Book Review: Unearthly + GIVEAWAY!

Author: Cynthia Hand
Published: HarperTeen (Januray 4, 2011)
Audience: Young Adult
Source: For Review (Dark Days Supernatural Tour), Also purchased a copy
Young Adult * Paranormal Romance

Description from GoodReads:

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .


Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy. 

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side. 

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?


I instantly knew I wanted to read Unearthly the minute I first saw the cover online. It's beautiful, ethereal, and romantic -- just like Cynthia Hand's writing. With so many exciting titles in the YA Paranormal Romance genre, particularly stories dealing with angels, I wondered if Unearthly would be able to stand out... and it certainly does. Cynthia Hand writes a beautiful story of teenager, Clara, coming into her own as a young woman while dealing with the recent discovery that she is part angel. Clara is such a wonderful female lead because she's not a shrinking violet, but she's also not a total warrior. She strikes a really nice balance of being strong, without being too aggressive. Also, it was a nice change to read about a girl who was paranormal trying to deal with normal human boys. I'm so used to reading about ordinary girls who meet extraordinary boys that it was nice to read about a girl who's special.

And speaking of boys, I loved the two main guys in Unearthly. Christian and Tucker are both interesting and multi-dimensional (and I am led to believe that they are both incredibly good looking). There isn't the traditional good boy versus bad boy dichotomy that is seen in many love triangles. Instead, Christian is the boy that is somehow connected to Clara and her angelic purpose -- she sees him in her dreams -- while Tucker is the unconventional human boy that becomes tangled up in Clara's life unexpectedly, making her purpose as an angel all the more confusing. I liked both guys for different reasons, although by the end of the novel I had developed a sweet spot for Tucker.

In fact, all of the characters were well-written. There is so much depth and complexity in everyone. Clara's mother, also an angel, plays an important role in helping Clara discover and understand her purpose as an angel, although her own purpose and past is kept secret. Also, Clara's younger brother, Jeff, is also figuring out his own purpose as an angel and has his own shady secrets kept from the family. I am so eager to see where Cynthia Hand takes Clara's family in the sequel; there is no much to each family member's story that's shrouded in mystery. And I can't forget Clara's school friends, particularly Angela, who add so much humor and personality to the story.

The book is very absorbing, but the last 50 pages are especially exciting and un-put-down-able. The ending where the fire from Clara's dream finally ignites is spectacular, and Clara has to make some very hard choices that she hadn't anticipated. The last few chapters were very thrilling, but a little abrupt, leaving just enough questions unanswered to leave me on the edge of my seat for the sequel. I highly recommend this, especially to fans of Fallen by Lauren Kate and Firelight by Sophie Jordan.

Cynthia Hand grew up in Southeast Idaho (very near the Wyoming border). Currently she lives in southern California with her husband and son. She teaches courses in creative writing at Pepperdine University. Unearthly is her debut YA novel, published by HarperTeen. Hallowed, the sequel to Unearthly, will be published by HarperTeen in 2012.You can follow her on twitter: @CynthiaHand or on her blog: http://www.cynthiahand.blogspot.com/

Her official website is: http://cynthiahandbooks.com/


You can find Unearthly on Amazon. Click here.


Complete the form below for a chance to win a hardcover copy of Unearthly. Please read contest rules carefully.

CONTEST RULES:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (it will be deleted if you do), you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2. The contest runs from June 26 to 11:59 PM Pacific Time on June 30, 2011.
3. You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
4. If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail. If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
5. This contest is open INTERNATIONALLY, so U.S., Canada, Timbuktu, everyone can enter!

Book Review - Destiny Binds

Author: Tammy Blackwell
Published: CreateSpace (March 3, 2011)
Audience: Young Adult
Source: Personal Copy
Young Adult * Urban Fantasy

Description from GoodReads:
Scout Donovan is a girl who believes in rules, logic, and her lifelong love of Charlie Hagan. Alex Cole believes in destiny, magic, and Scout. When Alex introduces Scout to the world of Shifters, men who change into wolves or coyotes during the full moon and Seers, women who can see your most private thoughts and emotions with a mere touch, the knowledge changes everything and everyone Scout thought she knew.

How do you review a book that you have watched come into being?  To admit that I am biased and partial would be an understatement.  But I can tell you why I like it just like I would any other book.  

When Tammy shared the manuscript for this book with me two years ago, it really did hook me. And I can be brutally honest.  If it moves too slowly or doesn't hold my attention or I don't care about the characters, I will say so.  Yet, as I read this early version of the manuscript, I got excited.  Also, I have read this story through several revisions and again in it's final format.  Trust me, I won't re-read and re-read something unless I honestly like it.  Destiny Binds has several of the qualities that are important to me in a story and for that reason I can easily recommend this for fans of YA paranormal/urban fantasy/romance.   

