Just After Sunset by Stephen King

Published in 2008 by Scribner
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
Stephen King -- who has written more than fifty books, dozens of number one New York Times bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies -- delivers an astonishing collection of short stories, his first sinceEverything's Eventual six years ago. As guest editor of the bestsellingBest American Short Stories 2007, King spent over a year reading hundreds of stories. His renewed passion for the form is evident on every page of Just After Sunset. The stories in this collection have appeared inThe New Yorker, Playboy, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Esquire, and other publications.

Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating -- and then terrifying -- journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable -- and resourceful -- as Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark. In "Ayana," a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, "N.," which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.

Just After Sunset -- call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.

Review:  Stephen King is an excellent short story writer.  I've always been so-so about his novels, but I really enjoyed this anthology.  In particular I enjoyed the stories that were based on reality - serial killers, revenge stories, insanity.  I am not as big a fan when ghosts and other paranormal things are in the stories.  

My favorite stories were as follows.  The Gingerbread Girl, which is about a woman trying to out run a serial killer; The Things They Left Behind, a surprisingly poignant story about a man dealing with survivors guilt after the 9/11 attacks; The Cat From Hell, a very freaky story about a truly evil cat; The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates, a story about a woman talking to her dead husband as he is waiting in limbo; and A Very Tight Place, which in it's depravity and pure gross factor, may be the most horrific story of them all.   


I listened to the audio book and Stephen King actually reads the introduction and the notes at the end, which add a very interesting perspective to the collection.  He talks about when the stories were first published and what he was going through when he wrote each of the stories.  I highly recommend listening to this collection on audio, just don't do it as you drive home. at night. all alone.

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: Embers and Echoes

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat.  Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story.  I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!  

 

Today we'll be talking about Karsten Knight's second book Embers and Echoes.  This is a sequel to his debut novel, Wildfire.

 

I love both of these covers and I think they fist the story, which is about a volcano goddess, very well.  I really like the use of tropical flowers amidst charred looking backgrounds.  My only complaint is that I wish the title fonts matched!  I like Embers and Echoes more, I wish they had thought of it earlier.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Published March 9, 2010 by Dial
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide I world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Review:  I read The Sky is Everywhere because my friend Gabrielle Carolina over at The Mod Podge Bookshelf really loves this book, and I can totally see why.  By far the best thing about The Sky is Everywhere is the writing.  WOW.  Nelson's writing style is one of the most compelling and unique of any that I've experienced in YA.  The story itself isn't uncommon, a girl loses her sister and is trying to put her life back together after her death, but it is the way in which this story is present that makes it so special.  I could completely relate to Lennie, even though I have never gone through the tragedy of losing a sibling and best friend, how Nelson writes Lennie's thoughts make her totally relatable, hilarious, and heart breaking. Also, I loved the note convention used at the beginning and end of the chapters.  I loved that the poems were printed on paper, cups, wrappers, trees, whatever was around.  I love visuals in books and these really lend to the story and make it way interesting. 


I also could totally understand why Lennie has feelings towards two different people.  With Toby she's looking for someone who can understand her pain and make it go away.  It's not so much that she actually loves Toby, quite the opposite she has tremendous feelings of guilt, but at the same time she is drawn to the person who can understand.

And then there's Joe.  Let me just say that a man who can play an instrument well is dead sexy.  He's the boy who can actually help heal her.  I think it's so important that he moved to town after Bailey's death.  He doesn't know pre-death Lennie, and loves her as she is now.  I loved how he helped draw the music out of her and healed her with his.  He helps her accept what happened and helps her see that life will go on and that she can go on, not forgetting her sister, but remembering all of the beautiful lessons she taught.  (My only criticism of Joe is that he fell in crazy love with Lennie a little too fast.  I would have liked to see the beginning stages a little more, so the healing love they experienced at the end would have been more supported).


Overall The Sky is Everywhere is a beautifully written book about losing a loved one and finding out that love can heal.  (Word to the wise, the UK hardcover edition has full colored photos of Lennie's poems.  I really wish I could get my hands on a copy, if anyone knows where I can buy it, please comment!)

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: What's Left of Me

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat.  Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story.  I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!  

 

Today I want to talk about the cover for Kat Zhang's debut What's Left of Me.  It sounds like a totally awesome science fiction and the cover is fantastic!

