Month: October 2011

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

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Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick
Joe Schreiber
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Series or Standalone: Standalone 
ISBN: 9780547577388
Format: ARC
Pages: 192
Source: Borrowed
Websites:
Joe Schreiber – Blog
Rating: 4 Stars
 
 
 
An action adventure movie meets young adult novel in Joe Schreiber’s young adult debut novel Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick. In a relatively short novel, Joe Schreiber manages to lead his characters on a wild adventure that takes course over one surreal night.
 
It is anything but an ordinary prom night for Perry Stormaire. Much more willing to play in his band then go to prom, Perry’s mom forces him to take their quiet and geeky Lithuanian exchange student Gobi to prom. The night is going to be a disaster, but not in the way Perry expected. Gobi turns out to be a trained assassin who leads Perry on a wild and dangerous adventure through out Manhattan whether he wants to go or not. The escapades grow as Gobi’s intentions become clear, leaving Perry with one wild story to tell at night’s end.
 
In a book that is little shy of two hundred pages, a lot happens. Perry’s world is literally flipped upside down in the course of one night. One minute Perry and Gobi are at prom, and then they are in a New York City club and a dead man is being flown through a window and landing on Perry’s car. The events in the book continue in a rapid-fire pace until the very last chapter. The quick pace wraps the reader up in the action of the book, feeling flung around and confused at times just like Perry is. The fight and action sequences of the book occur very quickly, but are detailed enough that the reader understands who is fighting who and what is occurring. The plot builds momentum until the climax where a large, epic, action-packed scene occurs that wraps up the major storylines in a hail of bullets.
Since the story is so plot driven and fast-paced, the characters almost become secondary figures to action of the book. Perry is meant to be a typical high school boy who enjoys playing in his band and worrying about getting into a good college. He develops little as a character, even though he is put in situations that threat his life and would have a stronger impact on most people’s lives. . He goes on a wild adventure, but in the end, he is still the same Perry as in the beginning, but has an awesome story to tell. Gobi, on the other hand, was a more complex character. Gobi seemed to be a shy, strange foreign exchange student but was really covering up a mountain of secrets that are revealed over the course of one night. While Gobi might be an assassin who is leaving a trail of bodies across Manhattan, the reasons for her actions are noble and the reader can sympathize with her.
Schreiber’s writing captures the voice of a teenage boy thrown into some crazy situations perfectly. Perry’s reactions to the far-fetched situations he was in were exactly the sort of reactions I would have had if I were being forced to participate in car chases, heists, and murder. Perry is just as bewildered and confused by Gobi’s actions as the reader is. Schreiber also is able to balance the intense action with humor. Some of Perry’s comments on the events he is taking place on made me giggle aloud. Schreiber had some very witty lines that highlighted the absurdity of the actions Perry countering the high-paced action with some well needed humor.
The book tries to incorporate romance between Gobi and Perry but the romance falls short. The action is the primary focus of this book and everything else gets pushed aside. Perry goes from not wanting to associate with Gobi to somehow falling for her while she is putting his life in danger. The characters and their relationship needed to be better developed to make the romance between them plausible, but the focus was mostly on the action instead.
Each chapter in Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick starts out with a college essay from different college. I was a bit unsure if these were real college essay questions or ones that Schreiber created for the purpose of the book, but the events that took place in each chapter could loosely be related in some form to the college essay topic. Each chapter could be read separately as a college essay and would still make sense, but could also be read together as one large story. The essay questions as chapter titles ended up tying all the action in the book together and become part of the plot itself. The book is Perry’s college essay, albeit a very long college essay, telling the story of one night that changed his life.
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is a quirky quick read that would appeal to both boys and girls. Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is not too serious or extremely special, but it will take the reader on an action packed adventure. With the pacing of an action movie and the humor of high school comedy, Schreiber’s young adult debut is full of fun.

YA Spooktacular: Story 2

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf8 Comments
Welcome to another stop for the second annual YASpooktacular, hosted by Frenzy of Noise and Wicked Awesome Books.

This year, there are three stories written by some of your favorite authors that will be posted throughout the week. Each story is a choose your adventure, where you get to decide what path to send the character down. Sometimes you live, sometimes you die, and sometimes you fall into a pit of no return.

There are also some TRICKS or TREATS scattered throughout the story, where you can enter to win prizes and get bonus points toward the prize packs. The prize pack for 2 will be up tomorrow! On Halloween day, the grand prize pack will be posted. You can click the banner above to see a full list of the YASpooktacular prize packs!


About the Author
Gretchen McNeil writes YA urban fantasy, paranormal and historical fiction. Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4’s Code Monkeys and currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She’s a founding member of vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as “Monday” and an active member of both The Enchanted Inkpot, a group blog of YA and middle grade fantasy writers, and The Apocalypsies, a group blog of 2012 (oops) children’s book debuts. Her debut YA horror/paranormal POSSESS was published by Balzer and Bray for HarperCollins in August 2011.

You can find Gretchen on Twitter, on her blog, and on Goodreads. You can order her books at the following places: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository.

To start the story from the beginning, click on this image!

Without opening your eyes, you answer your phone. “What?” you snap. “Des, if this is your idea of a joke I’m going to—“

“Things are about to get…scary.” It’s the same pseudo-male voice as before, whispering and speaking extra slowly so you don’t miss a word. “And you’ll have choices to make.”

“I don’t know who this is,” you say, trying to sound braver than you feel. “But I don’t appreciate the prank calls, okay?”

“Good luck,” the voice says. The phone goes dead.

You stare at the phone in your hand, trying to make sense of what the caller told you. Things will get scary? You’ll have to make choices? Before you can even process, your phone screams again. This time you recognize the phone number.

“Stace!” you say. “Finally.”

You hear your best friend sobbing on the other end, calling your name.

“Stace?” you said. “Stace, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know where I am.” Her voice high and shrill with panic. “Help me. Help me!”

Holy shit, is this a joke? Stace couldn’t act her way out of a box and her terror sounds so real it sends a chill down your spine.

“Are you there?” she sobs.

“Stace,” you say quickly. “What happened? Where are you?”

“I don’t know!” she screams. “Someone was in my car. Grabbed me when I was coming to your party. I woke up here and…” Her voice trails off. Despite the static on the line, you can clearly hear heavy footsteps coming through the phone. “Oh my God,” Stace whispers. “He’s here. He’s—“ Stace pauses then screams.

The phone cuts out, but you realize you can still hear Stace screaming. And it’s coming from inside the house.

You run down the hall, following the scream, cursing the ridiculously high heels you’re wearing with your Zombie French Maid costume. It dies out just as you reach the stairs leading to the basement. Oh my God, is Stace okay? You pick up your phone to call 911 but when you push the green button, you accidentally answer an incoming call.

This time, you hear Michael’s shaky voice on the other end, saying your name. “Michael, I need your help,” you blurt out. “I need you to call Stace’s phone. I think something’s happened.”

“Listen very carefully,” Michael says. He’s speaking slowly, just like the anonymous caller, and even though he’s not crying like Stace had been, you realize immediately that something is very, very wrong.

“Are you there?” Michael says. This time, his voice cracks. “Are you listening?”

“Yeah,” you say. Your heart is pounding again. Your mind is racing and you have no idea what’s going on, but you force yourself to focus on what Michael says.

“Where are you?” you ask.

“I don’t know how I got here, but… there’s gasoline everywhere. I can smell it. I can’t move. I woke up with my phone and there’s a note that said I had to call you and say you had to make a choice.”

“A choice?” Your mouth goes dry. “What kind of a choice?”

“There’s a candle burning and if it burns too low I think…” His voice trails off and once again, you hear heavy footsteps on the other line. “What are you doing?” Michael says. His calm demeanor has vanished and you can hear the panic in his voice. “Who are you? What are you—“

The phone goes dead. Out of the corner of your eye, through the large window in the dining room, you see a bright orange glow.

The garage is on fire.

If you run to the garage, go to Red House Books. If you run downstairs into the basement, go to The Book Cellar.

Make sure you visit Lisa M. Potts tomorrow and enter to win the prize pack for story 2!

And visit Frenzy of Noise or Wicked Awesome Books. on October 31st to enter the GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY for a ton of books and a ton of swag!!


Treat
Fill out the form by clicking on the image above or clicking here to be entered to win an ARC of Shifting by Bethany Wiggins and an ARC of Between by Jessica Warman.

Waiting on Wednesday (72) – Insurgent

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf3 Comments

Insurgent
Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
To be released: May 28, 2012
Summary (from Goodreads):
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. 

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. 


New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth’s much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

I like need this book. Now. I LOVED LOVED LOVED Divergent and I cannot wait for it’s sequel. I’m super excited. Divergent was one of my favorite books this year and I cannot wait to see where Veronica Roth takes the characters next. A lot of stuff went down in the first book and I cannot wait to see the repercussions and how they are dealt with plays out in the second book. I also love how this cover matchs the first one, I actually like it more than the first one’s cover.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Fateful by Claudia Gray

