about you, but I often say a lot of things under my breath that I wouldn't actually say out loud, so it all rang true for me. It's a fact of life that teens swear, even if they try not to in front of adults, and for me this helped make the situations in the book more real.

As I read further into the book, I was reminded in many ways of the movie 'Mean Girls' with Lindsay Lohan. Dont' get me wrong, it's not the same story, and I do believe the situations that arise in the book could be a little more serious, but if you've seen and liked the movie, you'll certainly love the book.

The most important thing I got from this book is the message that it's ok to be yourself, whether that means being popular or not. I would actually put this book in the category of 'cautionary tale', but you'll laugh out loud while learning your lessons!

Contests, contests and more contests

Hey everyone,

Christinabean here.  For those of you who don't already know, I'm addicted to book contests.  I love reading reviews and get very excited to read many of the new books coming out but let's be realistic here, I can't be purchasing 30 books a month so I take many out from the library (it helps when you work there...although I still have a fines...go figure) and I also win contests.  I can't tell you how many I enter each week (lots and lots) but I do tend to win a few each month. 

Here's one I'd like to share with you. - the Norwegian Book Girl.  The thing I find very interesting about this blog is that this blogger is from a different country.  Most of the blogs I follow are from the US, Canada, UK or Australia.  I love how book covers she receives look completely different from the English versions and she mentions titles that I've never heard of before.  Diversity in blog following = new ideas!

Oh, and the Norwegian Book Girl is having a massive contest.  It was for 100 followers but now she is over 220!  Congrats Miss Norway!  You can find the link here.   Some of the books up for grabs that you may recognize - Clockwork Angel, Crescendo, Torment, Halo, Mockingjay and a few others.  For each 25 new followers over 100, she'll add a new book....just let me know if you win!  Contest is international and ends August 27th!!

Happy blogging!

p.s.
Just found another huge contest by a couple sisters in London.  Happy Birthday Dwayne!  Girls Without a Bookshelf are having a big contest, giving away 7 sequel titles -

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Torment by Lauren Kate
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Return to Paradise by Simone Elkelles
The Haunted by Jessica Verday
Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Contest ends August 31st and is international!!

p.p.s.
Wow!  I keep finding awesome ARC giveaways all over the net this weekend.  21 Pages is giving away 6 highly sought-after ARCs!  They include -

The Ivy - Lauren Kunze, Rina Onur

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
Delirium - Lauren Oliver
Firelight - Sophie Jordan
Paranormalcy - Kirsten White
Linger - Maggie Stiefvater

This contest is international and closes August 20th so make sure you get your entries in soon!!

Ghost Huntress 4: The Counselling

Author: Marley Gibson

Published: Sept. 6, 2010

Publisher: Graphia

E Arc provided by: Publisher and Netgalley

Summary: Netgalley

Kendall has just discovered who Emily really is, lost her boyfriend, and nearly died doing the thing she loves most—ghost hunting. It's time to take a break and try to reconcile all the changes she's going through. So Kendall heads to the Sierra Mountains, where there's a camp especially for young people with gifts such as hers. It's a time for reflection and self-discovery. But when she gets to California, she once again finds restless spirits—and the boy in her last vision. It may be the end of one chapter of her life and the beginning of a new one.

I really enjoyed reading this book and felt the story had a sense of reality to it, as if the author knew what she was writing about. I read an interesting note attached to Ghost Huntress # 1, which I read in May of last year, that said ' The story is fiction, but the science is real'. It turns out that Ms Gibson knows a lot about ghost hunting and this comes through very clearly in her writing. She talks about different types of psychic abilities without ever making them seem far-fetched or unreal. Some people might think that guiding a restless spirit into the light is a bit hokey, but I found it rather beautiful.

The main character, Kendall, seems like a genuinely nice person and I found myself really rooting for her. She has a rather wry sense of humour, which was wonderful.

"My vessels pulse under my skin in my anticipation and eagerness, coupled with, quite frankly, my being scared shitless. I'm crawling on my trembling hands and knees on the dirt and grass with Talking Feathers's butt in my face as he leads the way in ........Sort of like how Luke Skywalker went to fight Darth Vader in the cave on Dagobah, or, in actuality, into his own dark side. Will I have a vision of slashing off some unknown enemy's head only to find my face on the decapitated portion? Jesus, Kendall. Get a grip, I hear Patrick say in my head."

Kendal is at a retreat with 12 other boys and girls. In the story they all pair up and I loved the way this happened so naturally, with no scheming or nastiness.

"Our unintended pattern of boy-girl-boy-girl seems fine with our two leaders."

As Kendall and Patrick are trying to solve the mystery behind one ghosts' death, their relationship developes slowly and carefully, both of them feeling their way around without rushing and Ms Gibson made it all seem so natural. Aaah, I wish I was 17 again - or not! Unfortunately I haven't read the 2nd and 3rd novels in the series, but luckily that wasn't too disastrous. I was able to follow along with the story quite nicely, and I am now determined to read them both so that I can find out what I missed.

