Between Us And The Moon by Rebecca Maizel

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A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation.

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict.

The story starts out cute despite our protagonist Sarah ("Bean" to her family and closest friends) having a broken heart. Sarah is the kid you don't have to worry about because she has it together. She's just smart and responsible. For past few months, she’s been tracking the trajectory of a comet for research that she hopes will win her a scholarship. This is where she is in her element surrounded by equations, hypotheses and facts. What she’s not so good at is reading people, like when her boyfriend shows up to her house to break up with her the night before she leaves for Cape Cod for the summer. He claims it’s because she hasn’t noticed how much he’s changed. He accuses her of hiding behind her telescope and notes, observing life rather than living it. His accusation stings but she can’t help but wonder if there’s a ring of truth to it. Look at her older sister Scarlett, who manages to be the life of the party. Sarah feels socially inept next to her, not to mention that their parents expect her to be the responsible one and Scarlett to be the flaky one.

Sarah decides that a change is in order so she concocts this plan to observe Scarlett in her element and take on her attitude and mannerisms in order to break free from her old self. The "Scarlett Experiment" takes her out of her comfort zone and leads to a few embarrassing if not funny moments. On her first day attempting to be Scarlett she meets Andrew, a local. He’s nineteen, in college, surfs and works on one of the fishing boats. She allows him to assume that she’s going to college. She throws in that she’s heading to MIT. Umm...no. She’s only fifteen and a couple of days shy of her 16^th birthday.

I thought the story was cute initially. I mean Sarah is all kinds of naive and adorable. I liked how she'd make scientific notes when observing her sister's behaviour. Branching out to make new friends and being a "normal" teenager is not something that comes naturally to her. It’s understandable that she's at that stage in her life where she wants to be seen as more than just a studious kid. But as she and Andrew fell harder for each other, I began to worry about where the plot was going. I was very uneasy with her withholding her true age. Seriously? What was she thinking? The guy could get in trouble, like jail time trouble! She knows she has to come clean but she's so in over her head that she's scared. Even though she was more herself with Andrew and he liked her for that, that didn’t negate the lies upon lies that were stacking up. The truth eventually comes out but not before some irrevocable damage has been done.

Between Us and the Moon is about growing up and screwing up while you’re at it. There are good things that come out of it – Sarah does come to accept who she is, makes friends, stands up to her family and reaches her educational goals. She also encourages Andrew to reach for his dreams and not to set them aside in an attempt to atone for an incident he wasn’t responsible for before they met. Still, the story felt incomplete to me because it didn’t provide any insight as to the fallout after all her lies are revealed. Despite the whole lying about her age which pushed that “wiggy button” for me (thank you BiblioJunkie Shel for that term), I still consider this a good read. And I’d be interested to know someone else’s thoughts on it.

~Bel

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

****

From HarperTeen:

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion.  Everything changes when she meets the gorgeous, enigmatic Finn, who introduces her to the secret world of Albion's nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn't - power, money, status...and magic.  But Finn has secrets of his own, and the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess them.  Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits, can stop him.

Illusions is quite possibly my favorite Kiersten White book to date.  It is a funny, heartwarming, wrenching, romance mixed with a mystery full of twists and turns, all leading to a shocking conclusion that will leave you in awe of Ms. White.  

Jess is strong-willed and determined to use her intelligence to make something of herself, quite possibly by sheer willpower alone.  She left Melei to go to a private school in Albion, only gaining admittance because of a family connection.  Her father, an Ablion man, had visited Melei to research a book, so Jess is neither fully Melei or Albion and fits into neither place.  She's strong, but she's stubborn to a fault and distrustful.  

Finn is a mystery.  He clearly appears noble and comes to her aid in a moment of trouble, but doesn't reveal much about himself and beyond a strong attraction, strange things seems to happen when Jess is around Finn.  The two keep crossing paths until Finn decides that it is best that they are not friends.  When Jess receives a mysterious invitation to a ball, she assumes it is from Finn.  

Once it becomes clear that he cannot avoid Jess, Finn is willing to give her his heart, but he's driven by loss to complete the tasks for which he came to Albion.  Thrust into a world of magic and danger, Jess is more confused than ever.  Once Jess finds out the truth about Finn, the two of them become completely adorable.  Finn is so awkward and Jess clueless.  It's is a so much fun to follow their journey.   

I won't give away any spoilers, I will only say that you will be on the edge of your seat to finish this one.  Illusions is a great read - you should all go read it now!  

~Shel

The Things You Kiss Goodby by Leslie Connor

* * * * 1/2

Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when basketball star Brady Cullen asks her out, and she just about faints when her strict father actually approves of him.

