Posts Tagged: YA

Friday, November 18, 2011

Review: Titan Magic by Jodi Lamm

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Titan Magic
Jodi Lamm
Released September 30th, 2011

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Mute, heartless, and tormented by auditory hallucinations, Madeleine Lavoie never questions why her family has hidden her from the world. But the night her brother casts her out, she learns the mysterious voice she thought existed only in her mind is no delusion, and no matter how hard she tries, she can never disobey it.

Now Madeleine must find her own voice in a cacophony of powerful tyrants, monsters, and gods. If she fails, she will forfeit her life and the lives of everyone who loves her. But if she succeeds, she may finally gain the ability to love someone in return.

*A copy was provided by Jodi Lamm for review purposes*

Titans, monsters and gods aren’t part of my usual reads, but when I read this synopsis about a mute girl with hallucinations and lots of secrets, my uncertainty turned to intrigued and in the end I found it to be an entertaining story.

The mysteries start immediately in Titan Magic. We meet Maddy (Madeleine), mute and hearing voices. Actually only one voice – a voice whose command she can’t seem to refuse. Which is why her mother and brother tie her to the bed so she’s not able to do as he wishes and go find him -however badly she wants to. I was curious right away about Maddy’s strange predicament; why is she mute? Who’s talking to her and why is he calling on her? Before long, her brother throws her out of the house and she runs into the forest where she starts to learn who she really is. So the mysteries are plentiful, but they aren’t all drawn out. We get some answers right at the beginning, more towards the middle, and it ends with everything disclosed.

The world in Titan Magic holds quite a few characters. Maddy, the protagonist, goes on a big journey of self-discovery and what she finds changes her whole life – her whole self-image – and not for the better. She soon learns to deal with this and makes the best of what is given to her, which I really admired. I did enjoy her story, although I did have difficulty relating to her. A lot of her findings were strange to me as I had not stumbled upon the myths before. (It’s based on a certain folklore that I had only heard about in passing.) I can’t say it wasn’t interesting, just very hard to grasp, therefore slightly hindering my enjoyment of the story. Along with Maddy, there are a lot of personalities that we stumble upon. All of them play an important role in the story and each one have their own unique charm that really brings them to life; Marcus with his inner demons, Will and his honest-to-goodness heart. The characters are easily the best part of the novel!

Jodi Lamm’s Titan Magic gives us a fun filled fantasy that I’d recommend to those who like their books filled with magic, romance and discovery.

3 Hot Espressos

Review: Brightest Kind of Darkness by PT Michelle

Posted by on 11/17/2011 • 44 Comments

Brightest Kind of DarknessP.T. MichelleReleased June 27th, 2011

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Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate- until she dreams a future she can’t ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about…

Review: Destined by Jessie Harrell

Posted by on 11/15/2011 • 31 Comments

DestinedJessie HarrellRelease date: November 17th, 2011by Mae Day Publishing

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When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she’s come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined. 

Destined is a fresh and heartachingly romantic retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth from debut novelist, Jessie Harrell.

 *A copy was provided by Jessie Harrell for review purposes*

Since I read Percy Jackson earlier this year, I’ve…

Review: Fury by Shirley Marr

Posted by on 11/12/2011 • 25 Comments

FuryShirley MarrReleased May 1st, 2011by Black Dog Books

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Let me tell you my story. Not just the facts I know you want to hear. If I’m going to tell you my story, I’m telling it my way.

Strap yourself in… Eliza Boans has everything. A big house. A great education. A bright future.

So why is she sitting in a police station confessing to murder?

After waiting 3 months for my copy of Fury to arrive from the other side of the world, I couldn’t wait any longer and just had to dig into it. I was introduced to Aussie authors by my dear Goodreads friends and the premise of this one fascinated me. Reading it again now, though, I realize it doesn’t really tell…

Review: dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

Posted by on 11/10/2011 • 22 Comments

dancergirlCarol M. TanzmanRelease date: November 15th, 2011by Harlequin Teen

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Ever feel like someone’s watching you? Me, too. But lately it’s been happening in my room.When I’m alone.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I’m no longer Alicia Ruffino. I’m dancergirl. And suddenly it’s like me against the world—everyone’s got opinions.My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he’s acting weird. And some stalker isn’t content to just watch anymore.Ali. Dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you’ve seen me online, I’ve trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

 *A copy was…

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Posted by on 11/08/2011 • 29 Comments

The PledgeKimberly DertingRelease Date: November 15th, 2011by Margaret K. McElderry Books

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In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before . . . and…

Review & Giveaway: Become by Ali Cross

Posted by on 11/07/2011 • 27 Comments

BecomeAli CrossRelease date: November 11th, 2011

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Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared.

When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

*A copy was provided by Ali Cross for review purposes*

 Become is not your average YA paranormal. We’re thrown into an intense novel about the battle between angels…

Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Posted by on 11/05/2011 • 20 Comments

The Dead-Tossed Waves(The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #2) Carrie RyanReleased March 9th, 2009by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

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Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead….