Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Audiobook)

Author: Jay Asher

Narrators: Joel Johnstone and Debra Wiseman
Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Publication: October 23, 2007

Publisher: Listening Library

Genre: High School, Young Adult

Pages: 336
Length: 6 hours, 24 minutes

Audience: 15 and up

Rating: 5 out of 5

Source: Overdrive Audio

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice explains that there are thirteen reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a first-hand witness to Hannah’s pain, and learns the truth about himself–a truth he never wanted to face.

My thoughts:
I think every person should read this book. I would recommend this especially for tweens and teens entering junior high school or high school. This novel paints a vivid image of how cruel people can be. It also shows that every action has a reaction. Sometimes, standing up for someone or simply just talking to that person is their saving grace. This is a well written novel about suicide. I do want to state, that I don't agree with Hannah's decision, but it is an important topic especially with a lot of the suicide of young people in America. This novel is to prove you are not alone in your battles and it hurts, but you are hurting people who love and care about you too. It is a wonderfully sad novel and I highly recommend it.
The audio was great. There is a narrator for Clay and a narrator for Hannah. It flows very well and it helps you know who is talking. Both of the narrators are great. Debra Wiseman conveys Hannah's frustration, anger, and sadness so well. And Joel Johnstone does a great job in conveying Clay's frustration. anger, and confusion. It is a great book and/or audiobook. Now go buy it or check it out from the library!

 

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title:Beautiful Darkness, Caster Chronicles #2

Publication: September 19, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult

Pages: 528

Audience: 16 and up

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from Amazon.com): Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

My thoughts:
At first I did not like this book. I actually got bored and frustrated reading it. I really loved the first one and held high hopes for this book as well. I think it was mainly because Lena acted like such a brat through out the novel. I understand that some major events happened that caused a lot of hurt, but I felt she was wrong to push Ethan so far when he was hurt too. Anyway, there are a few new characters involved and some surprising news deposited through the story that I was totally not expecting. The story was a lot weirder and a bit darker than the first novel. I enjoyed it once Lena was kind of out of the picture. She really grated on my nerves during this novel. I felt really bad for Ethan, but he managed to keep his emotions in check and not go crazy in this novel. He learned a lot of information about him and his family that he could have let overwhelm him but he kept it together very well. Link is always a hoot and provided a good laugh when necessary. Ridley is back! I love that bad girl, but I feel she is actually good inside, but only time will tell. Of course the three crazy sisters are in this novel and Lucille the cat plays a vital role as well. I deducted a half star due to Lena being so annoying, but the story got better after a few chapters. Well worth reading to keep up with the series.

 

The Nightmare Garden

Author: Caitlin Kittredge

Narrator: Katie MacNichol
Title: The Nightmare Garden: The Iron Codex Book Two

Publication: February 14, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers /Listening Library

Genre: Graphic Novel, Comic Book

Pages: 432
Length: 14 hours and 19 minutes

Audience: 16 and up

Rating: 4 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from the Amazon.com): Everything Aoife thought she knew about the world was a lie. There is no Necrovirus. And Aoife isn't going to succomb to madness because of a latent strain—she will lose her faculties because she is allergic to iron. Aoife isn't human. She is a changeling—half human and half from the land of Thorn. And time is running out for her.

When Aoife destroyed the Lovecraft engine she released the monsters from the Thorn Lands into the Iron Lands and now she must find a way to seal the gates and reverse the destruction she's ravaged on the world that's about to poison her.

My thoughts:

 My plans were not to continue with the series, but I could not get the characters or the story out of my head. I also accidentally read the cover of the last book in the trilogy, and I just knew I had to read it. After listening to this novel and the first, I have come to the conclusion that the first book is mainly to set the stage and introduce all the characters. This book is mainly action and a lot of truths come out in this one. The evidence behind the truth was always there, but were you clever enough to catch it? I wasn't and at first I was shocked, but when I thought back on the story the little revelations made a lot of sense.
Aoife really steps it up in this book. She is no longer the good, quiet Victorian girl. She is her own woman whether or not others like it. She also makes her own decisions and pays dearly for their consequences, but she is not as naive and is ready to face the challenge. Her brother Conrad is such a jerk in this novel. I'm not sure how she ever looked up to him. Dean is just as charming. Aoife and Conrad's father is now in the picture but he cannot make up for lost time. Plus, Aoife is smart and has already made up her mind.
There are some new characters and they help the action sequences along. I feel like Aoife really steps up to the game and accepts the responsibility for all that she has done and will do. She is such a strong willed character. There is more action in this novel than the first. From the synopsis of the last book, it looks like it will be filled with some action and life or death situations.
 I really enjoy Katie MacNichol's audio performance. If there was ever a movie production of this series, she would have to play Aoife (as well as Dean, Betina, and Conrad, Narissa, etc). She does the narration so well! There is never any confusion of who is speaking when and the voices she does for each individual character has been unique. She is a wonderful narrator and makes this crazy, sci-fi, dystopian, steam punk story an enjoyable story to listen to. I cannot wait to get my hands on the audio version of The Mirrored Shard.

