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June 11th, 2010
 Rating:  
The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: July 2010
Pages: 281 pgs.
Source: ALA
Buy from (affil. links): Amazon, Powell’s, Indie Bound
Will has one goal each day: don’t talk back to the dead. Burden with an unwanted gift to see and communicate with the dead, Will does everything he can to avoid their notice. Most don’t even know he can see them. But everything changes when Miss Popularity Alona Dare is hit by a bus. One smirk and sarcastic comment later and Will finds that he is no longer ghost free. Alona is desperate for those bright white lights and is certain Will can help; after all why else would he be the only one who can see her? And while Will’s life has just gone from bad to worse, he may be surprised that Alona is the answer to his prayers. Can they look past their mutual hate to work together? Or will they be stuck in their nightmares forever?
The Short of It: Interesting concept that held my attention throughout the entire book. There were times that it moved a little slow, but this was mainly when Kade was getting important/relevant background info in. I was pretty excited to learn there will be more books with these two and cannot wait to see their story develop more.
Plot: So, this brings “I see dead people” to a whole new level. Poor Will. While I love to go “ghost hunting”, I can safely say that I would never want his ability. I mean, to hear all those people talking around you whenever you’re in public. How could you honestly NOT go crazy? And of course, he can’t really tell anyone for fear they’ll think he really should be in a mental ward. I have no idea how he made it as long as he did and still stayed reasonably sane. Like I understand his little tricks worked, but how was he ever able to concentrate on school and not hear what was being said? I enjoyed how Alona was able to come in and basically save the day. I figured she would be important, but I never guessed how important she would be. Of course, I don’t think they knew either. After all, Will had spent his whole life avoiding the dead and all Alona wanted was the bright lights. I’m anxious to see how their roles will continue to develop as the series progresses.
Characters: Poor, poor Will. I really did feel sorry for him. Most people thought he was a freak of nature, well, ok maybe he is a little. After all, he can see dead people. However, he isn’t just some goth kid who enjoys wearing black and talking about death. Honestly, he’s just misunderstood. Yes, he’s sarcastic and aloof, but that’s his defense mechanism. As long as people generally leave him alone, he doesn’t care what they think. His main goal is to survive high school and move to where there are less people and less of the dead. It was heartwarming to see how he cared and his few friends and his mom, especially his mom. He would bend over backwards to make his mom happy and on several occasions resisted a fight because he can see how much it wears on his mom. And once you got down to who Will really was, he was a pretty cool guy, one I would easily love to have in my life.
Oh, Alona. Make way for another misunderstood character. Yes, she may be miss popular and look like everything is perfect, but it truly isn’t. Once you learn what her life is really like, you can’t help but have a little sympathy for her. After all, no teen should have to deal with the home life she had. But that’s when she was alive. I’m not sure that death has been all that much kinder to her. I mean, being hit by a bus…ouch! Not to mention, she got to see people’s true colors once they thought she was gone. And the comments she heard and actions she witnessed were probably things that no one would want to hear or see. However, death and Will acted as a small wake-up for her. She was used to being blunt and even mean, but the problem was she didn’t see it that way. When she told someone their sweater was ugly, she was trying to help by getting them to care more. Good intentions, but totally wrong way to do it. In death, she has to learn to say nicer things. (There is a reason but I won’t say why.) She learns how to be honest in more gentle fashion. I also enjoyed that she wasn’t just some dumb blonde. Alona proved time and time again how strong and intelligent she was. It was fun to see Alona grow into someone with much more character and I am excited to see how she continues to transform as their story continues.
Romance: This one is a little…odd. I don’t know how else to describe it. After all, Alona is dead. And while the dead do have a solid substance when they’re near Will so that they can touch and what not, but um still dead. Yet, despite all that I still kind of rooted for something to develop between them. After all, Will has been crushing on her since they were in the sixth grade and, well, being the only living being to see her kind of gives him the advantage. In all seriousness, while there are some sparks flying, at this point it was more about a friendship and getting beyond their old stereotypes to the point of actually caring about each other.
