Happy Paperback Release Day to THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab!

GUYS, it’s finally May 15^th!

Today’s the day that The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab comes out in paperback. This is extremely exciting because in the back of the paperback, you'll find the first chapter of Victoria's new book, THE ARCHIVED, which doesn't come out until January!

But that isn’t the only exciting thing that comes out today! To celebrate the release of The Near Witch paperback "The Ash-Born Boy" is finally up over at Disney*Hyperion’s website!

You’re probably thinking “yeah, so what? I don’t even know what that is.” Well I’m here to tell you that “The Ash-Born Boy” is a free story Victoria wrote as a thank-you to her fans, and she wrote it to answer ONE question: "Who was Cole before he came to Near?"

Cole's story will stay up on Disney*Hyperion's website, and if it ever comes down, Victoria will carve out a space for it on her own site. It will always be available somewhere on the internet, and it will always be free.

(Now don’t worry if you haven’t read The Near Witch yet. “The Ash-Born Boy” isn’t at all spoillery so you can read it before or after you read The Near Witch. All that matters is that you read this amazing (FREE) story!)

Why are you still on my blog? Click HERE to go read “The Ash-Born Boy,” and don’t forget to buy/order/pick up your own paperback copy of THE NEAR WITCH!

To read my review of THE NEAR WITCH click here.

To read my review of “The Ash-Born Boy” click here.

~Read more,

Talk less,

Laura!

Quick Update

Hey guys,

You may have noticed that I sign off all of my reviews the same way, "Read More, Talk Less, ~Rory!"

I have been doing this for years because when I started this blog I didn't use my real name. I was a sophomore in HS then and it freaked me out to use my own name. I'm not freaked out anymore so I'm just going to stick to my real name because it's a lot less confusing for me and my readers.

I have no idea how I'm going to sign off anymore. I may just use the old stand by of "~Laura!"

I just wanted to let you all know about the change. Wouldn't want you all to be like, "Laura? Who the heck is that? I thought this was Rory's blog!" It is Rory's blog still, but Rory's decided to go by her real name from now on!

~Laura!

(haha see what I did there?)

Review: The Ash-Born Boy by Victoria Schwab

Title: The Ash-Born Boy

Author: Victoria Schwab

Release Date: May 15^th, 2012

Publisher: Disney*Hyperion

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 61

Source: Un-Required Reading.com

Companion to: The Near Witch

Summary (goodreads.com):

Before he came to Near...

Before he met Lexi...

Before they faced the witch...

Who was the boy named Cole?

Follow us to Dale, a city on a hill, where in a matter of days fire will devour everything. Meet the Lord and Lady, and their son, the boy destined to inherit all...until everything turns to ash.

It's time to learn the truth behind the stranger's story.

My Review:

For the love of cupcakes and narwhals this story is amazing! I adored The Near Witch when I read it last year and I was one of the people who wondered about Cole’s past and what brought him to Near. This story answers those questions and more. The brilliantly haunting prose that Victoria Schwab used to lure readers into The Near Witch is once again present here which makes the city of Dale come alive to readers just like the town of Near did. This insight into Cole’s past is sure to make fans of Victoria Schwab’s debut novel insanely happy.

~Read more,

Talk less,

Laura!

Review: Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen

Title: Beyond the Grave

Author: Mara Purnhagen

Release Date: August 30^th, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 256

Source: ebook from Publisher via Netgalley

Series: Past Midnight (#3)

Other Titles in the Series: Past Midnight (#1), One Hundred Candles (#2)

Summary (goodreads.com): I can’t move forward with my life until I know my demons are confined to the past...

Being Charlotte Silver, the daughter of famous paranormal investigators, means my life isn’t like that of other teenage girls. Especially after what happened to my parents. Things changed. I missed prom and deferred my big college plans. But I still have my boyfriend, Noah. He’s everything I could want—if I can figure out what’s up with him. Suddenly Noah is secretive.

I fear it has something to do with what happened to us three months ago. The bruise Noah suffered during a paranormal attack has never completely faded. Now I’ve learned Noah is researching demons. And when he disappears, it’s up to me to find him—before something else does.