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Birthdays of a Princess by Helga Zeiner

Title: Birthdays of a Princess

Author: Helga Zeiner

Publication:  June 2013

Publisher: POW WOW Books

Source: Author/Publisher

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Audience: 17+ 

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Synopsis: To be famous and be admired by total strangers can be very dangerous.
Her little girl has always been her princess. In fact, she was so lovely, Melissa entered her toddler into child beauty pageants, making her a star from an early age. But her dreams and hopes are shattered one October morning, when Melissa watches a breaking news story on television. A young girl has been filmed by bystanders, committing a brutal assault in broad daylight in a downtown Vancouver Starbucks…and it looks like the girl is her daughter.
From this moment on, a story unfolds, so shocking, that it will hold you captive and you will find yourself reading faster and faster into the night.

Excerpt:

Prologue

She wakes up earlier than usual. It’s not even eight yet. The apartment feels empty, but that doesn’t surprise her, because it is empty most mornings. To make sure, she gets out of bed, opens the curtains, waddles down the narrow hallway, stops at the second bedroom and listens briefly. Not a sound. Of course not. She would have heard the flat door open, no matter how late. She is a light sleeper.

The kitchen greets her with familiar comfort. Welcome, my lonely friend. Make yourself a cup of tea. Sit down by the window. Look out, check the weather, think about what to wear for work. Stop listening. Nobody is home but you.

Just another day in the big city.

Vancouver is still sleepy. Yawning and slowly stretching like a lazy lion, rubbing its exhausted eyes, waiting for the helpers to brush the filthy remains of last night’s excitement from the concrete floor of its den.

The water kettle switches itself off and she pours the boiling water over the tea bag and waits one minute, standing in front of the kitchen counter. It has to be exactly one minute, no point in doing anything else but stare at the twirling surface inside her cup. Sixty seconds later–the second dial on her kitchen clock is within her periphery—she discards the bag, heaps three generous spoonfuls of sugar into the cup, followed by so much cream that the tea instantly cools to drinking temperature, and sits down at the kitchen table.

Still thinking it’s just another day.

A gentle traffic hum outside, no sound inside her kitchen. Correction: no sound inside her flat, this two bedroom, one bathroom borderline apartment. Borderline because its location touches a good neighborhood and the Eastside. The street she lives on stops the filthy guts of downtown spilling over into suburbia. Her kitchen window points toward the high-rise monuments of downtown Vancouver. Very pretty at night, not so attractive at daytime when the not-so-high and not-so-modern buildings that envelope the skyscrapers become visible. She doesn’t want to look at the decaying grey buildings any longer that provide a battle ground between city planners who want to sell it to developers and Eastsiders who have occupied them.

Just another day. And it is so quiet.

Melissa turns on the TV, not realizing that it is exactly eight o’clock now. The channel is set on CTV and there is a ‘Breaking News’ banner flashing in bright orange below the female morning anchor. She increases the volume. The excited voice of the lady anchor fills her kitchen. She takes a sip of her sweet, sweet tea and leans back a little.

“We have a developing story of a brutal attack on a customer at Starbucks coffee shop on Robson Street. Apparently a young woman has stabbed another woman inside Starbucks. Our reporter Emily Jackson is on location. Emily, what can you tell us…?”

The upper body of a reporter, holding a microphone in one hand and fighting her wind-swept hair with the other, comes into the picture. Melissa hadn’t noticed that it is quite windy outside. Well, it’s October, at least it’s not raining. Behind the reporter a yellow band is restricting access to the crime scene. She sounds overly excited. “From what we have learned, a young woman has suddenly attacked a woman inside the coffee shop you see right behind me. We don’t know yet if the customer was already seated or still standing in line to place her order. We also don’t know the identity of the attacker or of the victim yet or have any information about the motive. Apparently the attacker suddenly produced a knife and threw herself at the woman, yelling obscenities on top of her voice. As you can see behind me, police have cordoned off the area and are processing the scene.”