 

So pretty!  I think it is perfect for the story.  I love the dual faces and the color scheme.  I am super excited for this book and can't wait for September!

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Published in 2010 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

5 Stars

Goodreads Review

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Timesbestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Review:  I love treasure hunt type stories.  Like, really really love them.  When I was a little kid I would make up treasure hunts for my younger siblings and I would spend HOURS drawing maps, hiding clues, and creating decorated boxes for the "treasure" (usually some apples or something, what I was only 6, don't judge).  I've always daydreamed about finding a hidden passage, a secret diary, and some sort of clue trail of my own.  I just LOVED the idea of finding a secret message tucked into the stacks of my favorite bookstore.  It is my ideal adventure.


I absolutely loved the two main characters, but I think I connected more to Lily.  I loved her kooky style and her brother and her dog and her freaking majorette boots.  I also loved how she was the one to initiate the journal.  She is more bold than me, because while I dream about finding a secret, she creates one and puts it out into the world.  


Overall Dash and Lily is an adorable romance.  It's an excellent tale about how the idea of a person may be different that who they really are, but that doesn't mean they still aren't right for you.  It has a great theme that fairy tale prince charmings and princesses are wonderful, but they're only fairy tales.  Real life relationships aren't as perfect, there are things that will frustrate and annoy you, but they're real and that is magic.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

#1 in Perfect Chemistry Series
Published in 2008 by Walker Books for Young Readers
3 Stars

Goodreads Review
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers. 

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.  In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.


Review:  Perfect Chemistry is a modern day West Side Story.  It's a classic tale of two star crossed lovers from opposite sides of the tracks defying social norms to be together.  


I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, when Alex and Brittany both had preconceived notions about each other's motivations.  I liked that as the reader I had insider knowledge and knew just how wrong each was about the other.  I also really enjoyed some of their sweeter moments as Brittany and Alex learned the truth about each other (the wedding scene in particular was excellent).  I also really enjoyed Alex's relationship with his family and how he tried to protect them from the gang while still appearing loyal.  He walked a fine line, and it was really interesting to read.  


There were a few parts of the books that weren't bad, but did leave me a little disappointed.  Once Alex and Brittany recognized they liked each other it got a little cheesy and cliche for my taste.  I tend to be a pretty cynical person so sometimes I didn't fully believe the character's motivations.  Also Alex is in a gang but I didn't feel like there was enough gang violence.  Gangs are really serious, and I can't help but feel there should have been more intimidating Alex into doing more bad things.  I didn't feel like the gang was as in control of Alex as they should have been.  And let me just say that I know this book is YA, but  this is a romance people, I needed a little more in the sex scenes!  Lots of good making out, not enough doing it.

The one thing that bumped this review down from a 4 star to a 3 star is the epilogue.  I felt like the book had a good, concise ending until I read the epilogue.  That took the book into ridiculously perfect happily ever after territory and I just couldn't take it seriously anymore.  


Now don't get me wrong.  I still really enjoyed this book, I just think it wasn't quite what I was expecting.  So many people raved about it so I think I set myself up for failure.  Perfect Chemistry is a great book for people looking for a forbidden love/Romeo and Juliet type story.

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: Bad Hair Day

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat.  Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story.  I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!  

I read Carrie Harris's Bad Taste in Boys last fall (haven't done a review yet, but I will I promise!) and I really loved it.  It's a super cute zombie book that I think is a bit more geared for middle grade, but is still an enjoyable read.  The second book in the series, Bad Hair Day, comes out November 13, 2012.  

I love the covers of this series.  I love the continuity with the font and color schemes.  While I think Bad Hair Day isn't as eye catching as Bad Taste in Boys I think it's a great cover and I can't wait to read the follow up in the series!

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Published January 17, 2012 by Walker Childrens
5 Stars
DAC 2012

Goodreads Review
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Review:  Fracture was a great book for me.  I had been in a reading slump for a couple of weeks and this was the perfect book to draw me out.  This book was so well written, I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next!  Also, Fracture incorporates my favorite musical, Les Miserables, so it automatically gets about a million stars for that.

