Author: Shannon Hale
Narrator: Full Cast
Genre: Fantasy
Producer: Full Cast Audio
Books in Series: Listened to the first 3

Story Review: Do I really need to write anything here? These books are amazing, fantastic, phenomenal. And you need to read them RIGHT NOW.

Audio Review: These books were my first experience with a full cast audio production, and I'm happy to say that I'm very pleased! I do wish that the narrators had stayed consistent between the books (I especially wish that Isi didn't have a lisp in Enna Burning) but on the whole I think the narrators are awesome. And I think the real "narrator" (the one who reads everything non-dialogue) is all kinds of awesome. Cynthia Bishop, let's be friends.

My only complaint (aside from that lisp) is that I think there is an overabundance of music. Between each chapter/passage of time is just too much for me.

If you haven't listened to a full cast production before, I strongly recommend that you start with these. They're great.

If you have listened to a different full cast production before... please tune in soon for my review of Graceling.

Here's a few books that I read a few weeks ago and I don't remember a whole lot of details. Hence, mini-reviews! These are a great way to smoosh down that "waiting to be reviewed" list, too!

Insurgent, Veronica Roth
(Goodreads | Amazon)

I thought this was a great follow-up to Divergent. It was interesting, allowed us to see all new parts of Tris' world, and had only minimal amounts of sequel-phase. I also thought Veronica did a great job of portraying Tris as an imperfect character, who knows she is imperfect but is always striving to do better. The ending of this one was crazy! I had to read it 4-5 times and I still don't know what happened!

Tuesdays at the Castle, Jessica Day George
(Goodreads | Amazon)

I just plum don't like middle grade. I tried to like this book, really. But the whole time I was reading it I knew everything would work out nice in the end, and coincidences would lead the good guys to victory. And the narrator never felt authentic to me. She was too... smart. It was like someone gave an 11-year-old a thesaurus.

Article 5, Kristen Simmons
(Goodreads | Amazon)

I was really hesitant to pick this one up (mostly because I have an irrational disliking toward that cover!) but I was glad I did! This was a very engaging novel that made you think about current politics, without making you feel like you were being beaten over the head with it. I wasn't sure I agreed with all the ideas in the book, but that didn't take away from me liking it. Be warned, most people are treated pretty horribly in this book.

Struck, Jennifer Bosworth
(Goodreads | Amazon)

In the spirit of full disclosure: this book offended me. It vilified religion in ways that were just not okay. I don't like any book that does that. After meeting Jenn, I know that she says that wasn't her intention, but it's certainly how I felt. If you'd like more details, feel free to e-mail me.

Sisters Red, Jackson Pearce
(Goodreads | Amazon)

I've been a huge fan of Jackson Pearce's YouTube channel for a long time. She's the one who taught me how to french braid my hair, which is now the only thing I can do to my hair since I cut it. And Sisters Red was enjoyable enough. I was really liking it (except for a couple out-of-the-blue F-bombs) until I realized that I had totally predicted the "twist." Some books I'm okay with that, but usually if I guess the "twist" it ruins the whole book. So when I finished this one I just sighed. It was good for a light read, but not quite the awesomeness I expected. I'm still definitely going to hunt down Sweetly and Fathomless though.

Author: D.J. MacHale
Narrator: William Dufris
Genre: Fantasy
Producer: Brilliance Audio
Books in Series: Listened to books 1-8

Story Review: A great series for tweens up to younger teens. A nice, safe way to move from middle grade to YA.

Audio Review: I think these are great audiobooks for younger kids. They aren't awesome. The writing isn't superb to begin with, and the narrator has a very- ahem- interesting voice whenever he is voicing a female. BUT, they are very listenable and entertaining. And something I really enjoy about them is that the narrator is very good at growing up with Bobby. The series starts when he is 14, and ends when he is around 20 (I haven't actually read the last two books yet. Almost there!). Dufris does a great job of changing from a scared teenager, to a confident and powerful young man. I applaud him for this.

Well, it's July. Do you know what that means? It means that it's time to start getting ready for the Squeaky Books Birthday Bash 2012!

Many of you weren't here for the Squeaky Books Birthday Bash 2010 or 2011, but if you want to see all of the fun stuff we did, you can click here for 2010 and click here for 2011.

The coolest thing about the birthday bash is that it requires a lot of interaction with other bloggers. The birthday bash isn't possible without you!

Want to know how you can participate? Well, there's one really big way:
Be a giveaway host!

• I hope y'all will be interested in this. Basically all you do is host a giveaway on your blog for the birthday bash. I'll write the contest post for you (or you can write it), and all you have to do is post it at the appropriate time. This way I send my readers to discover your blog, and you send your readers to discover my blog. See how it works? Last year the people who hosted contests for the Birthday Bash gained an average of around 100 followers/subscribers/readers, and you get some major love from me personally.
• Contest Host Requirements: Due to the fact that there is a giveaway nearly every day during the birthday bash, I am asking that contest-hosts donate toward the cost of their book. There are three options: buy their book and mail it to me, send me an Amazon.com gift card (which is easy and anonymous), or send your book directly to whoever wins your giveaway using the Book Depository. Most books range from $10-$13. I will send you a list of books you can choose from, so you can be sure to host a contest for a book you're actually interested in. I ask that you send the book to me/send me a gift card because last year there was some problems with so many hosts mailing out the books. Things got lost. I take care of all the shipping if you choose the Amazon gift card option.
• If you don't want to donate you can still sign-up to host a contest, but you will only ACTUALLY host one if I can find a prize for you. This is not a guarantee. the only way to be SURE that you will host a contest is if you donate a book.
• You can be international, a book blogger, a non-book blogger, etc. You just have to have a blog.
• The birthday bash will run August 22nd - September 22nd. Contest hosts will be assigned a book in early August.

All right, if after reading ALL OF THAT, you're still interested, you can fill out the form. You don't have to fill out the form to be a shipping-donor, just click the "donate" button off to the side. You can fill out the form below, or CLICK HERE if you want to see it in a separate window.

THANK YOU! I'm hoping the bash will be a roaring success. I'm currently contacting some fabulous authors in hopes of interviews/guest posts/more giveaways. Fingers crossed!

Each and every month on Squeaky Books I feature 5-8 upcoming releases. You vote for the ones you are excited about in the poll at the bottom of the post. I’ll be including the winner in a big giveaway soon! Fun times, eh? You can vote for the August books from July 2nd – July 31st at 7:59pm MST.  At the beginning of August I'll announce the book with the most votes!

Feel free to ask questions in the comments or e-mail me. Now go forth and vote!


July’s Winner: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman


Release Date: August 7, 2012Nominated by: Rebeka

Summary:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Release Date: August 14, 2012
Summary:

Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn't at all surprised by Miranda's shocking ability.
Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn't easy--especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can't remember loving. Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn't seem to matter...when there may not be a future.
Dan Krokos' debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series.

Release Date: August 16, 2012
Summary:

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

Release Date: August 28, 2012
Summary:

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan--the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Release Date: August 28, 2012
Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life. But what Noa and Peter don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good..

Release Date: August 28, 2012
Summary:

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.