The anchor interrupts her. “Do we have any information about the condition of the victim? Is she badly hurt? Or…”

An autumn gust blows hair over the reporter’s face. She nearly loses her microphone, trying to control the strands with both hands, but fumbles it back into position when she realizes that the camera is focused on her again. One side of her pretty face is completely covered with hair. It looks ridiculous and Melissa catches herself thinking the reporter would look a lot prettier if she had a different hairstyle.

“The ambulance has transported the victim to the emergency ward of St Paul’s…”

The reporter’s voice travels along Melissa’s attention span and loses its grip. Background noise quality. She likes that. And God, her tea is good.

Another developing story news-flash banner demands her attention again. The anchor sounds triumphant: “We have just received a video-clip from one of our viewers. We would like to warn you that some viewers may find the content of this video-clip offensive in nature…”

The clip starts. The picture is shaky, the filmmaker hassling for a good position between other coffee-shop customers who have jumped up to look what is going on in the middle of the room. The back of shoulders and heads pop in and out, screams of horror and confusion can be heard. Their unedited sound quality provides an unnerving authenticity to the unfolding drama.

An arm rises up in the air and down again, in kind of a wood chopping motion. Up and down, in one swift move, no hesitation whatsoever. In fact, the chopping goes on. Up and down, up and down—accompanied by ‘Oh my God’s’ and ‘Oh no, oh no’s’. The filmmaker edges closer, seems to get up on a chair, because he is above the scene now, holding his iPhone or whatever device he’s got, high above the center of the customer-circle that inched away from the dangerous situation. The victim of the attack is on the floor now, mercifully blurred by the rapid movements of the inexperienced cameraman, or maybe by CTV’s editing. The attacker, the young woman, wearing a black hoodie, is over her and chops into her with such vengeance that Melissa can feel the force of her hatred, furious and powerful. The victim is trying to protect her face and chest with crossed hands. The mad attacker continues to stab her wherever she can—face, arms, torso, it is impossible to make out exactly in the shaky clip where her knife slices into.

Bodies pop in and out of the picture and mercifully block most of what is going on. Several of them finally muster enough courage to intervene. The picture goes even more shaky and blurry. Then the anchor speaks again.

“We have word from the police that the victim you have just seen being attacked inside Starbucks on Robson about an hour ago is in critical condition. The young woman has been overpowered by three heroic young men…”

and now it happens, it’s not ‘just another day’ any longer

“they were performing a citizen’s arrest and held her captive until the police arrived…”

the anchor’s voice fades, just like the reporter’s before, because all of Melissa’s focus concentrates on what she sees on the screen. Meanwhile the filmmaker has managed to muscle himself closer to the group of guys who have pulled the young women off her victim and have now pinned her to the ground. Her face appears. The filmmaker zooms in. She smiles victoriously straight into his camera, as if she has achieved a very special feat.

Melissa is standing now, holding on to her cup of tea, frowning with the exhausting task of connecting what she sees on the screen with the reality of her life. It can not be. It can not be. But it is.

The tea cup slips from her weak hands, falls to the floor, spills its content on the cheap vinyl kitchen floor before rolling under the table.

It is.

It is. It is…her daughter.

My Thoughts: Tiara is accused of committing a horrible crime. While in jail she revisits her life one birthday at a time. Whit each birthday revealed I was wondering what would lead to Tiara allegedly committing this crime.  I also had many questions about Tiara’s relationship with her mother.  I was surprised by the ending. My advice to future readers is don’t make assumptions.

Helga has done a wonderful job spinning the tale. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning and experienced may shocks and surprises. The writing is done incredibly well. The suspense is palpable and no reader will be disappointed. This novel is being added to my favorite reads list and will definetly be one that I reread. 

Review & Giveaway: Arrow of the Mist by Christina Mercer

Title: Arrow of the Mist

Author: Christina Mercer

Publication: March 21, 2013

Publisher: Christina Mercer

Source: Author/Publisher

Genre: Ya Fantasy

Audience: 14+ 

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Synopsis: Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the veil of a forbidden land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia and three others embark on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. But after her elder kinsman is attacked and poisoned, she and her cousin, Wynn, are forced to finish the quest on their own.

Lia relies on her powerful herbal wisdom and the memorized pages of her late grandmother’s Grimoire for guidance through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about the origin of Brume and her family’s unexpected ties to it. The deeper they trek into the land, the stronger Lia’s untapped gift as a tree mage unfolds. When she discovers the enchanted root’s maker, it forces her to question everything about who she is and what is her destiny. Ultimately she must make a terrible choice: keep fighting to save her father and the people of the lands or join with the power behind the deadly roots to help nature start anew.