The mystery aspects of Fracture were really well done.  The pacing was excellent.  Facts were revealed at a good pace that kept me guessing but not frustrated.  Everything in this story adds to the mystery.  Even with the romance, the book never strayed from the main genre.  Speaking of the romance, I really enjoyed that too.  Even though there were some moments where I was yelling "just talk to each other!  Stop being so stupid!" I really cared about Decker and Delaney.  But man were they stupid sometimes!  

One thing about Fracture that I really appreciated was the fact that while Delaney's abilities were presented in a paranormal way, it never actually became a paranormal book.  There were scientific explanations for everything that happened and I found that to be very refreshing.  I kind of wish that there  was a little more explanation about what actually causes her abilities (not just something weird in her brain), but it's not a huge deal.  Not knowing adds to the suspense, it's just that my science-y mind would like to know.   


Overall Fracture is an excellent mystery that, while short, is perfectly paced and will keep you guessing.  Fracture is a stellar debut and I recommend it for anyone looking for a spooky mystery with a great twist and a very well thought out ending.

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

Published February 14, 2012 by EgmontUSA
egalley for review from netgalley
3 stars
DAC 2012

Goopdreads Review
Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.
 
But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"--a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.

Review:  I wanted to start off this review by saying that while I gave this book three stars, I read an advance galley so I think the finished copy will be more of a 4 star book.  There are certain things that will probably be edited up a bit (mostly some support to characters that may not show up a lot but are important to the story).  However as it was The Butterfly Clues was still an excellent murder mystery that, while not really all that surprising, was still very suspenseful and enjoyable to read.

The Butterfly Clues is first and foremost a book about OCD.  The author does a, well, intense job of describing what it's like to have OCD.  It is on every single page, for better or worse.  When the consistent need to touch, take, and tap is done well, it adds SO MUCH anxiety and tension to the murder mystery.  It's like, imagine not being able to escape a dangerous situation because you HAD to tap your leg nine times before you went through a doorway, or you HAD jump over every crack in the sidewalk or you'd HAVE to go back and start over, even if someone was chasing you!  There were times where I just had to take a break from reading because I was getting so freaked out!  But then there were times where the OCD was just there because it had to be, but didn't do anything to move the plot forward.  Those scenes were painfully slow to read. 

I really liked Sapphire as a character, even though we never get to actually meet her.  I don't want to give away the plot (even though I found it to be pretty predictable, as in I guessed everything from about page 60 or so) but I liked who she was and what ultimately happened to her.  I found her relationship to Lo a little convenient, but still very interesting.  

There is one other thing I didn't like, and I think this is just personal preference.  What is up with the idea that homeless = artsy?  Where exactly does this kid get the money to pay for art supplies?  I had a really hard time believing a person like Flynt really exists.  Maybe that's because I am too grounded in my need for security.  I could never just be an artist and "live off the land" Chris McCandless style.  I think if more background to how Flynt survived had been given I would have enjoyed his character more.  As he was I pretty much rolled my eyes every time he used his art to be all mysterious and sexy.

Overall The Butterfly Clues is an intense murder mystery (that doesn't have any paranormal aspects to it, thank God!) that uses OCD to create extremely suspenseful situations for the main character.  Lo is a unique character that has some major flaws, but you can't help but love and root for anyway.  I recommend The Butterfly Clues to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries or books about mental illness (or books with beautiful covers!).

Friday Face Off Cover Reveal: Purity

Friday Face Off is a meme hosted by one of my favorite book bloggers Misty over at The Book Rat.  Usually this meme focuses on different cover designs for the same book and decides which is better for the story.  I wanted to take this meme and add a little twist to it today by discussing a cover reveal!  

I am really excited for Purity by Jackson Pearce.  I have a lot of high hopes for this book.  I hope it will look at teen sexuality in a way that isn't slut-shaming or rape apologist.  I hope it will be a book about a girl who learns that her sexuality is no one's responsibility but her own. Pearce is an excellent writer, and I really hope I like her contemporary works more than her fantasy.

I love the symbolism behind this cover.  It makes me think of chastity belts and who holds the key to her "heart" (get the movie reference?).  But on a more serious note this cover makes me think about unlocking sexuality and who has the right to hold the key.  It's a very promising cover to a very promising novel.  

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Published in 2009 by Viking Juvenile

3 Stars

Goodreads Review

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia.

Review:  I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was really anticipating reading Wintergirls.  I read Speak a while ago after watching the movie (which I actually liked!  Who knew I'd like a K-Stew movie) and I loved the book.  However, I'm sad to say that Wintergirls fell short for me.

