Release: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

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EEEEEPPPPPPP!!!! I can hardly believe that it's here! I've been waiting for, like, EVER! Stephenie Perkins took my heart in Anna and the French Kiss, and I'm waiting for her to steal it again! If you have not picked up one of her books yet, do, because you'll never regret it. Her writing is amazing, and they're the best, sappy, hilarious love stories ever.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Genre: dystopian, adventure
Series and Book #: Divergent Series #1
Pages: 487
Synopsis:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating, boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept, hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves…or it might destroy her.

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W-O-W. Like, mind-blowing awesomeness is all wrapped up into 487 pages. Veronica Roth is a 2011 debutee and she's created a memorable novel that will attach to you, begging you for more! It's somewhat like other dystopian fiction--government's corrupt but everyone thinks its perfect, the hero/heroine discovers something they never knew about themselves, etc. etc. But Veronica managed to put those things aside. She spent so much time building up the different factions, and it really paid off. Most of the time while I was reading, I was wondering which faction I'd be in (and I still have no idea). It takes a great author to pull a reader into the world and have them considering the same things the MC is.

Four was stellar. The perfect guy you'd ever want to meet. Even if her book was terrible, I'd probably keep reading just for Four. ;)

Overall, Veronica's first novel is a champion. The characters were excellently written, the world was mesmerizing, and it pulled me in, which I think is the biggest aspect of this novel that I love. I can't wait to read more from this series to see how it all ends.

The Cover: AH-MAY-ZING! It was clever to put the symbol of Dauntless on fire, and the dark outline of Chicago in the distance really sets the theme for the book.

Kiersten White's Super Contest!

Most of you know who Kiersten White is, the fabulous author of Paranormalcy. Well, she's having a contest over on her blog where you can win these prizes:

• Signed ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor
• Copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door plus an Anna and the French Kiss bookmark
• Paperback copy of Paranormalcy and hardcover copy of Supernaturally, both signed by Kiersten herself PLUS two signed bookmarks
• BONUS: if you buy both Daughter and Lola, you'll receive a signed copy of Anna and the French Kiss!

Even though it's hurting my chances of winning...(just kidding, I love this contest and I love all my readers!)...sign up for it! It's open internationally, to everyone!
http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/2011/09/lola-and-daughter-of-smoke-and-books.html

Releases: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, A Beautiful Dark, If I Die

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

 

It can.

 

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

 

There is.

 

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

 
She's wrong.

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.
 

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) by Rachel Vincent

The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's no ordinary high-school junior. She's a banshee—she screams when someone dies.

But the next scream might be for Kaylee.

 

Yeah—it's a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren't quite human, either.

 

But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.

 

Anything.

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Great selection today. We've got one of my Top Ten picks for 2011 (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer), a new read that's gotten great reviews (A Beautiful Dark), and the continuation of the Soul Screamers Series, whick I've only read the first one of, but it was a good first novel! Be sure to check these out!

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

Genre: social issues
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 310
Synopsis:

Will Grayson, meet Will Grayson

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers cross paths. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, culminating in heroic turns-of-heart and the most epic musical ever to grace the high school stage.

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John Green and David Levithan have created a story that is uniquely theirs, and has two different but alike characters, both named Will Grayson.

Will Grayson #1, or o.w.g, was confused and unsure about who he was and what he wanted. He was also mad at himself for messing up his relationship with his Group of Friends, and being stuck with Tiny Cooper (his not-so-tiny gay best friend), and Tiny's fellow Gay-Straight Alliance friends. Will Grayson #2 is seriously pessimistic and depressed, but he has Isaac, a boy he's met on the Internet, to cling to. And that's what's keeping him afloat, while o.w.g's float is Tiny. But when o.w.g and Will Grayson #2 meet, things start to come undone for them and the rules they've built for themselves start to become obsolete as they're lives smash together, and they stop not-feeling.

This book had many, many strengths (including the final chapters with the musical) but the swearing was overpowering, if not unnecessary. I understand that cursing is required to put a point across with more force than someone would usually use, but to use it as often as John and David did, I thought it was needless.

Overall, John Green writes in the usual, poetic way he has, and David Levithan (although I don't think I've read any of his previous novels) makes Will Grayson #2 come across as the person he thought he was, and the transformation was subtle enough that I thought it was nonexistent. Even though the beginning was rocky, and I had trouble looking past the constant swearing, I loved the end and the message it sent: be yourself, no matter who you are.

The Cover: I thought the lights catch the reader's eye, and the Will Grayson's were right to be nearly blending. 

