Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

Smoke by Ellen Hopkins
"Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is desperate for peace. Only her sister Jackie knows what happened that night, but she is stuck at home with their mother, who clings to normalcy by allowing the truth to be covered up by their domineering community leaders. Her father might be finally gone, but without Pattyn, Jackie is desperately isolated.

Alone and in disguise, Pattyn starts a new life as a migrant worker on a California ranch. But is it even possible to rebuild a life when everything you’ve known has burned to ash and lies seem far safer than the truth?"- summary from Amazon

Burned is my favorite Ellen Hopkins book, and I was so excited to hear that a sequel was finally coming out. I even re-read it right before diving into Smoke. It really helped since I'd read it originally 6 years ago and maybe once again sometime between then and now, so I was going in with a fresh memory of exactly what Pattyn had been through. Smoke picks up shortly after the end of Burned and is told between Pattyn's voice and her sister Jackie's, as the two are now separated. Pattyn is on the run, and Jackie is left at home to deal with the aftermath.

Like with all Hopkins' books, I pretty much loved this one. It feels weird to say that about books where generally bad things happen, but there you go. I loved getting back in Pattyn's head, but also getting a glimpse into her sister Jackie, who Pattyn confided in the most during the events of Burned. Both characters have fantastic, distinct voices and a major growth throughout the book.

Overall, Hopkins has written another great sequel as well as a wonderful, realistic ending for Pattyn as well as her sister Jackie. Highly recommended.


FTC: Received ARC from publisher (upon urging from Ellen- thanks!). Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

All I Need by Susane Colasanti

All I Need by Susane Colasanti
"The last night of summer is only the beginning.

Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it's obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did--and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?"- summary from Amazon

I love Colasanti's books and it's such a treat getting a new one every year. She just writes these great swoon-worthy romances so well and this is no exception. It's a bit different in that it's a sort-of insta-love story, but Colasanti really makes it work. I think including the dual perspective really helps ground it a bit, as well as the long timeline. We spend more than a year with these characters as they work through their relationship and try to make it work long-distance and get past their own problems and insecurities.

Skye and Seth are wonderful characters and I'm sure readers will instantly fall in love with them and want to read their story. It's very compelling and such a perfect read to end the summer with. I wasn't able to put this book down; read it so quickly!

Overall, another winner from Colasanti, and I really like how she handled this kind of romance here. Cannot wait to read what she writes next!

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
"In the dystopian future of For Darkness Shows the Stars, a genetic experiment has devastated humanity. In the aftermath, a new class system placed anti-technology Luddites in absolute power over vast estates—and any survivors living there.

Elliot North is a dutiful Luddite and a dutiful daughter who runs her father’s estate. When the boy she loved, Kai, a servant, asked her to run away with him four years ago, she refused, although it broke her heart.

Now Kai is back. And while Elliot longs for a second chance with her first love, she knows it could mean betraying everything she’s been raised to believe is right."- summary from Amazon

I put this book off way too long. I finally read it because I was seeing Peterfreund at an event, and even though they're not related, I wanted to have it done before the companion book came along. I absolutely adored this book. I've never read Persuasion but looking over its summary, I can see the similarities. It's also written in a similar style to Austen, I felt; not completely, but there is more of a formal nature to the prose.

Elliott is a wonderful main character and I really enjoyed reading her story, especially the bits in between chapters showing letters between her and Kai over the years. It was really cute to see those and really get a glimpse into their interactions and friendship. I also want to say that I hated her father and wanted to just kill him throughout the entire book.

I thought Peterfreund did a good job setting up this post-apocalyptic world and explaining everything without it seeming like slogging through a ton of details. It's an interesting world and there's some great reveals throughout the book. I liked seeing Elliott and Kai together and Peterfreund wrote their back-together scenes beautifully, really showing the tug of war inside each of them. They obviously both want the other, but there's a lot of hurt and pain to get through before that can happen. It's handled so well.

Overall, a fantastic book and I strongly recommend it. I'm excited to read the companion book, which is based on The Scarlet Pimpernel (another book I've never read, lol).

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Blog Tour- The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler

I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour for The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler. Here's a little bit about the book and then I've got an interesting little guest post from Sonia.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.

The Dark Between, a supernatural romance about the powers that lie in the shadows of the mind, is perfect for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan, Alyxandra Harvey, and Libba Bray.

In The Dark Between, Elsie Atherton has a passion for photography. Female photographers weren’t that common in 1901, but they certainly did exist. Some even made a profession out of it.

Women have been involved with photography since the earliest cameras were in use. Most often they were wives or family members of photographers, and they acted as assistants. In England, women began to independently explore photography as an art form in the middle of the 19th century. By the early 20th century, one could find professional female photographers throughout Europe and America.

