The Maze Runner by James Dashner - Review

What do you do if you wake up in a metal box and can’t remember anything except your name? Scream! That’s exactly what Thomas does until the roof of the box is opened by a group of boys (yes, all boys) and all he hears is, "Welcome to the Glade."

And what on earth is the Glade? It’s a prison and that box brings a new boy every month. Their memories are wiped, they have no idea who they are, why they are there, and what to do. But they’ve formed a community, work hard to keep themselves alive, and try to find a way out. They are put in teams, each with different responsibilities. And each boy tries out all the teams to see where he best fits in. But Thomas feels drawn to the Maze Runners – he doesn’t know why. He thinks he can find a way out, can discover the secret to the Glade. Then he’s told the Maze changes every day, that no one has ever survived spending a night in the Maze, and that the creatures that come out at night to hunt are fierce, half robot, terrifying.

But just as Thomas starts to adjust to his new surroundings things change again. The box arrives too soon after his arrival and this time it brings a girl. And in her hand is a note. They know they have to escape. The questions is: will they trust Thomas to help them run the Maze?

A scary page-turning adventure, this is a must read for all those adrenaline junkies out there. A twist on every page, right to the very end, I can’t wait for the sequel.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.

-Open to a random page.

-Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

-Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

And this week I'm reading Beautiful Creatures (and how I love it!) by Kami Garcia and Maqrgaret Stohl.

And here's the teaser from page 216 (arc)

"I get it. You're scared. But we'll figure something out. We're supposed to be together."
"We're not. You're a Mortal. You can't understand. I don't want to see you get hurt, and that's what will happen if you get close to me."
"Too late."
I'd heard every word she'd said, but I only knew one thing:
I was all in.

It is SO good.

In My Mailbox

Again with thanks to the very creative Kristi aka Story Siren and Alea of Pop Culture Junkie, the blogs where this meme started, here are the books I acquired this week.

1. The Body Finder by Kimberley Derting

"A serial killer on the loose. A girl with a morbid ability. And the boy who would never let anything happen to her. Violet Ambrose can find the dead. Or at least, those who have been murdered. She can sense the echoes they leave behind... and the imprints they leave on their killers. As if that weren't enough to deal with during junior year, she also has a sudden, inexplicable, and consuming crush on her best friend since childhood, Jay Heaton. Now a serial killer has begun terrorizing Violet's small town... and she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him."

2. My So-Called Death by Stacey Jay

"One second, sophomore Karen Vera's on top of the most fabulous cheer pyramid ever. The next, she's lying on the pavement with seriously unflattering cranial damage. Freakishly alive without a pulse, Karen learns that she's a genetically undead zombie. Soon, Karen is sent off to DEAD High, a boarding school for the "death-challenged," and her non-life is suddenly an epic disaster. She's stuck with a greasy-haired, wannabe-Goth roommate who hates her guts. She's chowing down on animal brains every day to prevent rot. Even worse, someone is attacking students and harvesting their brains for a dark ritual . . . and it might be the hottest guy at DEAD High, the one who makes Karen's non-beating heart flutter! As more brains are stolen—including her best friend's—Karen tracks down the brain snatcher to save her fellow students from certain zombie death."

3. Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga

"After six months in the Maryland Mental Health Unit, Kyra Sellers, a.k.a. Goth Girl, is going home. Unfortunately, she's about to find out that while she was away, she lost track of more than time. Kyra is back in black, feeling good, and ready to make up with the only person who's ever appreciated her for who she really is. But then she sees him. Fanboy. Transcended from everything he was into someone she barely recognizes. And the anger and memories come rushing back. There's so much to do to people when you're angry. Kyra's about to get very busy."

They sound great. Once I finish Beautiful Creatures (which I can't say enough good things about), I think I'm heading straight to The Body Finder.

So what was in your mailbox this week?

Eoin Colfer (yes, again)

Anyone who has read any of my recent posts knows how enamored I am with Eoin Colfer and how I thought him to be charming, entertaining, and downright adorable.

Our very talented videographer, John Ray, just sent me this video and, of course, I want to share it with you. It's Eoin talking about And Another Thing, the difficulties of continuing The Hitchhikers Guide series, and the response from Douglas Adams' fans.



Fantastic, don't you think?

Secret Society by Tom Dolby - Review

Here's Antonia's review of Secret Society by Tom Dolby. I haven't read it yet - it's on my TBR pile - but I do admire the cover!

Lauren and Nick are the children of scions of New York high society. Phoebe is not. But these three teens have one thing in common and it isn't money -- what they have is potential. Each of them receives a mysterious invitation to a "gathering" at midnight in the meatpacking district. They are cautioned not to be late. They have no idea what this is about, but intrigued, they respond to the summons.

They are given a choice, join the society and receive their hearts desire, or leave now. Not a difficult decision, but they aren't given the full story, they don't know what they will be asked to sacrifice as members of the society, and they certainly don't know what the society has to do with the body that was discovered recently in Central Park -- the body of a young man with a strange tattoo on the back of his neck.

This gripping thriller is a fantastic read into the dark side of privilege, I read it cover to cover before I looked up and realized it was 3 a.m.

As I said above, reviewed by Antonia

Don't miss Courtney Sheinmel tonight

Just to remind you that Courtney Sheinmel will be at Kepler's tonight at 6.30 with singing sensation, Jessarae. Courtney is one of the nicest authors you will meet so don't miss this opportunity to hear her talk about her newest book, Positively.

Firelight - a Twilight parody

Did you see this? A Twilight parody with Taylor Swift on Saturday Night Live. Hilarious!

Trailer Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.

-Open to a random page.

-Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

-Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

And this week I'm reading Fallen by Lauren Kate.

And here's my teaser:

"I could swear we've met before," she said. "Am I crazy?"

"Crazy? Isn't that why you're here?" he said, brushing her off.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." Daniel's face was blank. "And for the record" - he pointed up at the blinking device attached to the ceiling - "the reds do monitor for stalkers."

Have I tempted you with that teaser?