But when school starts up again, Brady changes. What happened to the sweet boy she fell in love with? Then she meets a smoldering guy in his twenties, and this “cowboy” is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina.

Bettina knows that breaking up with Brady would mean giving up her freedom—and that it would be inappropriate for anything to happen between her and Cowboy. Still, she can’t help that she longs for the scent of his auto shop whenever she’s anywhere else.

When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.

Leslie Connor has written a lyrical, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about family, romance, and the immense power of love.

Review:

Bettina Vasilis and Brady Cullen are the most unlikely of couples.  No one would have ever guessed that the up and coming basketball star and the artsy girl with the short skirts and fake ink would become a thing.  But they do.  In the beginning it’s hard to not absolutely love Brady Cullen.  He really IS the perfect boyfriend.  So sweet and polite. But after the summer, Brady comes back to school…different.  Sometimes he’s the sweet boy that Bettina fell for and other times she finds herself cringing in fear of what he’ll do next.  

In some ways, Bettina is a tough girl.  But her misogynistic father’s constant dismissal has given her plenty of insecurities and a dysfunctional approach to conflict.  So when her “perfect” high school boyfriend begins abusing her, Bettina’s response is to take Bampas’ (her father) advice. Filio Antio.  Kiss it goodbye.  

“Then I was to bury my pain or disappointment on the spot.  Stop crying. Let it go.”

Because if she just “kisses it goodbye” and looks the other way, she can still keep the little bit of freedom she has.  Because without her relationship with Brady, her dad would never let her leave the house except for school.  

After one of her altercations (one of the worst and most physically damaging) with Brady, Bettina runs off school property to a nearby industrial park so no one can see or hear her cry.  That is where “Cowboy” finds her.   The attractive older guy in his t-shirt and jeans takes Bettina to his nearby auto shop to look at her crushed hand and help her clean up.  And that’s that. No lightning bolts.  Not instant love.  He helps her and sends her on her way.  Bettina returns to the shop with a thank you coffee and begins to spend a few mornings and afternoons a week in his shop.  Just doing homework, drawing or helping him clean gears before using them for car repair.  That auto shop becomes a safe haven.  The one place Bettina can go where no one is trying to control her and her dreams are accepted as possibilities and not just dreams.

“Cowboy” and Bettina become friends and when Bettina mentions her growing attraction to him, he puts an end to it immediately.  Bettina worms her way back into his shop with coffee and a promise to never mention it again.  She can’t lose the one place she feels she can be accepted as who she is.  As the months go by, their relationship grows.  And just when “Cowboy” has decided to give in and pursue her (with the insistence that her parents know – which I found fascinating), something happens that forces Bettina to not only come clean with her parents but also address her relationship with Brady and her father.  

This book isn’t for everyone.  A lot of people will take issue with the age difference between Bettina and Cowboy.  But the point this book drives home beautifully is that just because you are young does not make your feelings any less real or less important.

Just because you are young does not mean you love any less.  And that sometimes “kissing it goodbye,” isn’t enough.

Nat

UNLEASHED Cover Reveal and Teaser

You know how much I love Sophie Jordan over here. Uninvited, which was released earlier back in January, surprised me because it was so different from what from what I've read from her in the past. So we're super excited to unveil the cover for the sequel, Unleashed!

What if the worst thing you ever did was unforgivable?

Davy’s world fell apart after she tested positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome. She was expelled from her school, dumped by her boyfriend, abandoned by friends, and shipped off to a camp that turns HTS carriers into soldiers. Davy may have escaped, but the damage has already been done. The unthinkable has happened. Now, even worse than having everyone else see her as a monster is the knowledge that they may have been right about her all along. Because Davy has killed.

On the run from government agents, Davy is rescued by Caden, the charismatic leader of an underground group of rebels. Despite Caden’s assurances that the Resistance is made up of carriers like her, Davy isn’t sure she can trust them. Then again, she doesn’t even know if she can trust herself . . . or her growing feelings for Caden. But if she doesn’t belong with Caden and his followers, is there anywhere she can call home?

Now let's add to the anticipation with this mini teaser!

I thought being labeled a killer and losing everything—my future, family, boyfriend, friends—was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. It’s not. Finding out they were right. Finding out that’s exactly what I am?  

That’s worse.

Oh. My. God. I CANNOT wait to see what happens next! Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more!

~ Bel

After the End by Amy Plum

* *  1/2

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.


