Review: Sisters Red

Posted on November 1, 2012 by

Title: Sisters Red
Author: Jackson Pearce
Publisher: Little, Brown
Genre: young adult, paranormal, fairytale
Rating: 4/5

This book is a wonderful adaptation of the classic Red Riding Hood fairytale. Only this time, there are two “little girls,” they’re wielding axes and knives, and the wolves had better watch out.

It should come as no surprise from the title, but this book is mainly about the bond between two sisters, Rosie and Scarlett. After the murder of their grandmother—a tragic event that left Scarlett scarred and more than a little bitter—they’ve devoted their teen years to hunting down the Fenris, a soulless race of werewolves picking off innocent women across the country. Rosie and Scarlett have dealt with their trauma differently. Scarlett is obsessed with hunting, and has pushed all other thoughts out of her mind. Rosie, however, longs for a life outside of The Hunt.

I love the contemporary setting, and I love how badass and complex both Rosie and Scarlett are. I’m an only child, so I’m always touched and fascinated by stories that explore the bonds between siblings. And while there is a romance in this book (between Rosie and their woodsman friend, Silas), the main focus is the relationship between the sisters. There’s enough cute romance-y moments in this book to satisfy someone looking for that, but if you’re not a romance fan, there’s still enough going on to keep you satisfied.

The Fenris are compelling villains; ordinary men who get turned into werewolves, lose their souls, and become predators of the night, hunting and devouring young women. There are clear parallels to real-life predators; when they’re un-transformed, the Fenris are handsome and charming, and like to stalk women around nightclubs and dark alleys. They’re terrifying because they blend so well into society.

Of course, this book isn’t perfect. I thought this when I first read it a few years ago, and I still think it now: Rosie’s plotline gets resolved, but I still feel like Scarlett still has a story to uncover. She starts out with a pretty unhealthy view towards other women…she even occasionally muses about how they look like they’re “practically asking to be eaten,” and although she seems to get over it a bit, partially by having to accept her sisters need for a life outside hunting, I think she’s still got a long way to go. It doesn’t make the book unsatisfying, but it does beg for a sequel! (and, I admit, I really just want her to find a chick as badass as herself to go on adorable couply hunts with. But that may just be me…)

I first fell in love with this book for its cover. I even made a game out of tracking the book down; it took a few months and many different bookstores before I actually found it. Its pretty much exactly how I’d want a book to look.

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Review: Under the Never Sky

Posted on October 13, 2012 by

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: young adult, futuristic, science fiction
Rating: 5/5

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she’s never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He’s searching for someone too. He’s also wild – a savage – but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other’s best hope for finding answers.

—

This has got to be one of the better books I’m read recently.

I hesitate to call it “dystopian,” because it really isn’t a true dystopian at all. Unlike most Outsider/Insider futuristic books I’ve read, this one doesn’t seem to have a rebellion at its core. It doesn’t feel like a corrupt government out to keep people docile, with a handful of rebels living on the outskirts trying to stay under the radar until they can pull the system down. It feels like groups of people trying to make the best out of a bad situation. This doesn’t make it better than those other books, but for me it made it stand out.

The premise is pretty cool. Something messed up the sky, and now there are Aether storms and no one can see beyond the Aether clouds. Main society lives in Pods and interact with each other primarily through their advanced version of the internet, while tribes of “Outsiders” make due as best they can outside the Pods. Neither lives in an ideal world, and neither necessarily seems to think they do.

Since this book is the first in a series, it leaves a lot of things unanswered. But I’m really attached to the characters. Aria starts out appropriately annoying, but I really enjoyed watching her character grow, and her relationship with Peregrine develop. Of course, I’m also really attached to Perry, and his abilities (and the abilities of the other Outsiders) are really fascinating. I want the sequel, now!

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The Visibility Blog Tour

Posted on August 31, 2012 by

Today I’m proud to be a part of the Visibility Blog Tour! To celebrate the digital release of Visibility, by Sarah Neufeld, RainTown Press is putting on a week-long blog tour, with a super giveaway at the end: a $50 giftcard to Amazon or a $55 to an indie bookstore, with two runner-up giftcards for $25. Pretty sweet, huh?

You can increase your chances to win the prize by “collecting” super powers at each blog stop, promoting the tour on twitter, and liking RainTown’s page on Facebook. For full details, check out the widget at the bottom of this post!

Anyway, this book is kind of my baby. I interned with the original publisher of the illustrated version, and although I didn’t work directly on the book at that point, I always hoped I’d have a chance to work with Sarah more closely. When RainTown Press took on the re-release of Visibility, I finally had my chance. Well, you can read all about it in this article over on the RainTown blog.

Now, if you’re following the tour, your super power for today is: Book Levitation

The Super Survey

What is your super power?

The ability to levitate books. It may not sound all that useful, but it’s especially nice when I’m reading in bed…and if I’m in a tight corner, books can make surprisingly deadly weapons.

Have you told anyone about it?

I mostly keep it under wraps, so as to maintain the element of surprise. It makes a good party-trick, though.

Have you chosen to use it for good, or evil?

