Reader Girls Blog

Reading Level: YA Paperback: 370 pages Publisher: Crimson Oak Publishing LLC (April 7, 2010)  Book summary:   When seventeen-year-old Jane Taylor witnessed her father's death, something happened to her. Ever since, her thoughts have been consumed by death, going so far as to foresee the ever-changing deaths of those around her. Sixteen-year-old Emily Taylor resented her sister's closeness with their father, who died when she was six. With the strange ability to read minds, she drowns the voices out with drugs, sending Jane over the edge. When seventeen-year-old Wes Green was adopted, he moved in next door to Jane, finding in her a childhood friend turned high-school crush. All summer, the pain in his bones seemed unwarranted. He was done growing long ago. When senior year starts, however, the pain only gets worse. The foreseen changes are not expected, and far too animal for his taste. When Max Gordon found himself standing above the dying body of an innocent seven-year...

Reading level: Young Adult Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (August 1, 2010) BOOK SUMMARY: Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart. MY REVIEW:   The Iron King was one of my favorite fantasies this year so I couldn't wait to see what would happen to Meghan and her assorted gang of otherworldly friends. I dove into The Iron Daught...

It's her destiny to die young. The man who loves her can't live with that. Promise, a talented young vocalist with a terminal illness, is counting on fame to keep her memory alive after she dies. Porta is an aging witch and art collector in search of the goddess who will grant her immortality. When Promise inexplicably survives a series of freak accidents, Porta believes that Promise is the one she seeks. But Chase, an autistic artist who falls in love with Promise and opposes Porta, comes between the women with his mysterious visions and drawings, and plunges everyone into a flesh-and-blood confrontation over the true meaning of eternal life. Hmm, I don't know about you but that book summary makes me want to check this title out. The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy (352 pages) will be published on February 8, 2011 by Thomas Nelson Publishers in paperback form. Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at breaking the spine .

Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1 edition (September 6, 2010) Book summary: They strip her naked, of everything—undo her whalebone corset, hook by hook. Locked away in Wildthorn Hall—a madhouse—they take her identity. She is now called Lucy Childs. She has no one; she has nothing. But, she is still seventeen—still Louisa Cosgrove, isn't she? Who has done this unthinkable deed? Louisa must free herself, in more ways than one, and muster up the courage to be her true self, all the while  solving her own twisted mystery and falling into an unconventional love . .  My review: Wildthorn is a YA historical novel unlike any others I've read (with the exception of Barbara Quick's A Golden Web ). Louisa is such a unique heroine: spunky, independent, untraditional and fiercely intelligent. Those traits made her a likable character. She was a young woman before her time, living in an age where women were born a...

R eading level: Young Adult Paperback: 180 pages Publisher: Graphia (October 18, 2010) Book summary: "Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world."  Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons? My review: Right off the bat I’ll admit I was skeptical after reading the above summary and holding the slim book in my hand. Could the author do an effective job at 180 pages? Handling the ve...

HALO U.S. Book Tour Alexandra Adornetto Comes to a City Near You! September / October 2010 September 24, 2010: Next Chapter Bookshop, 10976 North Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI 53092 September 27, 2010: Indigo, Toronto, Canada September 29, 2010: Davis-Kidd Books, 2121 Green Hills Village Drive, Nashville, TN 37215 September 30, 2010: Fashion Show and Book Signing at Sachi, 397 N Perkins Rd Ext Memphis, TN 38117 October 1, 2010: Davis-Kidd Books, 387 Perkins Extended, Memphis TN 38117 October 2, 2010: Austin Teen Lit Festival, Austin, Texas.  Click here to register!   October 4, 2010, 7:00pm: Blue Willow Bookshop: 14532 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77079 October 7, 2010, 7:00pm: Barnes & Noble at the Galleria, 3225 West 69th Street, Edina, MN 55435 October 8, 2010, 7:00pm: Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105 October 9, 2010, 2:00pm: Carle Place Barnes & Noble, 91 Old Country Road, Carle Place, NY 11514 October 10, 2010: Allykatzz Tween Summit,...

Our Pick -- September's Book of the Month  Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Poppy (September 7, 2010) Book summary: Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face. But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone. My review: Two conte...