SUCH A PRETTY GIRL by Laura Wiess-REVIEW

Meredith is fifteen and has already lived through nightmares worse than anything most people could even imagine. Her father sexually abused her and her mother didn’t do anything to stop it. Meredith wasn’t alone though; he abused several other young children, but it was Meredith being injured to the point of needing an emergency room visit and Meredith finally admitting to what was going on that put him in jail. Her father received nine years in prison - long enough for her to turn eighteen and move away on her own.

The only problem…the justice system doesn’t always work the way it is supposed to. Because of progress during therapy and good behavior, Meredith’s father is released just three years after his incarceration. Meredith is scared to death. Her only salvation is Andy, a young man with whom she has a strange connection. He makes her feel calm when nothing else can. Andy is fighting his own demons though and plans to leave for Iowa to see a victim soul - someone who takes on the pain and suffering of another. Andy is paralyzed and he and his mother put their faith in God to cure him. He is leaving just when Meredith needs him the most. Meredith will have to find strength in herself to overcome her newest nightmare.

SUCH A PRETTY GIRL is an intense and emotional novel. It will catch the reader’s attention quickly. However, there are a few details will cause the reader to question the plot. For instance, it just so happens that her father’s arresting officer is now retired and lives in the same condo complex as Meredith. Also, her father can’t live with Meredith and her mother right away, but he does buy a condo on the other side of the complex. All in all, SUCH A PRETTY GIRL is a book to read. If you’ve enjoyed Ellen Hopkins’ IDENTICAL or Elizabeth Scott’s LIVING DEAD GIRL you probably will enjoy SUCH A PRETTY GIRL.

FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma-REVIEW

Lochan and Maya are a great team. They share in the responsibilities around the house to where cooking, cleaning, and caring for their younger siblings is like a well-oiled machine. They have their routine. They support each other. As long as they can keep their mother’s attention long enough to get money from her to pay the bills, usually they are okay.

One wonders if things would have turned out differently for Lochan and Maya if they’d had a proper mother. One that didn’t force them to act as parents to the three younger children. One that, if she had done her job, would have given Lochan and Maya time to be “normal” kids – go out with friends, meet new people, participate in school activities.

But, that isn’t their reality. Lochan’s and Maya’s lives are much more complicated than the typical teen’s. They have fallen in love and can’t tell anyone about it – because they have fallen in love with each other. As their feelings solidify, Lochan and Maya grow more desperate to spend time together, but at the same time, feel terror that someone will find out. They know it is wrong. They know it is illegal. They know it would tear their family apart if their affair were revealed. They know something else, too. They know they can’t stop.

FORBIDDEN is intense. When finished, the reader will be emotionally drained. It is the kind of book that sticks with you for a while. The kind you find yourself thinking about at random times.

Not to compare it with FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC by V.C. Andrews, but…..if you had to stretch it you could definitely say that this is similar in the sense that the brother and sister fall in love. FORBIDDEN just actually has meat – story – quality.

Language Content - None
Violence Content - None
Sexual Content - There is a lot of sexual tension between the two main characters. Some scenes of interaction.  But, the most important thing when it comes to the sexual content in this book is the fact that the two main characters are siblings.

HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff-REVIEW

Daisy is being shipped to England to live with an aunt and four cousins she’s never met because her “wicked” step-mother convinced Daisy’s father it was the best thing for her. While she isn’t thrilled with the new arrangement, as soon as she arrives, Daisy feels an overwhelming sense of belonging and connection. She feels more at home with these strangers than she ever has in New York City with her father.

Before Daisy has a chance to settle in, her aunt leaves for a conference out of town, leaving her and her four cousins alone. Shortly after, England is invaded by an unnamed force. Bombings and skirmishes scatter the countryside while Daisy and the cousins live in relative safety on their isolated farm – until the military locates their house and decides to commandeer it for their planning headquarters. The cousins are separated – girls to one location and the boys to another.

Daisy makes it her mission to get the family back together. The reader travels the dangerous roads through the England landscape with Daisy as she witnesses death and destruction. Your heart will go out to her and you’ll be emotionally invested with the family by the time you get to the end of the book. HOW I LIVE NOW is a great choice if you are a fan of dystopian novels. Amidst the war, a beautiful, but unconventional love story unfolds. HOW I LIVE NOW will easily turn into a single-sitting read. Once you start you won’t want to stop.