Review: 

While Juneau is off hunting to feed her clan she hears the roar of “renegades.”  Or in modern terms, helicopters.  It isn’t the first time the clan has heard them.  They realize that smaller armies have formed after WWIII and it’s not surprising that some have managed to get things up and running enough to search out safer areas country.  But this time the renegades don’t fly over.  The roar continues and Juneau is worried about the safety of her clan.  She abandons her prey and races back to their village to find everyone gone.  Her father has left a message on the dirt floor of their yurt telling her to run.

So she does.  After collecting some things from the clan’s storage space, she heads for the coast.  And finds the most amazing thing.  A modern functioning society with no signs of the war she was lead to believe happened 30 years earlier.   Using her connection to the Yara (basically a transcendent ability to connect to the earth and its power) she is given direction on how to find her clan and their leader, who appears to be taken separately.  That direction leads her to Seattle.

Miles is rich boy from L.A. that is determined to destroy all the opportunities handed to him.  When he is expelled from his private school for cheating, his father, the CEO of a large pharmaceutical company, decides that he will learn responsibility by working in the mail room.  If after a year, he has proven that he can be responsible then maybe his father will see if he can still pull strings to get him into Yale.  But Miles is impatient and wants to get into his father’s good graces now.  When he finds out that his dad is looking for a girl in Seattle, he decides to run off himself and try to find her.  If he can deliver what his dad is looking for then everything will change.

After searching for a few days, Miles and Juneau find each other.  Before long they are headed on a frantic and adventurous trip to save Juneau’s family.  A trip that is full of discovery for both of them.  A trip that will hopefully lead to the safe return of her clan.

This story had its ups and downs.  I really enjoyed how much Juneau and Miles clashed.  They are both nice people but they come from such completely different worlds that their dislike of each other rather perfect.   What I didn’t like was their attraction that appeared about mid-way through the book.  It just didn’t build enough to make it believable.

I find the idea of a community living so secluded from the rest of the world fascinating.   No surprise considering how much I enjoyed M. Night. Shyamalan’s The Village.   The reason that Juneau’s clan was secluded holds a lot of potential and it will be interesting to see how the story continues.  Unfortunately this leads to my biggest complaint.  This is a first book in a series and the abrupt ending made it feel as if someone turned off the TV in the middle of an episode.  I was left confused and frustrated.  Not necessarily in a good anticipatory way. I would like to see how this ends but I will likely wait until they all the books in the series are out before reading more.

Here’s the thing.  If you are looking for a fun quick read with a bit of adventure and “magic” then I I do recommend After the End.  And hey, once the entire series is out, I will likely go back and read them all.  But until then I’ll stick to my stand alone novels and the few series I’ve been emotionally invested in so long that I can no longer give up.

~Nat

Chaos of the Stars by Kiersten White

****

From HarperTeen:

Isadora's family is seriously screwed up.  

Of course, when you're the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that comes with the territory.

Isadora's sick of living a life where she's only worthy of a passing glance, and when she's offered the chance to move thousands of miles away, she jumps on it.  But as much as Isadora tries to keep her new world and old world apart, she quickly realizes there's no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family.

Chaos is filled to the brim with Kiersten White's trademark witty, snarky and fun characters.  Isadora, Ry, Tyler and the supporting cast are people you want to hang out with.  They are full of smack talk, sarcasm and foot-in-mouth syndrome.  Having spent her life secluded with only her family around, Isadora is desperate to get out from under her mother's thumb, so when her mother sees trouble, Isadora goes to stay with her brother in San Diego, where she gets herself a group of friends, the interest of a mysterious hot boy and an unidentified evil bent on destruction.

Isadora is bitter.  As a devout disbeliever in love and relationships, Isadora tries to keep her distance from everyone, and rebels by doing her best to disavow her heritage, but is drawn into a plot to destroy her family.  Can she learn to let people in and save her family?

I loved Paranormalcy, so it was with great trepidation I picked up Chaos.  I was delighted to enjoy it so much.  It's fast-paced, fun and a great way to spend an afternoon!  

Check out Kiersten's blog for more information and goofy good times!

http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com

~Shel

Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon - Blog Tour

We are super excited to be a part of the Shadow of the Mark Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours!  A huge thank you to the ladies of Rockstar Book Tours, Haper Teen and Leigh Fallon for including us in this great tour.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post for your chance to win awesome prizes!  Here at BiblioJunkies HQ we are busy stuffing ourselves with  pie and celebrating out 2nd birthday, so if you are so inclined, check out our other giveaways currently going on and throughout the rest of the month for other fantastic books!  Without further adieu, I give you my review of Shadow of the Mark, I promise, no spoilers!

Their love could destroy them all.

