Author: Marie Lu
Publication Date: 11/29/2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 305
Source: Purchased

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

The Republic can be separated into the have and have-nots. June Iparis falls into the former category, a daughter of wealthy parents, graduate of the top schools, and also, unfortunately full of unknowing discrimination that comes with never having experienced the other side. Day is the latter: unprivileged, undereducated, and fighting for survival. The death of June's brother Metias lets them meet, but their intelligence keeps them there in a struggle for understanding.

Ah, this book made me happy. It's what I would qualify as a proper dystopia. The Republic is a terrible entity wrapped up in fervent societal nationalism. Each home has a portrait of the Elector. Every time the anthem plays, you salute and recite with conviction. There is a clear separation between the state supporters and everyone else, and those whose support are unabashedly favored. One teeny issue that I have with a lot of dystopia is that I need to know how things came about, and this was addressed in bites and pieces with hints left that more information would be brought forth as the series progresses. (Just a little more background information in Legend, however, would have made this book really shine.)

Amidst a bleak background the characters were engaging. What I enjoyed the most about them is their growth. This would have been a much different book if June and Day never progressed and stayed firm in their beliefs. It would have been a book that I don't want to read. Marie Lu peppered in bread crumbs throughout the story that I found myself flipping back to in understanding as things moved forward. A lot of this was especially visible through Metias who managed to grow as a character even after his death. (For those that find that a nervous idea, don't worry, it's written well.)

There is one sort-of issue that I had, however. The first is June and Day's age. I know the reason that they both have to be so young is that it's easier for her to an impressive prodigy if she's younger, but there were times that I had to remind myself that June is 15 and not 18+. It's difficult for me to reconcile the idea of a 15 year-old thinking like she does on a consistent basis - June's narrative seemed more mature than her age. I'm not sure what part of that is due to her intelligence and what part is due to having grown up in such a strict environment. On the other hand Day, perhaps because I found him slightly more relatable, seemed more age-appropriate, although he had his moments.

There is something in Legend for everyone: a smart and strong heroine, lip-biting action sequences, and a well-written story that will leave you part-ruminating, part wishing you could turn the page for just a little bit more.

Author: Wendy Wunder
Publication Date: 12/08/2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 347
Source: ARC (Thank you so kindly to Razorbill/Penguin for sharing!)

Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

For the past seven years, Cam has been defined by her cancer. Hospitals, treatments, holistic trips her mother hears of to heal her. She met her best friend, Lily, at a summer camp for kids with cancer. Her rebellious and carefree personality, affected by repeatedly hearing that she's getting worse and not better. Growing up in Orlando, living, breathing, and working at Disney World, she's used to a sugar-coated world that's not quite what it seems. And then her mother packs Cam and her sister, Perry, up for a move to Promise, Maine. Promise, a place where miracles happen. But can Cam believe in miracles?

This book will break your heart and make you laugh at the same time. Reading a book about someone so young with cancer is devastating, yet there's hope. Hope that Cam will be able to cross some items off of her Flamingo List, hope that maybe there's something to the idea of getting out of Florida and into an entirely fresh environment. Cam's easygoing sister, Perry, makes friends right off the bat while Cam is content to sit inside, bundled against the cooler Maine summer, and watch old movies. The setting, for Cam, is strange and slightly too perfect in a way that completely differs from Orlando - here the people and places are real, and perhaps that's what eventually sparks her interest. She's trading one definition of 'real' for another, but this time she can interact with the denizens.

I really enjoyed Cam as a character mainly because I can identify with her dry humor and healthy sense of sarcasm. While I think that some of that stems from before her diagnosis, a lot of it seems to be a defense mechanism that's evolved from her cancer. She simply doesn't have the time, she thinks, so where is the point in dressing up her words? My favorite thing about her is the view she had regarding her Flamingo List. Originally seemingly willing to do whatever necessary to cross items off, she finds that perhaps some things aren't as important as they once seemed. And others? Well, they crop up unexpectedly.

Cam meets Asher in Promise, who is a local going back generations. Though Asher is charismatic and well-known, his interactions in Cam's life becomes an interesting side story that meshes well with her own. Though Perry is the outgoing child, Cam fails to realise the impact that she has on people's lives. Impulsive, thoughtful, and honest, her decisions have a far-reaching impact that she only begins to see after the fact. Asher believes that Promise is his future and can see no other option. Cam knows when not to agree so easily. Toss in Cam's mother Alicia, and a cast of characters from both Orlando and Promise and you've got a memorable cast for a memorable summer.

The Probability of Miracles may not be an easy read, but it's one that I can heartily recommend. From flamingos to pet lobsters to mistakes and realisations, this is a book full of heart and courage and hints that decisions may not come so readily, but that there is a possibility of miracles.

Author: A.M. Hayward and L.J. Holder
Publication Date: 04/28/2011
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
Pages: 203
Source: Publisher

Mistakes...
Everyone makes them. We are only human.
Some of our mistakes are small... like the times you stay up till 2 am studying for a test that you end up failing because you are too tired to think. 
Others are so catastrophic that they change your life - forever.

