Scott Tracey's Blog, page 12

The Bookanistas: The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

What Amazon Says: In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

What Scott Says:

A preface.  I have been dying for this book since I first read the PM announcement several years ago.  The Iron Thorn combines the best parts of Lovecraft, steampunk, urban fantasy and an alternative history (it's set in Massachusetts).  Maybe even a little Poe for atmosphere.  I've been a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos since college – the idea that a group of writers created a constantly shifting world with such a bleak, instrospective view.  It's a cosmology that wonders "what if we are truly insignificant, mere ants compared to the godlike alien entities that travel the stars."

But the Mythos in The Iron Thorn is subtle.  Another reason why I like it so much.  If you're a fan, you'll smile and nod when Yog-Sothoth is mentioned.  But it doesn't dominate the story.

Aoife's outlook is bleak – she's destined to go mad, just like her mother and brother before her.  The journey she sets out on is dark, and it stays that way.   In her family, there is a strain of the necrovirus (the contaminating virus that turns people into monsters) that turns you crazy once you turn sixteen.  And in her case, that expiration date is only a few weeks away.  Aoife's enrollment in the School of Engines gives us a good chance to glimpse the steampunk elements at play, and we hear talk of the great Engine that powers the city, deep underground.  Aoife's journey has no promise of a happily ever after – just a promise of a "maybe not as bad as it could be."

This is a big book, and that's not always everyone's cup of tea.  But the plot keeps moving at a rapid clip – there are never any sections that seem to drag without anything happening.   This is a world of monsters and darkness, and that atmosphere pervades from start to finish.  Every element of the world building felt like it had been carefully considered, which was refreshing and fun.  Once I finished, I wanted to immediately go back, and read it again, and pull apart all the things that the author had woven together, and just admire the symmetry of it all.

Like I said, I went into this book desperate to read it.  The concept was right up my alley.  If you like dark books, and you like steampunk or alternative histories, then this is the book for you.

Check out what the other Bookanistas are doing:

Elana Johnson shines a light on Clarity

LiLa Roecker raves over The Rendering

Shannon Messenger loves 13 Reasons Why – with a signed book giveaway!

Shelli Johannes Wells joins The Liar Society

Kirsten Hubbard raves over these March releases

Michelle Hodkin introduces some marvelous March books

Myra McEntire invites The Liar Society authors Lisa & Laura Roecker into the fort

Beth Revis is mad for Matched

Carolina Valdez Miller delights in Delirium

Jessica Kirby adores Across the Universe

Megan Miranda peers into Sean Griswold's Head

Bethany Wiggins marvels at Matched

Shana Silver is a super stop on The Liar Society blog tour

Gretchen McNeil celebrates The Liar Society

Carrie Harris buzzes about Blessed

Rosemare Clement-Moore falls for Falling Under

Katie Anderson shows cover love for Possess

Matt Blackstone is ecstatic over Edges

Stasia Ward Kehoe is wild for What Happened to Goodbye

The Bookanistas: A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

What Goodreads says:

Eden didn't expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long, happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own.

And that's only the beginning of the end.

What I say:

A TOUCH MORTAL is quite unlike any other angel book I've read. In fact, just calling it an angel book is selling it short. It's definitely geared towards an older audience – themes of life and death take a dark twist; it almost reminds me of The Crow or a junior-league Queen of the Damned. Or really, any of the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles.

ATM starts off with the heroine, Eden, contemplating the bleakness of her existence on the Jersey shore. A life that had started spiraling wildly has suddenly turned sour, her friends and family have stopped paying any attention to her, and her world has taken on a certain Sylvia Plath quality. Then comes Az. A whirlwind romance follows, until we learn that Az is an angel, and half Fallen at that. And that is, as the description suggests, only the beginning of the end.

As I said, calling it just an angel book is selling the novel short. Instead of rehashing a mythology already heavily trodden, ATM creates a new myth with the Siders – teenagers who've fallen down the same dark path as Eden, ultimately killing themselves and winding up in a torturous ever-after of immortality, the absolute last thing that most of them would want. Heaven and Hell clearly play a role as the more conventional Upstairs and Downstairs, matching up with the Bound angels (those loyal to the Upstairs) and the Fallen (those for whom the elevator goes…down).

As the novel progresses, it becomes a lot deeper than the simple "girl meets boy. Boy reveals wings. Girl becomes immortal after a tragic death" tale we've all heard a million times before.

