Waiting on Wednesday (24)

Title: The Gathering
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Release Date: April 12, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Summary: Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students—for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.

Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret—and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Review: Brother/Sister by Sean Olin

Title: Brother/Sister
Author: Sean Olin
Pages: 242 (ARC copy)
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: June 9, 2011

Will and Asheley have a troubled past. Their father left them when they were little, and their mother has just been carted off to an alcohol treatment center. Now, they have the house to themselves, and an endless California summer stretching out before them. Through alternating perspectives, they tell the story of how and why their lives spun violently out of control—right up to the impossibly shocking conclusion you'll have to read for yourself to believe.

My Thoughts: Before I started the book, I read reviews that said that the ending was shocking and surprising. Now that I've finally read it, I have to say that I agree. I was not expecting it to end that way at all. It made me question everything else in the book. And now I'm wishing the entire book got a reaction out of me like the ending did because maybe I would have liked it more.

Will and Asheley are siblings. Their father left them when they were really young, and their mother is a complete drunk. For their entire lives, Will and Asheley have never felt normal. Because of the way they grew up, they have social problems and aren't very trusting of others. But things seem to be finally improving for them. Asheley is starting to socialize with the girls on her softball team, and Will is doing great in golf and he's getting noticed by girls. Their mother has even been sober for a couple of months. That feeling of normalcy doesn't last though, and Will and Asheley's lives being to spiral out of control.

Will was weird and creepy, and I just did not like him. He had anger and jealousy issues. Asheley was... Well, after that ending, I'm really confused about her and her relationship with her brother. I don't know what to think about either of them. Both were very paranoid people. I know I don't feel sorry for them, no matter how bad their home-life was. Honestly, they deserve what's coming to them.

All in all, I thought this was an okay read. I was never really hooked until the very last page, and I wish I had felt something for the characters. It was a strange and kind of disturbing book, so if you're curious, check it out.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Thanks to LibraryThing & Penguin for the ARC.

In My Mailbox #41

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Bought:
Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

For Review:
Clarity (Clarity, #1) by Kim Harrington (From Different Area Codes Book Tour.)

Gifted:
Finding Sky by Joss Stirling
Promise (Soul Savers, #1) by Kristie Cook

Library:
Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry
Leaving Jetty Road by Rebecca Burton

Feeling tired, so I'll keep this short.

Read Clarity, and I got a sort of Veronica Mars vibe from it. Enjoyed it. I'll start working on a review soon. Guitar Highway Rose and Leaving Jetty Road are both Aussie books that I checked out for the Aussie YA Challenge. I got Promise and Finding Sky thanks to a friend. I've had both books on my wishlist for awhile; really hope I like them. Finally, I bought Playing Hurt because I plan on reading it with my book group. It sounds good; can't wait to read it. :)

And that's it for this week!

Waiting on Wednesday (23)

Title: Faerie Winter (Faerie, #2)
Author: Janni Lee Simner
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Summary: The war has been over for 40 years, and finally Liza's town is accepting children born with fairy talents. Then a nearby town is destroyed, and Liza discovers that the war might not be over after all. It seems some faeries survived and have crossed over into the human world to continue the fight. And the most powerful and merciless of them all—the Queen herself—may be among them. . .

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Faerie Winter is the sequel to Bones of Faerie, which I really liked. I was so excited when I found out there was going to be a sequel. Hopefully it's just as good. :)

In My Mailbox #40

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

For Review:
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (From Different Area Codes Book Tour.)

Won:
Brother/Sister by Sean Olin (From LibraryThing.)
The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta (Thanks to Alexa @ Not Enough Bookshelves!)

The Piper's Son! Melina Marchetta! Squee! (Yes, I'm a total fangirl.) Thanks to my awesome book buddies, I was able to read TPS last year. Really happy to own a copy now because I want to reread it. Huge thanks goes out to Alexa! :D

The Near Witch and Brother/Sister are two books for review. I heard TNW was just put up on NetGalley, so check that out if you're interested in reading it. I'm not really sure what to expect from B/S. The summary and the title made me think of Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma; however, I have a feeling it won't be anything like that book. Still, I'm hoping it's good.

Well, I have nothing else to include about this week's IMM. I'll end with the song I'm currently listenting to: The Reeling by Passion Pit. <3

Review: Good Oil by Laura Buzo

Title: Good Oil
Author: Laura Buzo
Pages: 252
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Release Date: August 2010

A wonderful, coming-of-age love story from a fresh new voice in YA fiction.

'Miss Amelia Hayes, welcome to The Land of Dreams. I am the staff trainer. I will call you grasshopper and you will call me sensei and I will give you the good oil. Right? And just so you know, I'm open to all kinds of bribery.'

From the moment 15-year-old Amelia begins work on the checkout at Woolworths she is sunk, gone, lost...head-over-heels in love with Chris. Chris is the funny, charming, man-about-Woolies, but he's 21, and the 6-year difference in their ages may as well be 100. Chris and Amelia talk about everything from Second Wave Feminism to Great Expectations and Alien but will he ever look at her in the way she wants him to? And if he does, will it be everything she hopes?

My Thoughts (may contain minor spoilers): Good Oil is told from the perspective of 15-year-old Amelia Hayes. It's about her life. From school to her family and to her job at the local supermarket. But it's mostly about Chris Harvey, Amelia's 21-year-old co-worker. Chris is funny and friendly, and even though there's a six year age difference between them, he's the guy Amelia is in love with.