Sexual Content= There are some tastefully written scenes between Daisy and her love interest. It is who the love interest is that puts this in the edgy category.

Language Content=  Nothing noticeable

Violence Content= There isn't a lot of violence in this book.  A war is going on, but we don't see it from the battle lines or anything.

SLICE OF CHERRY by Dia Reeves-REVIEW

Kit and Fancy are as close as two sisters could ever be. They are inseparable and prefer the company of each other rather than mingling with the other residents of Portero, TX. They are reluctant to go amongst the other people in town, mostly because of the way they are treated. Kit and Fancy are the daughters of The Bonesaw Killer. The community members either fear them or are disgusted by them. The girls are content to stay at home where they are free to do what they want without the prying eyes of others analyzing everything they do.


The girls have a lot of their daddy in them. They crave blood and violence and killing. They started with the animals in the woods around their house - dissecting them and even going so far as keeping bits and pieces of them in jars around their room. Kit wants more though. She wants to cut on people. She wants to know what it is like to vivisect someone. Fancy is more cautious though. While she feels the pull of the kill, too, she doesn't want Kit to get caught and leave her all alone.

Portero isn't a normal town. It has monsters and other strange things occur in its city limits so it isn't surprising that some people have special powers. Fancy has Farsight. She can see what is happening to someone else in the present. All she needs is a little bit of water or other shiny surface. All she has to do is think about what she wants to see and it appears before her.

Fancy uses her special power to create a safe place for her and Kit to fulfill their deepest and darkest desires.

Both Kit and Fancy do a lot of changing during the course of this book. They wrestle with what it means to fall in love, feelings of jealousy, and the difference between good and evil.

SLICE OF CHERRY is the second book in the Portero Series, but you don't have to read the first book, BLEEDING VIOLET, first. I didn't and understood everything just fine. I think this is more of a companion to the first one rather than a sequel.

SLICE OF CHERRY contains A LOT of bloody gore, strong language, and some sexual situations. I totally enjoyed it.

IMMORTAL BELOVED by Cate Tiernan-REVIEW #4

Nastasya (Nasty to her friends) is an Immortal. She is over 400-years-old and has lived every type of life imaginable. For the last century she has been living the life of luxury and partying every night - numbing herself so there isn't any chance for her to remember some of the terrible things she has done or lived through.


Nastasya's perspective on life changes drastically when she witnesses her best friend, another Immortal, torture a human using powerful and dark magic. She is frightened by what he can do with magic and has an unexplainable feeling for the need to escape. Nastasya wakes up the morning after the incident and packs whatever she can grab the fastest into a suitcase and leaves her apartment. She tells her doorman she is going to Paris to shop, but instead heads for America using an identity her friends don't know about. She doesn't want them to be able to track her down.

Nastasya is headed to a remote cabin owned by an Immortal named River. She met River in the 1920's after a terrible car accident. River could tell Nastasya and her friends were wasting their lives and invited her to visit her home so Nastasya could learn a new way to live. A way that would draw on "good" magic and give back to society rather than just taking taking taking.

River's Edge is a haven for Immortals who are in the need to rejuvenation and education. While they take classes on different aspects of Immortal life, they share the load of chores around the organic farm. Kitchen duty, gardening, and tending animals, are the chores everyone takes turns doing. Nastasya can tell as soon as she arrives, this isn't the place for her. She hasn't done manual labor in 100 years and doesn't want to start now, but when she does attempt to leave she gets a terrible feeling of fright and danger and is forced to return to make the best of it.

Nastasya's life becomes even more complicated when she meets the gorgeous and sexy Reyn. She is drawn to him more than she has ever been drawn to any other man in her life. He crowds her thoughts no matter what she is doing on the farm, but she can't shake the feeling that she knows him from sometime in her past and that makes her nervous. It also doesn't help that another Immortal staying at the farm has her sights on Reyn and considers Nastasya a major threat. Soon she doesn't even know if she is going to be safe at River's Edge.

IMMORTAL BELOVED was a joy to listen to. The narrator made getting to know Nastasya a delight. It is the first in a series - Book 2 - IMMORTAL DARKNESS is set to be released in 2011 and Book 3 - IMMORTAL LIGHT is set for 2012. I can't wait to see what happens because there is a lot still to resolve. This book would be appropriate for high school because there are several scenes dealing with sex and other adult situations.