Writing: Another alternating view point book. I’ve read TONS of these lately and I’m discovering that I really like them. I enjoy being able to step into both main characters’ points of view. Adds a whole new depth to what is happening, especially when they’re not together. And the alternating chapters keeps the story from jumping all over the place. Of course, it does annoy me a little. There were times I had wanted to stay with Alona or Will a bit longer and was instead thrown into the other POV.
On the story telling front, Kade does an excellent job. I had this book for months before reading it because initially hadn’t caught my attention. And, honestly, I may have passed it up all together had it not been for some of the buzz going around. I was pulled into the story within the first few chapters and had a hard time putting it down on occasion. In fact, I had a temptation to skip an author event to finish up the book…or at the very least read the whole way there and ignore the person driving. (I promise I did neither!) All in all, this one ended up a very pleasant surprise indeed.
Librarian-Mode: Hmmm, I think one is going to go well with the paranormal readers. Yes, it’s not your typical werewolves or vampires, but ghosts are just as much fun! I would say that those who liked Once Dead, Twice Shy or Shiver would enjoy this one as well. There are still romantic undertones in this one (as with any good paranormal read), but it isn’t your straight out romance. I think the romance-crazed readers will like it as well, but it may be a harder sell for them.
So, now it’s your turn…have you read The Ghost and the Goth? If so, be sure to let me know what you thought.
June 10th, 2010
 Today I have a special guest on the blog! Please welcome Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Crazy Beautiful and the upcoming novel The Education of Bet. She has been doing a special tour where she answers one question a day, and today is mine! Here is the question I asked about The Education of Bet…..
Do you think a woman during this era could have truly done what Bet did?
I absolutely do. Females are incredibly resilient creatures. We’ve had to be: 1) to continually be the half of the species that regularly pushes babies out; and 2) to survive generations of being treated like second-class citizens, making incremental changes all the time, until we’ve reached the point where we are at today. We’re still not treated equally in everything but we’ve come so far just in my lifetime alone. Could all females in circumstances similar to Bet’s do what she does? No. But all it takes is one - one Susan B. Anthony, one Rosa Parks, one Hillary Clinton – to make changes and suddenly the world begins to change as well.
Thanks Lauren! And I fully agree, I think women have proved over and over again how strong we really can be.
Be sure to check back for my review of The Education of Bet in July!
May 25th, 2010
Hello and welcome to Book Blather. I suspect you may have found my little corner of the universe thanks to BEA, so, let me introduce myself. My name is Drea and I am a YA Librarian near Chicago, IL. If you would like to know a little more about me, please check out my Who Am I? page. Also, please be sure to check out my Review Policy as it will specify what books I do and do not review and will explain my rating system.
Sit back, relax, and take a little look around. I certainly hope you enjoy what you find! And should you have any questions about stats or review request, please don’t hesitate to contact me at bookblather(at)gmail(dot)com.
Thanks for stopping by!
Drea
May 24th, 2010
Rating:
The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Release Date: May 2010
Pages: 346 pgs.
Source: ALA
Buy from (affil. links): Amazon, Powell’s, Indie Bound
Damien’s 16th birthday was supposed to be a happy occasion. It should have been the day that he finally got his V and head onto Vilmore to become the supervillain. But imagine his surprise when instead of the V an X appears on his thumb, an undeniable sign that his villain mother had hooked up with a superhero. And if that weren’t bad enough, when he learns which superhero is his father, Damien is forced to go live with him and his superhero family. Given six weeks to prove to his father that there’s not an ounce of superhero in him, Damien will do anything to get back to the life he knew. But along the way he may just find that each decision leads him down a road he could have never expected. Will Damien find himself slipping into the superhero lifestyle? Or will he be able to prove once and for all that he is all villain and turn that X into a V?
The Short of It: Adored it. I’ve been wanting to read this book since I first saw the cover/heard the description last year and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to do so. I can’t say enough good things about this one. And can I mention that Campbell throws in some of the best lines ever? I’ve been going around quoting my favorite one-liners since finishing (and probably will be for some time!)
Plot: I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like The Rise of Renegade X. I mean, sure, we’ve all sort of grown up on superhero comics/cartoons/movies, but this one is a little different. I felt like Campbell managed to pull a true sense to humanity to these larger than life characters, especially the supervillains. I enjoyed Damien’s struggle between becoming the villain he feels he was meant to be and doing what he believed was right. Of course, doing what he believed was right was not always about doing good or being a hero. It was about what his convictions led him to and proved how many shades of gray there really is in this world. But I also liked the message that one incident doesn’t define who you are. Just because you save the world doesn’t mean you’ll be a hero. Yes, it may put you one step (ok LEAP) closer, but there will be many more forks in the road and choices down the line that can change or redeem you.
Okay, I just realized I made this plot sound a lot more serious than it truly is. Yes, all this issue is touched upon a lot as Damien is struggling with his future, but there is TONS of fun and laughter mixed in. In fact, I’m betting you’ll notice the quirky girl, the dancing flower, and funny quips more than you will the other stuff. Okay, that may be a slight overstatement, but Campbell really does do an excellent job with mixing it all together.
Characters: Ah, Damien. There are moments where I wanted to shake the boy senseless, but most of the time I just wanted to give him a hug. I mean, one very small letter on his thumb literally changed his life upside down. Had it only gone the way it was supposed to and he would be on his way to becoming a supervillain at Vilmore. Instead, he got ripped from everything he knew and thrown into a new goody-good family. Yet, perhaps that was the best thing that happened to him, especially when you see how his home life really was. His mom wouldn’t exactly be winning any mother-of-the-year awards. Every time he went home I just wanted to give him cookies with milk and tell him it’d be ok.
On the other hand, Damien proves often enough that he doesn’t need that. He may be feeling lonely and unwanted, but he still knows who he is. He’s not afraid to risk his life for those he loves…and sometimes those he may not even know. Sure, maybe he won’t be the big, awful supervillain but I’m not sure he was ever meant to be. He always had this line that he couldn’t cross and no amount of training would have changed that. I was glad to see that sense of his right and wrong didn’t change through all he had to go through. He may have learned it wasn’t his mother’s or father’s right or wrongs, but they were his and that was enough.
Romance: Honestly, this is the hardest part for me to write about. There was romance, but there wasn’t. Does that make sense? What he has with Sarah isn’t really a relationship, even if they do produce some of the best lines. I think they both felt something for each other, but it never would have truly made it. She saw him as something he wasn’t. However, when it comes to Kat, well, that is where Damien’s heart belonged. And oddly enough, though she wasn’t in the a lot of the book, I found myself routing for a hot make-out session leading to undying love between them. Do I know why? No clue, but there’s was something about them that I loved almost instantaneously, even if she did kind of screw things up before. Maybe it was just how well she truly seemed to know him and was willing to admit the horrible mistake she made. Or maybe I’m just a sap for second chances. Either way kudos to Campbell for making me love unsafe, kind of in the background romance.
Writing: I really enjoyed Campbell’s style. I know I’ve mentioned the quotable one-liners, but it deserves yet another mention. Of course, I’m an odd girl and some of the ones I found funny others may not. As a D&D girl, there was a tabletop game reference that had me rolling. Beyond that, Campbell knows how to spin a good story. There were a couple of spots that the pacing felt a tad bit off, but it’s hardly worth mentioning. I can’t wait to see Campbell’s future work. I have a feeling she’ll just get better and better.
Librarian-Mode: So, this is definitely one I’ll be recommending to my teens this summer. In fact, it’s already on my recommended book list for High Schoolers that will be viewed by all my summer reading participants. However, I’m kind of stumped on what to pair it with. I’ve been pondering a couple different pairings like John Green or the Looking Glass Wars but I’m not quite sure they’re quite right. I can’t even think of any other superhero books beyond Hero by Perry Moore. And while they have some similar themes, I’m really don’t think they would work together. If you all have any good read-a-like suggestions I would love to hear them.
So, now it’s your turn…have you read The Rise of Renegade X? If so, be sure to let me know what you thought.
May 5th, 2010
Mini-review time! I’ve never been much of a vampire girl, but my friends kept insisting I needed to read the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer and I finally broke down and picked them up. Boy, am I ever glad I do. Vlad is unlike any vamp (well, half vampire) I have ever meet. In fact, I almost hate lumping into the whole Twlight-vampire craze; he really belongs more with someone like Harry Potty. And honesty, if Harry Potter turned into a vampire you would have Vladimir Tod. Needless to say, I devoured these books as fast as I could get them from the library. And since I read them all back-to-back I figured doing a mini-review for each book would be the best way to go…and then when the final book comes out I’ll do a normal one!
The Short of It: If you can’t tell from my intro, I loved these books. They’ve become one of my top recommendations and I’m even trying to get it on the middle-school reading program for next year! I can’t believe I missed these books and simply cannot wait for the next/last book!
Series Rating:
 Eighth Grade Bites
Publisher: Dutton Juv
Release Date: Aug. 2007
Pages: 182 pgs
Buy from (affil. links): Amazon, Powell’s, Indie Bound
Vladimir Tod is unlike any teenage boy you’ll ever meet. Yes, he’s a little gothy, sarcastic, and likes to play video games with his best friend (Henry), but, well, he also has fangs and craves blood. That’s right, Vlad is a vampire, but he’s not ordinary vampire. In fact, he’s really only half-vampire (his mother was human) and he’s sure he’s the only one left of his kind. Since his parents’ death three years ago, he’s been living with his “Aunt” Nelly and living as normal of a life as possible. That, however, becomes impossible as a new teacher joins Vlad’s middle school and begins to pay a little too much attention to Vlad. The questions Mr. Otis asks are too close to comfort and Vlad is terrified he’ll figure out his secret. Not to mention, things only get worse when he realizes there’s a vampire killer out to get him! Can Vlad manage to keep his secret under wraps and remain alive?
Eighth Grade Bites is a wonderful first book. Brewer pulls you fast into the world she has created and doesn’t let you go. Even though it was relatively short, I felt like I knew all the characters fairly well. I adore Vlad and his sarcastic wit. I mean all the jokes about vampire and the whole “Vampires Suck” t-shirt were a lot of fun. Of course, Nelly and Henry are wonderful characters as well. I wish I could have seen a little more of them, but there’s still lots of time for that! There were a couple of things I would have liked to have explained more, like the whole drudge thing, but I assumed that Brewer would flesh out the vampire rules/ways as the series progressed. The books wraps up well, but I was very anxious to see what the next book would bring Vlad.
 Ninth Grade Slays
Publisher: Dutton Juv
Release Date: Apr. 2008
Pages: 278 pgs
Buy from (affil. links): Amazon, Powell’s, Indie Bound
Vlad must say good-bye to summer and his uncle Otis and hello to freshman year. Hello to the same old bullies, the wanna-be journalist nerd with a camera who tails him, and Henry’s cousin, Joss. Basically, it’s life as usually for Vlad. The only bright spot is a trip to Siberia that helps him learn new vampire abilities such as mind reading and mind control. But will these new powers be enough to conquer the newest threat in his life? Will he really be strong enough to recognize and defeat a vampire hunter? Or will he be just another vampire who finds a stake in his heart?
Ninth Grade Slays is a nice continuation to the series. I really enjoyed the new character, Joss, and was sad to see he wouldn’t be sticking around after this book. Of course, maybe I liked Joss because it reminded me of Joss Whedon (Buffy!) and felt like a total homage to him/Buffy! (No idea if is actually is though.) I also had fun seeing Vlad’s power expand and his relationship with Meredith edging into the next stage. I’m not sure how I feel about the whole prophecy/Harry Potter vibe. While I may grow tired of it fast, I’m willing to overlook it because I like Vlad so much! And, yes, the same bad guy is in the background, but it’s fun to see what other evil do-ers he can pull into his grasp. Although, in this case, I felt sorry for the slayer. He was sort of tricked into the role he played and things got way more mixed up than they should have. It’ll be interesting to see if it plays a part in the future books (which I knew it would). Again, a very nice wrap-up, but couldn’t wait to move on to the next one!
