Review: One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 18•12

one for the murphys

Publisher: Penguin Group for Young Readers
Publish Date: May 10th, 2012
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 Foster Kids

Synopsis: Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she’s blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong–until her mother wants her back and Carley has to decide where and how to live. She’s not really a Murphy, but the gifts they’ve given her have opened up a new future.
-Goodreads

Review: I bought this book not realizing it was a middle grade story, but I’m so glad I did. One for the Murphys tells the story of Carley, who after a horrible night with her mother and step father is put into the foster care system and brought to the Murphy family, who have three boys and have never tried fostering before.

The Murphy family has a great dynamic, especially as some of them are more enthusiastic than others about bringing Carley into their home. While at first they seem way too perfect for Carley’s taste, they aren’t and consistently come across as a real family who is still growing into itself. That being said, Carley has been through a lot and really needed this family to show her all of the great things family life has to offer.

Mrs. Murphy is such a great character and a great example of the things that unconditional love is capable of. She always gives the people she cares about 100% of her effort and if you aren’t exactly considered a middle grade reader anymore, your heart will go out to her through this whole story.

By the end of this story, as I was wiping my eyes and trying to pull myself together, I knew I should really start reading more middle grade. One for the Murphys is a really touching story about finding your place within your own family, which is not always an easy thing to do. This is my favorite middle grade read of 2012.

Buy One for the Murphys
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository

Second Opinions:
@The Story Siren 
@A Good Addiction
@Word Spelunking

Posted in Young Adult Books , , , | 2 Comments »

I’m participating in Bloggiesta Fall: 2012

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 17•12

Just wanted to put up a quick post to let you all know I’ll be participating in this years Fall Bloggiesta. I’ve been feeling inspired to step up my book blogging game and this seems like the perfect time to do it. I’m not sure yet what my specific goals are but I would love to get more people commenting and interacting with the blog, do my first vlog (which I may do before Bloggiesta even starts) and who knows what else. It’s all part of the adventure. To find out more about this event, click on the button at the top of this post!

Happy blogging!

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , , | 1 Comment »

It’s Monday! What are you reading this week? 2

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 16•12

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

On the Blog:
Fairly normal week at ReaWrite with a few different reviews (my favorites being Plague and What’s Left of Me) and my first Spencer Hill Press cover reveal. That actually played a part in a very busy inbox for me as Joan of ARCs for Spencer Hill Press. Sooo many people already want to read Fireblood and it doesn’t even come out for another year. So exciting!

I’ve also started itching to do some blog improvements. At first I was thinking of a style revamp but I’m still very much in love with my header and all the danbos. I doubt I’ll ever switch away from using them in my designs completely as I like to think of them as part of my online persona, but we’ll see. Anyways,  I need to start promoting posts more and trying to step out of the box a bit. I’ve got a couple of great titles on the way from Raincoast books, so once they arrive I may do my first vlog. Scary!

What I Completed Last Week:
City of Bones- Cassandra Clare
Rage Within- Jeyn Roberts
The Exceptionals- Erin Cashman

Currently Reading:
Ironskin- Tina Connolly

Books to Complete This Week:
Ironskin- Tina Connolly
Beta- Rachel Cohn

 

What are you reading this week?

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , , | 8 Comments »

Review: What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 15•12

what's left of me

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: September 18th, 2012
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 Secret Twins

Synopsis: What’s Left of Me tells the story of a fifteen-year-old girl fighting for her right to survive in a world where two souls are born into each body and one is doomed to disappear. Pitched as The Golden Compass meets Girl, Interrupted. 

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything. -Goodreads

Review: I picked this book up by chance at BEA and I am so glad I did. It’s hard to find books that have such a strong and unique premise. What’s Left of Me is set in an alternate version of America where every baby is born with two souls living inside of it, until eventually the less dominant soul fades away. Of course, this never happened for Eva, who still lives inside her sisters body with no way to communicate with anyone but Addie.

Right away the book covers the concept of hybrids, adults living with both of their souls still intact and the dangers these people are said to be to society. This concept is hat really drew me to this book as there are limitless possibilities to what kind of crazyness can go on when you’re secretly living in someone else’s bosy.

We follow the story from the perspective of Eva, but obviously Addie plays a significant role as well. Both girls have distinct personalities that have obviously been shaped by the role they have played in the pairing. Addie is desperate to be normal but loves her sister, where as Eva is very internal but willing to fight for her own survival. The other dual characters are not as thoroughly built, so they can get a little confusing at times (especially when romance is involved), but having the Eva/Addie framework makes the whole story that much more immersive.

There is some BIG drama in this book, and it never goes quite where you think it will. Obviously, this makes for a read that’s going to suck you right in. I would love the chance to pick Kat Zhang’s brain a bit about how some of the finer details of soul sharing work but I’m sure she is super busy with book release things right now. I will absolutely be following is series to see what happens next. Can’t wait!

Buy What’s Left of Me
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository

Second Opinions:
@Pocketful of Books
@Xpresso Reads
@The Starry Eyed Revue

Posted in Dystopian/ Apocalyptic, Young Adult Books , , , , | 1 Comment »

Review: Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 14•12

eve and adam

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publish Date: October 2nd, 2012
Source: ARC
Goodreads

Rating: 3/5 Apples

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an affluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she’s never really questioned it. Much like how she’s never stopped to think how off it is that she’s never been sick. That is, until she’s struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible.

While recuperating in Spiker Biotech’s lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he’s never questioned anything… until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn’t right, and Emma-Rose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely. -Goodreads

Review: Individually I am a huge, huge fan of both Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant (although to be fair, Michael Grant has co-authored some of my favorite K.A. Applegate titles which include both the Remnants and Everworld series, as well as having written the Gone series which is amazing), and when I found out they were married I had a bit of a giggly girl fit. There was no way I was turning down the chance to read YA fiction written by both of these amazing authors. I was not disappointed.

While parts of this book are pretty scientifically advanced, it’s still a story set in (more or less) modern day America. The majority of the book is set in the head office of an uber company that focuses on medical research and biological technology, not always of the government approved variety. I loved all of the little ‘what if’ medical advancements that were sprinkled throughout the story.

The romantic elements to this story were not what I was expecting at all. Adam (the ideal man that Eve is creating using a computer program) is all well and good but where things get really interesting is with Solo who lives at Striker Biotech and is carrying around some fairly epic hate for Eve’s mother. Eve (she usually goes by E.V.) is going through some pretty big life events and the boys that come along for the ride each have a really interesting role to play as does her best friend whose character is not at all what you expect from this kind of story.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot as it absolutely will not be what you expect and that is part of the fun. Either way, this is a really fun read that gets you thinking about all kinds if possibilities.

I was surprised to find out that this book will have a sequel called ‘Adam & Eve’ as it absolutely read like a standalone. I will be very curious to see how Both the characters and technology continue their evolution. Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate clearly make a fantastic team and I hope they continue writing together for a very long time.

Buy Eve and Adam
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository

Second Opinions:
@Supernatural Snark
@Cuddle Buggery
@Two Chicks on Books

Posted in Young Adult Books , , , , , | No Comments »

Fireblood Cover Reveal

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 14•12

Fireblood Cover

 

Synopsis: To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control. When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince’s first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.

Fireblood comes out October 2013 from the always wonderful Spencer Hill Press.

About the author

I’m the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Romance DESTINY’S FIRE (Omnific Publishing) and the upcoming YA Sci-Fi Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, November 2013. My published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. I’ve written four books in the past two years, and I’m currently working on a new YA Sci-Fi project.

I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre.  Also a proud  member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies.

And I’m also a business owner, partnered with my partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who’s the sounding board for my male characters.