Maddison regrets not listening to her parents, not being a 'good girl' and not staying at home like she was supposed to instead of sneaking off with her friends for a Spring Break getaway. How she wishes she could turn back time; then maybe she wouldn't be in the nightmare she is in now. Kidnapped and taken to a different country unaware of where she is or what these men want with her. Maddy's parents can't help her, in fact they aren't even aware she is in Mexico. Who can save her? Or can she save herself?

Maddy Turner, having been raised in a middle class family, attends a wealthy private Texas high school thanks to her mother being a teacher there. Surrounded by debutante balls and designer clothing, Maddy exists in a world that she thinks she'll never understand. Niggling inside her is a small piece that wants to be swept away just for one night, to not have to worry about finances or having to be the perfect student in order to get a college scholarship. That is, until a series of circumstances lands her in a place darker than she could have imagined.

As a human rights student particularly interested in human trafficking the existence of this book does a lot for me on a multitude of levels and is something I feel strongly about. This is not, nor will it ever be, an easy subject. Yet it exists and it happens a lot closer to home than you might expect. Maddy is not a vapid girl. She's an honor student, tutors fellow students, and participates in extracurricular activities. But she is a teenager and she is vulnerable, and at times, confused. Although her best friend, Aimee, is a part of the elite circle of her school, Maddy is always on the outside on some level. So when Aimee invites her to her first debutante ball to get a glimpse of what they're like, Maddy jumps at the chance. This is a typical reaction for someone; people are curious beings - we want to explore the unknown and we want to be included. Maddy's always dreamt of a Cinderella story of her own, and when she finally gets it following the events of the ball, she no longer wants it.

Something I liked the most about this book is the way it was written. It had a slight awkwardness and uncertainty about it, not from the authors but from the fact that the main character is a teenage girl. The words exuded descriptions and reactions that I would expect from someone her age and that made the story flow much more easily for me. When she meets Jack she's literally overwhelmed with the idea that someone could be interested in her, however I believe that she would have eventually worked things out for herself. The other half of my appreciating the realism, however, is that there were some moments that had me questioning how things would unfold. As a reader and a reviewer I'm not in a position to be judging how people would react during captivity, especially if the person in question were being sexually abused while held. I've studied the effects of solitary torture, but nothing like Maddy's situation.

While in confinement Maddy meets a prisoner, Dalton, being held for ransom. They share a cell as a form of coercion: if Maddy misbehaves Dalton will be punished and vice versa. In order to stay sane they tell each other stories about themselves, their family and friends - anything to remain themselves. Over the course of their confinement they become friends and eventually form a relationship. The issue here isn't completely over age (she is 18, Dalton is 27), although that is a factor. It's also over the healthiness of the situation and the way it's framed. For me, while I was okay with the idea of Dalton, some of his words reminded me like something that Jack might have said. There wasn't enough of a delineation between their speech ("my sweet Maddy") and that threw me off. It was important to me that Maddy be able to differentiate between the two of them, and not just want a replacement, and while I don't think she's quite there yet, she's on the right path.

Mistakes is a fast-paced, realistic story that spotlights the real dangers of human trafficking. Reading this made me not just invested in the characters, but also invested in them as people. I cringed and cried and was angry because while this is fiction, it's very much not. This is a hard story to read. It may not be perfect, but a lot of good things aren't, and it's absolutely worth the read. As a note, I don't usually issue warnings, but for parents this is a story that involves sexual abuse and real world issues. A quick, impacting read that's left me waiting to know the fates of those involved.

An aside: If you are looking to find out more information about this topic please check out Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn and the International Justice Mission.

This post is a part of the TWCS YA Blog tour! Check out their website to see other books, guest posts, and reviews featured on the tour.

In My Mailbox, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, allows us to share our

current reads, and books we've received/checked out/purchased over the course of the week.


Purchased:

Scored, Lauren McLaughlin
Darker Still, Leanna Renée Hieber

Somehow I totally forgot to mention these last week when I got Bunheads*, but I also picked these guys up at the Stages on Pages tour. Lauren totally talked me into Scored (and there'll be a mini-review coming up for it) as it's about a dystopia in its formative stages, really interesting. That's the sort of build-up that I love. Also picked up, well, two curious copies of Darker Still. You might wonder why. You might be wondering if I'll have a giveaway. And you'd be right if you thought yes. Keep an eye out for that soonish. :)

Other than that, I haven't really been reading too much lately, as it's just about final paper writing time and crazy things are happening. Winter break, I cannot wait for thee! What's in your mailboxes, friends?

*You can find a mini-review here.

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event courtesy of Breaking the Spine

that showcases much anticipated upcoming releases.

 from goodreads: 02/16/2012

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

I have no idea why this hasn't been a WoW pick for me before now as the cover and title scream dystopian and, well, as you all know, there's nothing I love more than a good dystopian novel. I've heard such amazing things about it and sadly missed getting a copy at NYCC and so I've been pining for it ever since. Can't wait! :)

Author: Sophie Flack
Publication Date: 10/10/2011
Publisher: Poppy
Pages: 294
Source: Purchased (Thanks to the Stages on Pages tour, it's signed!)