The characters in ATM are fascinating. From the death-obsessed Kristen to the upbeat, Upstairs angel Gabe, and even a few characters that I can't describe without giving something away, each strikes a different chord in the overall requiem of a dark and gritty New York. Each character is deeply flawed, and each is also equally fabulous because of it. At times hard to read, the character journeys are unflinchingly honest, ATM is NOT a light read, but it's definitely worth the trip. And then some.

There's a lot of world to build, creating your own supernatural race, but ATM strikes a good balance between giving you just enough information to whet your appetite, and a tightly paced plot that keeps the revelations coming. I've seen some reviews suggest that the book glorifies suicide, but considering how miserable most of the characters are in their afterlives, I think the opposite is more accurate. The book takes a hard look at actions and consequences, and how our actions define us.

I cannot recommend it highly enough.

See what the other Bookanistas are excited about this week:

Elana Johnson is tickled pink for The Liar Society

Shannon Messenger can't lie about her love for The Liar Society
Shelli Johannes-Wells burns for AngelFire
Scott Tracey is more than a touch impressed with A Touch Mortal
Myra McEntire is A Touch Mortal this week
Beth Revis tells the truth about The Liar Society
Christine Fonseca is leveled by Leverage
Carolina Valdez Miller has tons to say about One
Jenn Hayley adores The Liar Society
Shana Silver can't imagine you not reading Imaginary Girls
Katie Anderson wants to be Like Mandarin
Matt Blackstone loves The Hate List
Stasia Ward Kehoe falls head over heals for Fall for Anything
Sarah Frances Hardy sings her praises for Mockingbird
Veronica Rossi thinks Unearthly is otherworldly
Michelle Hodkin champions A Dog's Way Home

The Bookanistas: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

What Amazon has to say:

First there are nightmares.

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely adore this book, and Courtney herself is a total sweetheart.  Ellie is a flawed, but extremely likeable character – even drenched in blood, which is no small feat.  Plus there's the fact that she stands up for herself, which is always important in YA I think.

The mythology of Angelfire is dense and different, and something unique to itself.  I also adore the cover, because it's very "oh hey, I'm just hanging out.  Just got done killing some Reapers and I figured I'd wait for you to catch up."  Angelfire has a little bit of everything: there's action (okay, there's a lot of action – but it's awesome!), romance, humor, drama.

Angelfire is OUT NOW so if you haven't ordered your copy, then what are you waiting for?   And check out what the other Bookanistas are doing this week:

Christine Fonseca shares her Guestanista Post: The Lost Hero
Shannon Messenger spotlights the cover of SO SILVER BRIGHT
Scott Tracey is inspired by ANGELFIRE
Michelle Hodkin toasts DEMONGLASS
Beth Revis finds amazing MAGIC UNDER GLASS
Carolina Valdez Miller uncovers WORDS IN THE DUST
Megan Miranda leaps and shouts for THE LIAR SOCIETY
Bethany Wiggins glows for RUBY RED
Shana Silver gets psyched about WITHER
Jen Hayley raves about RAISED BY WOLVES
Gretchen McNeil gushes over BLOOD AND FLOWERS
Rosemary Clement-Moore revisits HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
Sarah Frances Hardy is nuts for THE NINTH WARD
Matt Blackstone is loving THE HATE LIST
Corrine Jackson delights in DIVERGENT
Stasia Ward Kehoe celebrates THE LIAR SOCIETY

The Truth About Twitter

Here's what Twitter is not:

Twitter is not your therapist.
Twitter does not understand when are being passive-aggressive.
Twitter is not a secret-keeper.  If you put it out there, Twitter will tell his friend Google.
Twitter is not your own personal Room of Applause. If you need affection, get a puppy.
Twitter is not your marketing campaign.
Twitter is not how you get an agent/editor/critique partner (usually).
Twitter does not understand sarcasm 30% of the time.
Twitter is not the end all and be all of social media.
Twitter allows you to 'know' people, but you don't actually KNOW them.  They do not owe you favors, swag, reviews, critiques because they follow you.  They do not owe you a follow-back just because you follow them.
Twitter doesn't recognize quantity over quality.
Twitter does not mandate that all @replies must get a response.  Sometimes people are busy.  Or sometimes they don't have anything to say back.  That doesn't mean anything.

Here's what Twitter is:

Twitter is a social media tool.
Twitter allows you to network with likeminded individuals.
Twitter gives you a new way to interact with your heroes, your favorite writers/singers/producers/whatever.
Twitter rewards quality – more people follow you, more people talk to you when you have something to say.
Twitter can help you augment your other marketing efforts by spreading the word about upcoming releases.
Twitter can put you into contact with people/agents/editors looking for the kinds of things you write.
Twitter makes it easy to sever relationships.  It's called unfollow.  A quick jump in followers won't last if you're not putting out decent, interesting content.
Twitter is 140 characters.  There is no 'hidden 300 character meaning' behind what someone says in 140.  What they say is what they mean.
Twitter is a tool.  Nothing more.