Check out my website TrishaWolfe.com for more on my books and short stories. Follow me on Twitter @TrishWolfe

 

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , , , , | 1 Comment »

Review: Plague by Michael Grant

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 12•12

plague by michael grant

Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Publish Date: April 5th, 2011
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 Flying Snakes

Synopsis: It’s been eight months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

They’ve survived hunger. They’ve survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.

But enemies in the FAYZ don’t just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they’ll escape – or even survive – life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

Plague, Michale Grant’s fourth book in the bestselling Gone series, will satisfy dystopian fans of all ages. -Goodreads

Review: Michael Grant does it again. During the same time frame I was reading Plague, I was also reading a zombie apocalypse book and Michael Grant’s story was easily 3x as dark. Things in the FAYZ are still looking pretty grim, and baddies that seemed to have been taken care of are back with a vengeance. As usual Sam is doing his best and resenting every minute of it, Astrid is contemplating this, that and Little Pete, and everyone else is just trying to survive, except Caine who is living large on a fancy island.

Right away things seem to go from bad to worse and that pattern keeps going until the point where you’re not sure everything could possible get resolved by the end of the book. Throughout this entire series there is very little reprieve which can make these books emotionally exhausting to read and Plague is no exception. Obviously the main focus of the book is the deadly flu that is sweeping it’s way through the FAYZ. Kids are literally coughing their lungs out and there is no way to stop it. I actually read it while I had a chest infection which made me feel super warm and fuzzy inside.

Even beyond that of previous books, the imagery of the abominations evolving throughout the book reached a new peak of grotesque. I kind of wish I could experience reading this book as a thirteen year old boy, no doubt I would love it that much more. For me, it’s all just pretty disturbing and adds a lot to an already bleak situation. Just think about little mouths that grow out of your skin before turning into full grown insects that climb out of your body. Ooo, boy.

The character collection is pretty much the same as past books with only one new addition (who has a really cool power!) and the whole cast continues to come together in fantastic ways to shape a plot arc you can never really see coming. There is always a lot, a lot going on but there’s no question the author has a plan and everything will explode in a cloud of awesomeness at the end of the book.

This series is killer, and I love that I’m not quite caught up yet. I’m insanely excited to read Fear but will probably wait a bit so I can pace myself before the last book in the series (Light) comes out. If you haven’t read these books yet, I very much recommend you give it a go. Michael Grant has a great imagination that everyone should experience.

Buy Plague
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository

Second Opinions:
@The Book Smugglers 
@The Random Geek Blog
@Owen’s Book Blog

Posted in Other Books, Young Adult Books , , , , | 1 Comment »

It’s Monday! What are you reading this week?

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 10•12

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

On the Blog:
Last week was a feature week here at ReaWrite, celebrating something I no longer get to participate in… back to school! Throughout August I had been rereading some of my favorite books from middle school and seeing how they stood the test of time now that I’m “a grown up”.
The Phantom Tollbooth- Normal Juster 
The Secret of the Old Clock- Caroline Keene
Time Cat- Lloyd Alexander
The Giver- Lois Lowry

Life Stuff:
Well, as I am decidedly not back to school this week and not working at a “real job”, it was more of the same, trying to keep busy and making the most of my time off. Lots of fun continuing my internship with Spencer Hill Press as Joan of ARCs, sifting through review copy requests. This was probably the busiest week yet, but I’m still really enjoying it. I also had a job interview for an event planning gig working on an employee appreciation party, and joined the team for an art auction benefiting Rabbit Rescue Inc. which I’m really excited about.

What I Completed Last Week:
Plague- Michael Grant
Fighting to Survive- Rhiannon Frater
What’s Left of Me- Kay Zhang

Currently Reading:
City of Bones- Cassandra Clare

Books to Complete This Week:
City of Bones- Cassandra Clare
Scored- Lauren McLaughlin
Rage Within- Jeyn Roberts

 

What are you reading this week?