"My name is Hannah Ward. Don't call me a ballerina."

Hannah, a senior member of the corps de ballet of the Manhattan Ballet, vaguely remembers a time before she started dancing. Those were the times she could watch movies with her parents on the couch eating popcorn and those times were years ago. Now Hannah spends the majority of her life at the studio practicing and performing, hoping that she'll be made a soloist. That's what she wants - isn't it?

That Hannah doesn't get to do normal things can be summed up in the fact that she's been trying to get through Frankenstein for over a year. She reconciles this with the knowledge that she is a dancer, and dancers have to make sacrifices. This can't be any more apparent when she meets Jacob, a normal college student, and they begin the first friendship Hannah's had outside of her peers. What I liked most about her interactions with Jacob is that they highlight how she is socially unsure of herself and of what to do in everyday situations. This meeting starts a chain of awareness within herself, forcing Hannah to evaluate her life. Sophie really did a fantastic job of getting across how tough the life of a dancer is and how far removed they can be from what you might consider an average life. While I don't know any ballet terms except for perhaps plié, the terminology blended nicely into the flow of the action and I never once questioned what was going on. If you're aware of the lingo then you might better appreciate just how hard they're being pushed, but if you don't I wouldn't worry about it too much, as you can get the feel of it by the scene.

Bunheads is a fast-paced, realistic story about choice and dedication and how they interrelate. Whether or not you like dance, this is a book full of rich characterisations and situations that almost anyone can relate to on some level.

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: 10/18/2011
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 404
Source: Purchased

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Thisby Island is unique in many ways, but is most well-known for the Scorpio Races: an event that happens every November and is a race between man, horse, and sea that is every bit as brutal and unpredictable as the people and their mounts that participate. Puck Connolly had sworn off any interaction with the races until she's left without an option. Sean Kendrick is the sea personified and wouldn't have it any other way than to enter, but this year it means more than any other. The island has its way with people, and this November it's a fight to the end.

I want to honestly say that I'm hard-pressed on where to begin with this. It's taken me a week to finish The Scorpio Races when normally I would have finished it in a few hours. 100% of that delay was me wanting to drag it out word by page by perspective so that it would never end. Perhaps a little background is necessary in why I feel so strongly about it. The first promise I ever remember making is to my mom, in the way that children do, that when she won the lottery she would buy me a horse. I read Black Beauty over and over until the copy was worn out, but I wouldn't let anyone throw it away. My favorite place is anywhere that I can be in the water, but specifically on the ocean. There is absolutely nothing like it: the sounds, smells, texture of the sand and the surf washing over your feet, the way the sun sets and rises and glimmers. I love water. Thus the fact that every time I read a sentence in this book I felt like it had been written specifically for me.

I knew Maggie was a ridiculously talented writer after reading Shiver, but this book is in a different league. From the very fist sentence I was hooked as Sean Kendrick watched the capail usice run across the beach, already critical of what was happening in the quiet, knowing way that he has. Despite not knowing anything about what was happening it set up perfectly my wanting to find out everything that I could, and all of that was laid out as the story progressed. One of the best things about the book - and is something that effects the way everything happens - is that the island, aside from being just a setting, is very much a character in the story. Thisby has moods that influence the weather, its history has affected the traditions of the people, and its relative size means that the population has to socialise much closely together than they might have elsewhere.

Here's where I would normally tell you more about the characters, but, really, I want that to be something you experience for yourselves while reading. As a whole, though, all of the characters in the book were so well crafted and each one was absolutely necessary - there's no fluff here. Puck is strong, earnest, blunt, but quite perceptive. She doesn't give up, and she doesn't believe she should have to. Her two brothers, Gabe and Finn have such strong personalities even when they're not present that you might think they have more 'screen time' then they actually do. (This is not a bad thing. I loved Finn in particular.) But I have to say that Sean Kendrick steals the show for me. From this book alone he's catapulted into my top 5 favorite characters and it's almost hard to describe why. Sean is a man of few words, but not in what you might consider a typical broody, leaning against the wall with smoldering eyes sort of way. He's honest, doesn't need much to live on, but he feels so intensely that it's difficult for him to interpret what it could mean.

The interactions with Puck and Sean in this book had me in tears and smiling huge because they never had to yell it out or say it in big speeches or acts. It was gradual and so, so believable. Maggie's beautiful descriptive writing created two characters and made them real.

The Scorpio Races is a book that I will recommend to anyone simply because it has so much to offer. If you love characters? This book is for you. Mythical creatures? Water? Horses? Still for you. From the first sentence to the last this book is, page by page, full of emotions and adventure for you to experience. Just read it slowly, because it will end faster than you'd like.

Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publication Date: 11/15/2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 342
Source: ARC

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Dark and darker are the two colors that comprise Juliette's life. The light that streams in through the window can't quite shift her cell into day, but she can see the mountains painted against the permanent grey of the sky. She has been here for 264 days which means that she also has not spoken or interacted with anyone in just as long, although the infiniteness of time makes it feel longer. Then a boy is thrown into her cell, curious and questioning. Through the dark its difficult to see, but those blue eyes she would recognise anywhere. And suddenly those 264 days are given a new meaning.

Tahereh Mafi is a wordsmith. Reading Shatter Me was like reading a composition of my favorite words in the precise order I would have loved to read them. There is prose and there is prose that is so much like poetry the way that it ebbs and flows and then hits with its meaning not outright, but so subtly that the impact is even greater. And the impact here is immense considering the fact that Juliette has not spoken to anyone in almost a year, and all that she's been left with is her words and a pen. She's had time to think and roll phrases unconsciously around in her mind as she's had no one else to share anything with. For me, this immaculately crafted construction is integral to the idea of the plot. The way this is expressed is innovative, but with such a natural flow that it was a glimpse inside a character's head in a way I haven't before experienced.

While the words were instrumental in making everything believable, the characters were equally fabulous in taking the great setting given and carrying it along. It might be easy to think that for being trapped in a cell for as long as she was, that Juliette might be meek or unsure of how to reintegrate herself back into things but Juliette, however, was none of these things. If it's one thing that she knows completely is that she will not allow people to use her in any way and so we see this in everything from her posture as well as her inner and external dialogue. Because of everything she's had to go through, from even before she was locked up, she's incredibly strong in a way that had me pause to reread as I was in awe of just how well it was brought forth. In a world where a hesitant conformity has become the norm, Juliette is so very human.

There are two other characters that reflect off of each other as if they were night and day and it was really interesting to see how one was almost the inverse of the other; if he had chosen to do evil instead of good he could have almost been the other. I'm hesitant to give names or too much information because for me this was one of the best parts of the exposition. The way both of them interact with Juliette is fantastic, and like Juliette, I found myself almost wanting to know more about them both, but also found myself reeling back. I loved the terrible craftiness and brutal honesty of one and the tiptoeing sincerity of the other.

And then there's the ending, and it's one that will throw you through a loop and wonder just where else this series will (and could possibly) take you. But given the sheer uniqueness of Shatter Me, it's one you'll want to go on immediately after the last sentence. An automatic favorite and an incredible start to what promises to be a thrilling journey.

Thank you to HarperCollins for providing an ARC at NYCC and to the incredibly sweet Tahereh Mafi for signing it for me and also for speaking up for the round pegs in square holes.

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event courtesy of Breaking the Spine

that showcases much anticipated upcoming releases.

from goodreads: 12/05/2011

In the years following the destructive Long Winter, when half the world’s population perished, the State remains locked in battle against the Sensitives: humans born with extra abilities.

As one of the last descendants of the State’s Founders, seventeen-year-old Lark Greene knows her place: study hard and be a model citizen so she can follow in her family’s footsteps. Her life’s been set since birth, and she’s looking forward to graduating and settling down with Beck, the boy she’s loved longer than she can remember.

However, after Beck is accused of being Sensitive and organizing an attack against Lark, he disappears. Heartbroken and convinced the State made a mistake, Lark sets out to find him and clear his name.

But what she discovers is more dangerous and frightening than Sensitives: She must kill the boy she loves, unless he kills her first.

I have to give kudos to Miss Veronica Roth for helping me to discover this one. I can't stop staring at the cover - it's gorgeous. Soft, and the color scheme perfect. (And I love that font.) The shape of her face almost reminds me of Mary GrandPré's chapter sketches for HP. The use of larks for her name - it just ties together so well. Cover aside, just from the summary this is a book I want to know more about. What's the  Long Winter? How is life determined for its citizens? I'm completely sold. Thankfully there's not too long to wait!

Author: Jessica Martinez
Publication Date: 10/18/2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 304
Source: ARC (Thank you kindly to Simon & Schuster.)

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot... what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she can't just stay away. Nobody else understands her - and riles her up - like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: she is so desperate to win, she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she's told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall.

Carmen Bianchi and her violin are inseparable. For as long as she can remember she's always known that her path in life goes like this: practice practice practice, win the Guarneri, impress the world of classical music, and afterward continue to tour and play venues such as Carnegie Hall. Already having won Grammys and several recording contracts, it almost seemed a certainty. Until it wasn't.

Other than books, music is what I live for. And while listening to music is astounding, being able to create that music yourself - well, there are no words for that feeling. Reading this book brought me back to every moment on stage, and for that alone it was worth it. One of my favorite things about Virtuosity, as a musician also, is that violin is never referred to as 'the violin', as that would imply a sense of distance between Carmen and her violin that does not exist. This phrasing continues throughout the story and every single time I saw that I just about burst into a smile. That's how you know the author fully gets music.

