The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Summary (from book):

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis way. So when Alex Patrick is date-raped during her junior year, she has two options: Stay silent and hope someone helps, or enlist the aid of the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of the student body.

In this account of a teenage girl’s search for her voice and the courage to use it, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that standing up for someone, especially yourself, is worth the fight.

Review:

I first heard about The Mockingbirds in two ways: first through The Contemps, and second through everything that happened with Speak Loudly last September. Personally I’m all for reading a book that will get people talking, especially when it deals with a subject that isn’t talked about as openly as it could be. The Mockingbirds was a great read and dealt with the subject of date rape in a way that makes it so people shouldn’t be afraid of it and as something that happens a lot more than we would like to think.

It’s the start of a new semester and Alex barely remembers what happened on the first Friday night back. She wakes up in a bed that isn’t her own, in a room she doesn’t recognize and everything around her seems to be indicating that she had sex, but she has no recollection of it. Now she doesn’t know what she should do. Did she say yes? Was it date rape? Who knows, Alex just can’t remember anything. With the help of her friends and her older sister, Alex goes to The Mockingbirds, a group of students who rights the wrongs the school’s administration just chooses to ignore. With their help maybe Alex will be able to find out what really happened that night and even possibly overcome it.

I really liked Alex from the start. You always here stories about rape victims being afraid to come forward or even admit what happened to them but Alex came straight out and said it. Sure there were plenty of times where she doubted that it was rape, having flashbacks to that night and remembering only disconnected moments. What made Alex feel more real to me was that she went through a whole range of emotions following what happened to her. Just the fact that she doubted herself, wondered if she was doing the right thing, but despite everything she still made it through and came to terms with what happened. Her friends were also pretty great and had me laughing. The book dealt with a pretty dark subject matter but those moments of laughter were really welcome.

Carter on the other hand was a real jerk. Whenever he showed up I just wanted to chuck my book at the wall. I don’t think there is any way I could have ever liked him. As much as I tried I just couldn’t find he quality that would have sort of made him better. And when the “trial” finally took place, I just hated him that much more. Martin on the other hand I loved. He was your typical cute nerdy guy and I’ll admit I can easily fall for those guys. He was so good to Alex with everything that happened and because of that you just can’t help but like him. Sure there were some moments when I wasn’t too sure what was going on with him but the rest of the time totally made up for that.

Daisy Whitney wrote an amazing story about a subject that a lot of people are afraid to deal with. The way in which Alex’s story is told tells girls that date rape is something that happens a lot more than we would like to think and that it’s not your fault despite what some people like to say. The book is also written a way that makes it impossible to put down. I would always tell myself that I would stop after that chapter but then read on to the next one, and the next and so on.

Overall, The Mockingbirds is an amazing novel and I would never have been able to guess that it was a debut. Daisy Whitney is a wonderful writer and I can’t wait to read the sequel when it comes out.

Blog Tour: Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

Today I have the pleasure of having Heather Terrell, author of Fallen Angel, on the blog as part of her tour. I have asked her to come up with a list of her 10 favorite places around the world and here is what she had to say.

I have to confess that I found it difficult to narrow down my favorite places around the world to just ten! I have been fortunate enough to travel to some pretty fabulous destinations through my work and my life, and I have fallen in love with so many different finds of places. So . . . here goes my best shot at paring down that long, long list!

1. Bora Bora
2. Hong Kong
3. Florence, Italy
4. Tahiti
5. Salzburg, Austria
6. London, England
7. Siem Reap, Cambodia
8. Venice, Italy
9. New York City
10. West Coast of Ireland

If I were to make a list like this one, I probably would have a lot of trouble too. There are so many great places around the world, some of which I have yet to discover.

Check out the rest of the tour through The Teen Book Scene and head on over to Heather Terrell's website - www.heatherterrell.com - to find out more about her and her books!

Book Blogger Hop (28) & Follow Friday (20)

It's Friday so it means it's time for the Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday!

First off, the Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer of Crazy-for-Books. It is a way for all the book bloggers out there to get together and find out about each other's blogs. I've found a lot of great blogs and bloggers through this hop and it's always fun to take part in each week.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING PUBLISHED IN 2011? WHY ARE YOU ANTICIPATING THAT BOOK?

I have to say the book I am most looking forward to is City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. I absolutely loved the first three Mortal Instruments books and I can't wait to read more. And of course I can't wait to be reunited with Jace, I mean who wouldn't?

The Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View each week. It works a lot like the Book Blogger Hop except that it's only on Fridays. I haven't been taking part in this hop as long but I've found a lot of great new blogs through this one too.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

WHAT IS/WAS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?

