Month: October 2017

Review: Confessions


Title: Confessions
Author: Kanae Minato, Stephen Snyder (translator)
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Release Date: August 5, 2008
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Her pupils killed her daughter. Now, she will have her revenge.

After an engagement that ended in tragedy, all Yuko Moriguchi had to live for was her four-year-old child, Manami. Now, after a heartbreaking accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation.

But first, she has one last lecture to deliver. She tells a story that will upend everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers, and sets in motion a maniacal plot for revenge.

Narrated in alternating voices, with twists you’ll never see coming, Confessions probes the limits of punishment, despair, and tragic love, culminating in a harrowing confrontation between teacher and student that will place the occupants of an entire school in harm’s way. You’ll never look at a classroom the same way again.

Review:

This book is so amazing! 

It has an unusual beginning. The narrator in the first chapter is Moriguchi, and she is speaking directly to her class. She speaks to the reader, making it seem like you are one of the students. This brought me right into the story. For each chapter, the narrator changes. This was hard to get used to at first because it isn’t obvious who the narrator is at he beginning of the chapter. It took a couple of paragraphs to figure out who it was. But in the end, this technique gave different perspectives of the story which was very interesting. 

I like the conflicting feelings between the two students involved in the murder. One regrets that he didn’t succeed in killing the girl, while the other regrets that he did succeed in killing her. It was fascinating to see how these feelings of regret and failure play out in the young minds of the boys. 

Most of the characters are trying to get revenge for something that was done to them. Though their plan usually fails, the person does end up being damaged from the results in some way, just not the way they planned. The ultimate revenge happened at the end. It actually gave me chills. 

I’m so glad I read this book. I highly recommend it for a unique thriller! 

First Lines Friday #6

This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.

Here are my first lines:

“This is a memory I want to keep forever: Grace standing at the stove of her parents’ rental cottage in one of her dad’s oversize T-shirts as she makes us a can of SpaghettiOs. Her mom already cleaned out the fridge and cabinets, throwing away anything with an expiration date.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy.


Here’s the Goodreads synopsis:

Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.

Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem.

I’m excited to start this book soon! Have you read it?

Release Week Blitz: Never Apart

 

Welcome to the Release Week Blitz for

Never Apart by Romily Bernard

presented by Entangled Teen!

Grab your copy today!

 

Congratulations Romily!

 

 

How many times would you die for love?

What if you had to relive the same five days over and over?

And what if at the end of it, your boyfriend is killed…

And you have to watch. Every time.

You don’t know why you’re stuck in this nightmare.

But you do know that these are the rules you now live by:

Wake Up.

Run.

Die.

Repeat.

Now, the only way to escape this loop is to attempt something crazy. Something dangerous. Something completely unexpected. This time…you’re not going to run.

Combining heart-pounding romance and a thrilling mystery Never Apart is a stunning story you won’t soon forget.

Never Apart by Romily Bernard
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen

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Romily Bernard graduated from Georgia State University with a literature degree. Since then, she’s worked as a riding instructor, cell-phone salesperson, personal assistant, horse groomer and exercise rider, accounting assistant, and, during a very dark time, customer service representative. . . . She’s also, of course, now a YA novelist. So don’t let anyone tell you a BA degree will keep you unemployed. Romily currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Her debut novel, Find Me, won the Golden Heart Award for YA Romance from the Romance Writers of America in 2012.

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Blog Tour: So Near The Horizon

So Near the Horizon tour banner.jpgSoNeartheHorizon_cover_final

Title: So Near The Horizon
Author: Jessica Koch
Genre: New Adult
Publisher: FeuerWerke Verlag
Source: YA Bound Book Tours
Release Date: September 6, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Jessica has an uncomplicated life and a promising future. Leaving the house one evening, she has no idea that she’s about to meet the love of her life – or that her entire understanding of the world is about to change. And before long, she’s going to face a decision that will shape her forever…
In ‘So Near the Horizon’ Jessica Koch describes a life lived somewhere between hope and fear, confronting true events from her own past with raw honesty and frank reflection – and exploring more than one difficult subject along the way.
A story of deep love. A story of trust, courage, pain, despair, and the strength to let go. A true story.

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Review:

This is a very moving story. 

One of the characters has HIV. I’ve never read a story like this before, and it was fascinating. There was so much about the disease that I never knew before. I learned so much from this book. 

The story is very heartbreaking. It would be if it was just fiction, but especially since it is based on a true story. I always wonder how much of the story actually happened and which is fiction. No matter how much of the story is true, it is still heartbreaking. 

At the beginning, I could tell that some parts were taken directly from real life because they didn’t flow as well in the narrative. I think some conversations were probably transcribed word for word, but that doesn’t sound very good in a story. However, the writing got much better as the story moved along. 

The narrator changed abruptly in Chapter Fourteen. It had been from Jessica’s point of view, but then it was suddenly a limited third person perspective. Then, a few pages later it returns to Jessica’s voice again. I wasn’t expecting this change, and it was very strange at first but after it happened in a couple of chapters I understood why the author did this. Many of the other people who give their point of view also demonstrate their prejudices about HIV. And each time that person is proved wrong. This technique was slow to understand at first, but it made sense after a while. 

