My name is Amber and I'm an aspiring YA author with a passion for movies and novels. If it's young adult AND paranormal and/or romantic (best if all three!) I'm there. Also, it seems fair to warn everyone that I am not a robot or a zombie and when it comes to the all important question: zombie or unicorns, I must side with the unicorns because they were my first love.
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Happily Ever Endings are ending summaries of novels that will be in series for your reading pleasure. That way, you can refer to them when the next book comes out if you can't remember exactly what happened.
I've signed up for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge.
All you've got to do is read at least 12 debuts in 2011 from YA (or middle grade) authors and sign up to participate in the challenge. I'm super excited about this because I think it's awesome to support debut authors!
Check out The Story Siren's blog to sign up yourself!
Here are just some of the books I plan on reading:
I'm sad to see it gone but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the week! So now it's time to see the winners of the whole thing! The voters have spoken and the pair that was the most creative, the most cohesive and had the best arrangement overall is...
Erica O. said "I picked this team because they list the bad and the good of both characters. They are fair and ho nest and they weren't partial to one person."
Congrats to these wonderful girls! You each will win a one book that has a YA triangle in it from The Book Depository.
Thanks to all the contestant who wrote articles. Awesome job to all of you who participated and made YA Love Triangle Week great!
The Voters
So we had quite a few wonderful people who voted for the arguments. I want to thank each one of you for taking the time to read the arguments and vote for your favorites. So here we go...
I plugged in the numbers on a Random Number Generator
I got the results
The first winning number was... Brooke from Brooke's Box of Books
The second winner was... Ivalice Alliance
Both girls have won one book featured during the week (of their choice) from The Book Depository.
Thanks so much to everyone for voting, reading the arguments and making this such a successful event. Stay tuned for the winner of The Iron King giveaway (will be posted within a few days) and look out for more details on First Come, Second Served month heading your way!
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments: Book One) by Cassandra Clare
Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Language: English ISBN-10: 1416914285 ISBN-13: 978-1416914280 Source: Bought from Borders.com (because I HAD to have hardbacks to match my signed City of Glass because I felt it would look better. So basically, I'm a freak.) Cover: I'm not wild about this cover. It's visually interesting and it looks gorgeous sitting all big and gleaming in my hands but it didn't make me need to pick up right away. In fact, I didn't until recently. That being said, it looks much better in person and I love all three covers together. So it grew on me. First Sentence: " "You've got to be kidding me," the bouncer said, folding his arms across his massive chest."
The Mini-Review: With a solid plot, great writing and lovable characters, City of Bones is a great start to what promises to be an outstanding series.
The Book Summary:
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder-- much less a murder committed by three teenagers with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing-- not even a smear of blood-- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warrior dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It is also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...
The Review:
Clare infuses unforgettable and lovable characters into a gritty world that feels like it's just around the corner in New York City. The plot had me racing through the bulky page count to see how the characters were going to make it out alive. Though I'm not usually a fan of third person because it makes it incredibly hard to connect about a character, Clare succeeds at giving the reader a reason to care about her leads and guides the reader to a somewhat comfortable ending for a debut.
Following Clary Fray in the heavily urban backdrop of New York was fun because she never let her "mundane"ness stop her from fighting. From the very beginning, Clary was interested in figuring out what was going on behind the scenes and she didn't let little things like the word "no" stop her. When she is attacked by a demon in the beginning, she relies on herself to fight, not for Jace or anyone for that matter to save her. I kept expect Jace to barge in and save her at the last minute but it never happened and I was so thankful for this. Clare gave us a smart, inquisitive heroine who took situations far beyond her control into her own hands and Clare allowed her to flourish. Everything out of Clary's mouth was observant or smart and she had a quick witted response to through back at Jace whenever the time called for it.
Speaking of wit and quick retorts, both Simon and Jace were the king of them. There were so many times I'd laugh out loud while reading this novel because of the witty dialog. Jace was an interesting character in that he always told you the truth and I believed it. He was strong and good at what he did. I wanted to swoon but I found it hard as Clare repeated reminded us how young the characters were. I had a hard time picturing a lean and muscular guy like on the cover every time I read how Jace was the youngest Shadowhunter in history or when a character reminded him that he was just a child. I got frustrated with it. However, the compliant is small and I'm hoping it's a wrinkle that will smooth out in the next installment of the series.
I thought Simon was equally worth note. Though he wasn't trained to fight, he always came through. I enjoyed his friendship with Clary and the fact that he used his wit for more than just great one liners. He always had a plan whether it was to get Clary jealous or burst in at the last moment and defeat a demon. He knew what he was doing and for that, I really liked him. I'm really interested to see how he will progress in the series.
Reading this novel reminded me of two things. The first is Harry Potter (and no, not in a "Clare copied Potter" sort of way-- I think that just because they both have flying bikes doesn't mean they are the same, that's like saying since Rowling wrote about wizards with wands then no one else can.). Bones reminded me of Potter in the way that it read. It had a very storybookesque quality to the writing. The third person narrator who knew what was going to happen. Basically, I trusted the voice to lead me safely through the novel to the other side and I don't usually get that in a third person novel. I also never felt like the voice talked down to me.
I was also reminded of playing a Final Fantasy game because of the atmosphere that was created. The crazy costumes and over top hair, the gritty city that mixed swords and cell phones. The broadsword wielding hero with a shock of blonde hair and the evil guy from the past who started out with the best intentions. It all reminded me of a video game. This added to my enjoyment.