If you like stories with a psychic element you're just going to love this one.

Book Blogger Hop - August 13, 2010

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.

How many books do you have on your 'To Be Read' shelf?

Hahahahaha!  Curlypow and I were just talking about this yesterday.  I think she has around 141 on her Goodreads profile.  My Goodreads profile is not up to date so I'd have to say my number is around 80.  Maybe that's why I like to read 4 books at a time.  Mind you, I did get 7 more books in the mail this week....

Make yourself at home and 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. Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and events we are commenting on.


BTW, we are slowly gaining followers but we are planning a couple contests shortly if we make it up to 50 followers. Plus, we are hoping to get some signed books from the Smart Chicks Kick It tour....anyone up for a book contest?  Can't wait to meet Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Melissa de la Cruz, Jeri Smith-Ready, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl in September!!

Thanks for stopping by!! (and don't forget to check out the rest of the blog hop via Crazy for Books! There are some fantastic book blogs out there!

Infinity By Sherrilyn Kenyon

Published: May 2010

Publisher: St Martin's Griffin

Pages: 448

Copy provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

Review:
I have mixed feelings about this book.  I have seen many of Sherrilyn Kenyon's adult books on the shelf and I know that she is very popular with the supernatural crowd but this is the first time I've seen her books in the YA section.  I heard a lot of hype about this book a few months ago but have heard little since. 

When I first started reading Infinity, I think I stayed up until around 1am reading the first 150 pages.  The story really grabbed me and I was onboard.  However, as I kept reading, I found myself re-reading and I felt that there were so many characters to keep track of.  To be honest, I didn't feel that there was enough time spent in character development I didn't feel like I connected with the characters as I should have.  For a story that started out strong, it fizzled in the middle and then picked up again towards the end.  I'm glad that I stuck it out and kept reading because the novel has an interesting twist but I wasn't keen on the writing style or lack of character development.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not trying to offend any of you Sherrilyn Kenyon fans but this book lacked something for me personally.  Oh, and I HATED how Simi spoke it was so annoying.  Think Jar Jar Binks from the Star Wars series...On a better note though, I will give her second book a try - Invincible.  This may appeal to boys as it is done from a teenage boy's POV.  Perhaps a good guy read if you're looking for a book to refer.  It comes out February 1st, 2011. 

One of my favorite quotes - pg 409-410

"Infinity is never-ending"
"...no matter what happens or what obstacles you meet.  Over, under, around, or through.  There's always a way.  And if you have to chase something to infinity, strap on your big-boy pants, hiking boots, and go."

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

Author: James Dashner
Released: October 2009
Publisher: Random House (Delacorte Press)
# Pages: 374
Copy Provided by: Library
Summary: Goodreads

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is black. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark. The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl arrives in the lift—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might be able to find their way home . . . wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more as if the maze is unsolvable. And something about the girl’s arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers—if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

I've long been a fan of novels that put young adults into unusual situations where the have to use their wits instead of their electronics. Enter Mazerunner. Thomas finds himself in the Glade - a compound that seems remarkably well organized to me, considering there are no adults -and he tries to fit in with the other boys who have been there for some time. What is interesting is that Mr. Dashner show his leaders amongst the group making the most of the boys strengths and developing a strong cohesive unit, instead of the chaos that is often found in books of this type. The mystery in the story is why are the boys in the Glade in the first place, and what is the purpose behind the maze? Thomas immediately questions everything about the compound and the maze and is determined to solve the puzzle. It has been decided, before his arrival, that once the maze has been 'solved' the boys will be allowed to go home and a great deal of time and energy is expended in trying to achieve this goal

The characters' reaction when a girl is suddenly added to the mix is wonderful. Most teenage boys don't know quite what to do with girls at the best of times, and this is no exception. They have developed a society that they have become comfortable with and the addition of a girl into the mix causes almost insurmountable problems.

I found myself quickly falling into the world and was almost breathless when Thomas is caught in the maze at the wrong time. Without giving away any of the story, I have to say I felt almost sucker-punched at the end. Mr. Dashner, how could you do that to me?

If you are male, or female, and are a fan of dystopian fiction this is a sure bet for you. On another note, this would make a good companion to Lord of the Flies for an ISU comparison.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Author: Kersten Hamilton

Published: 11/15/2010

Publisher: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt/Clarion

Pages: 320

Summary: Netgalley

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures—goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty—are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.
Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming.

Doesn't the expression 'knee-weakening smile' just conjure up amazing pictures in your mind? Add in a guy who can use a sword and fight nasty goblins - I have to try this one!

What are you waiting for to be released?