Malinda Lo

Just wanted to remind anyone reading who lives in the Bay Area that the fabulous Malinda Lo will be at Kepler's (1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park) this Friday October 2 at 7.00 p.m. to talk about her debut novel, Ash, a stunning retelling of the classic tale of Cinderella.

In the wake of her father's death, Aisling (Ash) is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. She dreams of the day the fairies will steal her away from her miserable life. When Ash meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted. But does she truly know what she desires?

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Their friendship reawakens Ash's capacity for love -- and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own. She must choose between fairy tale dreams and true love.

So glad she is visiting. Will I see you there?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can join. I love it because you get to share what you're reading this week. Here are the rules
(1) Grab your current read
(2) Open to a random page
(3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
(4) 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!
(5) Share the title & author, too, so that other other participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

And this week I've been reading Darklight by Lesley Livingston - voraciously. And it's every bit as fabulous as I wanted it to be.

Here's my teaser (from arc page 88)

It was the best feeling she'd ever had. She was back in Sonny's arms.

After a long moment that wasn't nearly long enough for Kelley, he pulled back. "I thought I told you to wait for me."

"You mean here or back home?"

"Both."

"You might have noticed I'm not very good at taking instructions."

Took a teaser from early in the book so I didn't give anything away. But, aaah! the twists in this book! (Can you tell how mnuch I'm enjoying this?)

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 -- this week I am dancing around with glee at the my pile of books (one on particular). In fact, I started it the second I laid hands on it, putting everything else aside (and I was 3/4 through one book).

So, without more ado, the books:

1. Darklight by Leslie Livingston
Yes, the follow up to the very wonderful Wondrous Strange. And I'm already half way through. And yes, it's every bit as fantastic as the first.

Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful—but cut short. For they’ve been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering allegiances in which the next move could topple a kingdom…or part them forever.

2. The Shadow Project by Herbie Brennan
From the author of the wonderful Faerie Wars and including out of body experiences!

For years, the Shadow Project has used “remote viewing” to spy on the Sword of Wrath, the world’s deadliest terrorist network. By inducing out-of-body experiences, the Project is able to send out spies who can fly, walk through walls, and, above all, remain undetectable. So how did the Sword of Wrath just capture one?

3. Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce.
Aimed younger than I usually read but I loved both Framed and Millions, and this was shortlisted for the Carnegie award.

Liam is too big for his boots, his football strip, and his school blazer. But being super-sized height-wise has its advantages: he's the only eleven-year-old to ever ride the G-force defying Cosmic rollercoaster or be offered the chance to drive a Porsche. Long-legged Liam makes a giant leap for boy-kind by competing with a group of adults for the chance to go into space. Is Liam the best boy for the job? Sometimes being big isn't all about being a grown-up.

So, what did you get to read this week?
And now, back to Kelley and Sonny...

Candor by Pam Bachorz - Review

Remember Stepford’s perfect wives? Well, in Candor everything is perfect, especially the teens who are respectful, study hard, finish their homework without being nagged, eat healthily, don’t graffiti, help at home. You get the picture. Does that sound too good to be true? It is – they are all controlled by subliminal messages. Only Oscar, son of the town’s founder, knows what’s going on and makes his own messages to keep himself immune -- and helps teens get away if they have enough money. He also keeps a perfect façade for his father until he meets Nia. And, as he falls in love with her, he can’t bear the thought of her changing and turning into just another Candor drone. And the question becomes: what is he willing to risk to help keep her as she is? And will she believe him?

This is a thought-provoking book that looks at how far parents will go to turn their troubled teens into model students. And forces us to take a long hard look at all the subliminal messages that surround us day to day. It brings up so many questions: How do we know that our thoughts are our own? Would we know if someone was subliminally influencing our decision-making through music or TV? What is special about us as individuals and how far would we change to please those around us? How long can you pretend to be someone you aren’t? And would we actually fight for the things we find special, for the people we care about?

This was a well written, fast-paced, and weirdly plausible story. I liked how rebellious Oscar was underneath his perfect veneer, the only real bad boy in Candor, and how so many people weren’t quite what you were expecting. This is a book to discuss.

Finally, just wanted to mention that it was published this week. And, oh, another great cover!

Waiting on Wednesday

This idea was taken from Breaking the Spine (thanks) and this week I'd like to mention a book I've just heard about, but sounds great.

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty!

When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe?

The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

Andromeda Klein

I really enjoyed King Dork by Frank Portman so am looking forward to reading his new book, Andromeda Klein, which I've just started to read. Want to know what it is about? Well, apparently Andromeda Klein has a few problems. Her hair is kind of horrible. Her partner-in-occultism, Daisy, is dead. Her secret, estranged, much older and forbidden boyfriend-in-theory, has gone AWOL. And her mother has learned how to text. In short, things couldn't get much worse. Until they do. Daisy seems to be attempting to make contact from beyond...

Here's video footage of Frank Portman talking about the book.



Going back to the book. Will post a review soon.

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 -- and this week I'd like to add my congratulations as the In My Mailbox meme was awarded The Best Meme/Carnival/Event as part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week.

And on to the books I've acquired this week:

1. Wish by Alexandra Bullen
For broken-hearted Olivia Larsen, nothing can change the fact that her twin sister, Violet, is gone...until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn't just look magical; it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses-and two more wishes left. But magic can't solve everything, and Olivia is forced to confront her ghosts to learn how to laugh, love, and live again.

WISH asks the question: If you could have anything, what would you wish for?

2. Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan
The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

3. Green Witch by Alice Hoffman
Green lives everyday with feelings of loss. her family are gone, the boy she loves is missing, and the world she once knew has been transformed by tragedy. To rediscover the truth about love, hope, and magic, she must venture away from her home, collecting the stories of a group of women who have been branded as witches because of their mysterious powers. Only through their stories will Green find her own heart's desire.

So that's what is in mailbox. What about yours?

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead - Review

I read this a long time ago - I actually was fortunate enough to get a copy of the manuscript to read - and forgot to post my review. So with my apologies for tardiness, here it is:

At the end of Shadow Kiss, Rose is heartbroken. Dimitri has been turned into a Strigoi against his will during a battle, considered dead. But Rose is unable to let him go and forget him, convinced he would rather be dead than Strigoi so she leaves St Vladimir’s, leaves Lissa, to try to find – and kill -- Dimitri and set his soul free.

And this noble goal takes Rose to Siberia, Dimitri’s home, where she runs into alchemists, another spirit user, another shadow kissed dhampir, and Abe, a strange, flamboyant, intimidating man who seems to be taking an unhealthy interest in her.

And that’s about all I can tell you without spoilers. This book is full of questions: Will Rose find Dimitri? And if so, will she be able to kill him? Or will she be persuaded to become Strigoi and stay with Dimitri forever? And then, what of Lissa while Rose is away – will she spiral out of control? Will she forgive Rose for leaving? Will she replace her? And then there is always Adrian. Will he still visit her in her dreams? Can he persuade her to return?

I must admit that I wanted more from the political angle. It’s always bothered me that guardians are meant to spend their lives guarding the mainly spoiled pampered Moroi. I was hoping for more from the unspoken dhampirs, more training to fight among the Moroi, more political intrigues, maybe even sowing the seeds of rebellion. But maybe that’s to come.

This is very much a middle book and suffers all the same problems of continuing but not concluding a story. But was I disappointed? Of course not. There are so many twists and turns along the way – right to the end. Blood Promise is all about Rose and Dimitri and the choices she has to make. Secrets are revealed, promises made, plans started. It’s just as readable, just as hard to put down. And the cover is so much better. Oh, this is such a good series.