All this being said, this novel wasn't without its flaws. There were times when Clary would explain something about the world to another character and I'd have no idea where she learned it herself. Since Clary was experiencing everything in that world the same time as the readers, it really showed when she knew something we didn't. There were also places where Clary would connect something completely random that wasn't even hinted about beforehand. For instance, she asks Isabelle if Alec is gay and there was nothing to hint at it before hand. After the question comes up, we see more of that behavior but there is nothing beforehand to suggest he's gay. Also, and this has to do with the third person, there were times in the novel where reactions were too exaggerated and jumped out from no where.One minute Clary would be fine with Isabelle and the next she'd think she was a bitch and all Isabelle would do is look at her. I just didn't think some actions warranted the reactions.
The last major thing I had wrong with this novel was the ending. When The Big Secret (you know what I'm talking about if you've read it) is revealed, I just kept waiting for someone to tell me it was a joke. And waiting... and waiting and then the last page came and it never did. I really hated this. As a reader, I felt tricked and not in a pleasant way. Also, during that last scene, I could feel some confusion in the fluidness of the writing. For me, that's where it was most obvious that this was a debut novel. Anyway, the ending bothered me so much, I went on Wikipedia and had to look up some things and spoil the ending for myself just to put my sick mind at ease. What redeems this ending for me and will make me keep reading is the fact that I cared enough to look it up. I wanted to make sure everything was going to be okay. That shows me that the writing and the characters were worth spending more time with.
Don't let the little things get in the way of you trying this novel for yourself. So it's not perfect. Rarely anything is. This novel is a fun read with a wonderful and gritty environment, characters to love, a whole bunch of awesome paranormal creatures and a plot that will make this whooping 495 page book seem short. City of Bones is worth every page.
This is a great new meme created by Danya over at A Tapestry of Words.Hop over to her blog on Thursdays and join in the fun!
Awakened by Ednah Walters
Most teens turn sixteen and get the license to drive, Lil Falcon gets the license to kill demons, but no one told her she is not supposed to fall in love with one.
Orphaned as a child and raised by an eccentric grandfather, Lil is concerned with surviving high school and is unaware she's a Guardian—a being with super powers charged with killing demons and protecting humanity. But when she meets Bran, a mysterious boy with amazing abilities, his psi energy unlocks her latent powers.
But Bran has a secret that can destroy their growing relationship. He's part demon. But in her heart, Lil knows Bran is not evil. So when her grandfather is kidnapped by a powerful nature-bender and Bran is the only one who knows where he's being kept, Lil convinces the other Guardians to trust him, not knowing her grandfather is just the bait. And the truth that she discovers in the demonic enclave may just destroy everything she believes in, unless she makes the right choice—love and sacrifice.
I've seen this novel around on a lot of blog getting really great reviews and I follow the author who is super sweet. Plus I love that the author is a fad of supernatural and when asked about what type of cover she said "give me Sam's head on Dean's body". That's priceless! The summary makes an attractive book even better. Hoping to find this one under my tree!
I haven't made it a secret that I finally got to visit the wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter yesterday. I have some photos but my friends were much quicker about posting photos so here you have it! We traveled up the night before (there were five of us) and went in when the park opened. There was nobody there-- seriously, the longest wait was for the new Harry Potter ride and it said 20 mins but it was actually longer to walk through the castle than to get on the rides. So we didn't have to deal with crowds. Now, on to the good stuff...
That's my first reaction. I didn't know she was taking the picture... this was not posed...
Hogsmeade!
My best friend (who took these pictures on the left) and I (right) taking a photo with the conductor who had a British accent!
This is at the entrance.
Hogwarts! This is where the new Harry Potter adventure ride is (which is terrifying). It took everything about Harry Potter that was scary and put it into one ride. Great fun though!
The Greenhouse which is part of the waiting line in Hogwarts
The entrance to Dumbledore's office which is also in Hogswarts castle
The had a bunch of awesome talking photos in Hogwarts and you could never tell who was going to be speaking!
Yup, that's THE Sorting Hat! He's at the end of the Hogwarts castle right before you board the ride!
Every hour or so, they have the two other schools come out and perform and then the Hogwarts choir sings
Ashley (my bestie on the left) and I (right) in line to get into Olivanders.
Olivanders was totally worth the wait. You must visit it!
The owls right out of Olivanders.
The entrance to the Dragon Challenge (the old dueling dragons)
A staircase in Honeydukes
Zoink's joke shop was adorable!
Wanna be Hermy? Get yourself a Pigme (spelling) Puff! They were super soft.
I'll get around to putting my pictures up in a bit but I wanted you all to see how magical it really is. My husband made a wonderful observation about Harry Potter. He said, the reason he thought it held so much significance for us is because it is the first part of a theme park that was created about something that was our generation. Marvel, Seuss, and Toonland all feature attractions that are timeless but none which were made during our time. Harry Potter came out right around the time I was his age. As he grew, I grew with him. That's what makes it even more magical. It's our generation's gold child and to see it come to life is something truly amazing. I really hope you can all find your way there!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where you can post about upcoming books you're looking forward to.
This is a wonderful chance for blogger to show off what's coming out soon that they are excited about! Every week my wishlist balloons thanks to this awesome meme.
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?
Um, have you heard of a little book called Nightshade? If you've been living under a rock, maybe not but I don't hesitate to call it one of the top five best novels of 2010 (I'd go as far as to say 1 on my list). It ended on a gigantic cliffhanger and I am dying to get Wolfsbane in my hands to find out what happens to some of my favorite characters ever. Brilliantly written, fast paced and amazing, if Wolfsbane is even half as good as Nightshade was (and I have a feeling it will be just as delicious), then it will be entirely worth the wait!
Sadly, the wait is far too long (tomorrow would be too long). Look for Wolfsbane out July 12, 2011.