Posted in Reading , , , | 1 Comment »

Minder- Kate Kaynak

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 09•12

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it’s not exactly a nurturing place. Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. A stray thought can burn a building to the ground. And people’s nightmares don’t always stay in their own heads. But it’s still better than New Jersey–especially once she meets the man of her dreams… -Goodreads

Review: Minder is the first book in the already large Ganzfiend series, and I feel like I’m going to have a lot of catching up to do. I am a sucker for the ‘school for the not quite human’ storyline so it was a pretty safe bet I would like Minder, and I absolutely did. The main character, Maddie is put into a really tough situation right away that forces her to use abilities she did ‘t even know she had. This brings her to the attention of Ganzfield, a school for an interesting collection of kids with the potential for amazing abilities, from fire control to mind control.

Minder very much felt like it was setting up the building blocks for the rest of the series. Most of the book was focused on learning about Ganzfield and the types of people it holds. There was a great ending, but that came on fairly suddenly  and wasn’t what I had been expecting based on the rest of the book.

One thing I did notice was that in some cases things came a little too easily. I think this goes back into needing to get all of the pieces in place for the next books, but some of the story lines could have been explored a bit more before they reached their conclusion.

Ganzfield is a pretty harsh place and the social hierarchy is very much high school with a deadly twist of super powers. Maddie makes it her mission to shake things up a bit and try to make things better for everyone, which tells you a lot about her character. She’s one tough cookie and will probably never be content to just sit back and see what happens. She also comes off as very genuinely teen-aged, as all of her thoughts (especially boy related) are likely what many of us what have been thinking at her age.

It will be interesting to see how book one fits in to the overall series arc as the ending left open a lot of possibilities and it looks like there could be some tough times ahead for Maddie and company. I will be reading book two as soon as I can manage.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Obsession with Books 
@Cari’s Book Blog
@The YA Cafe

Posted in Young Adult Books , , , | 1 Comment »

The Giver- Lois Lowry

Written By: Kellie - Sep• 07•12

Synopsis: Jonas’s world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. -Goodreads

Review: Out of all of the books I’ve covered this week, The Giver is unquestionably my favorite. I have read this book more times than I remember and it’s one I am always eager to recommend to friends and family. We had to read this for English class in (I think) grade seven and it has stuck with me ever since.

The Giver was my first look into dystopian fiction and how society could evolve. At first the world Jonah lives in seems down right idyllic but the farther you go into the story the more you see a loss of many of the joys we take for granted. There is very little personal freedom here, your job and spouse are chosen for you, even your children so you don’t get too attached. There’s another that was a huge shock, but the memory of reading it has stuck with me through the years so if you haven’t read this yet then I’ll let you discover it on your own. I can promise it will be worth the read though.

The people that make up the Community are a seemingly average bunch, but that’s part of what makes this story so memorable. Their lives seem like they could be ours, or at the very least these people could be your neighbors, but here they are living in this society without realizing how much they are missing. Jonah’s parents are especially frustrating as they blindly accept their lives.

Compared to some of the dystopian books that are popular today, The Giver is admittedly tame but that’s what has always made it stand out from the crowd for me. At first you may not even realize that the characters are living in a less than perfect situation and that’s a pretty interesting commentary on today’s society. What things could be better but are blindly accepted because we don’t know what we’re missing?

Lois Lowry has written a few other books in this series that I never picked up because they aren’t based on the same characters, but this is something I plan to fix in the near future as she is clearly a wonderful author with a lot to offer. I saw her speak at BEA and she made everyone at my table shed a few tears. So, if you haven’t yet then I very much recommend you give The Giver a try, it’s a great book and one that will get you thinking about all of the things we hold dear.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

 

 

 

Second Opinions:
@Bird Brain(ed) Book Blog 
@Young Adult Critic
@My Guilty Obsession

Posted in Young Adult Books , , , , | 1 Comment »
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