LOVE BITES(Vampire Kisses #7) by Ellen Schreiber-Review #4

Alexander’s best friend Sebastian shows up in Dullsville. Raven is happy that Alexander has someone his own kind to be with until Sebastian meets her best friend Becky. Sebastian is instantly infatuated and thinks himself in love. Becky is flattered but very much in love with her boyfriend Matt. Raven and Alexander decide to throw a party for Sebastian so that he can meet someone else to be the love of his life. What they don’t count on is the party being crashed by Trevor and his followers. What started out to be a small party turns into quite a blowout.


This installment of the Vampire Kisses series wasn’t my favorite. With the way this book ended with a cliffhanger hopefully the next installment will be more exciting.
This series is fairly clean. Very little language and just a bit of kissing.

GIRL PARTS by John Cusick-REVIEW

It all starts with a suicide. Nora Vogel transmits her death live on a video website and David just happened to stumble upon it while he was surfing the Internet. When word gets out that he was one of the kids to watch, his parents and the school counselor become worried about the amount of time he and the other teens spend isolating themselves with technology. The school counselor suggests to his parents a Companion from Sakora Industries – a robot meant to encourage healthy bonds to treat dissociative disorder.



Rose is created to be David’s Companion. She has flawless skin, flowing red hair, and a direct satellite link to Sakora for instant information about the world around her. She has been designed specifically for David. He is HER BOY. Her job is to make David happy and teach him the importance of “human” contact. Each Companion is programmed with strict intimacy protocols. Rose can shake hands with David after 2 minutes of friendship or hug after another time limit has been reached. If David attempts to touch or kiss before the allowed time he is given a horrible shock. Even though he is extremely frustrated and doesn’t want to wait for intimate contact, he soon realizes he enjoys spending time with Rose and finds himself developing deep feelings for her.


Just when things are going great, David discovers something about the Companions that sends him over the edge. In a fit of anger he abandons Rose at a party and leaves with another girl. He doesn’t care where Rose goes or how she survives.


Charlie lives across the lake from David. They’ve known each other for a long time, but have never been friends. David has teased Charlie on multiple occasions because he is poor and an awkward loner and once even ran him off the road and almost killed him. If it hadn’t been for Rose, David wouldn’t have even stopped to check to see if he was okay.


Charlie finds Rose and gives her a place to stay after David kicks her out of his life. During her time with Charlie and his father she begins to develop her own personality, thoughts and opinions – something that could be very dangerous for her if Sakora Industries finds out. Companions should only do what they are programmed to do. Independent thought wouldn’t be a good selling point for their rich clients.


GIRL PARTS is a fascinating story. The technology John Cusick created for the Companion robots is super fun. While not all the characters are completely developed, the reader does get to know and sympathize with Rose. It is interesting to me that the robot in the story is the character with the most growth. The author leaves the ending open to sequel possibilities and I, for one, will enjoy finding out what happens. I rated it 5 Glasses and a Stay Awake Award simply because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened in the story – not because it is the best literary quality I’ve come across. There is a good side story involving Charlie and a girl he wants to date. Watching Charlie’s personality change because of his relationship with Rose is nice.

Edifying Meets Edgy - The Hunger Games Trilogy Giveaway

MOCKINGJAY is almost here and Julie and I can't wait! In honor of the release date (August 24th) we are giving away a Hunger Games Trilogy Boxed Set.

Do you want to win?  If so, scroll down and fill out the Google Form.  Julie and I will choose a random entry on Tuesday, August 24th so be sure to submit your entry by Monday the 23rd. Your boxed set will ship to you directly from Amazon.

I absolutely loved both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I am looking forward to the end of the series in Mockingjay coming out this month. I can't wait to read it! The first 2 books were exciting page-turners that I recommend to students all of the time. Yes, there is a lot of violence in the books but there is also self-sacrificing and love for family and humanity displayed throughout the pages. It really has become one of my favorite series and I look forward to sharing it with you!

THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE are as close to perfect as you can get in a young adult book.  It appeals to both males and females, includes adventure and romance, and shows a female character in a very strong role. The books will grab you and transport you into the story, making it difficult to stop until  you reach the end. The brutal fight-to-the-death during The Hunger Games, while violent, is presented in such a way to make this book accessible to the younger kids in the young adult category. 

ABSOLUTELY MAYBE by Lisa Yee - REVIEW

Maybelline(named after her mother’s favorite mascara) and her mother Chessy live in an apartment above her mother’s charm school. They live in Florida. Chessy has been married 6 times and is getting ready to marry husband number 7. Mabelline(Maybe for short), has a style all her own. She has done the beauty pageant circuit and was a big disappointment to her mother.

