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Category: Young Adult

Giveaway: "Num8ers" by Rachel Ward

[ 0 ] March 7, 2010
Book Synopsis

Ever since she was child, Jem has kept a secret: Whenever she meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. The two plan a trip to the city. But while waiting to ride the Eye ferris wheel, Jem is terrified to see that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today’s number. Today’s date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem’s world is about to explode!

Please visit the Num8ers website for more information.

Giveaway
I have 3 hardcover copies of Num8ers for the lucky winners!
To enter, please comment on this post with your book choice and an e-mail address.
Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
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This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on March 22nd.

Giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Big Honcho Media. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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"Eyes Like Stars" by Lisa Mantchev

[ 3 ] February 22, 2010
Reviewed by Jennifer J.

Imagine a world full of possibilities, where you can play games of make-believe with the Lost Boys from Peter Pan or learn how to use a cutlass from a dashing pirate from The Little Mermaid. Where in just a few seconds you can be transported from Jack the Ripper’s London to the vast ocean ruled by the terrifying Sea Goddess Sedna. For Beatrice Shakespeare Smith (Bertie, as she is called by the Players), this is her entire world. 
Bertie lives in the Theatre Illuminata, which also happens to be the home of every cast member of every play ever written. For the last 18 years, she has been nothing but a burden for the Theatre Manager; he has finally had enough and has asked her to leave the theatre. If Bertie cannot prove she is invaluable to the theatre, she will lose everything: the only home she has ever known, her mischievous fairy sidekicks, and maybe even the affections of handsome pirate Nate.

Bertie’s involvement with the cast of characters has caused them to change, expanding the personalities depicted onstage. Ariel, an air spirit from The Tempest, seems to know something about Bertie. He believes she holds the key to freeing all of the players so they can live outside the theatre. A player has escaped before, and Ariel desperately wants to leave the Theatre Illuminata.

In Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev takes us on a delightful journey to the other side of the stage, to the world existing behind the curtains. This book is truly for any daydreamer who has ever wondered what becomes of beloved characters including Hamlet, Ophelia, Titania, Oberon, and the frolicking fairies of The Midsummer Night’s Dream when their lines are over. Mantchev’s passion for the theatre is truly alive in her debut novel. Though the theatre is home to every Player in existence, most of the characters Bertie interacts with are from Shakespeare’s works. I am hoping in future installments of this series we will see more characters from other plays.

Though Lisa Mantchev had a clear and precise vision for her stage, I sometimes found it hard to really picture where the characters were standing and what setting they were in. Bertie has the ability to change the sets, and sometimes I got lost in her scene changes. For example, Bertie herself has written a play in which she attempts to describe how she came to be a ward of the Theatre Illuminata. The play then begins to perform itself. I was confused whether I should be picturing players acting out the various roles or if I should be envisioning this as a flashback. This is one novel that I would be thrilled to see turned into a motion picture–the possibilities are endless!

When Eyes Like Stars reached its curtain fall, there were still some story threads that had not yet been resolved. Will Bertie leave the theatre of her own choice? Will her heart choose Ariel or Nate? These answers and many more will hopefully be answered in Perchance to Dream, available in May 2010.

Visit Lisa Mantchev Theatre lluminata page for more information.

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Feiwel & Friends. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review & Giveaway: "The Little Giant of Aberdeen County" by Tiffany Baker

[ 1 ] February 4, 2010
Reviewed by Vera (Luxury Reading)

The residents of the small town of Aberdeen could have sworn that Truly’s mother was carrying a boy. After all, no girl could stretch a woman’s belly to such an enormous size. Defying all expectations, Truly thumps into the world to the noise of neighbors bidding on the “boy’s” weight in the front yard. Her mother dies in childbirth, leaving her father clueless as to how to raise Truly and her older sister, Serena Jane.

Before Truly is officially labeled a giant by her grade school teacher, it is painfully obvious to everyone, her father included, that she is no ordinary toddler. In a stark contrast to the beautiful and dainty Serena Jane, Truly looks ridiculous in girly outfits that seem ready to rip at the seams and wears men’s shirts by the time she turns one. When the girls’ father passes away soon after their mother, Serena Jane is taken in and regaled by the bishop’s family, while Truly is sent to live on a farm with an outcast Dyerson family.

