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.