I really enjoy reading books about mental illnesses including eating disorders.  I find there are so many different ways an author can go when they're writing a story about mental illness.  I felt like Anderson was close to hitting the mark, but didn't quite make it.  I couldn't connect to her writing style which is surprising because I really enjoyed her writing in Speak.  However in Wintergirls it was a little too poetic and "flowery" for my taste.  I guess I was expecting a much more direct form of story telling, and Wintergirls kept me guessing as to what was really going on.  I couldn't tell if it was a contemporary or paranormal book, and that ambiguity frustrated me and turned me off from large chunks of the story.  


Another aspect of the book I didn't really like was the lack of character growth.  I didn't get the impression that Lia really learned anything by the end of the story.  I was hoping that I would get some sense that she was going to get better, that she would have some sort of epiphany about what she was doing to her body and her family.  That never happened for me.  At the end she still seemed selfish and defensive.  

This review isn't to say Wintergirls is the worst book I've ever read.  I did enjoy some parts, largely the horrific side effects of anorexia and bulimia, but for me parts of the book felt too hung up in a specific writing style or convention to tell the story clearly.  Overall I would say Wintergirls is a good book, but nowhere near some of Anderson's other works.

February 2012 New Reads

Hey everyone!  Here are the debuts and releases that are set for the coming month.  This by no means is a complete list, but just some of the books I'm interested in or excited to read.  Please let me know in the comments what books you're looking forward to reading!

February 1

The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - The premise of this book is really hard to explain, because I have no idea where it will go.  I honestly can't say much because I don't want to know myself.  I want this book to be a surprise, so we'll have to wait and see....








February 2

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - A post-apocalyptic world where the main character lives in an "education facility for delinquents and crazies"?  I'm so down!

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - Someone Else's Life sounds like a touching story about family secrets, healing, and finding yourself.

This One Time with Julia by David Lampson (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - This books starts off sounding like another dealing with death/coming of age story.  But then it takes a turn into a weird-o murder mystery!  Very cool.  (plus I really like the title!)












February 6

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney
#2 in The Mockingbirds Series


Why I'm Excited - I own The Mockingbirds and I really want to read it.  I love the whole premise of an underground student justice system.  Even though I really dislike the new covers the series still sounds really cool.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - I really like the world war II prisoner of war set up.  I also like how it's told in a variety of ways including flashback and prose.  and This sounds like a great story about how a true friendship can defeat any odds.












February 7

The Misdeucation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited -   This book sounds like an excellent addition to the growing shelf of GLBT literature for teens.  An interesting twist is that Cameron's parents die at the very beginning of the book (no spoilers, it's in the description).  I think it will be really interesting to read how Cameron navigates the coming out waters without parents to guide (or scare) her.




Dead to You by Lisa McMann


Why I'm Excited - This story's about an abducted boy being returned to his family and the struggles that ensue.  He can't remember anything about his life before the abduction which does not help ease the tension.  Sounds like it will be a heavy and dark read.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (DAC!)
#1 in The Cahill Witch Chronicles 


Why I'm Excited - I love a good witchy book!  In Born Wicked there are witch sisters hiding out from a brotherhood of priests that trying to hunt them down.  I am very interested to see if this book will live up to the hype.










February 8

 Pure by Julianna Baggott
#1 in the Pure series


Why I'm Excited - The description on this book is very vague, so I'll be honest and say I judged this book by the cover!  I have no idea why, I just really <3 it.  I think it's the font.

 The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney
#2 in The Iron Witch series


Why I'm Excited - I have the first book, The Iron Witch, and I really am interested in this series.  Sounds like an interesting fantasy story about one poor girl getting mixed up in fey drama (seriously, when do fairies not have drama?).

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace


Why I'm Excited - I really like books about people dealing with rumors tarnishing their reputations, and I think that it happens all too much in high school and can be absolutely devastating.  It doesn't matter if the rumors are true or not, once they start they can seem impossible to escape.










February 14

 Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer (DAC!)
#1 in the Arkadien series


Why I'm Excited - Two words.  Sicilian Mafia.