Releases This Week

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (September 20)

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do.

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey (September 20)

It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.

Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants—what she must do—is to bring Danny back.

But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.

Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.

But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

Beautiful Days (Bright Young Things #2) by Anna Godbersen (September 20)

For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.

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The Girl of Fire and Thorns sounds like an interesting, suspenseful, romantic, dystopian read with unique qualities.

Cold Kiss sounds like other books I've read before, if not a bit creepy. This seems like a novel for a chilly winter day.

Beautiful Days, the sequel to Bright Young Things (which I still need to read) sounds just as great as the prequel. I love the 1920's, and I really liked Anna's novel The Luxe, so these sound amazing!

Daily Dose (34)

Daily Dose is a weekly meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where we share photos we've found on the Internet.

Release: Away (The Line #2) by Teri Hall

After crossing the Line, Rachel finds herself in a world where survival is never guaranteed - a world where bizarre creatures roam the woods and people have strange abilities. Everything has gone to ruin Away and the survivors have banded into warring clans. Rachel finds her father being held prisoner by a tribe of Others, and she and her new friends set out to rescue him. But when they cross back over the Line, Rachel and Pathik make a foolish decision, bringing them into further danger that can only be resolved with an unthinkable sacrifice.

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I have yet to read the prequel to Away, titled The Line, but I can't wait to see what its about. I always enjoy reading dystopian novels just because they're always thrilling, paranormal whirlwinds filled with action and romance. Can't wait to see if this is as great as it looks!

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Genre: social issues
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 245
Synopsis:

How far would you go?

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seemed determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far…and almost doesn’t make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won’t soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won’t be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge—and over….

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Jennifer Echols first novel was a stunner! The characters were complex and the romance was sizzling. Going Too Far set my expectations for her other novels very high.

Meg wasn't just your average bad girl gone good. She had reasons for her actions, and she didn't speak those reasons until the middle of the novel. John was also much different than I expected him to be. Just like Meg, he had reasons for his attachment to the bridge and his staying in his small town. Each deal with their reasons differently, Meg falling into her reputation as the messed up chick and John becoming an officer. They both helped each other see their predicaments from different perspectives, making the novel not just about their romance but also about dealing pain, fear, and loss.

Overall, I've read reviews of Jennifer Echols books before, and I had high expectations for all of her novels. I read Going Too Far first, because it is her first novel. I was relieved when I finished reading and had a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach, so happy for Meg and John. Jennifer's first novel was a winner, and I'm going to be anticipating any other novels she dishes out.

The Cover: LOVE IT! PERFECT! Goodness, I've always like Jennifer's covers. They portray the books so well!

Releases: You Have Seven Messages, Blood Wounds, Fateful, & So Silver Bright

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

It's been a year since Luna's mother, the fashion-model wife of a successful film director, was hit and killed by a taxi in the East Village. Luna, her father, and her little brother, Tile, are still struggling with grief.

When Luna goes to clean out her mother's old studio, she's stunned to find her mom's cell phone there—charged and holding seven unheard messages. As Luna begins to listen to them, she learns more about her mother's life than she ever wanted to know . . . and she comes to realize that the tidy tale she's been told about her mother's death may not be the whole truth. 


Blood Wounds by Susen Beth Pfeffer

Blood can both wound and heal . . .

Willa is lucky: She has a loving blended family that gets along. Not all families are so fortunate. But when a bloody crime takes place hundreds of miles away, it has an explosive effect on Willa’s peaceful life. The estranged father she hardly remembers has murdered his new wife and children, and is headed east toward Willa and her mother. Under police protection, Willa discovers that her mother has harbored secrets that are threatening to boil over. Has everything Willa believed about herself been a lie? But as Willa sets out to untangle the mysteries of her past, she also keeps her own secret—one that has the potential to tear apart all she holds dear.


Fateful by Claudia Gray

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.


So Silver Bright (Theatre Illuminata #3) by Lisa Mantchev

All Beatrice Shakespeare Smith has ever wanted is a true family of her own. And she’s close to reuniting her parents when her father disappears. Now Bertie must deal with a vengeful sea goddess and a mysterious queen as she tries to keep her family—and the Theatre Illuminata—from crumbling. To complicate it all, Bertie is torn between her two loves, Ariel and Nate. 

Daily Dose (33)

Daily Dose is a weekly meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where we share inspirational photos we've found on the World Wide Web.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Genre: social issues
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 221
Synopsis:

Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the “Great Perhaps” (Francois Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

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John Green's first novel (I think) was stellar. His poetic writing, his choice of words, and his metaphors all collaborated to form this amazing story of a plain boy falling in and out of love with a colorful girl.

