Book Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Pendrell
Age Range: Young Adult
Publication Date: December 6, 2011

Book Trailer:

Page: 44

“Why him? he asked Why now?

… I can’t help what I feel …

I’m in love with him. “

A few impressions on a previously read book. I named the section like I did because as a passionate reader I like to use representation titles or words that I see in my favorite books.

*Glimpse: brief review on X title.

Favorite Quote

“He said he told you, ‘I’m Yours’.”

Page: 278

What I Liked

The concept is pretty cool and I always felt fascinated about the balance between good and evil; I think Die For Me has a very strong World Building in this aspect.  I really like that the events of the story took place in France.

What I Didn’t Like

The relashionship between Kate and Vincent.  There is no chemistry and no development.  Also I felt that the story in general was following a structure of what is hype since “The Twilight Phenomenon”.

Book Type: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Range: Young Adult
Publication Date: November 15, 2011

Book Trailer:

Page: 118

“Why are you touching me?

I whisper, broken, dying in his arms.

Because I can. He almost cracks a smile …”

Book Type: Softcover
Publisher: Octane Press
Age Range: Young Adult
Publication Date: November 1, 2011

Author Web Page:

Seventeen-year-old Addison Russell is in for a shock when she discovers that she can see the invisible world of the Annorasi. Suddenly, nothing is as it appears to be the house she lives in, the woman who raised her, even the most beautiful boy in town all turn out to be more than what they seem. And when this strange new world forces Addy to answer for a crime that was committed long ago, by parents she has never known, she has no choice but to trust Luc, the mysterious Annorasi who has been sent to protect her. Or so he says.

On The Veil the reader will have the opportunity to meet the Anarrosi World, a beautiful and enigmatic parallel universe full o power and secrets.  On her seventeenth birthday, the veil for Addison Russell was lifted, and then she starts seeing things than are not part of the human world. This is when she gets a first glimpse to The Anarrosi World.  A world that has little parts of everything she is, but will not accept her because of the secrets that surrounded her family and a battle that started long before she was born.   The Veil was definitely a page turner for me. I loved the elements of fantasy that Putman incorporated in the story and how she crafted her world.  I felt lost and captivated through Addison’s journeys. One of the things I really enjoyed from the story was that secondary characters have a story to tell also.  Nate, for example, had a very touching story. It’s nice to see other characters finding their way.  In this aspect the major credit I can give to Putman Oakes is that the fantasy is rich, but the real situations are mirrored beautiful. The romance between Addison and Lucas, her OWN Anarrosi Knight in shining armor, is so sweet; just how I like love stories.  I feel it’s more a love story than a romance aspect of the book  because it’s very elegantly crafted and Addison and Lucas have the opportunity to really know each other; no third parties (love triangles), no immortality or anything trending in YA, just two teenagers who are falling in love in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. The Veil the story of a girl finding her way into the word she didn’t know she was part of and the boy who will do everything to protect her.

The Veil could be used as extracurricular material in topics like:  Finding Yourself and Defining Moments in Life.  Readers could find a Book Club Discussion Guide in Cory Putman Oakes Official Webpage.

Book Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon&Shuster
Age Range: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 27, 2011

Author Web Page:

 

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

With a cover that will trigger the WOW factor on the reader, The Unbecoming of Mara Dayer will make the reader get lost between its pages until reading the very last sentence.The story begins with Mara waking up in the hospital after a terrible accident that took her boyfriend and best friend’s life. Without having a clue on how the events ocurred that fatal night, Mara tries to move on with her life, but she’s not aware on how she will be tormented and that only she has the key opening the doors to knowing what really happened that night. The Unbecoming of Mara Dayer has a complex but iviting and intriguing plot line. While the idea centers on the events ocurred, their repercussions will let us know who she really is and IT is what makes her different. The biggest credit I can give Hodkins is that without a doubt, she has a gift to tell a story and transport you towards it. Another aspect that called for my attention was the romance because it’s sexy, dark and it’s not until the end that the reader will get the idea on how it develops. The end will leave you with the expectation for more, wanting to solve the mystery of who is Mara Dyer. With a distinguished plot, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is the book you cannot miss this fall.

Book Type: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Range: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 7, 2011

Book Trailer:

Page: 9

“I felt his skin warm on mine.
Without thinking, I put my hand over his.
His smile widened when I touch him.”

A few impressions on a previously read book. I named the section like I did because as a passionate reader I like to use representation titles or words that I see in my favorite books.

*Glimpse: brief review on X title.

Favorite Quote

N/A

What I Liked

The idea of a crossover between Greek Mythology and a romance developed in the modern world.