If you’re looking for a moving story, this is the one for you!

About the Author:

Jessica Koch (born in Ludwigsburg, Germany) began writing short stories when she was still in high school, but never submitted her work to publishers. In late 1999, shortly after beginning her studies to become an architectural drafter, she met Danny, a German-American dual national. Her experiences with him eventually formed the basis for So Near the Horizon, though it was nearly thirteen years before she felt ready to bring the manuscript to the public.

The author describes a life lived somewhere between hope and fear, between optimism and despair. She reflects on events from her own past with raw honesty, confronting more than one difficult subject along the way.

Jessica Koch lives near the city of Heilbronn with her husband, their son, and two dogs. The second and third books in the trilogy, So Near the Abyss and So Near the Ocean, are already best-sellers in Germany as well.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Facebook

Book Tour Organized by: YA Bound Book Tours

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Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for letting me participate in this blog tour.

Release Week Blitz: Seize Today

 

Welcome to the Release Week Blitz for

Seize Today (Forget Tomorrow #3)
by Pintip Dunn

presented by Entangled Teen!

Grab your copy today!

 

Congratulations Pintip!

 

 

The third book in the New York Times bestselling and RITA award winning Forget Tomorrow series is a thrilling conclusion to an epic trilogy.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Dresden is a precognitive. Since different versions of people’s futures flicker before her eyes, she doesn’t have to believe in human decency. She can see the way for everyone to be their best self-if only they would make the right decisions. No one is more conflicted than her mother, and Olivia can only watch as Chairwoman Dresden chooses the dark, destructive course every time. Yet Olivia remains fiercely loyal to the woman her mother could be. 

But when the chairwoman captures Ryder Russell, the striking and strong-willed boy from the rebel Underground, Olivia sees a vision of her own imminent death…at Ryder’s hand. Despite her bleak fate, she rescues Ryder and flees with him, drawing her mother’s fury and sparking a romance as doomed as Olivia herself. As the full extent of Chairwoman Dresden’s gruesome plan is revealed, Olivia must find the courage to live in the present-and stop her mother before she destroys the world.

Seize Today (Forget Tomorrow #3)
by Pintip Dunn
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

 

Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. Pintip’s debut novel, FORGET TOMORROW, won the RWA RITA® for Best First Book. In addition, it is a finalist for the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, the Japanese Sakura Medal, and the MASL Truman Award. THE DARKEST LIE was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. Her other books include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, the novella BEFORE TOMORROW, and GIRL ON THE VERGE. She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at http://www.pintipdunn.com

 

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Review: The Upside of Unrequited


Title: The Upside of Unrequited
Author: Becky Albertalli
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Purchased
Release Date: April 11, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

Review:

I loved this book! I read it in one day!

I connected with Molly right away. I could really relate to her. I liked how she openly discussed her body image issues and how she felt self conscious about people not liking her because of her weight. I’ve struggled with my weight my whole life so I could relate to those problems.

I’m an only child, so I couldn’t relate to Molly and Cassie’s relationship. But I have noticed how some friends become more distant when they get a boyfriend/girlfriend. I could understand that part of the story, and I think it would be believable for readers with close siblings.

I was so emotionally attached to this story. At times my heart was racing, and at others my eyes filled with tears.

This is a beautiful book. I absolutely loved it.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday #6

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is All The Crooked Saints.




I just preordered this book. I’m so excited to read it! And Maggie Stiefvater is going to be coming to do a book signing in a town close to Toronto in November, so I have to go!

What books are you waiting on this week?

Release Week Blitz: 27 Hours

 

 

Welcome to the Release Week Blitz for

27 Hours by Tristina Wright

presented by Entangled Teen!

Grab your copy today!

 

Congratulations Tristina!

 

 

 

 

Rumor Mora fears two things: hellhounds too strong for him to kill, and failure. Jude Welton has two dreams: for humans to stop killing monsters, and for his strange abilities to vanish.

But in no reality should a boy raised to love monsters fall for a boy raised to kill them.

Nyx Llorca keeps two secrets: the moon speaks to her, and she’s in love with Dahlia, her best friend. Braeden Tennant wants two things: to get out from his mother’s shadow, and to unlearn Epsilon’s darkest secret.

They’ll both have to commit treason to find the truth.

During one twenty-seven-hour night, if they can’t stop the war between the colonies and the monsters from becoming a war of extinction, the things they wish for will never come true, and the things they fear will be all that’s left.

27 Hours is a sweeping, thrilling story featuring a stellar cast of queer teenagers battling to save their homes and possibly every human on Sahara as the clock ticks down to zero.

27 Hours by Tristina Wright
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen

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Tristina Wright is a blue-haired bisexual with anxiety and opinions. She’s also possibly a mermaid, but no one can get confirmation. She fell in love with science fiction and fantasy at a young age and frequently got caught writing in class instead of paying attention. She enjoys worlds with monsters and kissing and monsters kissing. She married a nerd who can build computers and make the sun shine with his smile. Most days, she can be found drinking coffee from her favorite chipped mug and making up more stories for her wombfruit, who keep life exciting and unpredictable.

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