Despite my love for books, English wasn't actually my favorite subject in school. I liked history better and to be honest I still do. Give me anything to do with history and I'm pretty much guaranteed to enjoy it. And at the same time, I'm also a pretty big history geek.

UPDATE:

None for this week!

That's it for this week!

Enjoy your weekends!

Daniel Walls Interview

Today I have the pleasure of having Daniel Walls, author of The Vyne, stopping by the blog to answer a few questions as part of his blog tour. So without further adieu, here is what he had to say.

Where did you get the inspiration for the book come from?

I didn’t do much “running in the streets” as a kid. I spent a lot of time alone, much of which was outside in my rural neighborhood. My father was a big hunter and fisherman, and I got to tag along on many of his expeditions in the wilderness. Even though I never really got into the sport of it much, I would often find myself immersed in the surreal beauty around me. On trips into Canada I would see plants and birds I had never before seen. They were very, well, alien. So I couldn’t help but imagine how real and beautiful other alien worlds might look like. (They don’t always have to be barren red deserts.) From there I would then reinterpret my thoughts on paper when I would get home and draw (my favorite childhood pastime.)

This, in conjunction with a Star Wars-induced childhood began really fueling my imagination. I started writing and illustrating graphic novels before I even knew what a graphic novel was. Unfortunately I never finished any of them, but it certainly was the basis for what would eventually turn into the burning need to pen a novel.

Why did you choose a mix of steampunk and fantasy as opposed to one or the other?

I’ve always loved the idea of colliding worlds. It’s essentially what you find at the core of almost any great struggle, be it an internal collision of choices or an external collision of societies.

With The Vyne I wanted to try to tell this sort of exaggerated tale of Science Fiction vs. Fantasy. It’s almost as if Science Fiction serves as the “bad guy” and Fantasy is the “good guy”. As to not create a story that felt too polarized and out of step with itself, I used the Steampunk interpretation of science & technology, rather than Star Trek. (Not to mention, Steampunk is just such a fun and beautifully imagined world, why wouldn’t anyone use it?)

I worked very hard to make sure that my worlds felt believable, yet still somehow transported the reader to another place in time. To do that I had to truly write my own rules. So if the rulebook says that Steampunk should have identifiable British undertones and include specific technology, I say, “not in my world.”

Are the main characters in the book, Asher and Scar, based around real people?

Somewhat. I would never purposely write about myself (not real bestseller material). But the more I flushed out the story of The Vyne, the more I began to identify with Asher. His struggles with identity in a small town and his delusions of what the rest of the world might be like, hit painfully close to home. And his reluctance to face his own life’s purpose is another. Scar stands for many people in my life and more so the world around us–about how if we’re not careful, can suck the life from us, draining us of the beautiful humanity we all inherently possess.

Is writing something you have always wanted to do?

Yes. Though I would certainly admit that it has never been very orthodox. I tell most people that I’m not a writer, I’m a storyteller. Someday I hope to be able to call myself a writer. (A few books from now perhaps…) I suffered from slight dyslexia as a child and grew to resist reading because of the frustration and humiliation of it all. But I soon learned that if I were ever to even consider learning how to write my own stories, I would have to read the great works of others. I’m so glad I decided to. I now love reading.

How would you describe The Vyne in one sentence to get people to read the book?

Imagine if you discovered, in the palm of your hand, the power to escape an ancient prophecy—the end of the world?

Thank you Daniel for stopping by and be sure to check out the rest of the tour through The Teen Book Scene. Also, come back on February 19 to see my review of The Vyne.

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

Summary (from book):

Frannie Cavanaugh has always been a bit of a loner. She’s spent years keeping everyone at a distance, even her closest friends. That is, until Luc Cain enrolls in her school. He’s hot, sarcastic, and dangerous--and Frannie can’t seem to stay away.

What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. Because Frannie isn’t exactly ordinary. She possesses a skill so unique the King of Hell himself has taken notice, and he’s sent Luc to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy: All he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come.

Unfortunately for Luc, Heaven has other plans, and he’s just started making progress when the angel Gabriel shows up. Gabe will do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for, and his angelic charm might just be enough to keep Frannie on the right path.

It isn’t long before Luc and Gabe find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul. But if Luc fails to win her over, there will be Hell to pay...for all of them.

Review:

Before I finally decided to pick it up and read it, I had hear a lot of good things about Personal Demons but I had trouble making my mind up about reading it. To be honest, it was stupid that I took so long to make a decision because I had so much fun reading it. I found myself laughing throughout most of the book, which wasn’t something that had happened to me in a while.