My Review:

This book wasn’t as scary as its predecessors. I think that is why I liked it a bit less than the other ones even though I understood why it had to be calmer. This is the end of this series and so things needed to be wrapped up, there isn’t a cliff hanger ending that needed to be built up and so we got a less scary but still brilliant novel. Don’t get me wrong though, Charlotte’s narration is still quote foreboding and creepy at times to fit with the melancholy mood that was established in the other books, to me, there weren’t as many instances where I was scared out of my mind like in the previous two. All the familiar characters are back and better than ever, as well. I can’t really say too much more without spoiling the book (which would be quite a shame), so let’s just say that I am pleased with how this book wrapped up this brilliant series. If you haven’t yet read previous two Past Midnight books I encourage you to do so, you won’t be sorry!

Review: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Knight

Author: Julie Kawaga

Release Date: October 26^th, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 361

Source: ebook from Publisher via Netgalley

Series: The Iron Fey (#4)

Other Titles in the Series: The Iron King (#1), The Iron Daughter (#2), The Iron Queen (#3)

Summary (goodreads.com): Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My Review:

Why are these books so good? I think it’s the dynamic between Ash and Puck, and Grim’s smart comments. Honestly without those elements these books wouldn’t have been half as good. Since this book is from Ash’s point of view there’s EVEN MORE great dialogue between the three of them. We learn a lot more about Ash and how his life shaped him into that cold Prince that readers grew to love. We see more of his strange friendship with Puck and we really come to understand Ash in ways that will touch every reader’s heart. Oh and don’t worry, there are still amazing and complex twists and turns that make their journey interesting and dangerous. If you haven’t read this series yet I highly recommend it!

Review: Everybody See The Ants by A.S. King

Title: Everybody Sees the Ants

Author: A.S. King

Release Date: October 3^rd, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 282

Source: Finished copy for review from Publisher!

Summary (goodreads.com): Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their family is fine. And he certainly didn't ask to be the recipient of Nadar McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

Lucky has a secret—one that helps him wade through the daily dysfunction of his life. Grandad Harry, trapped in the jungles of Laos, has been visiting Lucky in his dreams—and the dreams just might be real: an alternate reality where he can be whoever he wants to be and his life might still be worth living. But how long can Lucky remain in hiding there before reality forces its way inside?

Printz Honor recipient A. S. King's distinctive, smart, and accessible writing shines in this powerful novel about learning to cope with the shrapnel life throws at you, and then taking a stand against it.

My Review:

A.S. King does it again! I love her and her books. Everybody Sees the Ants may be my favorite yet. There are two sides to this book. There’s the practical part where Lucky has to deal with bullies and parents who don’t understand him. Then there’s the kinda strange part where Lucky’s dreams take him to see his MIA/POW Grandfather in Vietnam jungles during the war. Only those dreams seem to be very real because he keeps bringing back souvenirs from his time in the jungle. The parallels these sides create make this book to be a very thought provoking read. I love that King has Lucky going through a real issue that a lot of readers can relate to. I instantly connected with Lucky which made his dream world even more interesting to me because it was so odd. There is so much to get from this book that all sorts of people will take something different and profound from it. I recommend this to everybody, whether you see the ants or not.

Review: One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen

Title: One Hundred Candles

Author: Mara Purnhagen

Release Date: February 15^th, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 240

Source: Borrowed from Library

Series: Past Midnight (#2)

Other Titles in the Series: Past Midnight (#1), Beyond the Grave (#3)

Summary (goodreads.com): It's taken a long time for me to feel like a normal teenager. But now that I'm settled in a new school, where people know me as more than Charlotte Silver of the infamous Silver family paranormal investigators, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with a popular football star like Harris Abbott? After all, it's not as if Noah is anything more than a friend….

But my new life takes a disturbing turn when Harris brings me to a party and we play a game called One Hundred Candles. It seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until spirits unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now my friends and family are in very real danger, and the door that I've opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

My Review:

Mara Purnhagen has a way of freaking me out even when I KNOW something scary is going to happen. The way she describes the ghosts/demons/scary stuff is so creepy that I just wanted to crawl under a blanket and hide until the scariness was over. That is what makes me love these books! That and the amazing characters and how real they are. Even though this is a paranormal novel these characters and the things that happen to them feel 100% real. Charlotte and her friends don’t just feel like some characters in a book, they could be anyone of your friends; they could go to your school or live down the block from you. That combined with the fantastic suspense makes this a really great read. This is an action packed, fast paced read that fan of books like Meg Cabot’s Mediator series will really enjoy.