 Tenth Grade Bleeds
Publisher: Dutton Juv
Release Date: June 2009
Pages: 292 pgs
Buy from (affil. links): Amazon, Powell’s, Indie Bound
Another year at Bathory High for Vlad, but things have yet to really look up for him. Yes, his long-time crush, Meredith, is now his girlfriend, but now he’s on the edge of losing his best friend. Henry has been acting distant and hanging out with the popular crowd more and more. Vlad knows that this may be the end for him and Henry, especially when he learns there is a way to release drudges. Without Henry to hang out with, Vlad finds himself spending his free time with the goth kids. He’s introduced to a new world called the Crypt where being a “vampire” is cool, but the overwhelming urge to feed makes his time there limited. Add in the chilling nightmares that D’Ablo is sending about him being tortured and bled to death and anyone can see why Vlad is having a rough time. Without his uncle or faithful friend, Vlad may be facing this latest threat all alone. Will Vlad’s nightmares become reality or will he manage to escape yet again?
Tenth Grade Bleeds may have been my least favorite of the four, but that’s not to say it wasn’t good. This is the book were the whole prophecy thing started to annoy me a bit. I was tired of D’Ablo and his schemes and I was ready for one of them to burst into flames already. (And by one of them, I mean D’Ablo.) I understand not wanting to bring in a whole new bad guy every single book, but I do go weary of him. And while I wish he were gone for gone, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. (Are we sure Vlad is the only one who can’t die?) It really is a lot like Voldemort where I just wish he’d GO AWAY. But, eh, what I can I do; every book needs its villain. I was glad Brewer spent some time developing the Vlad-Henry relationship some more. I adore both boys and it broke my heart to see them growing distant. I was pretty worried that this would be the end of these two, something I don’t think I could have handled! And can I also just say how sweet Vlad & Meredith were? I won’t give it away, but I was sad to see what happened to them. They really were a cute couple! And the whole Crypt events could either be a big mess or a big leg up for Vlad; something I was anxious to see how it would all play out. So, while not my favorite book, still good and had enough appeal where I was ready to continue on right away.
 Eleventh Grade Burns
Publisher: Dutton Juv
Release Date: Feb. 2010
Pages: 309 pgs
Buy from (affil. links): Amazon, Powell’s, Indie Bound
Life has hit a new all time low for Vladimir. Not only has Joss moved back to Bathory for good, but his uncle is to be tried and probably executed by the vampire council. Add in a weird vampire, love sick drudge, and dealing with the memories of his dead parents as they renovate his old home and Vlad’s hands are truly fully. The only bright spot is that with the upcoming trial, Otis no longer has to run and can spend more time with Vlad. While things look bleak, there is always some hope that they will be able to free Otis of all the accusations against him. Surely the council will see be able to see the truth, right? Or will Vlad be saying goodbye to the only family he has left?
Ok, hold on a moment while I scream. AHHH! So, Eleventh Grade Burns is really, really good. I enjoyed seeing Vlad and Otis’ relationship grow more than it had now that he was around a lot more. And how Vlad’s powers are developing, almost super-vampiric, is fun, too. Vlad is developing powers more and more that no one else has seen before. It all keeps leading the reader toward the fact that he is the one from the prophecy. And it was nice to see him repair his friendship with their nightly “practices” even if it is a little dangerous. And risk of spoiling anything, I’ll stop right after I say one more thing. I.Hate.Cliffhangers. And this is the MOTHER of all cliffhangers. Brewer’s only saving grace is that the last book will be out this fall, so the wait won’t be that long. (And may all the book god/goddesses hear my plea and let there be an ARC @ BEA!)
So, now it’s your turn…have you read the Vlad books? If so, be sure to let me know what you thought!
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