Frannie has always tried to keep people at a distance, never really letting anyone completely in. But when Luc shows up in town and Frannie starts to have feelings that she worked so hard to keep away. Luc isn’t who he appears to be. At all. In fact, he’s actually a demon, a real one from Hell, sent to claim Frannie’s soul. But then things happen that aren’t supposed to be happening, like Luc developing feelings demons aren’t technically supposed to have. And of course when Gabe, an angel sent from Heaven, shows up things aren’t about to get any less complicated.

I liked Frannie a lot. That might have something to do with the fact that she didn’t turn out to be the person I expected her to be. She had a mind of her own and most of the time wasn’t afraid to speak it. And much like her personality, Frannie’s actions were never what I expected. In fact, they tended to be the complete opposite. One thing that normally would have bugged me was how she couldn’t seem to choose between Luc and Gabe. In this case, I was totally with Frannie. If I were in her shoes and I had to pick between the hot (literally) demon from Hell and the sexy angel from Heaven I don’t know what I would do. And of course the fact that she could kick some serious ass only made me like Frannie that much more.

Where to even begin with Luc and Gabe? It’s a lot easier to talk about Luc since there is so much more revealed about him than there is about Gabe. To be honest, at first I was rooting for Gabe because something just seemed off about Luc...other than the fact that he is a demon that is. But then I got to know Luc better and realized he actually isn’t a bad guy, despite the whole demon from Hell thing. Gabe is also pretty great but I just son’t know as much about him so it’s hard for me to have a clear opinion. All that to say, I am Team Luc...but that might change if we ever get anything written from Gabe’s point of view.

The story had me laughing almost constantly. I just loved the whole relationship between Luc and Gabe and how Frannie played into it. And of course there was plenty of action, which kept me very happy. The action was often completely unpredictable. Every time I thought they would finally catch a break, something else happened. And whenever they caught a break, they were never able to enjoy it for very long.

Overall Personal Demons was a fantastic book that had all the humor and action I could have ever asked for all mixed into one. I can’t wait to find out what happens next, as soon as I get my hands on a copy of Original Sin.

Book Blogger Hop (27) & Follow Friday (19)

It's Friday so it means it's time for the Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday!

First off, the Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer of Crazy-for-Books. It is a way for all the book bloggers out there to get together and find out about each other's blogs. I've found a lot of great blogs and bloggers through this hop and it's always fun to take part in each week.

The Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View each week. It works a lot like the Book Blogger Hop except that it's only on Fridays. I haven't been taking part in this hop as long but I've found a lot of great new blogs through this one too.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

WHO DO YOU CHEER FOR?

That is actually a very good question. I don't follow football in the least bit and in general I don't follow sports all that much and those I do follow tend to be more individual...for example I can get really into track meets where I know all the runners and can sort of predict who is going to win. If I were to go into team sports it would probably be hockey what with being Canadian and all, but even then the only teams I pay any sort of attention to are the Senators and the Canadiens.

UPDATE:

You may have noticed that in the past week I've given my blog a makeover and I am proud to say that I did it all myself. It's nothing super fancy or elaborate but I'm still proud of myself. As for everything else, you can expect to see my first author interview coming up next week. Other than that I will just keep the reviews coming.

That's it for this week!

Enjoy your weekends!

Matched by Ally Condie

Summary (from book):

In the society, officials decide.

Who you love. Where you work. when you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow--between perfection and passion.

Review:

There was quite a bit of hype surrounding the release of Matched and I was one of those people who was really looking forward to reading the book. The premise for the book sounded really interesting and I love dystopian novels. Basically Matched had everything I loved in a book. As it turns out, Matched lived up to my expectations but not in the way I expected it to. It sort of creeped up on me and I didn’t realized it until the very end.

Cassia always knew what would happen in her life, when she would be Matched, when she would be married and when she would die. That’s just how it works in the society. Everything is decided by the officials and there is nothing anyone can do about it. But then something that wasn’t planned happens. Now Cassia doubts everything the officials say and everything she knows about the society. Cassia finds herself torn between Xander, her childhood friend and Match, and Ky, the mysterious boy she has known for most of her life. And then there is the biggest question yet: what if the officials aren’t right about everything?

Characters like Cassia are probably one of the reasons why I love to read dystopian novels so much. At the beginning, Cassia believed in everything she was told to and didn’t even consider the idea of challenging the society’s authority. And then, as it often goes, something happened that made her start to think that maybe she shouldn’t believe and trust in everything she was told. I enjoyed seeing Cassia doubts grow and just her attitude as a whole change as she found out more and more about her so-called perfect society. What made her more interesting to me was also that not only was she doubting the society but she was also doubting her own doubts. It’s not really that I enjoy seeing her struggle but that struggle made her seem more real to me.