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf2 Comments

Fateful

Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Series or Standalone:  Standalone
ISBN: 9780062006202
Format: ARC
Pages: 328
Source: Around the World ARC Tours
Websites:
Claudia Gray – Website
Claudia Gray – Twitter
Claudia Gray – Blog
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Walk into a bookstore and you will see a large portion of the young adult section devoted to paranormal romance. Having a werewolf or a vampire in your book makes it part of the popular trend in young adult literature. Frankly, I have become quite sick of the number of novels revolving around supernatural creatures; every other book seems to deal with some paranormal creature and the books are starting to feel like washed-up versions of the same story.
In a crowd of paranormal romances, Fateful by Claudia Gray stands out from the crowd. Fateful is an atypical werewolf story; instead of having to deal with school or feuds with vampires like in most young adult werewolf novels, the characters in Fateful have to deal with the sinking of the Titanic. That’s right; Fateful is the story of werewolves…on the Titanic. Gray mixes paranormal romance with historical fiction to create a refreshing werewolf tale.
Gray is familiar with the genre of young adult paranormal fiction. Gray has written the Evernight series, a series that centers on the star-crossed love of a vampire and vampire hunter at a high school boarding school, and has a firm grasp on writing paranormal romance for teens. I really enjoy the difference in Fateful from her previous novels; Fateful is fresh and exciting, while at times the Evernightseries was slow and even a little dull. I actually never finished reading the Evernight series because I lost interest; the series started to feel like every star-crossed paranormal romance. In Fateful, Gray tries something different from her previous series that kept me captivated: blending historical and paranormal elements to create a new subgenre of paranormal romance. Very few young adult novels are historical novels, and even fewer historical novels have paranormal elements. Fateful blends the two genres together and plays off certain elements from both paranormal and historical fiction, twisting the reader’s expectations from both genres.
The setting is of the best things about this book. The setting of Fatefulinstantly separates the book from other paranormal novels. Everyone knows the story of the Titanic, the unsinkable ship that — spoiler alert — hits an iceberg and sinks on its maiden voyage. As an avid fan of anything Titanic related, I was curious to see how werewolves would be incorporated into this famous story. Before reading the book, I wondered if setting the book on the Titanic was more gimmicky than essential to the story; the pitch for a book with were werewolves on the Titanic will definitely make people pause. However, if Fateful were set anywhere else, the book would lose most of its appeal and just would be another werewolf story. Having the story take place on the Titanic adds a whole other level to the book; the setting heightens the tragedy and the obstacles the characters have to face. The readers know what is going to happen to the ship, but the characters do not. Not only does Tess, the main character, have to try to survive the dangers of being attacked by werewolves, she must survive a disaster. As the reader, knowing the story of the Titanic made every action in the plot feel more urgent because we know there are only a couple of days left until the ship sinks, but the characters do not. The happy moments become so much more tragic with the knowledge that the happiness cannot last. Tess and Alec can try to overcome the obstacle of Alec being a werewolf, but the readers do not know if they can survive an event that resulted in the death of over a thousand people. I was both excited for the sinking of the ship, but dreading it at the same time. I wanted to see how Gray incorporated the sinking into the story, but knew that the sinking could only result in tragedy for the characters.
Gray establishes the world Tess lives in beautifully through the writing. The writing, thankfully, is more formal than the writing of a contemporary novel, reflective of the time-period, which helps to establish the setting. Compared to her writing in Evernight, which at times felt clunky and awkward, Gray’s writing in Fatefulis fluid and vivid. Gray’s descriptions of the Titanic capture the grandeur and beauty of the ship, making the reader feel like they are with Tess on this famous ship. The story is told from the first person perspective of Tess; a servant to a wealthy British family who is journeying to America on the great ship Titanic. Tess has been raised to feel inferior to her employers and accept whatever they have to say. Gray demonstrates knowledge of the workings and treatments of servants during the time-period through Tess’s commentaries and descriptions of her life. The contrast between Tess’s life and that of Irene Lisle, the daughter of the family Tess works for, is firmly established. Irene has to be paraded around like a prize in first class, while in third class, Tess works and has little free time. Social status proves to be an obstacle for most of the characters in Fateful; not only is class an obstacle in the main storyline involving Tess and Alec, but it provides interesting conflicts for the secondary storylines. I was fascinated by the class differences and thought it added an interesting element to the story.
I was swept away by the plot of this book. Even though the majority of the events take places over six days, the plot did not feel rushed. When dealing with such a short time span, other young adult novels’ plots seem to be rushed and characters tend to be left underdeveloped, but Gray had no issues with the short time span. Instead, Gray immediately dives into the story, wasting no time introducing us to main players of the novel in the first chapter. From there, the plot slowly builds and gains momentum until the very end of the novel. The reader follows Tess’s life and unravels the secrets surrounding her as she does. Gray has a perfect balance between the romance and the action; there is not too much of either. The twists and turns in the plot were perfectly executed, leaving me surprised and not confused with each twist. Fatefulis an emotional rollercoaster as well: sometimes, I would be ecstatic, other times I would be on the brink of tears and at the end I was a bundle of emotions. The plot is addicting, so much so that I was wishing that the Titanic did not have to sink so I could keep reading. Sadly, no matter how much I wished Gray could alter the course of history, the ship did have to sink, but the story did not end there. I was grateful that Gray continued Tess’s story after the Titanic sunk to wrap up loose story lines caused by the sinking that interrupted the main plot. The ending is thoroughly satisfying and wraps up all the lose ends perfectly; I could not have wished for a better ending.   
Tess is a strong heroine, particularly in a time when women were viewed as weak things that needed protection. Constantly, Tess is being thrown in danger and having her life threatened, but she does not waiver from trying to protect those she loves and cares about. Tess is no weak damsel in distress stress that is all too common in young adult novels; Tess can take care of herself. I admired Tess’s strength and motivation. With a lot more courage then most, Tess is determined to leave her employment and try to start a new life when the Titanic ports even if she has no way to support herself. As a 17-year-old girl in 1912, that takes guts. Many obstacles threaten Tess’s goal, but still she holds onto to dream of starting fresh in America.
Tess’s compassion and kindness is admirable. Tess is willing to risk her life to protect those she holds dear to her heart. This brings us to Alec. Alec is the son of an American millionaire steel tycoon who is troubled by his past and the fact that he is a werewolf. While reading, I could not help but think Tess and Alec’s relationship was comparable to Rose and Jack’s relationship from James Cameron’s Titanic, well, except for the fact that in Fateful the classes of the characters were reversed and one of them is a werewolf, but otherwise, Tess and Alec’s relationship is on par with Rose and Jack’s. Tess and Alec’s relationship is intense yet sweet, exactly what I hoped it would be. Unlike so many paranormal romances, Tess and Alec’s romance does not revolve around the fact that Alec is a werewolf; instead, their relationship has substance and is not defined by Alec being a werewolf. If anything, Alec being a werewolf is one of the least important aspects of their relationship. Their relationship did not suffer from “instant-love” either; there was no “BAM! They’re in love.” Even though they have only known each other a short time, Gray took time to establish their relationship so that over the course of a few days Alec and Tess’s genuinely come to care for each other.
One of the best characters in Fateful has to be Mikhail. Gray creates a purely evil villain. He just exudes evil and is meant to be hated. Mikhail, the main antagonist in the book, is part of a secret society of werewolves after Alec and something in the possession of Tess’s employers. Mikhail does not care if he hurts anyone to get what he wants; in fact, he is willing to try to kill Tess for satisfaction it would bring him. Killing and violence is pure fun for Mikhail. He brings on the shudders for creepiness and evilness. Mikhail would always be popping up at times when you would least expect it and causing trouble. He is pure evil and is constantly scheming; he should be the archetype of villains for all other books of this genre.
Fatefulcombines a familiar genre with a familiar event to make a refreshing new story. At no point did Fateful feel like a wash-up or recycled version of some other werewolf story. I am head over heels in love with this story. I am not the biggest fan of werewolves, yet I still love Fateful. Fateful is unlike any other young adult paranormal romance I have read. Personally, I would love if more authors took a page out of Gray’s book and would set their books in the past to give a story more life. In addition, not every book needs to be a series and Fateful is a prime example of a paranormal novel that functions best as a standalone, a rarity in young adult paranormal fiction. As paranormal romance, Fateful brings new life to a genre that has become bland and has the ability to stand apart from its peers.

