Teaser Tuesday 12

I'm trying to get back into the meme circuit with one of my absolute favourite meme's and that is Teaser Tuesday. If you haven't participated before the 23rd of November is a perfect day to start! Just go to the book you are reading at the moment, open to a random page and list two teaser sentances, then link below and Should be Reading but make sure to comment with links to your own Teasers or if you don't have a blog you can just post two lines in the comments!

Mine is from The Queen Bee of Bridgeton by Leslie DuBois

"Sasha chewed at the bottom of her lip as if searching for what to say next. "Everyone saw you at the party last night."

Pretty juicy huh?

Be sure to post a link to your teaser or post it below!

xoxo,

Shelbie

Pictures on Monday 2

:)

Enjoy your Monday.

xoxo,

Shelbie

XVI by Julia Karr

Release Date: 1.6.2011

Publisher: Puffin/Speak

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 325

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Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world—even the most predatory of men—that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past—one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer.

For me, dystopian novels are either hit or miss. I really like high emotion books and sometimes that's where the dystopian books fall flat, well either that or I am so annoyed with the government I do everything but throw the book at the wall (which I did do at some points in Mockingjay, btw).

Anyway, this book definitely had emotions running high, like the whole time. I loved Nina, she was a great central character. Sal, Nina's love interest was okay I hope we get to know him a little more in the next book.

The plot was really new and fresh. There were a lot of suspenseful scenes that even got my blood pumping a little bit faster.

Overall very good. If you are looking for a dystopian novel with high emotions I recommend XVI!

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xoxo,

Shelbie

Red Glove by Holly Black

Release Date: 04.05.11

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 320

Overall:

Spoilers from the first book White Cat.

After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov's retribution and finding out that Lila, the girl he has loved his whole life, will never, ever be his now that his mother has worked her, Cassel is trying to reestablish some kind of normalcy in his life. That was never going to be easy for someone from a worker family tied to one of the big crime families and a mother whose cons get more reckless by the day. But Cassel is also coming to terms with what it means to be a transformation worker and figuring out how to have friends.

But normal doesn't last very long--soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law and is forced to confront his past. A past he remembers only in scattered fragments and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel will have to decide whose side he wants to be on because neutrality is not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever to survive

Oh that Holly Black is a tricky one at the end of White Cat it was like she stuck a knife right into my heart and twisted it just a little, and, just when you think the worst is over and things might actually be looking up for Cassel in Red Glove, she punches you right in the gut.

I wasn't sure how I would like the Curse Worker series and let me tell ya- I LOVED IT. It was probably my favorite book that I read in 2010. I try to get everyone I can to read it. I was able to get my hands on an advanced copy of Red Glove thanks to very impressive timing signing up for an ARC tour.

In White Cat Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of curse workers and feels left out that he isn't one, only to discover that he was being worked himself and is one of the most dangerous ones. Red Cat picks up a few months later. Cassel is dealing with a work his mother had done that left him wondering if Lila's intentions are true, his brother Phillip is murdered and the Feds want him to help find the killer, he is being recruited by some of the top mob families, all the while trying to find a way to pass physics. He doesn't know who, if anyone, he can trust.

There are so many twists and turns and discoveries. I was so drawn into this story. On the one hand I wanted to slap Cassel around for continuing to put up with his family's deceit and betrayal, but on the other, I can see how deeply rooted he was and how much he felt he had no choice. It breaks my heart that he felt so bad and not worthy of something good.

If you have not read White Cat, don't hesitate! Red Glove comes out in April of this year. This series is awesome. There are so many books coming out this year that I am looking forward to. If the rest are anywhere near as good as this one, I am in for a great year of reading. :)

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Hope everyone has a good week!

xoxo,

Shelbie

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Release Date: 2.8.2011

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 233

Overall:

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

Holy wow. Folks WOW! By nature, I am a very fast reader and this is one book I BLEW through.

What started out as a pretty light-hearted story, took a turn for the dark and creepy and I was intrigued every step of the way. Even with the main character, OCD-suffering Kendall and how she copes with her best friend, Nico suddenly vanishing. Then enter stoically quiet Jacián into the mix and you have a tasty recipe. McMann gets an applause for creating some of the best relationships ever. Janie and Cabel from her WAKE trilogy are one of my favorite couples ever.

Now, this book is CREEPY! Another thing McMann is excels at. WAKE is a tad creepy, no? (ps. If you haven't read the WAKE trilogy, read them! They are so good and so freaking creepy) I’ll go ahead and say this much, it’s about a desk. An evil desk. I really don’t want to give any more away, but do know that much. Though the cover tells you that much really.

This book made me smile, freaked me out, made me sad and even tear up. I would recommend this book to absolutely any YA lover and especially to those who love a sweet romance and a creepy desk. And OMG this desk will give me nightmares. Yeah, its funny until it happens to you.

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