The story also includes diary entries written by Chris. There's more to him than just the funny, easy-going guy. He's not happy with his life at the moment. He doesn't particularly like his job at the supermarket. He's desperately in love with a girl who he has no chance of ever being with. And he's living with his parents in his last year of uni and doesn't have a clue as to what he plans to do next.

I think we all can easily relate to Amelia. We've all had crushes on someone who seemed like the perfect person for us. But our feelings usually disappeared after we really got to know that person. Or maybe not. That's why I liked Amelia. She still liked Chris even with his flaws. Because, although I liked Chris's character, I'm not sure I could have continued to like Chris as more than a friend after finding out some of the personal things about him.

Like Amelia, Chris is a character I think some of us can relate to. A lot of teenagers and young adults get to a point in their lives where they're not sure which direction to go. Choices need to be made soon or time will continue to pass by with nothing ever being accomplished. I'm pretty happy with the decision Chris makes at the end. I think it was the right one.

As for Amelia and Chris's relationship, I admit I felt a bit lost during some of the conversations they had about certain literature because I'm not familiar with those books. But I liked their interaction. They got along well. They both were comfortable around each other and seemed to enjoy the discussions they shared with each other. I even forgot there was a six year age difference between them, and it just made me want them together even more.

Good Oil is a quick read, and the ending of the book doesn't give complete closure, but I'm satisfied with the way it ended. It's a coming-of-age story about two people who are in different stages of their life, and I would recommend it to those who aren't looking for a perfect resolution.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Read & reviewed for the Aussie YA Challenge.

In My Mailbox #39

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

NetGalley and S&S Galley Grab:
Angel Burn (Angel Trilogy, #1) by L.A. Weatherly
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Die for Me (Revenants, #1) by Amy Plum

Won:
Pink ARC by Lili Wilkinson (Thanks to Lori @ Pure Imagination!)

It's a known fact that Aussie authors never disappoint, so I'm really happy to have won an ARC of Pink. ;) And I can use this book in two challenges I'm participating in. The Aussie YA challenge, of course, and the Debut Author Challenge since it's her US debut.

I finally decided to give NetGalley and Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab a try because they have some eGalleys I'm interested in reading. I'm starting with three books for now. I picked The Day Before because I loved Lisa Schroeder's Chasing Brooklyn. Die for Me (HarperTeen finally accepted me!) because a friend loved it and recommended it. And Angel Burn just because I've wanted to read that one for awhile. Hope to get these done by April.

And that's about it for this week! :)

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 496 (ARC copy)
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: May 3, 2011

One choice

One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs, and determines your loyalties...forever.

Or, one choice can transform you.

In Veronica Roth's debut novel, Divergent, a perfect society unfolds into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals, and unexpected romance.

My Thoughts: Divergent was my most anticipated book for 2011. I had high expectations and thought it would be a definite favorite of mine, with me giving it 6 stars and forcing everyone to read it. Now that I've actually read it... Did I love it? I liked it. Did it live up to my expectations? No, not quite.

Divergent sounded like it had everything I wanted. Action, romance, and memorable characters. I really liked the romance; it was enough for me. It's great not having to worry about a love-triangle. Beatrice and Four were good characters. They stood out among the other characters in the book, and I loved that they could kick ass! The other characters, though, weren't as intriguing to me. I wanted to like them too, but by the end, I realized I didn't feel a connection with them. It's part of the reason why I don't believe the book lived up to my expectations.

As for the action, there was lots of it! I like action. With all that action and with Divergent being called a thriller, I was expecting heart-pounding, nail-biting moments that would leave me breathless and on the edge of my seat! I know some will disagree with me, but... I didn't find it to be that intense. Sure, I had no idea what would happen next, but any twist and turn that occurred didn't really shock or surprise me. If reading this book was a simulation (you'll read about simulations in the book), I would have owned! Because I felt pretty calm during most of the book. Even the death of certain characters didn't faze me. (Like I said, I didn't feel a connection with those characters, so that's probably the reason why I didn't have much of a reaction when they died.)

Maybe it's only me. Maybe I wasn't in the right state of mind when I read this book. Whatever it was, I just didn't get the intense, emotional feeling I wanted the most, out of everything else, from this book. It's the reason why I couldn't love it the way I wanted.

Overall, I enjoyed Divergent and would recommend it. This is a book I wouldn't mind reading again. It's really easy to get into. (I even want to reread it to see if I react differently.) Hopefully in the next book I find that feeling I missed because after what happened at the end of this book, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers UK for the ARC.

Giveaways & News: Melina Marchetta

You know I love Melina Marchetta, so I had to advertise these giveaways for her newest release in the US. :)

Alexa at Not Enough Bookshelves currently has an international giveaway for 2 copies of The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta! Check out her giveaway post here. Deadline is March 4.

If you're on GoodReads and a US resident, Candlewick Press is giving away one ARC of The Piper's Son on GoodReads! Check it out here. Deadline is March 6.

I highly recommend all of Melina Marchetta's novels, so enter both of these giveaways, if you can! If you don't win either giveaway, The Piper's Son will be released in the US on March 8. Only a week away! You won't have to wait long to buy yourself a copy or maybe even request a copy at your local library. ;)

In other news, Melina Marchetta will be at the New York City Teen Author Festival this month starting on the 14th! She posted her schedule on her website. If you're attending or in the area during the festival, be sure to see her! She's from Australia, and I don't believe she makes much author appearances in the US. I would love to be there, but I don't have the time or money to travel all the way to NYC at the moment. (I know... *sniff* So sad.)

That's about all the news I have right now. Remember, enter those giveaways and read her books! You won't regret it. >:3