The flow of the story worked quite well for me, as in the beginning, we figure out that Carmen's mother, Diana, herself was an opera singer until she had to receive surgery on her throat that rendered her voice incompatible. It was strange to have Carmen's narrative voice refer to her mother as 'Diana' until later on I realised it felt like a distancing measure; while Diana was her mother, she was more so a manager and a stage parent. Throughout the story you get to see a transition of Diana's role from one end to the other, and to me it was almost as if Carmen thought that her mother would never do anything terrible, but this Diana possibly could.

This helped me to understand Carmen a lot better as well, as she's been home schooled and hasn't had the chance to experience the things that other people her age would have gotten to do. So when she finally meets the elusive Jeremy King she's shocked that he's not at all like she is, and wholly different than what she expected. The real person dynamic between Carmen and Jeremy was refreshing, and while reading I had the impression that I was getting to explore new things along with them, and never felt like I could anticipate what their outcome would be. Theirs is a story I would like to know more about.

Virtuosity is a book that's not just about music, but about exploring your choices and having the ability to figure out that everything isn't quite set in stone. That said, Virtuosity is one that I think that anyone could pick up and really fall into - and if you have ever played an instrument, particularly a string instrument like I have, then I imagine that this book and you have an upcoming date.

Author: Robison Wells
Publication Date: 10/04/2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 356
Source: e-ARC

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

Having lived his live moving from foster home to foster home, the opportunity to attend Maxfield Academy was like waving the rare golden ticket in front of Benson Fisher. The fact that the school was so far apart from everything in the New Mexico desert was curious, but seemed like a fair trade-off for a chance at an opportunity for a good education and perhaps even a chance to make some friends. Benson soon found himself dropped off in front of the school's entrance and it was only as driver of the car sped away without even getting out that he noticed the children staring down at him from the windows of the school. Something was wrong.

It's going to be difficult to write this review without doing two things: gushing about how much I loved it and trying desperately to avoid mentioning anything spoilery. The school, completely run by the children living there, is for all intents and purposes a prison. The students are told when and what to eat, what to wear and what to learn. Tasks within the school are divided among the three groups, and access to the outside is extremely limited. Food and supplies mysteriously appear and there are cameras everywhere, monitoring not only their movements but what they say and who they say it to. The peace between the groups is untenable, with the children stepping delicately on eggshells to maintain the status quo.

Benson Fisher, a character after my own heart, is not fond of the status quo. As he is the most recent addition to the student body, his acceptance of the goings on at Maxfield is happily lacking. He didn't come all the way here to be subjugated, and he wants answers. The answers he gets are shocking and completely unexpected. The more that I read, the more I braced myself to not being able to predict anything in the best sort of way. The supporting characters here are plentiful and stand up well in supporting the story as it unfolds. The tagline though, for Variant is completely apt: trust no one.

Variant is a book that I carried around with me everywhere and never wanted to put down. If you're looking for a riveting story that will shock and keep you on your toes then this is definitely one for your shelf. While there is a cliffhanger ending, if book two were available on Goodreads to add to my TBR it would already be there. Benson's journey is only yet beginning.

This ARC was received from HarperTeen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Jocelyn Davies
Publication Date: 09/27/2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 320
Source: e-ARC

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.

Skye has lived every day since the day her parents died in an accident just trying to have a normal life: she has a group of friends, hangs out at the local café, and is a member of her high school's ski team. A part of this normalcy is that every year her friends throw her a not-so-unexpected surprise birthday party, and this year was almost no exception until it was crashed by two people who would toss her normal life into a tailspin. Now Skye has to decide which truth she should believe, a decision that could change her path from here on out.

I haven't read too many angel books, as the few I have I haven't particularly cared for. The cover of this one almost dissuaded me from reading it - doesn't that pose seem incredibly uncomfortable? Honestly, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did. While, yes, this is a book about angels, the mythology involved isn't your typical fallen angel/archangel and I liked the way the mythos was disseminated. It may or may not involve a late night campfire on a cool winter night.

The newcomers in the book, Devin and Asher, are cold and hot. Devin is quiet, soft-spoken and empathetic while Asher is outgoing, slightly brash, and slightly steamy. For me, the dichotomy between the two of them was better described and therefore easy to visualize and fall into than was Skye's perspective. Jocelyn did a really great job of differentiating the two of them, and I was able to get a feel of them as two separate people which was vital to me for where the story was going.

A Beautiful Dark does contain a love-triangle of sorts. Here, however, it is not a bad thing but instead something that the story plays off of. It had me going back and forth between Devin and Asher as more and more information was given; I was waffling along with Skye. All in all it was a fast-paced read that had me curious as to who would make the better case for Skye, until everything changed in an ending that I would never have expected. I'm hoping that in A Fractured Light we'll get to see a bit more of Skye standing on her own now that she has all of the gaps filled in.

This ARC was received from HarperTeen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publication Date: 09/29/2011
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 338
Source: Purchased

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive 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, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

Note: I've removed the last paragraph of the goodreads synopsis as I feel that's something better discovered while reading.