For Elsie, the most influential female photographer was Julia Margaret Cameron, who worked to elevate portrait photography to a serious art form. In The Dark Between, Elsie is particularly fond of photographs like Alethea, a portrait of Alice Liddel (who was famous for inspiring Alice in Wonderland) and “Maud” (see below), which illustrated Tennyson’s Idylls of the King.

credit: commons.wikimedia.org
Learn more about early female photographers.

Next time, we’ll talk about the strange phenomenon of Spirit Photography . . .


There's also a giveaway being held on Sonia's website where you can enter the various code words given at each tour stop. My code word is PORTRAIT.
- Contest open to U.S. only
- Readers can enter multiple times if they visit each blog on the tour and submit an entry with the various secret codes; one entry per person per code word.

Blog Tour- The Secret Side of Empty by Maria Andreu

I'm so pleased to be a part of the pre-publication blog tour for The Secret Side of Empty by Marie Andreu. Here's a little bit about the book:

It's the story of a teen girl that is American in every way except for in one very important way: on paper. She was brought to the U.S. as a baby without proper documentation, so she's "illegal." As the end of the safe haven of her high school days draw near, she faces an uncertain future. Full of humor and frustration and love, The Secret Side of Empty speaks to the part in all of us that has felt excluded or has had a secret too scary to share. What M.T., the main character, finally discovers is the strength of the human spirit and the power that's unleashed when you finally live the truth.


and I've got a nice little interview with the author Maria Andreu:

1) What was the inspiration for The Secret Side of Empty?

The Secret Side of Empty is the story of a high school senior who is undocumented or “illegal.” It gives an inside glimpse into a life people don’t usually get to see. What is it like to be considered “illegal” in the only country you’ve ever called home? It presents issues most people don’t even fathom – no social security number, no college, no job, no real future.

I was undocumented as a child and teenager. Unlike M.T., the main character of The Secret Side of Empty, I crossed the Mexican border as an 8-year-old. (She came over as a baby). I vividly remember what it felt like to feel unworthy to be here. As soon as I got my residency papers (thanks to an amnesty) I worked hard to forget all that. But the story kept coming back to me and finally it served as inspiration for The Secret Side of Emtpy.


2) What are you currently working on? Can you tell us anything about it?

I am learning that I like stories about characters that society might consider marginalized. My second novel, which I’m halfway through, is about a girl who enters into what most would consider a bad relationship. I tell it from her perspective, showing how deeply one can feel that the wrong relationship is right for us. It’s a journey of self-discovery and learning to love oneself enough to make good choices. At its heart it is a love story.

Simultaneously I’m also working on a memoir. I like to say both books are racing each other – some days I’m inspired to work on one, on others the other.


3) What's your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor(s)? Or, if you don't like those, your favorite snack to have while writing or as a reward for writing?

I feel like if you’re asking the jelly bean question jelly beans must be important to you, so I don’t want to dis jelly beans! I don’t have a favorite food, necessarily. I am fairly obsessive about my tea, though. I don’t feel complete without a cup of Earl Gray with lemon and stevia. I’m very particular about my tea preparation. It’s my one “finicky” thing.


4) What book(s) are you currently reading, or are about to start? Any upcoming reads you're excited about?

I am reading Why We Write, which could be the most insanely inspiring book I’ve read in a decade. It’s a series of essays by successful writers about (you guessed it) why they write, as well as the challenges they face. They all come across as so human, so in the process that I’m in, that it bolsters my own confidence in myself as a writer. I think every writer should carry a copy around with them everywhere they go.

I’m also about to start The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal, PhD. Because… you guessed it… I want to get better about writing more consistently. I write just about every day on my blog but sometimes my long projects can gather dust. Then I go on a bender. I want to make more time for them.


5) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Pages and pages worth! If I have to condense it it’s this: the main thing that makes you a writer is your decision that you are one. No one needs to give you a special tiara or a certificate that says you are. Craft can be learned, feedback can be sought out, but the decision that you’re going to write is yours alone. There is no “right” way, no one has anything you don’t have. Only you can give the world the unique blend of words that are yours. So get writing.

Read more of my work at http://mariaeandreu.com


Maria's also running an awesome giveaway with this tour. For a chance to win the $250 Amazon gift card, OR the Kindle Fire leave a comment on her blog post for that day. Winners will be randomly selected on September 30th.

Maria’s writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post and the Star Ledger. Her debut novel, The Secret Side of Empty, is the story of an “illegal” high school senior. It was inspired by Maria’s own experiences as an undocumented teen. Since becoming a citizen, Maria has run her own business and has become a soccer mom. She lives with her 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son in northern New Jersey.

Preorder The Secret Side of Empty- http://amzn.to/17LaXLX
Maria Andreu’s website- http://mariaeandreu.com/
Maria Andreu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritersideofM
Maria Andreu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.andreu.books