Waiting on Wednesday (71) – Second Chance Summer

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf9 Comments

Second Chance Summer

Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
To be released: May 8, 2012

Summary (from Goodreads):

Taylor’s family might not be the closest-knit – everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled – but for the most part, they get along fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news that changes everything. Her parents decide that the family will spend the summer together at their old vacation home in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former summer best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend. . . and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses, the Edwards become more of a family, and closer than they’ve ever been before. But all of them are very aware that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance – with family, with friends, and with love.


I loved Morgan Matson’s first book Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour and I’m very excited to read her second one. I love second chances and this sounds like a really good contemporary novel. 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (70) – The Treachery of Beautiful Things

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf4 Comments
The Treachery of Beautiful Things
Ruth Frances Long
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, INC
To be released: August 16, 2012
Summary (from Goodreads):
A darkly engaging mix of romance, adventure, fairytale, and folklore, about a teenage girl thrust into a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, trust is a variable commodity, love can be used against her, and where the veil slowly lifts until she finds herself faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice — and not just her own.
I really like this cover and I love the title. The title alone makes me want to read the book. This book doesn’t come out until next year but I’m already excited for it!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (69) – Dark Companion

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf5 Comments

Dark Companion

Marta Acosta
Publisher: Tor/Macmillan
To be released: June 2012
Summary (from Goodreads):
When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She’s even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper’s cottage in the center of the birch grove. 

Something’s not quite right about the school — or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She’s also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother. 


The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member. 


Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school…and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

This sounds awesome. An elite school, mystery, disappearances, I’m certainly intrigued. Can’t wait to read this one!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.