First, I loved the characters that Tammy created.  Scout, the female protagonist, is bright and feisty and has a great sense of humor.  I like being in her head.  She is a fun narrator.  Then there is her brother - really her step-brother - Jase.  As you can tell from the character interview from yesterday's blog post, they play-off each other in a fun way.  Of course there is Alex, the hunky new guy, and Charlie, the long-time object of hotness.  

Second, books that use just the right level of humor will keep me reading.  Maybe because I am envious of people who can write humor well and not be annoying in the process.  Tammy has a little Joss Whedon mixed in with some Libba Bray in her style of humor.  She is probably the only person that can use all these cultural references that in some books would date the text but she manages to pull it off.  

Third, I have to admit that prior to Destiny Binds and Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, I really hadn't read any books that centered on shape-shifters or what might be commonly referred to "werewolves".  I admit I am more of a vampire girl. (Yeah, don't hold that against me.)  Thanks to Tammy, I might have found a small place in my literary heart for some really cute shape-shifters. 

Finally, any book that makes me care about the characters and what will happen to them is a winner in my mind.  If Tammy doesn't hurry up and write book two I might throw a fit.  Really, I need more of Scout, Alex, Jase, Charlie, Talley and the rest of the gang.  Heck, I just might need to invite her out to California for a writer's retreat so I can catch glimpses of book 2.  If you want a chance to find read Destiny Binds, scroll down and find out how you can win your own copy.              

Tammy Blackwell is the Young Adult Services Coordinator for a public library system in Kentucky. When she's not reading, writing, or cataloging books, she's sleeping.  She is the author of the YA Novel Destiny Binds.  You can follow her on twitter: @miss_tammy or on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissTammyJean

You can find Destiny Binds on Amazon.  Click here.

Complete the form below for a chance to win a signed copy of Destiny Binds.  Please read contest rules carefully.

Rules for the Contest:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (it will be deleted if you do), you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2.  The Contest runs from June 18th to 11:59 Pacific Time on June 26, 2011.
3.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
4.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
5.  International participants are welcome to enter the contest.

Book Review - Scars

Author: Cheryl Rainfield
Publisher:  Westside Books (Original Pub. Date: March 24, 2010; Paperback Release: May 31, 2011)
Audience: Young Adult
Source: Copy for Review
Contemporary Fiction * Young Adult

Description from GoodReads:
Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.

The topics of sexual abuse and self-injurious behavior are never easy topics to write about or read about.  How do you say that a book dealing with a topic such as this is a good book or a great book?  It always feels strange to me to say that for fear someone might mistaken it for being entertaining.  I then find myself creating my own way of describing books and movies that do a great job in dealing with a really tough topic.  I prefer to respond-  "this is good in a disturbing way" - meaning the author or director did a good job with the a troubling topic and I should be bothered enough about what was written to move me into some serious discussion, thought or action which will hopefully be life altering.

Cheryl Rainfield's Scars falls into that category.  Her main character, 15 year old Kendra was sexually abused as a child and is now working with a therapist to identify the person who raped her and to find healing.  One of the ways that Kendra deals with the pain and anger of her past is to cut herself.  Kendra's emotions are real, stark, and yet, you can see her fighting to find herself, to find hope, and to find a way to trust people.  


Scars deals head on with issues of sexual abuse and self-harm (cutting) in a straight-forward, no nonsense manner.  It doesn't glamorize the topic or make the whole thing seem like there are easy solutions.  Yes, the book is less than 250 pages which limits how much of the process can be drawn out or explained, but the reader still understands that though there is some "resolution" for the main character at the end that the healing process will still be a long journey.   I appreciated that Rainfield didn't try to make the whole thing neat or palatable.  


Sometimes, I think it is easier to read fantasy stories because the monsters in those books are real monsters that main characters can identify as the villain and usually have some super power or ability to use to fight the monster. However, in real life, monsters don't look like monsters.  They are men and women and sometimes even children who act in ways that are horrific.  They are often times the people we even know, live with, work with, or encounter in our every day lives.  We have no super powers to fight them.  But we do have a voice and we can make choices to speak out against these atrocities.  Rainfield has used her voice, her writing voice, to show the courage of one teen who must remember and then confront the person who abused her.  

Is this book for everyone?  Maybe or maybe not.  However, I know that I would have appreciated a book on this topic when I was a teen and knew of individuals who were hurting and used self-harm to deal with the pain.  I know that Cheryl has heard from teens who have told her how much the book has helped them.  And for this reason, I would lean more towards maybe over maybe not.  


I also appreciated that Scars doesn't eliminate all adults from being potential sources of help and encouragement. Kendra has adults that are safe in different ways and at different levels that she turns to (a therapist, an art teacher, a family friend) for support and help.  My hope is that for teens dealing with serious issues in their own personal life that there will be a few of those safe adults to turn to.  Also, for both adults and teens reading Scars, Rainfield has included a list of resources at the back of the book which provide more information on how to provide help for someone facing issues of abuse and self-harm.