Through the ages, Marked Ones have harnessed the powers of the four elements: Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. Much about the elements is shrouded in mystery, but one thing is certain: A relationship between two Marked Ones has the potential to cause widespread devastation.  Megan and Adam—Air and Water—are determined to defy the risks.  But the power that swirls inside Megan is growing in twisted ways.   And the closer she is to Adam, the closer Megan comes to unleashing a dark force that could spell destruction for the entire Marked line.

The Bad:
It can be a bit difficult to keep all of the people and groups at play in Shadow straight and the science behind the Marked and mating is a bit confusing.  There were also times I found Megan to be either completely oblivious or willfully ignoring warnings of trouble, which was a touch annoying.  

The Good:

Shadow of the Mark is an interesting story about the continuing struggles of people who can control the elements.  You all know how much I love stories about elemental magic, so I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.  Where Megan was sometimes annoying, Adam's family is compelling and likable (hot boys!).  I also loved the twists and turns the story took.  It's not many books that can keep me guessing, so I am greatly looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Harper Teen is having an awesome giveaway in conjunction with the Blog Tour.  Check out the awesome prizes!

Giveaway Details:

1st place - a signed copy of Shadow of the Mark and a boat load of goodies inc. a silver bookmark USA only.

2nd  place - a $10 book depository gift card & some signed swag . International.

3rd place- signed swag International.

Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  AND check out Leigh's website and blog for more info.

~Shel

About Leigh:

Leigh Fallon was born in South Africa, raised in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Cork in her 20's. While living in beautiful Kinsale, her novel, The Carrier of the Mark was conceived. She promptly abandoned her 'riveting' career in corporate treasury and discovered Inkpop, a website for budding writers of teen fiction. Within weeks her manuscript hit the coveted top five spot and was reviewed by an editor at HarperCollins. A few emails and some hysterical screaming later, she signed her first deal. Leigh and her family now share their time between Ireland and the US.

Website: http://www.leighfallon.com/index.php

Blog: http://www.leighfallon.blogspot.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Glass Heart by Amy Garvey

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Wren can do things that other people can only dream of. Make it snow on a clear, crisp day. Fly through an abandoned tunnel. Bring a paper bird to life.

Wren knows her abilities are tinged with danger--knows how easy it is to lose control--but she can't resist the intoxicating rush. And now that she has Gabriel by her side, someone who knows what she can do--what she "has" done--she finally feels free to be herself.

But as Wren explores the possibilities of her simmering powers, Gabriel starts pushing her away. Telling her to be careful.  Telling her to "stop." The more he cautions her, the more determined Wren becomes to prove that she can handle things on her own. And by the time she realizes that Gabriel may be right, it could be too late to bring him back to her side.

 

So guess who went all fangirl in the bookstore when she eyed this one? That’s right – me. Cold Kiss was one of my Top 10 reads from last year so I squealed ever so slightly when I saw this. To recap, Wren’s a witch and in the previous book brought her dead boyfriend Danny back to life… sort of. He was really more zombie-like and eventually with Gabriel’s help (he just happens to be psychic); Wren righted everything by returning Danny to the afterlife.

In Glass Heart, Wren and Gabriel are together now and she's enjoying her newfound happiness though it’s clear that she’s still working on moving past Danny. Being her first love, she does tend to compare the two guys. The most notable difference that bothers her is that Danny was an open book to her and Gabriel is the opposite.

The struggle in Glass Heart is Wren’s curioisty to learn more about her powers, to let loose and be herself. She accepts that magic is a huge part of who she is and wants to be able to unleash that part of herself. Gabriel on the other hand is insistent on discretion. Gabriel has this quiet reassuring quality about him and he’s very much her protector. He’s constantly worried for her and admonishes her every now and again for her lack of judgment. This difference in opinion drives a wedge between them and forces Wren to fall in with other like-minded people with the same abilities. This spells trouble.

There’s a distinct difference between Cold Kiss and Glass Heart. Glass Heart doesn’t have the heavy weight of mourning and loss that the previous one did.  This time it's purely about high school and the growing pains of finding your place. Wren’s feeling hopless because she cannot publicly show her abilities and she envies her friends who can show off their talents.  Glass Heart is also about rebuilding family. Now that her mother openly admits to their magical inheritance, Wren, her sister, her mother and aunt have to work through the transition.

I was happy with Cold Kiss as a standalone and to be honest, I had no idea how it could even go further from there.  Amy Garvey did a wonderful job allowing Wren to be a typical adolescent. It’s tough enough being a teenager these days but being one with special abilities can be an isolating experience.  Wren may behave like a petulant child occasionally making some seriously questionable decisions but this is what Glass Heart is all about – developing into your own through false starts and rough moments. In the end she realizes where exactly she is.

 ~ Bel