The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

In Jenn Marie Thorne’s debut teen novel, The Wrong Side of Right, readers are introduced to Kate Quinn, who leads a fairly normal life. Still reeling from the death of her mother a year ago, Kate’s world explodes into pure chaos when it is revealed that she is the illegitimate daughter of Senator Mark Cooper, the Republican candidate for the President of the United States. 

As Kate tries to adjust to her new world celebrity, she is thrust on to the campaign trail. Still trying to come to terms with having a father, Kate attempts to build a relationship with the Senator, but will she be able to get to know the man behind the politician?

As she conquers the campaign trail and wins America’s hearts, Kate begins connecting with Andy Lawrence, the son of the current President of the United States – and the opponent of Kate’s father. But can Kate really trust Andy with her heart or does he have an ulterior motive?

This fast pace novel will have you glued to the page as Kate is thrown to the wolves. Will she be able to bond with the family she never knew she had…and that might not want her?

Review: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Back in September I posted a list of 7 YA titles that wereon my radar (and should be on yours). One of the titles was Amy Ewing’s debut novel The Jewel. I had been hearing a lot about The Jewel, mainly through Epic Reads, a website for anything and everything Young Adult Literature.

Here is the synopsis for The Jewel:

The Selection meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this darkly riveting debut filled with twists and turns, where all that glitters may not be gold.

The Jewel means wealth, the Jewel means beauty—but for Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Born and raised in the Marsh, Violet finds herself living in the Jewel as a servant at the estate of the Duchess of the Lake. Addressed only by her number—#197—Violet is quickly thrown into the royal way of life. But behind its opulent and glittering facade, the Jewel hides its cruel and brutal truth, filled with violence, manipulation, and death.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her life . . . all while trying to stay alive. But before she can accept her fate, Violet meets a handsome boy who is also under the Duchess’s control, and a forbidden love erupts. But their illicit affair has consequences, which will cost them both more than they bargained for. And toeing the line between being calculating and rebellious, Violet must decide what, and who, she is willing to risk for her own freedom.

Quite intriguing right?

I was able to finish The Jewel in one sitting, which is highly unusual for me with YA books. Typically, I spend two or three days thumbing through a YA novel. Ewing’s writing style was easy to follow and flowed well. The plot had merit, even though it was slow in some situations, and I found myself immersed in Violet’s story.

I would give this story 3.5 stars out of 5. There are two main reasons. I do feel that the story could have been longer. I say this mainly because I felt it was anticlimactic until the very last page or so.  I know that Violet was in several intense situations, but I did not feel the intensity leap of the pages. A few more well constructed paragraphs describing the direness of this situation and Violet’s role really would have elevated the plot.

The second reason is because of the character of Ash…or more importantly, the relationship between Ash and Violet. At first, I suspected the character of Garnet to be the romantic interest. Garnet is the 19 year old son of Violet’s owner, the Duchess of the Lake. He is unpredictable, devastatingly handsome, and an all around bad boy. Perfect romantic interest right? I was surprised by the introduction of Ash, a companion who was purchased to teach the Duchess’ niece how to flirt and land a husband. I felt that Ash and Violet’s relationship was flat. For whatever reason, I could not get the idea of Violet and Garnet out of my head. I found myself annoyed with the scenes that Ash was featured in. If the novel had been drawn out more, I might have found myself more accepting of the pairing. That being said, I hope that Ewing will either dedicate more time to expand on this relationship or revisit the Violet/Garnet pairing that my heart seems to want. The last page of the book was slightly reassuring to me though. Fingers crossed - #violetandgarnet

Though I had a few small issues with the novel, Amy Ewing did a splendid job on her debut book. I think teens will devour this book and I encourage you to check it out. 

Watch out for these November YA titles!

Last month I posted about 7 YA titles that are on my radar (and should be on yours!). The post got a lot of feedback and I even picked up a few titles that y'all recommended. I decided to share some of the November YA reads that I'm looking forward to.

What titles are you looking forward to in November?

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

A Collection of Ten Short Stories centered around Magnus Bane. Each short story is going to be published as an ebook followed by a Full Single Print Coming 2014

Ever wondered about the enigmatic, mysterious warlock Magnus Bane? The only character to appear in every Shadowhunter book, Magnus has a past even more shrouded in mystery than his present. I’ve teamed up with acclaimed YA writers Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan to create the Bane Chronicles, the back (and front) story of Magnus told in ten linked tales.

Look for short stories like Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale; The Rise and Fall of the Hotel Dumort; Saving Raphael Santiago and What To Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway). Each story will be available as an ebook on a monthly basis starting April 16 with the tale of What Happened In Peru. 

Each story will be released monthly online for the next ten months — and then for those who don’t read e-books, the full print collection will be available in bookstores and wherever else books are sold after the Chronicles have been finished

Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little

In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart. 

Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden’s heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb’s increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden’s every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying. 

