The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab
"Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she's struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn't easy -- not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she's really safe.

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She's sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she'll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?"- summary from Amazon

Schwab has done it again. I was so excited to read this sequel and she did not let me down; this follow-up is just as good if not better than the first book. I really hope there will be a third book. I can't let these awesome characters go! I love Mackenzie, Wesley, Roland, and so many others and I really enjoy spending time with them. Schwab's prose and Mackenzie's voice make this book hard to put down and I read it very quickly over a couple days. The stakes are higher in this book, and there's more action going on that keep the story compelling and fast-paced.

Overall, a fantastic follow-up and I think it's a good ending to the series if it ends up being that, but I so hope a third book will happen. Please check this series out; it's simply amazing!

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

Everyday Angel #1 by Victoria Schwab

Everyday Angel #1: New Beginnings by Victoria Schwab
"At a first glance, Aria seems like your average twelve-year-old girl. She has coppery hair, colored shoelaces, and a passion for cupcakes. But there's more to Aria than meets the eye. She can dream things into existence, use her own shadow like a door, and change the world in small, important ways. Aria is a guardian angel. She's been sent here to earn her wings. But to do that, she'll have to help three different girls.

Aria's first mission is Gabby Torres. Gabby's always been quiet, but ever since her brother got sick, she's barely said a word. When a new school offers her a fresh start, Gabby wants badly to be someone new, but she quickly learns it's hard to make friends while keeping half her life a secret.

And then Aria shows up. Aria, who knows exactly what to say and do to make Gabby feel better. Will she be able to help Gabby find her voice? And will Gabby still trust Aria when she finds out exactly what she is?"- summary from Amazon

I'm sure you've all heard me gush over Schwab's writing in my reviews of The Archived and Vicious (and get prepared for next week's review of The Unbound), and this review will be no different. Even though this is quite a different ball game for Schwab (while Vicious is adult as opposed to her YA audience, they're both similar in that they have a dark nature to them), she pulls it off really well. It is a happier, funnier book with some amazing emotional arcs for the two main characters, and the narrative switches between the two. I will also admit that this book had me tearing up toward the end of it.

Overall, it's a wonderful start to an interesting middle-grade series. I'm excited to read more when the next book comes out in August!

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

Blog Tour- Subway Love by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Subway Love by Nora Raleigh Baskin
"If her parents had never divorced, Laura wouldn’t have to live in the shadow of Bruce, her mom’s unpredictable boyfriend. Her mom wouldn’t say things like “be groovy,” and Laura wouldn’t panic every weekend on the way to Dad’s Manhattan apartment. But when Laura spots a boy on a facing platform, lifting a camera to his face, looking right at her, Laura feels anything but afraid, and she can’t forget him. Jonas, meanwhile, thinks nonstop about the pretty hippy girl he glimpsed on the platform—trying to comprehend how she vanished, but mostly wondering if he will see her again in a city of millions. If he searches, will he find her?"- summary from publisher

and here's an interview with Nora:

1) How did you get the idea for Subway Love?

I am actually not sure. I think I was talking to some students at a school and we were batting around ideas about a magical place where two characters would meet, like a ghost story, but I wasn’t really interested in that kind of story. I was interested in a story, however, about a love that is so real and so strong but couldn’t ever be realized. A romantic tragedy, I guess you’d call it. And the two ideas morphed together.


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

I am working on another sort of tragic love story, but a very different one. About self-love and suicide and survival and about how falling for the wrong person can be both destructive and healing.


3) You have a dog and a cat. How did you get them, and do you have any funny anecdotes about them?

Of course, they are both rescue pets. Eli, my dog, is from Arkansas and Baby Kitty, my cat, was found on the north fork of Long Island. I am crazy for them both and I have too many stories to even begin. You really don’t want to get me started. My smart phone is filled with photos of them both. One of the best ways I communicate with my grown sons is by sending them photos of the pets doing cute things, like the cat climbing in the bathtub or my the dog asleep under the covers. Stuff like that… See, I told you not to get me started!


4) 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 am not that fond of Jelly beans, I must admit. They stick in my teeth and they are not chocolate. But I certainly wouldn’t turn then down. I would eat all the black ones first. I like licorice. And since you asked, revising is the hardest part of writing and so I let myself snack while I am revising: chips, M&Ms, chocolate chips cookies, Oreos… Often my revised manuscript has lots of dirty fingerprints on it. I really need to stop doing that!


5) You used to be a creative writing teacher. What was your favorite part of that job? Did you enjoy teaching? Think you'll ever go back to it?

I still teach creative writing all the time to both children and adults. I enjoy it very much. The key is to remember I can’t really teach anyone anything. I can only share what I have learned and mistakes I’ve made. Writing is an art and it’s very individual. It is filled with rules…all that are made to be broken so that new voices and new forms of expression can be discovered. I see myself as giving permission and inspiration for my students to write. Reading is really the best way to learn “how” to write. It is a personal journey. It is a process and sometimes the only way in is straight into the belly of the beast, so to speak. Make mistakes. Take risks. And listen to your heart.
I know I sound corny, but I believe it.


To follow the rest of the tour, here's the list:

5/12/2014- Who R U Blog
http://www.whorublog.com/

5/13/2014- Great Imaginations
http://www.great-imaginations.com

5/14/2014- Word Spelunking
http://www.wordspelunking.blogspot.com

5/15/2014- Once Upon a Twilight
http://www.onceuponatwilight.com

5/16/2014- A Leisure Moment
http://www.aleisuremoment.com

5/17/2014- Random Chalk Talk
http://www.randomchalktalk.blogspot.com

5/18/2014- The Story Siren
http://www.thestorysiren.com

5/19/2014- Book Chic Club
http://www.bookchicclub.blogspot.com


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

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
"For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over?"- summary from Amazon

I've become such an Anderson fan over the years. I came a little late to her and may have read Fever 1793 before her acclaimed debut Speak, but her writing is simply fantastic. I absolutely loved the voice of Hayley in this book and it really pulled me in. Anderson always does a wonderful job with the voices of her characters. The story is one that should be commonplace now but isn't; Anderson writes about the world of PTSD from war and how it affects the person going through it as well as those around him/her extremely well. I hope that it opens up a discussion for the treatment of it and how poorly it's being handled currently.

There is a romance in here but it's handled very delicately throughout the book, and definitely more of a subplot. Finn is a great guy and really helps Hayley with her emotional arc and it's great to see her happier by the end of the book.

Overall, another great novel from Anderson. Before she releases another one, I need to catch up on all her others (only read 3 of like 10 of her MG/YA books)!

FTC: Borrowed book from library. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward contests.

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine
"Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she's not popular, not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet good girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now, in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change but doesn't know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe's: star of the lacrosse team, at the top of his class, and on the fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a "term-paper pimp." Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change but doesn't know how.

One fateful night, their paths cross at Wren's family's Arthurian-themed catering hall. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love."- summary from Amazon

I absolutely loved this contemporary romantic comedy; Constantine has written a fantastic debut filled with great characters, hilarious humor, a swoon-worthy romance, and wonderful emotional arcs. I really liked the dual narrative, which I do think helps a lot of romantic novels. It's interesting to be able to see and know both sides, especially when they are away from each other and dealing with other things. Wren and Grayson have some great chemistry and I loved reading scenes with the two of them together.

There was also a lot of family issues going on with each and it was nice to see a big presence from each family in the book. Usually, families aren't seen that much in YA novels. It really helped to flesh out Wren and Grayson and show a different side to them.

Overall, a really great debut and I'm excited to read more from Constantine!

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