Lola Nolan has grown up amidst the colorful and personable background of San Francisco. Each day brings a new outfit, and new possibility. She has everything a 17 year-old could possibly need: supportive parents, a sassy and smart best friend, and a handsome, older rocker boyfriend. Very little could upset the balance, until her childhood neighbors move back in next door. Lola is left to reconcile the past with her present, and well as a journey to find which of her outfits is truly herself.

I have absolutely no idea how Stephanie Perkins does it. Every single one of her books is perfect and effortless, evoking such depth of feeling that each page is practically bursting with honesty and hope. My heart is continually broken with such bittersweet poignancy, and then picked up with delicate fingers and pieced back together like puzzle pieces that shouldn't fit in that way but do, and better. I can relate to Anna and the French Kiss on a situational level much better, but there's just something niggling about this story that feels more relatable and closer as a reader. And that's where the magic really lies.

Not everyone has as plentiful a wardrobe as Lola, but I think most people can understand what it is to assemble an outfit that makes you feel like you can do anything or be anyone. A carpe diem outfit. Lola lives every day not like it could be her last, but like each day should be her best. I loved Lola. And I loved with Lola. I lived vicariously with her through each page, working through my beginning confusion as I pieced everything together, to hoping with Lola as she did the same in order to figure out what choices she should make.

The choices weren't easy. They should never by easy. But they were so well described that I ended this book with tears in my eyes because that's how it really is. Cricket is the sort of boy that every girl wishes they could have: smart, sweet, incredibly kind, and with just enough awkward geekiness that sets him on a level where you have to crack a smile when you see him. Except for the fact that Cricket thinks nothing of that about himself, and instead loves to help and please others more than anything else. The development and realisation of their friendship over the course of the story is more than worth the amount of bookstores I went to in order to find this book.

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like to read, then you should read this. If you like a book that perfectly encapsulates that fluttery feeling of first love, then this book is for you. If you like boys named Cricket, well, you've hit the jackpot. Stephanie Perkins has outdone herself in the best manner possible.

Author: Ally Condie
Publication Date: 11/01/2011
Publisher: Dutton Books
Pages: 367
Source: ARC (thank you, kathy!)

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.
Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

How far would you go to follow your intuition? Cassia, having been relocated to the far reaching Tana Province, finds herself in a work colony where every day is a repetitive action, with each action bringing her closer to the end of her time on the outskirts. Determined to find Ky, an unlikely series of events give her the opportunity to embark on a path that a few months ago she might have never been able to imagine, finding answers to questions she hadn't known to ask.

There's been a lot of debate about this book due in part to two things: it being told from alternating viewpoints (those of Cassia and Ky); and the supposed relative lack of action to move the plot along enough. Neither of these things were issues for me. Alternate POVs, if done correctly, are something that an very much enhance the way a story unfolds. Also, one of the things I dislike most in dystopian novels is when there's not enough background given to explain why things the way there are, and why people act the way they do. I'm not going to say that Crossed offers all of the answers - and I'm glad that it doesn't - but the way the information is doled out is done in such a manner that truly aids the overall feeling of the book.

We get pieces of information from Cassia, others from Ky, and some still from new characters that are introduced. It is because everything isn't offered up right away that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I really loved being able to see something happen to Ky, with Cassia slowly being able to figure it out and having the opportunity to see Ky's internal reactions. Cassia, having grown up within the Society, would not have the raw responses to certain things that Ky does and it made all the difference.  I'm of the opinion that Book 3 would not make the impact that I think it will without the pacing of Crossed.

While Xander isn't that verbally or physically present in this book, his absence allows the story to take a certain path with things that I would never have guessed. One of the big reasons I enjoyed Matched was the writing, and it does not disappoint here. Ally has a way of making words and thoughts flow so nicely from transition to transition and that are unique to each character. The prose was a bit like moving water, and so every time I glanced at the blue on the cover I thought that it was wholly fitting.

Give this book a chance. I really think it may surprise you. If Matched was strong and steady, Crossed is quiet, but sure.

I posted this for Divergent as soon as we were given the first chapter, and I thought I'd go ahead and post the same for Crossed for those who might have missed this little snippet. I haven't read it yet as I'm going to devour it all at once when my borrowed ARC (thank you, Kathy!) arrives in the mail later this week. I have a feeling this one's going to be fantastic!

CROSSED by Ally Condie (Chapters 1 & 2)

Thank you to Entertainment Weekly and Penguin Books for providing this glimpse, first seen here!

Author: R.J. Anderson
Publication Date: 09/01/2011
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Pages: 416
Source: e-ARC

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her. Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori - the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

Although I know it's not very usual, I'd like to start off my review with a bit of a personal confession. For as long as I can remember I've had a strange relationship with music. I'd like to say that I listen to music, but listening would be the wrong verb. I experience music. I never knew there could be a name for it until after I read this book - I always thought synesthesia had to do with colors and numbers/letters, but not sound. While I was looking into it, and saw that someone referred to it as music having a three-dimensional equality and feeling I almost had tears in my eyes: that just made so much sense. So, thank you, R.J. Anderson. Not only did you write a breathtaking book, but..now I think it may have a name.