Review: Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

Title: Girl Wonder

Author: Alexa Martin

Release Date: May 3^rd, 2011

Publisher: Hyperion

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 304

Source: Won ARC at TBF 2011

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge (hosted by The Story Siren)

Summary (goodreads.com): As if transferring senior year weren't hard enough, Charlotte Locke has been bumped to lower level classes at her new school. With no friends, a terrible math SAT score, and looming college application deadlines, the future is starting to seem like an oncoming train for which she has no ticket.

Then Amanda enters her orbit like a hot-pink meteor, offering Charlotte a ticket to something else: popularity. Amanda is fearless, beautiful, brilliant, and rich. As her new side kick, Charlotte is brought into the elite clique of the debate team—and closer to Neal, Amanda's equally brilliant friend and the most perfect boy Charlotte has ever seen.

But just when senior year is looking up, Charlotte’s life starts to crumble. The more things heat up between Charlotte and Neal, the more Neal wants to hide their relationship. Is he ashamed? Meanwhile, Amanda is starting to act strangely competitive, and she's keeping a secret Charlotte doesn't want to know.

Talented newcomer Alexa Martin delivers a poignant story of first love, jealousy and friendship, where the ups and downs of senior year have never been so complicated. What else can Charlotte do but throw her hands up and ride?

My Review:

Alexa Martin did a really good job writing about a lost girl who is having a hard time figure out who she is and who she wants to be in her life. The main character Charlotte is a girl who got sucked up into the vacuum of a stereotypical high school senior year complete with drugs, sex and booze. I hated Charlotte because of this. I found her to be a written really well character, so well written in fact, that I ended up hating her for the majority of the novel. However, once her life imploded I really started to like her because she realized that she was an idiot and her so called friends were losers. The denouement of this story is what makes me like Charlotte and the book in general. I ended up rooting for Charlotte in the end. I could see that after she came to her epic realization that she finally started to see the people who were there for her all along such as her brother and his best friend (who, by the way, were my favorite characters of the novel). Overall, this is a story about growing up and making mistakes, but it is also a story about how even after making a ton of mistakes there will always be a tomorrow and it will be better than the day before!

Review: The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

Title: The Demon Trapper’s Daughter

Author: Jana Oliver

Release Date: February 1^st, 2011

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 340

Source: Bought for Kindle

Series: The Demon Trappers (#1)

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge (hosted by The Story Siren)

Summary (goodreads.com): Demon Trapper Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself—and that’s exactly what Lucifer is counting on…

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

My Review:

I really liked this book! It’s really different from all the other books I’ve read this year. From the summary I got the impression that this book would be told from Riley’s point of view seeing as she is the Demon Trapper’s daughter, so I was (pleasantly) surprised to find that it’s a dual narration between Riley and her father’s trapping partner, Beck. I think this narration technique is what made me like it so much. Yes, the action and plot and all the other characters are brilliantly written as well, but it’s the stark contrast and the surprising similarities between the narrators that make this book stand out. I just really like Riley and Beck together (I ship them, I really do. I will go down with this ship). I also loved how Oliver handled the setting of the story. It’s 2018 and the world is literally going to Hell because of the economy of the last decade (which would be what we’re living in right now). She presented it in a way that is totally believable even with all the demons running amok. I could see this happening the way she puts it forth. Riley, too, is totally believable because you can tell that at times it’s hard for her to be the only female trapper in her neighborhood and that she has to live up to what her father has done and that even though it is hard and the pressure is overwhelming she remains strong. Riley is a character that it’s almost hard not to immediately love her due to her sarcastic and heroic nature! Overall, a splendid debut that has everything one could possibly be looking for in a book: love, laughter, life, death and demons!

Review: Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

Title: Past Midnight

Author: Mara Purnhagen

Release Date: September 1^st, 2010

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 216

Source: Borrowed from Library

Series: Past Midnight (#1)

Other Titles in the Series: One Hundred Candles (#2), Beyond the Grave (#3)

Summary (goodreads.com): Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear.

All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive….

My Review:

This is the beginning of a series that I can see myself reading over and over again just for fun. I just love the idea of seeing inside a ghost hunter’s family. Ghosts are my favorite thing to read about so I knew that this would be just the book for me. Purnhagen is a great writer; she managed to make even the simplest of things, like furniture moving, sound like the scariest thing ever. Charlotte didn’t really believe in ghosts until one followed her home and the story that follows left me pretty freaked out. I’ve always wanted to be a ghost hunter but I never felt that I was brave enough, this book let me have a look into the ghost hunter life and now I’m positive that I would not be up for the job! Past Midnight is a quick-witted, fun, fast, and spooky book that will have you screaming for the next one!