I’ve been pretty selfish with it so far, in that I haven’t used it for much of anything except keeping my arms from tiring when I read. However, the word around my library is there’s a super-literary-heroes club forming, so I may check that out…

Have you had any super power–related instances at work?

Well, there was this time a co-worker walked in on me using my ability in the break room…but I covered it up pretty well by dropping the book immediately. People are easily distracted by loud noises.

Spandex, or no spandex?

Spandex is a definite no-no for me. I prefer a nice floofy skirt and some killer thigh-highs.

—

Natalie Irving is used to living in the shadow of her infamous mother’s celebrity—she’s done it all her life. So when she discovers that she has inherited Jaydn’s claim to fame, the talent to turn invisible, she knows she finally has the chance to step into the spotlight. Now that she is one of only two people in the world with such an ability, Natalie has a choice to make: follow in her mother’s footsteps or choose a different path, crafting a unique identity that is hers alone.

Want to know more about the Visibility Blog Tour? Check out the main tour page on the RainTown Blog, and start entering the giveaway below!

Enter the Giveaway!

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Deadlines and Motivation

Posted on July 27, 2012 by

A few months ago I submitted the first chapter of my YA paranormal to a young writer’s contest (at 25, I just qualify). In October they’ll contact the lucky 10 individuals who get to move on to the next round, and at that point they’ll have to submit the full manuscript. So of course, this means I have to have a finished manuscript by Oct 1st!

The good news it, this is Whispers, my Nanowrimo 2010 project, so the rough draft is already done. The bad news is, for this revision, I’m changing the tense. Instead of being in past/third person, it’s now in present/first. Not a seamless transition. I’m happy with the change, and I honestly believe it’s the right thing for the book, but it means that I’m in for a lot more writing and a lot less copy-and-pasting than I had originally counted on.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been going as quickly as I had planned. Because, well, I’m busy, and I’ve got a lot on my plate, and there’s still plenty of time, and…insert excuse here. But it’s getting to that point were there isn’t plenty of time left. Not much left at all, really. So, time for something drastic.

I’ve been a Nanowrimo winner enough years to know that I work really, really well with daily deadlines. Graphs make things even better. So I’m doing the August Camp Nanowrimo, with a twist. Instead of writing 50,000 words from scratch, I’m second-drafting 75,000 words. I’m going to end up having to write a lot of those words from scratch, but I’m not focusing on that. Too scary. But dammit, come September I will have a second draft done!

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Summer Reads

Posted on July 13, 2012 by

It’s weird. This is the first summer I’ve ever had that wasn’t between one school year or another, one class or another. Last summer I was in graduation-mode, with all the distractions that come with it. This year…I’m a full-fledged working Adult.

I love my current job in customer service, and my other “job” as Blogmaster for RainTown Press, but one thing about being an “adult”: it sure takes up a lot of time.

So, without further ado, the books I wish I had time to curl up with in the sun:

 …and so many more! What do you wish you were reading?

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Tour de Nerdfighting 2012, Portland

Posted on February 3, 2012 by

Sunday I got to see John and Hank Green perform at the Bagdad theater. It was pure awesome.

I got some footage of the event, which is below. Unfortunately I couldn’t get everything, and my camera has issues when filming inside, so the footage could be better. I regret that I didn’t get any film of John reading from The Fault in Our Stars or talking about the book, but I got Hank’s song inspired by the book, and some of them messing around. Hank Sock also makes an appearance.

The merch line and signing line were insane, but when I finally made it to the two of them, they were both really nice in person. John seemed genuinely glad to meet me, even though he was meeting hundreds of people. And although Hank seemed a little less comfortable with the celebrity status, he was equally welcoming. Of course I wish I could have sat with them for awhile and had a real conversation, but at least I got them to sign my stuff!

Don’t forget to be awesome!

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Goals, Goals, Goals…

Posted on January 7, 2012 by

Ever since Nanowrimo, I’ve been trying to finish my manuscript. By “trying to finish,” I really mean thinking a lot about how I should be writing, but not actually doing a lot of writing. The fact that I have left a manuscript unfinished just adds to my guilt that, despite my best and reoccuring intentions, I never manage to keep up the level of writing I do in November once the month is over.

I always intend to. I always say “I can do it during November, so clearly it’s possible—I just have to keep this up every day!” Yeah, right. I realize real authors are supposed to write every day. I realize it, and I want to be that person. But consistently, I’m not.

My new goal (yes, more goals) is to at least touch one of my projects every day. It’s ok if that just means opening the document and staring at it for awhile. It’s ok if all I do is make some world-building notes. Because once I’m on that document, I’ve made the big first step towards actually working on it. I can trust that most days, I’ll end up actually getting something done.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from doing Nanowrimo for the last six years, is that once you stop a project, it gets really hard to pick it up again. Days go by. Weeks. Months. And finally, years. Now it’s just a half-finished document somewhere, and your writing style and skills have changed so much that in order to “get back to it,” you basically have to start all over again.

So, that’s my goal. Not a word count or a scene count or a set number of hours in my desk chair. Just opening a document, and seeing what happens.

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