So... it's okay if you haven't noticed, but I haven't been around very much. I have very big goals for being around this spring/summer, though. The semester ends tomorrow, and finals end on the next Wednesday (4/24). After that: I AM BACK, BABY!

Promise.

Ready for a random question?

This semester I’m in a makeup class. For our final project we have to turn ourselves into a character/creature from a book/play. It has to be from a book or play (as opposed to TV or film) because we have to interpret the textual description to create our own character. We cannot copy something that has already been done.

I have NO IDEA what to do! I would really rather avoid something that has a beard/hair (it’s gross). I can do wounds/scars really well. I could also do something like put a third eye in my forehead.

Can you think of any characters/creatures I could do? I need your collective brain power, squeakers! The two ideas I have right now are the guy who's turning to stone from Reckless or a special from the Uglies books. But I can't really remember the description of the specials...

Much love and appreciation!

Release Date: January 29th, 2013
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 406
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Newsoul #2 (Review of #1)
Summary: (spoilers. Highlight to view)

DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

Blurb: Incarnate raised a lot of brilliant questions, and Asunder rose to the challenge. Buckle up. These answers will blow you away.

Review: Woah. I'll keep this short to avoid being spoilery. But woah. I LOVED Incarnate and I was amazed at how Jodi was able to weave together so many (seemingly) unconnected plot elements. Asunder takes that weave and makes you step back to see the whole tapestry. Yup. That's right. This book deserves an analogy.

There were literally some moments where I gasped aloud. I will admit that the first bit went a little slow, but that was okay with me because we were meeting new people. The "slow"-ness made me feel like I was really connecting with them. And there's no sequel-phase! Hurrah!

I would still classify this as a "bridge-book" as it wasn't as action-packed as the first, and I can tell the third will have a lot more action. But it's probably the best bridge-book I've read in a long time.

Other Reviews (May contain spoilers!):

• Step Into Fiction (Loved it!)
• Enticed by Books (It was okay)
• Just(ine)xorable (Didn't Like It)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

I am disclaimer-ing this post by saying that I HATE APRIL FOOL'S DAY. I hate that it's just a day that gives permission to lie. It's the gullible person (AKA me) nightmare.

Anyway...

Do I still owe you a prize? Someone contacted me on twitter that their prize that I THOUGHT had shipped in February still hadn't arrived. Turns out that a lot of important e-mails (like the fact that I hadn't filled out my information on that order correctly) have been going to my old Yahoo account, which I don't check anymore. It doesn't help that this has been the craziest semester EVER. But there's only 3 weeks left of school!!

Release Date: January 29th, 2013
Genre: Thriller, Romance
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 420
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Review: Enna's been giving me some great books to read recently, because The Madman's Daughter is the third book in a row that I've given five water drops to. Before I started reading the book, I read the back cover and was informed that the rights to publish the trilogy went in a very competitive bidding war and that the film rights had already been sold as well. I was a bit surprised, but the second I started reading, I instantly saw it. I was completely sucked in. The writing was simple, but elegant and the characters intriguing. They weren't complex, but they weren't simple either. It was the perfect juxtaposition of interesting, but relatable. The main character, Juliet Moreau is a seemingly orphaned girl living in England. Her father, a famous but now disgraced scientist vanished when he was discovered to be experimenting with dark and taboo ideas. His work was more important than his wife and child.

Juliet's mother died, leaving her daughter to fend for herself. She works as a maid until she is forced to suddenly flee with her father's old assistant and family servant- a handsome man her age named Montgomery- shows up in England. Juliet discovers her father is alive and sets off in search of him, running into a shipwreck survivor named Edward. From there, the book gets dark. It was pretty gripping up until that point, but nothing was really revealed. I was dying to know just exactly what Juliet's father was doing and if he really was a madman or not (a question that plagues Juliet).

When they arrive on the island, you're immersed in a fascinatingly different world so carefully and intricately laid out that I could see it perfectly in my mind. The book toes a delicious line between black and dark, and leaves you guessing as to what terrible things are actually occurring there. There were several extremely tense scenes where I was actually getting really scared and anxious- the writing and setting of the mood were that good-- and one point where I was tempted to toss the book across the room in horror (Don't worry Enna, I didn't!). Frankly, I loved this book. When it ended, I set the book down calmly on my coffee table and bravely fought back tears. Nothing was expected at all. It's such a different genre for YA fiction and the way it plays out was just so intriguing to me.

The characters were interesting, but my one complaint is that I didn't feel like I was getting to know them really. I could sense that there was a wealth of information and history about them, but the author kept a tight lid on that so that when one semi-prominent character bit the dust, I didn't really feel anything, even though I should have. If I had felt that extra connection or pull to the characters, it would have made this story that much more powerful. Also, the plot revolves around scientific experiments-- experiments that really aren't super plausible. I was left with the occasional nagging question "But HOW did he do that?". Sometimes it just didn't make sense and it couldn't be explained, and despite the fact that it's fiction, it felt real and I wanted a real explanation to it. It ended up not being overly frustrating, because somehow those scientific questions melded into the mystery of the story.

I definitely recommend checking this out. I think this book and subsequent books will do very well.


*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.