What I Didn’t Like

The execution in general; I really can’t get over the changes Agelini did with the Greek Myths.  The relationship between Helen and Lucas; another unhealthy relationship with zero development that’s been glorified in YA Literature. Helen and Lucas try to kill each other halfway through the book and then BOOM!!! They are so in love; give ME a break.  The aspect I disliked the most was  chauvinism paradoxes trough the story. Example: At one point Lucas told Helen that if she is not a virgin he could forgive her, but he will KILL the guy who took her virginity; WHAT??????? Since WHEN a girl needs to be forgiven for having a prior relationship? To put the icing on the cake, it’s like Angelini took the Twilight background story and changed the vampires for demigods. I really disliked this book,  I’m sorry but it’s like a fancy fac-fic with the luxury of good editing.

Author Web Page:

The False Princess   / 2011  / Egmont USA  /

They’re the third hit when you Google the word “princess.” Snow White, Jasmine, Aurora, Belle, Ariel, and Cinderella.  All of them dressed in their golden or blue or pink finery (I guess that Flora won the battle over the color of Sleeping Beauty’s dress), many of them with crowns on their heads. Disney’s Princesses.  Looking at them, even though I grew up on their movies and love all of them, I have a bevy of conflicting thoughts.

One of the first things I think about is that there are two generations of princesses here.  One the one hand, you have Snow White, Aurora, and Cinderella. They’re old school princesses, characters who get by mostly by being “ever gentle and kind” and then are rewarded with a prince at the end of the story. Nice girls, all of them, but products of the time in which they were created. They mainly wish for a new future, rather than going out and doing anything about getting one. On the second hand, you have the more modern princesses: Jasmine and Belle. I can relate to these two much better than the first group, because, when faced with trouble or their own unfulfilled desires, they actually act. (Ariel though I love her falls somewhere in the middle, as a girl who does act, but only to get her prince.)

So, good, I think. We’re making strides. Except that something still bothers me when I look at them. Now I know that the “Disney Princesses” line is all about marketing about selling dolls and toys and dress up gown and not about stories. But looking at them all lined up in their dresses (or seashells), I can’t help but think that it’s the just princess part of them that’s important, rather than them. Because we never see Belle in her blue inventor’s daughter dress, or Aurora in her peasant garb. Outside of the movies, we only see them after the transformation, after the all-important event has occurred. And it’s always a one way street girls turning into princesses, as if this is the only way to become happy, the only way to fulfill a dream.

When I started working on The False Princess, I wanted to turn some of the regular notions of princesses on their heads. Even before she’s kicked out of the palace, Sinda isn’t anyone’s idea of a traditional princess.  She’s shy and bookish and likely to trip over her own feet if she isn’t careful, not graceful or at ease in social situations.

And then she finds out that she’s not the princess she always thought she was, rather than the other way around. She’s a false princess, a stand-in to protect the real princess from a prophecy that predicted her death. The “important” thing in Sinda’s life gets stripped away, leaving her floundering and unsure. That was what interested me about her her journey to figure out who she is at her core once the princess title is taken from her, and how to be happy with that person. And it’s not an easy road (though it is one filled with magic, treachery, a witty earl’s son, grave-robbing, and a very eccentric mentor).

So it’s the reversal of the classic princess story that I like most about the book. But not just because it changes things up. I like it because it let me look beyond just the ball gowns and the tiaras, and figure out what makes being or not being a princess, or just a regular girl, important.

Acknowledgment:

I want to thank  Eilis O’Neal  for visiting Windowpane Memoirs.   It’s been a pleasure.

Book Type: Sofcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Age Range: Young Adult
Publication Date: February 8, 2011

Author Web Page:

Corrinne Corcoran’s upscale Manhattan life is perfectly on track—until her father announces he’s been laid off and she’s shipped off to Broken Spoke, Texas, to live with her grandparents. All alone in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the glamorous life she’s supposed to be living. But as she grudgingly adjusts—making new friends and finding romance along the way—this city girl begins to realize that life without credit cards and shopping sprees may not be as bad as it seems … In this sparkling debut that flawlessly balances romance and humor, readers will grow to love sharp and sassy Corrinne as she goes on her totally reluctant but completely irresistible journey of self-discovery

Where I Belong is a sweet story narrated in the heart of Texas.   The story begins with our narrator Corrine, a high society girl who’s got everything a girl her age might want until the economical crisis brings her family a radical change of lifestyle.  When this happens, Corrine moves away with her grandparents.  It’s there where she’ll discover the real sense of family and what really matters in life. Where she belongs is a fast story loaded with a good message. What I liked the most was how Heasley works our narrator; this character grows throughout the story into some beautiful changes. The aspect of seeing the self-centered girl turns into a lovely lady and getting to know her family and mother’s real roots is the aspect that makes the story beautiful.  There are two possible love interests in the story, but Buddy is my favorite. He’s that tender boy with character that makes any Texan girl put on her boots and run after him.  Where I Belong; funny, sweet, with a beautiful message where a girl will discover what is really important in life and what home truly means.