Truly grows up acutely aware of her differences and her burgeoning size. In a tiny community like Aberdeen, fingers are pointed, her growing frame discussed, and school bullies have an endless supply of torments. She finds solace in friends that are equally odd in the eyes of others: the silent Amelia Dyerson and the small, but brilliant, Marcus. Serena Jane, meanwhile, grows up pampered and spoiled, only to have her dreams of fame snuffed by a marriage to the future town doctor, Bob Bob Morgan.

In a series of events, Truly leaves the Dyerson farm and moves in with Bob Bob, who is as obsessed with finding the cause for Truly’s ever expanding size as he was with Serena Jane’s beauty and self-importance. In between preparing meals and cleaning after the doctor, Truly becomes consumed with discovering the witchcraft legacy in the Morgan family past and finding the book of spells left behind by the late Tabitha Morgan. What she uncovers presents her with the type of power and acceptance she never knew because of her appearance, but also causes outcomes she never anticipated.

Given the praise that this novel has received, I had high hopes for The Little Giant of Aberdeen County and was disappointed that it did not altogether live up to my expectations. The Little Giant was a good book, but not a great one, and left me feeling indifferent towards the story and the characters. 
The Little Giant had the components of a compelling novel, – the outcast of a main character, the vain sister, the mean spirited neighbors, and some witchcraft sprinkled in – but somehow these never came together in an interesting way. Truly’s size was always at the forefront, overshadowing other characters’ development. At times, her character felt almost supernatural and it was unclear whether or not that was the author’s intention. That said, I think Tiffany Baker did an excellent job of portraying normal characters versus those who would be considered “different”, and showing that even beauty, or wealth, or intelligence is not a guarantee of a happy ending. 
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County can foster interesting book club discussions. Please visit Hachette’s site for a Reading Group Guide.
Visit Tiffany Baker’s website and participate in the book discussion on Facebook and GoodReads. 
Giveaway
Three readers will receive recently released paperback copies of The Little Giant, courtesy of Hachette!

To enter, comment on this post with your e-mail address.
Extra Entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
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This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.
The giveaway will end at midnight on February 26th.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Hachette Book Group. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Giveaway: "My Soul to Take" and "My Soul to Save" by Rachel Vincent

[ 0 ] January 24, 2010

Book 1 of The Soul Screamers series — My Soul to Take — was released this past summer, and readers found out why Kaylee Cavanaugh screams bloody murder when someone’s about to die.

In Book 2 – My Soul to Save – when teen pop star Eden croaks on stage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand.

Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk.

Soul Screamers: The last thing you hear before you die.

Visit the official Soul Screamers website and learn more about Kaylee by downloading the free Soul Screamers prequel My Soul to Lose here.

Giveaway
One grand prize winner will receive both books in the Soul Screamers series: My Soul to Take and My Soul to Save!

Two additional winners will receive copies of My Soul to Save!
For the first entry, comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra Entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Watch the video here and comment with something interesting you heard (2 entries)
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This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. International readers may enter if they have a friend in the U.S. who can accept the prize for them.

Deadline to enter is midnight on February 10th.

Giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Big Honcho Media. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review & Giveaway: "The Lonely Hearts Club" by Elizabeth Eulberg

[ 1 ] January 20, 2010
Reviewed by Jennifer J.
Penny Lane Bloom is convinced that she and her childhood sweetheart, Nate Taylor, are destined to be together. Nate has been a lot of firsts for Penny: the first guy she kissed, the first guy with whom she held hands, and the first guy to give her a Valentine’s Day card. Each summer Penny Lane eagerly anticipates their family’s joint vacation and the many hours she will get to spend exclusively with Nate. As both Penny and Nate grow up, her feelings for him intensify and Penny decides it’s time for them to experience another “first” together. When Penny walks in on Nate half-naked with another girl, all of her hopes and dreams go up in flames.

