Yearly Archives:: 2012

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Review: The List by Siobhan Vivian

Posted by 35 Comments

The List
Siobhan Vivian
Release date: April 1st, 2012
by Push

Goodreads / Purchase

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn’t matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, “pretty” and “ugly.” And it’s also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

*A copy was provided by Scholastic Canada for review purposes*

A light, quick read – The List follows eight girls who have been named ugliest or pretties on this “List” which has been posted around the school every year for decades. You think being a “prettiest” would be easy? Think again!

Although The List addresses several teen issues throughout the story, it ended up being a much fluffier read than I expected. With eight different points of view, we’re taken into each of the four ugliest, as well as the four prettiest girls’ lives spanning the week after being put on this List. Each girl has their own personal problems above now having to deal with being the center of attention. We’ve got an eating disorder, overprotective mother, outcast rebel, and of course plenty or romantic issues; all thoroughly interesting, some even deeply serious, but sadly most of these go unresolved leaving us with no idea of what’s going to happen to these girls. I also kept wondering why the faculty had let this go on for so long, especially seeing the damage it does to the girls on it. I have a hard time believing that they simply let it be because it’s a “tradition”. Bullying is not taken lightly; parents would have spoken up years ago where I come from.

We’ve got eight lives to follow, which means a lot of POVs. I had to go back and check the List a few times to remind myself who they were, overall, though, I didn’t find it was too much – having this list handy makes it easy to keep track. However, I’ve always been a fan of multiple perspectives. I found myself really liking the girls, too. They are a fun bunch, all with vastly different personalities that will either enamor or disgust you.

Without getting too profound, this novel is simply about the lives of these girls after they’re hit with a target on their backs. Either prettiest or ugliest, this List doesn’t favor anybody and consequences are dealt with. I wish it would have delved deeper into their lives, maybe have it span longer than a week, but all in all it’s an entertaining read that I would be more inclined to recommend to the younger YA readers.

3 Hot Espressos

Review: Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Posted by on 03/21/2012 • 47 Comments

Jenny PoxJ.L. BryanSeries: The Paranormals, #1Release date: July 22nd, 2010

Goodreads / Purchase

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the “Jenny pox.” She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town.

Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth…but if she’s going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all. * * * Not recommended for readers under eighteen.

When I first came upon this book months ago,…

Waiting on Wednesday (28)

Posted by on 03/21/2012 • 54 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  My pick this week:

The Forsaken Lisa M. Stasse Release date: July 10th, 2012 by Simon & Schuster BFYR Add it to your Goodreads

A thought-provoking and exciting start to a riveting new dystopian trilogy.

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is…

Review: After the Snow by S.D. Crockett

Posted by on 03/20/2012 • 21 Comments

After the SnowS.D. CrockettRelease date: March 27th, 2012by Feiwel & Friends

Goodreads / Purchase

Fifteen-year-old Willo was out hunting when the trucks came and took his family away. Left alone in the snow, Willo becomes determined to find and rescue his family, and he knows just who to talk with to learn where they are. He plans to head across the mountains and make Farmer Geraint tell him where his family has gone.

But on the way across the mountain, he finds Mary, a refugee from the city, whose father is lost and who is starving to death. The smart thing to do would be to leave her alone — he doesn’t have enough supplies for two or the time to take care of a girl — but…

Review: Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater

Posted by on 03/19/2012 • 26 Comments

Fighting to SurviveRhiannon FraterSeries: As The World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy #2Release date: November 8th, 2011by Tor Books

Goodreads / Purchase

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

Spoiler free even for those new to the series.

Zombies. They’re freaking scary aren’t they? They…

Cover Reveal: Cataclysm

Posted by on 03/19/2012 • 21 Comments

CataclysmKarice BoltonSeries: The Watchers Trilogy, #3Release date: April 2nd, 2012

Add it to your Goodreads

When it becomes obvious that the dark side will stop at nothing to control the mortal world, Ana is faced with a decision that could determine the fate of Fallen Angels everywhere. Determined to not use mortals as pawns, Ana does her best to prepare for the battles ahead while protecting the innocent souls around the world. As danger looms at every turn, she realizes that the ones she thought were prey might actually be the predators, and it will take an army like never before to stop the wickedness from spreading throughout the world.

The Watchers Trilogy: I LOVE the covers of this whole series. The first two were redesigned not too long ago…

In My Mailbox (26)

Posted by on 03/18/2012 • 97 Comments

“In My Mailbox” is a meme, created by Kristi at The Story Siren, that features books I have received/ purchased/ borrowed during the week. 

I don’t know about you all but I’ve had a fabulous week. I’m just in an awesome mood for some reason. You know, just all around giddy – I’m sure some may have noticed on Twitter I guess my tweets have been a bit random and full of epicness, and I  LOVE you guys for joining along in my happy dance mood! *ahem* So yeah, did you miss anything awesome this week at Xpresso Reads? Well there was the Channeler’s Choice blog tour stop – a series I’m really enjoying and you can maybe win something! There was also a cover reveal with TWO gorgeous…

Fresh Batch (March 18th – 24th)

Posted by on 03/17/2012 • 21 Comments

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week. Flavor of the week:

Croak

Gina Damico Release date: March 20th, 2012by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Goodreads / Purchase 

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls…