Hold Still by Nina LaCour & Contest!

Title: Hold Still
Author: Nina LaCour
Release Date: October 20, 2009
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 304 pages
Links: Amazon/ Borders/ Indiebound


Summary:
dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.
Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself

Review: Suicide is always a very difficult subject not just to read about but to write about as well. The book is either two dimensional and shows no emotion or it’s packed with emotion and so real that you tear up at every page. This book was fortunately emotion packed and real.
Hold Still is told in four parts, the four seasons of the first year after Ingrid’s suicide. In the first part of the book, Caitlin’s depression is so deep and real that it’s shocking. Nina LaCour really gives you the feel of her depression and as your reading; you’re feeling the pain along with Caitlin. In most books about suicide, the person that was lost just seems like a dream, sometimes not believable. Ingrid’s journal brought her to life and made her real in my mind so I really felt what Caitlin was feeling.
I think this book couldn’t have been written any other way. I have no real complaints. The journey along with Caitlin during her recovery was emotional and heart breaking. But by the end, you feel as if you’ve recovered as well. LaCour wrote a book that makes an outstanding connection with it’s readers so please go check it out.
Rating: 4/5 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONTEST TIME!

Kay now for the reason everyone’s reading this post. =]
I will be giving away one copy of Hold Still by Nina LaCour thanks to a very

nice person over at Penguin.

So how do you enter? Just leave a comment and please leave an email address.

Extra Entries:

+1 Suggest a meme or something creative I can add to the blog

+1 If you link this or post about this contest

Contest Ends: December 13th

Happy Reading!

Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Title: Black is for Beginnings (BIFN Series, Bk.6)
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz, Janina Gorrissen
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Publisher: Flux
Pages: 168 pages
Links: amazon/ borders/ indiebound

Summary:
It's happening again...
The BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES series that put a spell on more than half a million readers continues – in graphic novel format!
Prophetic dreams. Near-brushes with death. Killers pursuing her and her friends. Stacey Brown knows that being a hereditary witch isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Stacey's nightmares are back. And all she wants to do is go to Colorado and work things out with Jacob, who hasn't been able to remember her since he lost his memory in his brush with death. But before Stacey and Jacob can have a future, they must face their pasts. Black is for Beginnings reveals the never-before-seen backstory—and what lies ahead—for the young, spellcasting lovers.


My Thoughts: If you couldn’t tell by now, I love Stolarz’s books and haven’t come across one that I didn’t like. I feel she’s a very talented author and can bring any story to life.
The Blue is for Nightmares series is my favorite by her. I feel very close to the characters and it was really great to feel that connection and have them back but with one catch. The sixth installment of this series is an American graphic novel, which is something never done by Stolarz before. For the first time, I was hesitant to pick this up. But yet again, I was wrong.
Being in the graphic novel form you get to see the characters and truly connect with them. I saw my favorite characters come to life right before my eyes and it was amazing. I was able to see what the author thought her characters should look like and it was a great experience. Was it my favorite book in the series? No. But was it a great book and even better reading experience? Absolutely.
Yes, this novel is good but since it is in graphic form there wasn’t as much character or storyline development as I hoped. There wasn’t really a mystery in this one but the little part that was, the mystery wasn’t solved. So if you are a fan of this series, I would recommend you read it but maybe borrow it from your local library.


Rating: 3/5 stars
Happy Reading!

In My Mailbox (November 29)

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi at The Story Siren and Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.
I didn’t get that many book but that’s good because I have sooooo much to read already. This is two weeks worth of books.

For Review:

*By The Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she's determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for "completers"- www. through-the-light .com. While she's on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she's not on the Web, Daelyn's at her private school, where she's known as the freak who doesn't talk.Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she's waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she's made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won't give up. And it's too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life. Isn't it?

This book looks so emotional and great. Thank you Julie Anne for sending it out!

Bought: (Yes I know, I’m bad)

*Night World No. 2 by L.J. Smith

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.
In Dark Angel, Gillian is saved from drowning by her guardian angel. Only visible to Gillian, Angel will fulfill her heart's every desire. But when Angel starts making strange and sinister requests, Gillian must question who he truly is and where he came from.
Armed with a wooden stake, martial arts, and the will to resist a vampire's mind control, Rashel struggles to avenge her mother's death in The Chosen. Then she meets Quinn, her soulmate, who is part of the world she has vowed to destroy.
Hannah receives notes warning her of incredible danger in Soulmate. But if death is her destiny, is the Lord of the Night World's love strong enough to save her?

I purchased the first Night World book a little while ago and I was in the store and saw this on sale. So how could I not buy it? I hope to start this series soon. Isn’t this cover gorgeous??

*City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing — not even a smear of blood — to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

The Mortal Instruments is my all time favorite series and when I saw the first one on sale, I just had to get it. I will definitely be re-reading this soon.

Happy Reading!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. =]

Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra

Title: Invisible Touch
Author: Kelly Parra
Release Date: October 14, 2008
Publisher: MTV/ Pocket Books
Pages: 288 pages
Links: amazon/ borders/ indiebound

**This is a review for the 1 ARC Tours.**

Summary (kellyparra.com): Do you believe in fate?
Kara Martinez has been trying to be "normal" ever since the accident that took her father's life when she was eleven years old. She's buried the caliente side of her Mexican heritage with her father and tried to be the girl her rigid mother wants her to be--compliant and dressed in pink, and certainly not acting out like her older brother Jason. Not even Danielle, her best friend at Valdez High, has seen the real Kara; only those who read her anonymous blog know the deepest secrets of the sign seer.
Because Kara has a gift--one that often feels like a curse. She sees signs, visions that are clues to a person's fate, if she can put together the pieces of the puzzle in time. So far, she's been able to solve the clues and avert disaster for those she's been warned about--until she sees the flash of a gun on a fellow classmate, and the stakes are raised higher than ever before. Kara does her best to follow the signs, but it's her heart that wanders into new territory when she falls for a mysterious guy from the wrong side of town, taking her closer to answers she may not be able to handle. Will her forbidden romance help her solve the deadly puzzle before it's too late...or lead her even further into danger?

My Thoughts: I had always wanted to read this book so when it came up for the tours I jumped at the opportunity to read it. For those who know me, I love MTV books and haven’t come across one that I didn’t love. Invisible Touch was no exception.

This novel has a little bit of everything: drama, love, suspense, mystery, fantasy. I really liked how the signs were like clues so you could solve the mystery along with Kara. This element will really get readers involved and sitting on the edge of their seats.

I really enjoyed Kara’s character and feel that many people will be able to relate to her. Her relationship with Andy was so strong and adorable. I loved it and wish I had it, haha.
One thing I really liked was the setting. I usually stay away from books having to do with gangs or people from the “wrong side of town” but I actually really liked it so now I’ll look more into that topic.

Invisible Touch is a great book that you should pick up. Highly recommended by me! I cannot wait to read more from Kelly Parra.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Happy Reading!

Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan

Title: Love Is the Higher Law
Author: David Levithan
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 176
Links: amazon/ borders/ indiebound


Summary (amazon.com): First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . .The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by. David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.


My Thoughts: Just from the cover of this novel, which is amazing, I knew that this would be a very emotional read for me. Being from New York, 9/11 is a very touchy subject and something I get very upset about. To be honest, I was hesitant to read this novel because I was afraid of those emotions I had and if the novel would be completely wrong and unrealistic. But of course, I was wrong.

Love Is the Higher Law was a truly life changing book for me. I started getting choked up from the first chapter because even though I was young, I remembered everything that Levithan was describing. His characters and his description is so real, it’s shocking. This novel is just pure perfection in my eyes. David Levithan truly captured the fear and confusion from that day and the aftermath.

I read this novel in one sitting and after I was done my first thoughts were just “Wow, what a great book.” This is my first David Levithan novel but it will definitely not be my last. He is a true writer and can paint an amazing picture with words. I highly recommend everyone reads this novel because it will change the way you look at things. It’ll make you laugh, cry, and be so shocked that you have to close the book and come back to it. But it’s just so good. So if you haven’t already go read this outstanding book.

Rating: 5/5 stars
Btw, this is post number 200! Thanks everyone for following and sticking around.
Happy Reading!

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Title: Pretty Little Liars (Bk 1, Pretty Little Liars Series)
Author: Sara Shepard
Release Date: August 27, 2007
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 304
Links: amazon/ borders/ indiebound

Summary (amazon.com): Aria, Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Alison have been best friends since the third grade. They go everywhere together, thinking no-one can come between them. If anyone is the ringleader of the group it is Alison, and the other girls cannot help but confide all their secrets to her. One night, during a sleepover, Alison goes missing. Her body is never found. The girls mourn her death but move apart after time, assuming their secrets have disappeared with Alison too. Three years later and Aria is having an affair with her teacher; Emily is questioning her sexuality; Hanna is a thief; and Spencer is flirting with her sister's fiancé. They all think their secrets are safe, until they start receiving messages from the mysterious A - who knows exactly what they are all up to, and is threatening to spill the beans...

My Thoughts: My first thoughts on Pretty Little Liars were that it was going to be this big murder mystery plot with a lot of drama. Yeahhhh, I was kinda wrong. But I’m no saying this is a negative thing. For lack of a better comparison, this is was closer to a more gossip girl type plot with a bit of mystery added on. But I love the drama that it did involve. So this novel wasn’t what I expected but it was amazing.

These characters were developed very well and the personalities of each character really stood out. Each character’s story was interesting and kept me hooked from page one. My personal favorite is Aria’s story because I felt that I shared her type of personality. Except the fact that she is messing around with her English teacher xD. But I give Sara Shepard two thumbs up for her characters and plot. I was completely captivated and didn’t put down the book until I finished it.

I would recommend this book to older teens because there are some older situations (Sex, Drug Use, Stealing, Language) but I believe they make the story and without them it wouldn’t be the same and the plot would feel two-dimensional. But this is just the beginning of a very fun series that I will definitely be continuing soon. So if you haven’t already please go check out this awesome series.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Happy Reading!