Maybe’s best friends are Hollywood(Daniel) and Ted. Hollywood has aspirations of going to college in California to study film. He always has a camera in front of him and always seems to be filming Maybe. Ted is adopted and his parents are always wanting him to be in touch with his Thai culture.

Hollywood is accepted into a college in California. When something happens at home that causes Maybe to want to leave the 3 friends decide on a road trip to California. At first they are all staying in Hollywood’s dorm room but when his roommate arrives Maybe and Ted must find other options. They end up sleeping in student lounges for a while. Ted finds a job next which then leaves Maybe on her own. Maybe is searching for her biological father. Concerned for her well-being Ted looks up one of her ex step-fathers and drops her off at his house.

From there Maybe’s life takes on different twists and turns. She ends up working in a taco truck with Jessica. She finds that she actually enjoys it. Hollywood wins a Documentary contest and Ted is working for an older actress. Maybe finds her real dad but is he all that she hopes for him to be?

I really liked this story. It’s a story of friendship, self-discovery, family and love.

RAGE by Julie Anne Peters - REVIEW

Johanna, a responsible and friendly girl, has admired the wild and dangerous Reeve from afar for a while.  She spends a lot of her time daydreaming about her and Reeve in romantic situations in Joyland, a place that only exists in Johanna’s mind.  Reeve doesn’t appear to know Johanna exists and one thing holding Johanna back from revealing her feelings for Reeve is the fact that she hasn’t “come out.”

Johanna doesn’t know when she agrees to tutor Robbie, a troubled and strange boy, that her world is about the enter Reeve’s atmosphere.  Robbie is Reeve’s brother.  She picks him up after the tutoring sessions so they can ride home together on the bus.  Johanna attempts to get Reeve’s attention and slowly, but surely, Reeve begins to pay attention.

Johanna makes it clear she wants a relationship with Reeve and Reeve attempts to warn her away.  Reeve’s life is dark and dangerous compared to what Johanna is used to, but her desire to be with Reeve borders on obsession.  She is willing to do anything.  No matter how many times Reeve pulls away, Johanna always goes after her.

Johanna’s life changes dramatically and she loses a lot in her attempt to be with Reeve.  Why does she do it?

RAGE, a story of love, is also a story of abuse.  Johanna displays the typical signs of a victim, “she didn’t mean to do it,” “it was my fault,” and must come to understand her own self worth in order to find a place where she can be both happy and healthy.  While Joyland is a great place to visit, does she really want to live there forever?

ELPHAME'S CHOICE by P.C. Cast - REVIEW

 Elphame, a satyr goddess born to a human mother and centaur father, has never felt a part of life.  She has been worshipped and taken care of to the point no one feels comfortable enough with her to be free to speak to her like a friend.  She has always been on a pedestal in the eyes of the people in Partholon.

Elphame decides it is time to strike out on her own.  Along with her brother, she travels across the country to restore the long abandoned MacCallan Castle.  A century has passed since the terrible Fomorian battle that killed many of Elphame’s clansman.  While tales of ghosts keep most people away, Elphame feels the pull of the castle and knows deep in her soul she is meant to restore it and claim the castle as her own.  She is meant to become The MacCallan, the leader of the clan.

Love is something Elphame assumed she would never experience.  Who would want to love someone so clearly not human.  She loves her strong hoofed legs, but at the same time is aware how they set her apart from everyone around her.  She is completely caught off guard when she meets Lochlan, a hybrid Fomorian who claims to be her destiny.  But, what are Lochlan’s true intentions?  Can she trust the well-being of her clan for a chance at love?

ELPHAME’S CHOICE is a great romance.  Anyone who enjoys reading about days of warriors and castles will find the setting appealing and Elphame is a very strong character and wonderful role model for girl readers.  My major concern is this – I don’t think this should be marketed as a young adult novel.  I found my copy in the young adult section at Borders and as you can see from the publisher information, it is being rereleased by Harlequin Teen.  P.C. Cast first published this book in 2004 under Harlequin’s Luna imprint.  I realize Harlequin didn’t have a teen imprint at that time, but…. ELPHAME’S CHOICE contains clearly spelled out sex scenes with typical “romance” language.  I’m totally for allowing people (including teens) reading what they want to, but I think labeling it young adult and putting it on the young adult shelf is a little misleading.

Has anyone else read this yet?  If so, tell me what you think.