My Thoughts: This is an intreging tale of mystery and a family's unyielding love for each other. Mercer is a wonderful world and character builder. The depth of Lia's character is unmistakeable. I really enjoyed the use of Cletic folklore in this story. This is a great read for teens; although, there is some terminology that may require looking up for understanding (knowledge is power). I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. 

Book Trailer:

Author Bio: 

Christina Mercer writes fiction in addition to mothering two young adults, a pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. Her varied interests prompted her to study creative writing, earn her official degree in Accounting, become a CPA, acquire a certificate in Herbal Studies, and keep honeybees. She took Writer’s Best in Show at the 2012 SCBWI CA North/Central Regional Conference and was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakout Novel Award Contest. You can find her at www.christinamercer.com or working as the Reviews Director at www.indie-visible.com 

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Giveaway: There are 2 giveaways going on. The first is for an e-book copy of Arrow of the Mist (open internationally) and the second is for a Bookmare (open to US/CAN residents only). Both giveaways are sponsored by the Author and/or Xpresso Book Tours. Please use the rafflecopter forms below to enter. 

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Cover Reveal: Kinetic by S. K. Anthony

Title: Kinetic
Author: S. K. Anthony
Series: The Luminaries, #1
Publication: September 2013
Genre: New Adult Urban Fantasy
Cover design: Mae I Design

Goodreads

Synopsis: Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another.

Genetically altered by the Organization, Annie Fox takes down criminals CIA-style with her luminary strength. With nothing to mend but her broken heart, she is relentlessly pursued by her boss Derek Lake. Just when Annie is about to give him a chance, her ex-husband unexpectedly comes out of hiding. 

A wanted man, Nick Logan is a cold-hearted murderer who is considered enemy number one, and orders are clear: kill on contact. He is more powerful than ever and threatens the lives of those she holds most dear. His plan? Get his hands on Annie and use her Kinetic energy to destroy them all. When Annie finds herself with an opportunity to end him, she pauses, horrified by the scars covering the face she once loved. A split second that will cost her everything… 

Author Bio: 

S. K. Anthony is a writer, a reader and a make-stuff-up-er who lives in New York with her husband and toddler twins. She is a wine connoisseur, which just really means she knows she loves it, and a caffeine addict. When she isn’t busy with her family she finds herself being transported into the world of imagination. Well, either that or running away from spiders…she is convinced they are out to get her!

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Untimed by Andy Gavin: First Chapter Review

Join Andy Gavin, author of the Young Adult Time Travel/Adventure novel, Untimed, as he tours the blogosphere July 1 - July 26, 2013 on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About Untimed
Charlie's the kind of boy that no one notices. Hell, his own mother can't remember his name. So when a mysterious clockwork man tries to kill him in modern day Philadelphia, and they tumble through a hole into 1725 London, Charlie realizes even the laws of time don't take him seriously. Still, this isn't all bad. Who needs school when you can learn about history first hand, like from Ben Franklin himself. And there's this girl... Yvaine... another time traveler. All good. Except for the rules: boys only travel into the past and girls only into the future. And the baggage: Yvaine's got a baby boy and more than her share of ex-boyfriends. Still, even if they screw up history -- like accidentally let the founding father be killed -- they can just time travel and fix it, right? But the future they return to is nothing like Charlie remembers. To set things right, he and his scrappy new girlfriend will have to race across the centuries, battling murderous machines from the future, jealous lovers, reluctant parents, and time itself.

Purchase your copy at AMAZON

 

Our Review

From the first chapter you notice something is different about Charlie, his own mother has difficulty remembers his own name. He seems like a phenomenal kid, so how is he so easily overlooked. His parents have a secret to tell him but before he gets a chance, the police are on his doorstep searching for his father, who seems to have vanished into thin air. Charlie knows something is up and he decides to take a leap to find out what the connection is and maybe a little adventure where for once he will be noticed. I thought the first chapter was mysterious and intriguing. Initially the need to know more about why Charlie is essentially invisible and the news his father promised to share but didn't get a chance to. I can that there is a steampunk or time travel element that somehow Charlie will get dragged into. This makes me want to read more to see what happens next. Overall, the writing is good and Gavin does a great job of setting the scene of Charlie's life. This story sounds like it will be an action packed ride that any reader will love.







Charlie is a highly intelligent kid. His father and aunt are keeping secrets from him. Just when Charlie thinks he is going to get some answers his dad disappears and adventure begins. This first chapter is very interesting. It is easy to tell there is a lot a action and adventure in store for Charlie. I have so many unanswered questions after chapter one that I know I will be unable to put Untimed down until I turned the last page. 

ABOUT ANDY GAVIN
Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes. His latest book is the young adult time travel novel, Untimed. Visit his website at www.andy-gavin-author.com.

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