 The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - Partly because it's a murder mystery with an OCD protagonist and partly because of pure unadulterated cover love, I'm really enjoying The Butterfly Clues.  A very suspenseful thriller that has me guessing with every page.  (I'm reading it now, thanks netgalley!)

 Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley


Why I'm Excited - Honestly?  I only want to read this because for the longest time I thought there was a Michael Cera movie based on the book (turns out the movie I was thinking of is called Paper Heart....nowhere close!  I have no idea what I was thinking).  So I have no idea what this book is about!  We'll see when I read it I guess.

 The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge
#2 in the Iron Codex series


Why I'm Excited -   I've heard fantastic things about The Iron Thorn, the first book in the series.  It sounds like a crazy post apocalyptic sci-fi meets fey fantasy adventure with steampunk elements sprinkled about.  Any series that's going to mix that many genres I must know more about!  Plus I absolutely love the main characters name, Aoife (pronounced ee-fah).  It's one of my all time faves.

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (DAC!)

Why I'm Excited - A Robin Hood re-telling with a  female protagonist trying to run from her past by pretending to be one of Robin's merry men?  Awesome!  Sounds like a great adventure (too bad they aren't foxes and lions though.  Gotta love the Disney movie).

 The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers (DAC!)

Why I'm Excited - I have to be honest, this is another case of cover love.  I have no idea what this book is about, but I saw the cover and said "sold!".  I'm not going to read anything about the book either, I'm just going to go read it.  Because I like to walk on the wild side.

Various Positions by Martha Schabas (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - I really like ballet, but I'm a little wary of this book.  It sounds like it might stray too far into the pedophilia/sexual misconduct territory for me to really enjoy, but I'm willing to give it a shot.  (Plus I have to give the title props for the double entendre).






February 16

 Trafficked by Kim Purcell (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - This book sounds different than any YA book I've ever read.  A young orphaned girl from Moldova is brought to the US to a job that she thinks will earn hear enough to support what family she still has, but instead turns into hellish slavery.  While I am worried it will be overly sensationalized, I am interested to see where this book goes.

 The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour


Why I'm Excited -Again, this is largely due to cover appeal.  But after reading the synopsis, The Disenchantments sounds like an interesting road trip book about friends growing up and growing apart.

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen


Why I'm Excited - This book is described as "Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss".  HELL YES SIGN ME UP.  That description and the adorable title are really all I need.












February 21



A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton
Gods and Monsters Series #2


Why I'm excited - I own the first book in the series, Death Becomes Her, and it sounds so cool.  Medusa curses and bitchy goddesses?  Yes.

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg (DAC!)


Why I'm Excited - I'm just really intrigued by this story, and I think I'll either love it or despise it.  It's about a girl who dies of a literal broken heart (Seriously?  That's the part I'm not too sure about...) who then goes through the different stages of grief that help her move on in the afterlife (and that's the part that intrigues me).  I'm torn on the premise so I guess I'll have to read it to find out!

 Fever by Lauren DeStefano
#2 in The Chemical Garden Series


Why I'm Excited - I read the first book Wither and all I really liked was the beautiful cover.  I was pretty annoyed with the illogical and weak world building, but I was interested enough in the characters to want to continue the story.  Fever doesn't have a beautiful cover to keep me reading though (I really don't like it, ew), so I really hope the story telling kicks it up a notch.

Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr


Why I'm Excited - This is a collection of short stories by the popular Wicked Lovely series author.  I've heard a lot about this series, both good and bad, and really want to start it soon.  I think this collection would be perfect for any fan of the series who is looking for more in that world.










February 28

 A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford
#2 in the A Touch Trilogy


Why I'm Excited - I own a copy of the first book, A Touch Mortal, and I'm really interested in the series.  I love how this series has a really dark twist, and while it has mixed review, these books seem like something I'd really enjoy.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver 
#2 in the Delirium Series


Why I'm Excited - Probably the most hyped book for this month.  I own a copy of Delirium (with the original cover that is NOT very cute, I want the new one!) and all I've ever heard is how it is amazeballs.  To be honest I started Delirium and put it down, but I'm willing to give the series another go!

Partials by Dan Wells (DAC!)
#1 in the Partials series


Why I'm Excited - I do love a good post apocalyptic adventure.  This sounds like an awesome kick-ass adventure, and thanks to netgalley, I'll be starting this one really really soon.  (Like right now actually)