With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family’s survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself.

Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave readers absolutely breathless as they defy the odds and risk it all to be together.

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Penny has a secret.

Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog.

But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship – forever

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers (His Fair Assassin #3)

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has..

The Name of the Blade by Zoe Marriott

Ancient Japanese gods and monsters are unleashed on modern-day London in this first book of an epic trilogy from acclaimed fantasy writer Zoë Marriott.

When Mio sneaks the family's katana -- a priceless ancestral sword -- from her parents' attic, she just wants to spice up a costume. But the katana is much more than a dusty antique. Awakening the power within the sword unleashes a terrible, ancient evil onto the streets of unsuspecting London. But it also releases Shinobu, a fearless warrior boy, from the depths of time. He helps to protect Mio -- and steals her heart. With creatures straight out of Japanese myths stalking her and her friends, Mio realizes that if she cannot keep the sword safe and learn to control its legendary powers, she will lose not only her own life . . . but the love of a lifetime.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch Review

Hey, what do you know? I read a YA book!

I’m sure by now y’all are a little tired of romance novels. I have decided to diversify my reading in 2014!

I usually have 3 or 4 YA novels checked out, especially since I belong to the FYA book club.

Whether or not I actually read them remains to be seen…

But 2014 is a new year and I’m turning over a new leaf. I do a lot of YA book talking at my library. Even though I’m the Reference Librarian, I have read tons of YA, so patrons ask me about it. I have several patrons that regularly come to me for YA recommendations. Well, I’m running low on recommendations now!

How I found out about If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch: A friend of mine who reads YA like it is going out of style added it on Goodreads. I saw it in my feed and thought the synopsis had a lot of potential.

There are some things you can’t leave behind…

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

If You Fine Me is a quick read and impossible to put down until you are finished. I read it in one sitting, even though I told myself I was only going to read 75 pages before bed. Ha!

I thought Murdoch did a beautiful job of handling difficult situations. She didn’t use a lot of vulgarity to describe the situations and I thought this was refreshing and just right for Carey’s story.

Carey’s story is heartbreaking, there is no doubt about that, but I enjoyed how Carey grew to learn about trust and love. Reading about how Carey deals with being forced into a new world and with the loss of the woods is a poignant growth throughout the story.  I thought I knew where the ending was going, but Murdoch surprised me. Though this is a stand alone novel, it has the potential for a sequel. If you have the opportunity to read If You Find Me, you will not be disappointed. 

Discards find new home!

Oooh these were being deleted from my library bc we have multiple copies. I snagged them before they went to the friends! These are two of my favorite YA authors. Super excited! :)

Grave Mercy....ahhhhmazing!

I could write a really nice review about Grave Mercy and you might say "Hmmm, sounds like a good book. Maybe I'll read it." Fast forward 3 years later and it is still on your Goodreads To-Be-Shelf. That is not where this book belongs!

 

or you can absolutely trust me on this and go read this book. Like right now. Stop reading this blog and read this book. Why? Here are some simple reasons:

1. With a tag line, "Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?" how can this book not be awesome?

2.  The first chapter will hook you in!

3. Devious plots and lots of intrigue.

4. Assassin nuns.

If reason 4 isn't enough for you, then I don't know what is. I would have put amazing cover, but lots of YA books have awesome covers, but it's the material that's crap. 

Seriously, this book is a great YA read and it is one of the books that I intend to buy for my personal collection (ie, I'm about to spend money for a book.....librarians don't really tend to do that). You will not regret moving this book up to the top of your TBR list. Trust me.

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Lexington Larrabee has everything. Fabulous clothes, an expensive car, a mansion, a jet at her disposal and a check for $25 million dollars waiting for her….that is until her dad spoils everything. After causing one too many scandals Lexi’s father decides she has to earn her inheritance… all $25 million. Now she must complete 52 weeks of 52 dead end minimum wage jobs before she can cash in on her fortune. Now add in the fact that her father has stuck her with a babysitter, granted a very cute babysitter who is quite ripped, and Lexi’s world pretty much sucks. But there is more to meets the eye with this rich girl. Underneath her fabulous lifestyle, Lexi’s lives in a world without love. Will her 52 jobs be able to solve her problems or will Lexi be drawn back into her old life of scandal?

     52 Reasons To Hate My Father is a great summer novel. I was looking for something light that I could read in one sitting. This was just what I was looking for. We have all seen the socialites scattered on the tabloids, but in Jessica Brody’s new novel she adds a certain twist to the out of control rich girl that we usually see. I would have liked to see Brody go deeper into the jobs and expo some hard truths about minimum  wage jobs today. I’m not saying go full on Barbara Ehrenreich, but a little more exposure on the plight of middle and lower classes would have been refreshing. Still, I loved this book. If I laugh out loud while reading any book, then I know I have found a winner. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father will keep you entertained and smiling as Lexi struggles to adjust to her new lifestyle.