What do you guys think?  What is Twitter?  Or what is it NOT?

Monday's just shoveling

I totally forgot to post this last week.  We had a free topic week on the Rebels, and I decided to…shovel.  Or actually film while I was on a "break" from shoveling the driveway.  Oh Ohio winter, you've been getting me real good, haven't you?  It's really funny.  Jerk.

Happy Valentine's day!

Tuesday Truth: Those Moody Blues

A couple of weeks ago, oh faithful blog readers, I was struggling.  I'd woken up on the wrong side of the Publishing bed, and I just couldn't shake the Crankies.  You know that kind of mood.  Everything you write is utter crap, everyone's good mood is just annoying, and when your friends get good news, deep down you want to decapitate a Cabbage Patch Doll.

(Tangent, but whenever I have to say something is utter crap, in my head I picture someone like Ed Westwick, with his British accent, calling it bollocks.  Or that it's shite.  It never fails to somehow seem BETTER that way).

So I did the responsible thing.  I unplugged from Twitter for the most part, and I channeled my energies elsewhere.  But it's hard!  Sometimes, we're just in bad moods.  And sometimes, bad moods happen to good people.  Many moons ago, I did a blog post that was basically all about "put on your big boy Underoos and man up" about social media.  So it's only fitting that I walk the walk.  (Although talking about Underoos makes me want my old Spiderman feetie pajamas back).

I played video games.  I read an old series of favorites.  I played around with some short stories.  I made new playlists.  I did anything but the things that were stressing me out, and I definitely avoided Twitter.

One of my favorite vloggers one time made this comment in her video about "shaking up the Boggle of your life."  And that's what I think of every time one of those Cranky moods hits.  It's okay to feel bad, and it's okay to be annoyed for a minute.  But the trick is to shake things up, change your perspective so that you don't keep dwelling in the negative.

Go to a movie, go have a drink.  Watch a TV show you'd never watched before.  Listen to a cd you haven't listened to since high school.  Take a bubble bath.  Blow bubbles.  Freewrite on a totally original project. Call a writer friend on the phone – maybe purging out loud will help you out.  Ask your kids to tell you stories, instead of the other way around.  There is no one so genius at plotting as a six year old boy.  In short, do things that shake up your routine.

And if all else fails, picture a hot British boy telling you that things are Bollocks.

Woo!

Over the weekend, I finally finished the first draft of my sequel to WITCH EYES.  It was a bit rough there for awhile, but I finally got all my pieces together and made it work.  It was a total Project Runway moment.  Although it was probably more like a Real Housewives reunion around here.

So did I celebrate by cracking open a bottle of wine?  Massage?  Bubble bath?  Nope.  I celebrated by going back and reworking the beginning.

Thank goodness my keyboard is water absorbent so it can soak up all my tears.

Happy Monday!

The Bookanistas: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Okay, so I'm going to be the first to admit that I was late to the Anna and the French Kiss party.  When the Bookanistas first started passing around an ARC, I skipped out on adding my name because I didn't think I'd like it.

Which is true.  I freaking loved it.  We picked Anna for our Cleveland YA book club this month, and so I read it while Leah was off on her exotic vacation.  I started at around 10 pm…and did not put the book down until I was finished.  I can't even tell you what time that was, because I literally shambled to my bed, and laid awake in the dark absorbing what I'd just read.

Here's what Amazon has to say:

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris–until she meets Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Etienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.

What I liked:

The voice.  The voice.  The voice.  It was approachable and realistic and sucked me in the moment I started.  The characters and their relationships with each other were all fascinating – St. Clair was one of my personal favorites (obviously).  He also has two or three of my favorite moments from the book.

The characters weren't the typical YA roles I expected, and even as unique as they were, they continued to defy convention.  I liked that there was tension between all the characters, not just the romantic leads.  All the friendships and relationships had a sense of reality, because NO ONE has a perfect friendship.  There's always little idiosyncrasies tucked in there.  I'm not normally a fan of the cute, but there are several moments in the book that are so cute, it's disarming.  You can't help but be a fan.

Anna and the French Kiss reminds me of the really old black and white love stories.   It's a classic.