Edifying Meets Edgy Halfway - THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

I have never read a zombie book and so was very skeptical about picking up The Forest of Hands and Teeth. From the very beginning it captured my attention! I enjoyed it very much. Because it has so much death and peril in it I wouldn't consider it to be very edifying.The book is pretty descriptive of the zombie's(unconsecrated) as they rattle fences and you can almost hear the moaning that they emit. But it has little or no language or sexual references which makes it an easy book to recommend for the middle school age level.

Unlike Julie, I was dying to read this book the minute I started seeing the buzz about it on the Internet. THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is an enthralling post-apocalyptic masterpiece. Carrie Ryan’s description of the unrelenting Unconsecrated comes through loud and clear to the reader. At times, the suspense will cause you to put the book down for fear of what you might read next only to pick it up again because you can’t wait to find out. You’ll be able to feel the boney fingers of each and every Unconsecrated reaching for you as you turn page after page of this amazing novel. The ending definitely leaves the reader begging for the next installment in this amazing series.

How would you like to win a paperback copy of this wonderful book? Well, fill out the form for a chance.

Edifying Meets Edgy Halfway - CANDOR by Pam Bachorz

Even though Julie and I have different tastes in books, every once in a while one comes along we both can appreciate. In our Edifying Meets Edgy Halfway posts we'll feature a book we both like and give our opinions on where it fits in the realm of young adult literature. For our first book we'll talk about CANDOR by Pam

Bachorz.

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town
where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way
to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor

and Oscar's carefully-

controlled world crumbles.

I enjoyed Candor. I did have an issue with some language and sexual references. There were definate nail-biting scenes in the book that caused my heart to race and my fingers to want to turn the pages quicker. I would say this is definately a more mature-themed book.

Check out my review.

CANDOR is an intense

story about the dangers of control and the insistence of perfection. Readers will be fascinated with life in Candor and won’t want to put the book down. Oscar, even though self-serving at times, is a great character to get to know and Nia and Oscar’s relationship is heart-warming. In terms of science fiction, CANDOR is a winner. Even with the mentions of alcohol consumption and Oscar's vivid imagination when it comes to sex and girls, CANDOR is still a great choice for middle schools. Eighth graders will love the story. Think Stepford Wives for young people.

Check out my review.

Now, would you like a chance to win a copy of CANDOR? If so, fill out the form below. The giveaway ends on Monday, February 8th at Midnight (CST).

FREAK SHOW by James St. James - REVIEW

Billy Bloom has been forced to move to Florida for his Senior year of High School. His mom, a little on the bi-polar side, couldn't take his flamboyant attitude toward life anymore. Billy is a self-proclaimed "Gender Obscurist". A fabulously creative drag queen and a character that is resilient, lovable, and stronger than anyone ever would have imagined, including himself.

After enduring unspeakable torture and bullying from his shell-shocked classmates, Billy ends up in the hospital and has a month long recuperating period. During this time, Billy develops a deep friendship with Flip Kelly, the star and golden boy of the high school. Flip, the one who saved Billy from the angry mob of students and whisked him to the hospital. Flip, who is feeling the pressure to be the best from his family and the entire school. Flip, the guy Billy falls head-over-heels in love with.

Billy relates his experiences at Eisenhower Academy with brutal honesty and laugh-out-loud humor. His decision to run for Homecoming Queen proves to be a true test of his character, strength, and resolve. Billy's message of tolerance and acceptance is important for everyone to hear. After all, "Gender is a choice, not a life sentence."

No matter your gender persuasion, FREAK SHOW by James St. James is a delightful story of bravery, trust, love, and friendship. So, put on your tiara and platform shoes and settle in for a FABULOUS ride.

P.S. This is one of my absolute favorite books!

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE adapted by: Nancy Butler and Hugo Petrus (Graphic Novel) - REVIEW

This is the first graphic novel that I have ever read. I thought it was done pretty well. Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favorite book. This adaptation captured the main points of the story. I, of course, like the original the best, but for someone that has a hard time reading classic literature this would be perfect.

BEASTLY by Alex Flinn - REVIEW

A modern day Beauty and the Beast. I thought it was pretty good. Before being turned into a Beast Kyle Kingsbury was a total jerk. Hence the reason for turning him into a beast. Through his time as a Beast he learned to put others before himself. He learned to love others besides himself. Of course it was the fairy tale ending…which is what I love! I really enjoyed this book.