Miles (but I shall call him Pudge) was like an average kid with a unique hobby: reading the biographies of famous persons and learning their last words. But his life is terribly boring and he chooses instead to go to Culver Creek, where he meets the Colonel, Takumi, Lara, and, of course, Alaska Young.

Alaska was in my opinion the main character of this novel. She was wild, uncertain, emotional, funny, helpful, and she was extremely loyal to all of her friends. But she had ghosts in her past and she was a trainwreck from time to time, and Pudge's feelings for her change so often, but in the end he really loved her. Pudge himself was a great character, and he went with the flow, but it wasn't until After that he really stood up for himself. Alaska's world changes him in so many ways, taking him from this uncaring kid into a guy who's discovered so much, that it's unbelievable he's still a teenager.

Overall, Looking for Alaska is one of those books that you can read again and again but still be surprised and still be enlightened. Sometimes it felt as if John took some things over the top, but most of the time I thought and thought and thought. I didn't know books could make you think this much. If you haven't read any John Green novels, read them. And start with this one. Because as crazy and wild as it is, it's beautiful all the same.

The Cover: Once I finished the novel, I got the symbolizm of the cover more than I had. I like this cover. Very fitting for the book.

Release: Stay with Me by Paul Griffin

An urban romance that will capture your soul, break your heart, and restore your faith in the human spirit

Fifteen-year-olds Cece and Mack didn't expect to fall in love. She's a sensitive A student; he's a high school dropout. But soon they're spending every moment together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their secrets, making plans for the future. Everything is perfect. Until. Until. Mack makes a horrible mistake, and in just a few minutes, the future they'd planned becomes impossible. In this stark new reality, both of them must find meaning and hope in the memories of what they had, to survive when the person they love can't stay.

I've never actually read anything by Paul Griffin. and as much as this sounds like a wonderful romance, I don't see myself reading it anytime soon. But if I see it on a library shelf, I'll be sure to pick it up.

Cover Love: The Mercy Series by Rebecca Lim

As I was reading the amazing, lyrical novel Mercy [insert link] I kept noticing the many different covers the novel has received. And all of them are very beautiful.

Mercy Cover #1

So, this is the cover my copy had. I think it fits the book well because as much as the story has a beautiful voice, it's very dark.

Mercy Cover #2

This is the cover I used in my review, and it's the only cover theme that I've seen used in each novel of the series. I love it because it shows Mercy looking very much like the beautiful angel she's supposed to be, but I also don't like it because it looks like she's a beacon for good when really, she's probably not one of the nicest people you'd ever meet.

Mercy Cover #3

This cover is very lovely, much like the other two, but I don't think it has anything to do with the story. Water's hardly ever mentioned, and it looks as if she's underwater. But I love how the skirt looks like it's made with feathers.

Exile Cover #1

This is the sequel to Mercy, and you can see that it looks a lot like Mercy Cover #2. I don't like it that much, though, because the model doesn't remind me of what I think Mercy looks like. Not one of my favorites.

Exile Cover #2

This cover reminds me of exile, really. The bright white nothing, and Mercy standing at the center of it all.

Muse Cover #1

This is the third novel in the Mercy Series. Again, you can see that it resembles Mercy Cover #2 and Exile Cover #1. I think it's so pretty, because of the lovely model and the light obscuring part of her face. But I dislike the pink. I think it might throw off a reading enthusiast looking for an angel novel. Because from what I've read so far, Mercy isn't all about happiness and love. It's also about pain, darkness, and sacrifice.

Muse Cover #2

My favorite part of this cover are the feathers falling out of her hair. It's my favorite out of all seven of the series's various covers. As much as it is lovely, I think the model covering her face gives the slightest clue that it's not all happy, but is also dark.

Well? What are your favorites?

Mercy (Mercy #1) by Rebecca Lim

Genre: paranormal
Series and Book #: Mercy #1
Pages: 280
Synopsis:

A fallen angel haunted by her past. Yearning for her immortal beloved. Forever searching for answers. Who will show her Mercy?

Mercy has lost herself. She can’t count how many times she’s “woken up” in a new body, and assumed a new life, only to move on again and again. During the day she survives in the human world on instinct and at night her dreams are haunted by him. Mercy’s heart would know him anywhere. But her memory refuses to cooperate.