Alison Jeffries is almost just like any other sixteen year-old girl. She attends high school, she has friends, an occasionally annoying little brother and... she experiences her senses in a way that is difficult to put into words. Sounds are vivid and colorful, numbers and letters have associated emotions, and words can sound off. The almost isn't necessarily because she experiences these things, it's because one morning Alison woke up in the psychiatric ward of a hospital without any idea how she got there. Until it all starts coming back.

Ultraviolet is a book that I wish I had read long, long ago. It's a book that was riveting from the very first paragraph and held my captivation until the last sentence. And it's very much a book that I think people should read. I have to say that I loved Alison as a character in part because some of me related to her, but mainly because she was just a breath of fresh air. In order for this sort of storyline to be pulled off so much about it has to go right to evoke the feeling of believability for what she was experiencing. And it did, and it worked so incredibly well. Because the majority of the story took place with a young adult's psychiatric home the feeling of the story was pressing and urgent and served as the perfect backdrop. The cast of secondary characters were invigorating and vibrant from the unsure-of-how-to-feel-about-him Dr.Minta to  all of her fellow residents and even her mother.

And, seriously, just when you think you know what's going on - you have no idea. Not everyone could pull a twist like this off and integrate it so well into the story, but she did and I believed every part of it. I've seen that some people were iffy on the ending, but I'm not at all one of them. I loved every nook and cranny of this story and I'm hard-pressed on my book buying ban not to run out and order a copy for myself right now.

If you like a book that feels like a contemporary with a sense of urgency and something slightly more then this could be a book for you. If you like a mystery or a fast-paced book of amazingness, this book is also for you. If you're like me and you can see/feel music and need a name for it, this book is most definitely for you.

This ARC was received from Lerner Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Marianna Baer
Publication Date: 09/13/2011
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 402
Source: ARC

Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school begins with a shock: Frost House, her cozy dorm of close friends, has been assigned an unexpected roommate: confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. But while Leena’s anxiety about a threat to her sanctuary proves valid, it becomes less and less clear whether the threat lies with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind, or within the very nature of Frost House itself. Mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and Celeste’s brother, and the reawakening of childhood fears, all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. Frost is the story of a haunting. As to whether the demons are supernatural or psychological . . . well, which answer would let you sleep at night?

A ball led astray was all it took for Leena Thomas to come across Frost House (a beautiful Victorian house tucked into the woods), and as soon as she set her eyes on it she knew she had to live there for her senior year. Having been sent to Barcroft Academy after her parents divorced right before freshman year, Leena sees Barcroft as her home, her friends as her family, and Frost House their private sanctuary. So when Celeste Lazar is assigned to room with Leena in her first floor room due to her injured leg there's bound to be a period of adjustment - until Leena discovers that's merely the beginning.

I know I scare easily, so it really wasn't any surprise that I had a hard time falling asleep after reading this one late at night. Take it from my experience and read it with a snuggable animal along or during the day. That said,  Frost was a crazy psychological journey that I had a difficult time putting down. I hadn't any clue where the story was going while I was reading it; I just knew that something had to come to a head or I might have had to fully hide under the covers. From the first time Leena steps into her new room at Frost House she was drawn to it. Airy and spacious surrounded on one end by windows and a sole closet that smelled slightly like her old attic.

While I really enjoyed the story part of the book, the characters sort of lost their vividness along the way for me. I want to preface that statement by saying that in part due to the storyline it makes a lot of sense for the characters to seem sort of faded. However, I had a hard time staying along with them at times and was more curious about the progression of what was going on in Frost House rather than the people everything was happening to. The relationship between Leena and David - Celeste's brother - didn't entirely win me over. They had a lot of cute moments near the beginning and in the middle, but there was one near the end that completely didn't work in any way for me, and after that I would have preferred that they not see each other.

The ending of the book was a real trip and it's very safe to say that I didn't at all expect how it ended and thought the big reveal to be quite clever and well-done. What progressed with Leena in the end, though, wasn't okay for me. I don't want to give anything away, but I felt that more needed to be done to address the problem at hand and that she needed more assistance than she was given. Yes, this is vague, but when you read it you'll know what I mean.

All in all I enjoyed Frost and think that if you're in need of a fast-paced thriller then you should give this book a try. The writing is lovely and matches the nervous feeling of the book. Just.. don't read it at night.