Penny begins to ponder on all of her past relationships, coming to the conclusion that guys just aren’t worth it. Inspired by her love for the Beatles, she forms The Lonely Hearts Club and becomes its sole member. All around McKinley High, other girls relate to Penny’s heartaches and want to join her club – including Penny’s ex-best friend, Diane. Before she knows it, Penny has a huge following. The girls will soon learn that it’s not so easy to ignore the objects of their hearts’ desire. Even Penny herself cannot ignore the growing feelings she’s experiencing for a jock who is so much more than he seems. Will Penny and her friends stay true to The Lonely Hearts Club, or will they give love a second chance?

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg explores not only love and heartbreak, but also the bonds of female friendship. With so many teen books revolving around backstabbing friends and catty lead characters, Penny Lane and her friends are a refreshing change. Even though Penny and some of her friends get a romantic happy ending, they still respect and honor The Lonely Hearts Club and all that it has meant to them. When given the opportunity to spend time with a boy or their girl friends, so many teens will often choose the boyfriend over their best friends. If there is only one thing a teen takes away from reading The Lonely Hearts Club, I would hope for it to be a lesson about friendship.

Even though The Lonely Hearts Club was 290 pages, the story within was satisfying. I enjoyed the banter and flirtation between Penny and Ryan, and applauded Penny for putting her grudge against Diane behind her and working out their differences. As an adult reader who loves Young Adult fiction, I found this to be one of the best YA books I have read in the last year. Not only did Eulberg create an engaging story, but she created characters that adult readers’ younger selves would have easily related to.

For more information, please visit Elizabeth Eulberg’s website.

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Giveaway
I have 5 copies of The Lonely Hearts Club to give away!
For the first entry, comment on this post with your e-mail address.
Extra Entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Watch the video above and comment with something interesting you heard (2 entries)
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- Add the Luxury Reading button to your blog (5 entries)
- Follow Luxury Reading on Facebook (3 entries) (widget on the bottom left side)
- Blog about this giveaway (5 entries)
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. International readers may enter if they have a friend in the U.S. who can accept the prize for them.
Deadline to enter is midnight on February 6th.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Big Honcho Media. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
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Guest Post & Giveaway: Alexandra Bullen, author of Wish

[ 6 ] January 13, 2010

Summary

Nothing can change the fact that Olivia Larsen’s twin sister, Violet, is gone…until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn’t just look magical—it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

Olivia’s wish will be granted.

With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses and two more wishes left.

Please welcome Alexandra Bullen, author of Wish, to Luxury Reading!

One of the best parts of writing Wish was that it gave me an excuse to do something I’d always really wanted to do: Spend a few months living in San Francisco.

There’s a scene early in the book where Miles asks Olivia if she drove all the way from Boston to California, and Olivia shudders at the thought. In real life, I did make the cross-country trip, with lots of stops along the way. Luckily, I had company. Here I am with my travel buddies, somewhere between Nashville and Sedona:

As you can see, I did most of the driving.

Since Olivia is new to San Francisco, I spent a lot of time trying to see the city through her eyes. I got to know the neighborhood where the Larsens live (Dolores Park and the Mission), where Olivia goes to school (the Haight) and all of the famous landmarks that Soren shows off on his mini-tour of the city (The Ferry Building, Fisherman’s Wharf, Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill…oh my!)

It was a great excuse to be a tourist, day after day. But since I was there for three months, I was eventually able to settle into a routine of my own. I found my favorite neighborhood yoga studio (Yoga Tree on Stanyan), the greatest sandwich shop in the universe (Ike’s Place in the Castro—the Dirty Sauce is addictive!), and spent hours browsing legendary bookstores (I miss you, City Lights!)

Now that I think about it, it’s probably time for another extended visit. You know, for research…

Extra Goodies: Visit the beautiful dedicated Wish website and Alexandra Bullen’s blog. Mouse over to YouTube to watch the book trailer.

Check out Alex’s next blog tour stop at The Compulsive Reader on January 15th, where she will be doing an interview.

Giveaway
Scholastic has graciously offered to send one lucky reader a signed copy of Wish!
For the first entry, comment on this post with your e-mail address.
Extra Entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
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This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Deadline to enter is midnight on February 2nd.
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Review & Giveaway: "The Girl with Glass Feet" by Ali Shaw

[ 0 ] January 5, 2010

Reviewed by Alice P.