But this time is different. When Mercy wakes up she meets Ryan, an eighteen year old reeling from the loss of his twin sister who was kidnapped two years ago. Everyone else has given up hope, but Ryan believes his sister is still alive. Using a power she doesn’t fully comprehend, Mercy realizes that Ryan is right. His sister is alive and together they can find her. For the first time since she can remember, Mercy has a purpose; she can help. So she doesn’t understand why the man in her dreams cautions her not to interfere. But as Ryan and Mercy come closer to solving the dark mystery of his sister’s disappearance, danger looms just one step behind. Will Mercy be able to harness her true self and extraordinary power in time?

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Mercy was a unique angel novel because Mercy didn't even realize she was an angel. During the entire novel, she was clueless as to who she was and that was the half of the story. Mercy was trying to find herself along the way of finding Lauren, Ryan's kidnapped sister whom she volunteers to help him find.

Mercy's voice was haunting, sarcastic, and strong. It was lyrical, honest, and unemotional, speaking of facts and things that were, never letting emotion get in the way. She was a girl who wanted to get her new "body" over with and move on to the next, hoping that she'd eventually find who she was. But with each person she took residence in, she tried to help them discover that they were better than they thought themselves to be. Especially with Carmen, the body she inhabits when she meets Ryan.  

I thought the kidnappings were clever because they let Mercy discover who she was as a person as well as what she was. Mercy knows that she's something special, something inhuman. She reflects upon much of this, especially in her dreams when her and the mysterious Luc speak to one another. She also grew closer to Ryan, who she felt a strong attraction to beyond her understanding. I must say, the final scene of this novel was incredibly well written. I don't quite know how to explain it, but Rebecca ties the last few knots between Mercy and Ryan, and then lets Mercy go. It was insanely frustrating and I'm going to be scouring the shelves for the next in this series!

I didn't like how this book seemed to drag out certain sentences, as if the characters were thinking before they spoke. I found that unrealistic, because usually I don't think before I speak, and I would guess plenty others don't either.

Overall, this was a novel with an incredible main character who I believed to be something different completely. She didn't understand pop culture, but knew Latin as if she'd spoken it every day of her life. She was amazed by emotions, and the powers she discovered while she was investigating Lauren's kidnapping. Rebecca's novel was amazing and perfect for a dark, rainy day, when you'll believe that there are more things than you can possibly see.

The Cover: I believe this may be the UK version, but I still think it's beautiful.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Genre: science fiction
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 390
Synopsis:

One hour to rewrite the past…

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not change only her future, it may also change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does it feel like an electric current runs through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

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Time travel has been taken to a whole new level. Myra has taken a concept that has been considered throughout all of time and forced it into something uniquely hers. Please give a round of applause to this incredible new author!

I loved Emerson. So sarcastic, and able to hold her own, she's independent and can take care of herself. But she's caring, loving, and fiercely loyal to the ones she loves. Such a great blend for a heroine. Enter Michael, who turns her inside out and upside down, and she's shocked that he has the ability to get her to reveal herself to him. Michael was excellent, and the chemistry between the two of them was immediate. He cared for Emerson, but due to the strict business relationship, the romantic tension keeps building and building until finally...it completely blows up in their faces and the full force of their attraction to each other was obvious. The romance in the book was incredibly well-written, going through Em's immediate liking, to Michael's firm just friends status, and then the final moments in the novel when it couldn't be helped. I had so many moments where I nearly screamed, "JUST KISS HER ALREADY!"

As amazing as this book was (and really, it was pretty amazing) I didn't like the way Emerson takes the news that she's sees into the past. She accepted it pretty easily. Along with the news that the Hourglass works with more people like her. The novel goes pretty quickly, through meeting Michael, to figuring out he's a time traveler like Em, to going back in time to help the doctor who founded the Hourglass. I wish Myra would've taken it a bit slower, and created Em a little more hesitant to believe everything Michael said.

Overall, Myra's novel is stellar. Emerson's voice, along with a wonderful cast of characters, creates a different way of looking at time travel and how it works. Myra made it purely science, and did something I've never really gotten with other time travel novels: she explained everything down to some little details. It wasn't just there. It had a process. And it didn't just happen. It required multiple persons. Excellent, wonderful, engaging. Hourglass is a definite must read.

The Cover: Oh my goodness, this cover is awesome! It's an optical illusion, and when you're finished puzzling it out, you're like, "What is this about?" In a good way!

In My Mailbox (7): August

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where we share what books we've bought, received, or borrowed over the last week or, in my case, month. I don't get enough books over the week to cover a weekly IMM but I always do one every month. Here's July's! (Some of these books I've already read, so if you click on the links they should bring you to the review)

Library Finds:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Borrowed:
Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Not much this month. What did you get?