For those who want to know more about Cheryl Rainfield, you can check out her blog.  I have linked to a post she did in response to a misinformed Wall Street Journal article this weekend.  To read her post and check out the links, click here. 


You can follow Cheryl Rainfield on twitter: @cherylrainfield

Look for my interview with Cheryl Rainfield later in the week.  

MAX-imum Exposure - A 13 to Life Giveaway and Secrets And Shadows Feature

Author: Shannon Delany
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (February 15, 2011)
Pages: 320
Ages: Young Adult
Source: Advanced Copy

Description from GoodReads:
Nothing's simple when you run with werewolves. Jess Gillmansen thinks she's seen it all but her eyes are about to be opened to even more danger and a reality far more paranormal than she's suspected. With Jess' realization that the Rusakovas' mother is still alive and imprisoned, the group's choices become harder and trust more important. Lines are drawn and relationships change as the broken Rusakova family struggles to reunite to free their mother - and those who Jess thought to be normal people show themselves to be much, much more...

This is sort of a review and sort of not a review.  I actually had a chance to read a very, very early copy of Secrets and Shadows way back in July.  A pre-advanced readers copy you might say.  As a result, I need to be cautious in what I say.  Somethings likely changed between the version that I read and the actual release copy that will be out in two weeks.  

Instead of a traditional review, I am doing a "here's why I am excited about the release of Secrets and Shadows" or "what I am looking forward to" post.  In case you are wondering, this is a safe post...I tried avoiding spoilers to both 13 to Life and Secrets & Shadows, though there may be minor spoilers for 13 to Life.  If you haven't read book one in the 13 to Life Series may I suggest that you go out, get it, read it, and then return?!  

Of course if you read it, then you know there was a lot of excitement at the end.  Delany doesn't hold back in either her first book or her second.  The world of Junction gets a bit more exciting and definitely a lot more mysterious in book 2.  The title definitely is a warning...there are secrets galore.  

Why I am excited for the release of Secrets & Shadows:

1.  Hot Boys with accents - who just happen to shape-shift into wolves (which also means that clothes are uh, um...optional at times...I didn't really say that did I?).  And if you are interested in hearing these accents, check out the interview I did with Pietr and Max yesterday.  Click here.
 
2.  Humor - yup, I laugh when I read Delany's books.  I love that she pokes fun at certain fads and doesn't always take herself seriously (in a good way).  The books for me are truly guilty pleasures.

3. The Cover - I like it even more than the first book and well though it was nice to have an early manuscript to read - it really isn't the same as a bound book with a really pretty cover.

4.   Though the book centers around Jess and Pietr - and Pietr's family - there are a lot of secondary characters in this book that add to the story and who I am becoming attached to.  Some that I like - Jess' dad & sister, Jess' friends Amy & Sophie and of course a few that I can do with a little less of, like Derek & Sarah but you have to have a few characters you don't like.  (Note: And there are some that you really won't like too.)


5.  There are secrets in this book.  Lots and lots of secrets.  The plot thickens and Delany draws the reader more and more into the world of Junction which turns out to be a whole lot more exciting than this sleepy little town pretends to be.


6.  The overlap of the Russian mafia, CIA, and the history/lore of werewolves which Delany has created lends a unique twist to the series. It also leaves you wondering at times who you can believe and who you shouldn't.  


7.  In this installment, we get to see more of the Rusakovas.  Who are they?  What are they like?  There is more to them than what you might have guessed.  And surprisingly, these reveals drew me closer to Max.  Yes, Max - not Pietr (though he wouldn't be bad to have around).  This was definitely a bit of a shock to me since I tend to stay far away from "bad boy types" and Max is definitely a bit of a "bad boy".  But read it and tell me what you think of Max by the end.


8.  Jess - the main character - she certainly surprises me.  She is bright, capable, and surprisingly good with a gun.  I don't know a lot of gun wielding female protagonists in YA paranormal/urban fantasy.  Granted it isn't like she carries one around all the time, but she certainly knows how to use one. 

9.  Did I mention hot boys with accents....*scrolls back up, yep, #1* - it bares repeating.  


10.  Finally, Delany's series is one of those books that I know if I start reading at night I will be up way past bedtime in order to finish it.  


Hope that gives you a few reasons to pick up Secrets and Shadows when it is released.  


Thanks to Shannon Delany - I am hosting a Giveaway in honor of the release of Secrets and Shadows.  Shannon is sending me a signed copy of 13 to Life (Book 1) and signed posters of 13 to Life and Secrets & Shadows.  I have decided to have two winners - 1 for the signed copy of 13 to Life and the other winner will receive the signed posters.  The first name I pick will receive the signed book and the second name will receive the signed posters.  Good Luck everyone and don't forget to pre-order Secrets and Shadows.

Rules for Giveaway:

1.  Contest will run from Wednesday, February 2, 2011 to Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PST.  

2.  You must complete the entry form to be officially entered into the contest.  Personal information in comment section will be deleted.

3.  Contest is open internationally.

4.  Comments are not and appreciated but not required.