The Girl with Glass Feet is an engaging and enthralling novel by Ali Shaw. The author is able to successfully blend together elements that captivate the readers’ attention. Indeed, this book has everything from suspense to horror to romance to mystery. It will leave you at the edge of your seats, unwilling to put the book down until the last word.

The Girl with Glass Feet is a love story about a confused boy, Midas, and a determined girl, Ida, who are both looking for one thing…answers. Midas is confused about his life, about why his father killed himself and why his mother never got over the death, about why things are the way they are, and who is responsible. Ida, on the other hand, is trying to find a cure for her rare condition, a condition that causes one to turn completely to glass. She is searching for ways to stave off the glass, which had started from her foot and is rapidly spreading throughout her body. She is not sure why this is happening or how it’s happening. She is only sure of one thing: she must find the man, the only one able to fix it, the only person that can give her and Midas the answers…Henry Fuwa.

Henry Fuwa knows not only about Ida’s disease, but also about the strange things that are happening in their little town of St. Hauda’s Land. He knows about the albino animals that hide in the frosted woods, about the unusual half ox half winged creatures that roam around near the swamps, and about why Midas’s father killed himself.

Though Midas and Ida’s meeting is rather unexpected and not a love at first sight, it blossoms into something so much more. And soon they both realize that only by helping one another can they help themselves. By finding Henry Fuwa, Ida and Midas are able to find the answers they have been looking for, the solutions, and the disappointments that lead them on the adventure of their lives.

Thanks to the uniqueness of the content and the rareness of the storyline, I was completely absorbed in the writing. The story jumps from Midas’s to Ida’s to Henry Fuwa’s point of view which enabled me to understand how each and every main character is feeling and find out about his/her past experiences. With The Girl with Glass Feet, Ali Shaw has been able to do something that is very difficult…he is able to bring to life a beautiful fantasy story, and stage it in a realistic manner. It is a must read for all those who love excitement, uncertainty, enchantment, and more.

For more information, please visit Ali Shaw’s blog.


Alice, a.k.a. Sunny, is a full time student at LakeLand College. She is originally from India, but has been traveling the world with her mom and sister ever since she was two.
Giveaway

I have 5 copies of The Girl with Glass Feet to give away, courtesy of Henry Holt and Company!

For the first entry, comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra Entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):

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This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Deadline to enter is midnight on January 21st.
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"Ruby Unscripted" by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

[ 0 ] January 1, 2010

Reviewed by Carly L.

Ruby Unscripted, the first book in Cindy Martinusen-Coloma’s new series for teen girls, tells the story of fifteen year old Ruby Madden. Since her family moved to Marin County, California, life has gotten pretty confusing for Ruby. The novel deals with both the typical pains of being a teenager and the quiet journey of having faith.

Ruby is a typical small-town girl. She has a best friend she can always depend on, classmates who have known her since kindergarten, and a crush on a cute boy who’s dropping hints about taking her to prom. When her family moves to Marin County, however, Ruby is thrown for a loop. Her new friends in the school’s film club all seem glamorous and worldly and she finds herself drawn to a certain mysterious young man who is unlike anyone Ruby has ever met. As her story plays out, Ruby has to find a balance between the old life she used to know, the new life she’s excited to find, and the faith that’s always kept her going.

Ruby Unscripted seems to be a very authentic glimpse into the chaos of adolescence. For this reason, teens will likely relate to Ruby and her friends quickly, seeing bits of themselves in the character. However, the conflict in this book is a little bit lacking. Even Ruby seems to get bored at times with the social drama and the scattered focus. Ruby’s questions about her faith and life as a Christian do manage to pump a little energy into her story, but she never seems to really explore these questions, being distracted instead by the latest developments in her social circle.

I found this book to be a quick and enjoyable read, although not a memorable addition to Cindy Martinusen-Coloma’s novels. Her grasp on the teen perspective seems to be dead on and I’m looking forward to seeing what else the author has to offer in the world of young adult fiction.

For more information, please visit the Ruby Unscripted website.

Carly lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and their two cats. Her favorite thing to do is to curl up by a window with a library book. When she isn’t reading, she’s usually writing on her blog at www.beingcarly.com.

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