I’m honestly torn between Xander and Ky. Both boys have something to offer and throughout the book I found myself going back and forth between them. At first I was all for Xander though at one point he seemed kind of clueless and naive but I ended up being proved wrong at which point my love for Xander was rekindled. Ky on the other hand I didn’t like him right from the start but as his relationship with Cassia evolved, I found myself liking him more and more. I really can’t make my mind up between the two of them, at times I would find myself rooting for both guys at the same time. So for now, I have yet to decide if I am Team Xander or Team Ky...I’ll just stick to loving both.

Like I’ve said, the story sort of creeped up on me. While I was reading the book, I didn’t really find anything particularly special about the story but when I finished it, it just sort of dawned on me that the story was a lot more than I originally thought it to be. It’s a little hard to explain exactly what that feeling was and I think you just have to read the book to understand what I’m trying to say.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Matched. It was a great story that made me stop and think about just how lucky I am to be able to make simple choices in my every day life, things as little as deciding when and what I eat. I look forward to reading the next book in this series, which I believe is due out sometime this year but I may be wrong.

Night Star by Alyson Noel

Summary (from book):

Haven still blames Ever for the death of her boyfriend, Roman, no matter how hard Ever’s tried to convince her it was an accident. Now she’s determined to take Ever down...and destroy Damen and Jude along the way. Her first step is to tear Ever and Damen apart--and she has just the ammunition to do it.

Hidden in one of Ever’s past lives is a terrible secret about Damen--a secret that illuminates new facts about her relationship with Jude, but that’s so dark and brutal it might be enough to drive her and Damen apart once and for all. As Ever faces her greatest fears about the guy she wants to spend eternity with, she’s thrust into a deadly clash with Haven that could destroy them all.

Now it’ll take everything she’s got--and bring out powers she never knew she had--to face down her most formidable enemy. But in order to win, she must first ask herself: Is her own survival worth dooming Haven to an eternity of darkness in the Shadowland? And will learning the truth about Damen’s past hold the key to their future?

****SPOILER ALERT!!! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK OR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES!!!****

Review:

I love Alyson Noël’s Immortals series, it’s just an interesting concept and it’s also quite different from all the other paranormal books out there. Night Star, the fifth book in the series, continued to amaze me and now I can’t wait to see how it’s all going to turn out in the final book that comes out next summer. Noël writes an incredible story and creates these characters that feel real despite the fact that there are no such things as immortals...at least there aren’t as far as I know.

When Roman died, Ever lost almost all chances she had of ever finding the antidote that will allow her and Damen to finally be completely together. Now she must do her best to get back the shirt he wore on the night he was killed by Jude. Only Haven is standing in the way of that. She wants nothing more than revenge for what she thinks Ever did to Roman. Prepared to do anything to protect herself from Haven, Ever finds out new truths and comes closer than ever to losing her life. With more and more people knowing their secret, Ever and Damen find themselves facing new problems and new enemies.

I have a sort of love-hate relationship with Ever. At times I absolutely love her and want her to have everything she wants but at other times I just want her to stop and grow a brain or a back bone. To me though, that makes her more realistic despite the whole immortal thing. Despite the weird relationship I have with her, most of the time I tend to like her more than hate her. In spite of all her faults, there’s just something about her that i can’t help but love. Haven on the other hand, I never really particularly took to her, even from the very beginning. She always seemed like she was trying to hard or that it wouldn’t take much to set her off. And obviously that proved true. Once she had only a small amount of power she got greedy and essentially turned over to the dark side.

Damen is a hard character to explain. Every time I think I’ve got him figured out something happens that changes almost everything and I have to figure him out all over again. Sure it gets a little bit tiresome but it also makes him more interesting and keeps me interested. If only he would just tell Ever the whole truth once and for all I would be happy and would just like him that much more. Jude is a bit of a puzzle too. I’m never really sure what to expect from him or even who he is. There are just somethings about him that are mysterious and I never really know what to make of him. Maybe eventually I’ll have him all figured out...hopefully by the end of the last book. As for Miles, he just makes me laugh. Even when he’s dead serious I can’t help but smile. He brings humor to the story and sometimes I feel that without it, the books would be quite heavy.

What I love about this series is that I never know where the story is going to take me. One minute I think I know what’s going to happen and the next something completely different takes place. Even emotionally I never know where it’s going to take me. The story is like a roller coaster ride and I absolutely love it. With Night Star, there is still plenty that I don’t completely understand but I’m sure in will all come together very soon.

I love Alyson Noël and her Immortals series. Every time a new book comes out I get all excited and start reading it as soon as I have my hands on a copy. Once again, Night Star left me wanting more and I can’t wait to see how everything will come together in Everlasting.