Author: Laini Taylor
Publication Date: 09/27/2011
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pages: 432
Source: ARC

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

As far as anyone knows, Karou is just a normal girl attending a high school for the arts in Prague. A girl with a talent when holding a pencil that does wonders in a sketchbook. And as far as anyone knows, the images inside Karou's many sketchbooks are part of her evocative imagination, and when people ask what Issa has been up to they expect that her answer is part of an overall story with an ending only Karou can tell. With a wink and the right tone of voice, the truth is easily painted as fiction with no questions asked. That is until her routine, but curious life is upended with a visitor she didn't know to expect and an answer that, like Karou's images, was hiding there all along.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is easily one of the best books that I've read this year, and I would go so far as to place it in the top five. Usually with a book the notion that it is incredibly original and refreshing would outweigh a lot of things, but the fact is that the crafting of this story far outshines everything else. If this book were set in the United States it would not have had the impact that it did; the fairy tale background of Prague evoked such strong imagery and a sense of unmarred age that it lent itself well to the story that played out on its streets. I'd almost say that the setting of Prague was the custom-fitted costume that the characters wore to great effect.

And what is a well-designed costume without actors that can do it justice? The characters in this story, very much including the secondary, were perfectly fit. I think it will be difficult not to like Karou, who is smart, strong, and loyal. When Karou got mad, I was angry. When Karou was upset, I wanted to know more along with her. She is definitely a character that I would love to hang out with, especially if it was with her best friend, Zuzana - a sassy little thing with a clever tongue and an impeccable sense of style. The rest of them were amazing, too, but I don't want to give too much away. I will mention, however, that my favorite of the characters is probably Brimstone, but I'll let you find out for yourselves.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a book that I was left thinking about for days after I finished, and it's one where you'll be very much glad that it's part of a series. With a wonderful cast of characters and a take on mythology that's refreshing in its originality and depth, this is a book that you won't want to miss. I'm not sure where the next book is going to go, but it's a journey I'll definitely be pre-ordering.

Author: Tara Hudson
Publication Date: 06/07/2011
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 404
Source: Library

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever. (goodreads)

Hereafter begins abruptly with us being introduced to Amelia's recurring nightmare, which we end up finding out is her revisiting what she thinks the night of her death - yes, Amelia is dead. In fact, she's a ghost. Except it isn't her death from the top of High Bridge that she's seeing this time, it's  someone else's. A boy, Joshua, has driven his car into the water and begins to drown. Being a ghost, Amelia can't save him, but she can sure try. Miraculously, she ends up somehow establishing a connection with Joshua who is the first living human to see her. Amelia later gathers that he can only see her because he experienced a moment of death before being revitalised and surfacing. I didn't read the tag on the cover, but I should have as it pretty much sums up the book. The rest of the story is back and forth about how much they love each other after just one day, with also the occasional evil force (and bothersome grandma) that attempt to keep them apart. (And, of course, fail.) Hereafter would have done more for me if there were something about the story that wasn't about their instant attraction. Even if the writing for me wasn't stellar, it was still passable, but the relationship between Amelia and Joshua was too much, too soon. Sometimes I can get around the instashipping in books, but considering the relationship is between a dead person and a living one you would think there would be some moment of hesitation and a period of 'okay, so the girl is dead and just what is happening right now?'. But there isn't. And I realise that that's partially due to Amelia's interest in being able to talk to someone, however, that didn't come as being strong enough a reason. Eli as an antagonist didn't work for me - I wasn't left anticipating what he would do or what sort of havoc he would wreak. He came off as creepy and a bit of a stalker, and I didn't really get what he was trying to tell Amelia about her powers. His storyline was left without a resolution or a hint as to what was coming for her on that front. I was more nervous waiting for something else big to happen. With trouble connecting to the characters and not having enough information to plausibly believe what was going on, Hereafter was not a book for me and I will not be continuing on to the sequel.

Author: Cristina García
Publication Date: 07/12/2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 256
Source: e-ARC

Brought together each summer at a boarding school in Switzerland, three girls learn a lot more than just French and European culture. Shirin, an Iranian princess; Ingrid, a German-Canadian eccentric; and Vivien, a Cuban-Jewish New Yorker culinary phenom, are thrown into each other's lives when they become roommates. 

This is a story of 3 paths slowly beginning to cross and merge as they spend the year apart, but the summers together. Through navigating the social-cultural shoals of the school, developing their adolescence, and learning the confusing and conflicting legacies of their families' past, Shirin, Ingrid, and Vivien form an unbreakable bond. 

This was less like a book and more of a glimpse into a looking glass showing us a reflection of the story of three completely different girls. Through varying situations in their lives they ended up at a posh Swiss boarding school, each wondering just what they could possibly get out of the situation. But more than getting something out of it, their experience changes their worldview and themselves.

To be honest, I finished this book about a month ago and have been struggling with the review ever since. Not because I didn't like it, because I loved it, but more so because this is really something has to be experienced along with the rest of the girls. Frankly, I don't think this is a book that everyone will be able to worm their way into, but if you do, you will love it. It's real and unapologetic and left me curious - I wanted to know even more about the girls and read more of their correspondence. I wanted to cook with Viven, chat with Shirin, and attend a show with Ingrid.

If anyone has any questions about Dreams of Significant Girls I'll do my best to answer them. I apologise for the review that's not quite a review, but, I do urge you to read it if you're a fan of realistic contemporary YA.