This is the first book I've read in 2011, and I've got to say that it's most likely going to end the year as one of my top favorites.

Read this book if you like things that are awesome.

What the other Bookanistas are up to:

Christine Fonseca freaks for THE FAMILIARS

Elana Johnson loves THE LOST SAINT
Jen Hayley and  Scott Tracey swoon over ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS
LiLa Roecker dies for DESIRES OF THE DEAD with a fabulous giveaway!
Shannon Messenger gushes some cover love for HOURGLASS
Shelli Johannes-Wells is over the moon for ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
Carolina Valdez Miller loves THE LIAR SOCIETY, complete with a signed ARC giveaway!
Shana Silver has fallen for FALL FOR ANYTHING
Kirsten Hubbard is blown away by BLOOD MAGIC
Myra McEntire reveals her amazing cover for HOURGLASS
Carrie Harris celebrates XVI
Jessi Kirby is mesmerized by A BLUE SO DARK
Rosemary Clement-Moore marvels over MATCHED

Rebellious Return!

The YA Rebels are back for another fun filled year.  Or something.  In case you don't know what the Rebels are (what are you, new?) it's a group of seven YA authors, each of whom vlogs on a different day of the week.  I'm Saturday, and that means you get to watch my videos on Monday!  Yay! This year, because we've all got stuff going on, we're vlogging every other week.  So that's twice a month for those of you playing at home.

Enjoy!

The Bookanistas: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads Summary:

One choice

One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs, and determines your loyalties . . . forever.

Or, one choice can transform you.

In Veronica Roth's debut novel, Divergent, a perfect society unfolds into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals, and unexpected romance.

What I Loved About It:

Jeez, where to start.  Okay, the cover.  I COVET that cover so much.  The coloring, with the blues and the panorama and the flames…it's absolutely gorgeous.  In a year that's FULL of amazing covers (seriously, have you seen some of the 2011 covers?), Divergent stands out for me because it's got the total package.  I love the font, and the wisps of wind.  I love it all.

Now let's talk about the book.  First off, the choice of setting is inspired, because the idea of a dystopian Chicago is totally interesting.  What would a metropolitan city look like in the aftermath of a Big World Change?  And let's be honest, if you were thinking about a post-apocalyptic big city, you'd gravitate towards New York or LA before Chicago.  So in a way, it's refreshing. Plus, I kind of love the idea of Chicago basically being retooled for a wholly different society than the one that inhabited it at the dawn of the 21st century.

Then there's the actual setting itself.  Everyone in the world of Divergent has divided themselves up into one of five factions, or become factionless (which is comparable to being homeless – although the stigma of being factionless is even worse than it is for our homeless).  At the age of 16, you have to choose whether to stay with the faction that raised you, or go against everything you know and join the faction that resonates in your heart.  This choice defines your life.  Your entire life, boiled down into one choice.  That's heavy stuff.

The main character, Beatrice, is fascinating, because the book is tempered by her internal struggle.  She literally strains against the binding ties of her society, much like many of us do when we're teenagers.  Except she's in a completely foreign environment.  But she still feels REAL.  That was one of my favorite parts of Divergent.  Beatrice definitely wasn't your typical teenager, but she's the type of teenager that I'd want my little sisters to be friends with.  That I'd want to know.

There were a lot of things that surprised me with Divergent, and it made me love the book even more because it wasn't predictable.  Most of my favorite YA books are the ones that you don't see coming, and Divergent was definitely on that list.

Divergent will be released on May 3rd.

Check out the other Bookanistas!

Katie Anderson raves about THE LIAR SOCIETY

Christine Fonseca applauds Michelle McLean's HOMEWORK HELPERS: TERM PAPERS AND ESSAYS with Signed Book Giveaway

Carrie Harris celebrates THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE

Jen Hayley lauds DELIRIUM

Shelli Johannes-Wells gives a shoutout to IN LOVE WITH HARLEQUIN

Elana Johnson recommends Michelle McLean's HOMEWORK HELPERS: TERM PAPERS AND ESSAYS with Giveaway

Jessi Kirby admires MATCHED

Myra McEntire gives some cover love for THE LIAR SOCIETY

Shannon Messenger commends THE LIAR SOCIETY with an ARC Giveaway

Carolina Valdez Miller salutes XVI with Signed Book Giveaway

Megan Miranda gives some love to ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Lisa and Laura Roecker happy dance for Beth Revis

Shana Silver cheers for HERE LIES BRIDGET

Bethany Wiggins praises Michelle McLean's HOMEWORK HELPERS: TERM PAPERS AND ESSAYS