Jessie Harrell's Blog, page 2

Review: SIDELINED by Kendra Highley

Sidelined by Kendra Highley

After being pushed to excel her entire life, high school basketball star Genna Pierce is finally where she wants to be. University scouts are taking notice, her team is on its way to the state tourney, and Jake Butler, the hot boy she's daydreamed about since ninth grade, is showing some definite interest. When he asks her out and their relationship takes off, Genna believes things can't get better.

Then, it's over.

A freak accident ends her career before it's even begun. Her parents are fighting more than ever, her friends don't understand what she's going through, and she's not sure who she is without basketball. And while he tries to be there for her, Genna doesn't understand how Jake could ever want the broken version of the girl he fell for.

Her life in a tailspin, Genna turns to the only solace that eases her pain: Vicodin.

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Review

This book hooked me from the beginning.  Genna's voice is realistic and engaging.  I loved her drive and what a kick-butt girl she was in a very real way (no kicking monster butt, but she could tear it up on the basketball court).  She's got an amazing best friend who isn't the so-bubbly-you-want-to-scream variety and her new boy friend is pretty much a typical guy.  In short, the characters are so real you could touch them and entirely three dimensional.

As you can tell from the blurb, reading this book is like watching a train wreck happen in really slow motion.  Genna starts with the Vicodin to drown out the emotional pain more than the physical pain from breaking her leg: the loss of basketball, her mother's betrayal, the embarrassment and feelings of inadequacy.  At first, it doesn't seem like her prescription use is all that bad, which is exactly what Genna is thinking.  But the more Genna starts to react like an addict, the more we can see what a hold it has on her life.

I'm not going to say that this was a feel-good read.  It did end well, but there were painful moments along the way.  I think an errant tear even escaped my eye toward the end.  As an "issue" book, however, I'd say it's first rate.  I think it's important for teens dealing with addiction to see that things are not hopeless and it will get better. But it will take hard work and you've got to accept the support of the people trying to help.

If you or a teen you know could benefit from this book, it's definitely worth a read.  The writing to top-notch and the characters compelling.  You'll even get to meet some LGBT characters in this one too.  Bonus "issue" points!

Thanks to Entangled Teen for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest review.  This did not have any effect on my opinions.

Debut YA Book Birthdays ~ Week of October 8th

Wow - there are A LOT (and I mean a lot) of YA books coming out this week, and three are by debut YA novelists.  Check them out and see if any of these very different books catches your interest.

THE KINGDOM OF LITTLE WOUNDS by Susann Cockal

A young seamstress and a royal nursemaid find themselves at the center of an epic power struggle in this stunning young-adult debut.
On the eve of Princess Sophia’s wedding, the Scandinavian city of Skyggehavn prepares to fete the occasion with a sumptuous display of riches: brocade and satin and jewels, feasts of sugar fruit and sweet spiced wine. Yet beneath the veneer of celebration, a shiver of darkness creeps through the palace halls. A mysterious illness plagues the royal family, threatening the lives of the throne’s heirs, and a courtier’s wolfish hunger for the king’s favors sets a devious plot in motion. Here in the palace at Skyggehavn, things are seldom as they seem — and when a single errant prick of a needle sets off a series of events that will alter the course of history, the fates of seamstress Ava Bingen and mute nursemaid Midi Sorte become irrevocably intertwined with that of mad Queen Isabel. As they navigate a tangled web of palace intrigue, power-lust, and deception, Ava and Midi must carve out their own survival any way they can.

RED by Allison Cherry

Felicity St. John has it all: loyal best friends, a hot guy, and artistic talent. And she’s right on track to win the Miss Scarlet pageant. Her perfect life is possible because of just one thing: her long, wavy, coppery red hair.

Having red hair is all that matters in Scarletville. Redheads hold all the power—and everybody knows it. That’s why Felicity is scared down to her roots when she receives an anonymous note:
I know your secret.

Because Felicity is a big fake. Her hair color comes straight out of a bottle. And if anyone discovered the truth, she’d be a social outcast faster than she could say strawberry blond. Her mother would disown her, her friends would shun her, and her boyfriend would dump her. And forget about winning that pageant crown and the prize money that comes with it—money that would allow her to fulfill her dream of going to art school.

Felicity isn’t about to let someone blackmail her life away. But just how far is she willing to go to protect her red cred?

MUCKERS by Sandra Neil Wallace

Former ESPN sportscaster Sandra Neil Wallace (wife to Knopf author Rich Wallace) makes her young adult novel debut with a historical fiction story that is equal partsHoosiers and October Sky. Felix O'Sullivan's world is crumbling around him: the mine that employs most of town is on the brink of closing, threatening to shutter the entire town. And Felix, or Red, after his fire-colored hair, will be one of 24 students in the final graduating class of his local high school. But Red's got his own burdens to bear: his older brother, Bobby, died in the war, and he's been struggling to follow in his footsteps ever since. That means assuming Bobby's old position as quarterback, and leading the last-ever Muckers team to the championship. Maybe then his angry, broken-hearted father will acknowledge him, and they'll be able to put Bobby's death behind them. 
But the only way for the hardscrabble Muckers team to win State is to go undefeated, and tackle their biggest rival, Phoenix United, which would be something of a miracle. Luckily, miracles can happen all the time on the field. Fans of Friday Night Lights and Tim Tharp's Knights of the Hill Country will take to this enthralling story of a town rallying together to turn a tragedy into a triumph. 

I thinking The Kingdom of Little Wounds sounds the most intriguing to me, but Red also sounds like fun.  Which books do you like?

MOONLESS Cover Reveal

I'm excited to show you the cover for fellow #yalitchat author, Crystal Collier, and her debut YA, MOONLESS.


Title: Moonless Author: Crystal Collier Series: Maiden of Time #1 Publication: November 13th, 2013 Category: Young Adult (YA) Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance 
Alexia’s nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless. MOONLESS is Jane Eyre meets Supernatural. 
Stay tuned for the blog tour November 11-30.  I'll be a stop along the way on November 23rd, when I will post an excerpt.  So excited!  In the meantime, you can find Crystal in these places around the web...
Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Website

Debut YA Book Birthdays ~ Week of September 24

I know it's getting close to Halloween, because the thrillers are coming.  (Especially if you look at all the books released this week, not just the debuts.)  But this week we have a thriller and a book meant for John Green fans.  Both sound pretty good to me.  What do you think?

FIND ME by Romily Bernard

Fans of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy will just love this creepy and alluring teen thriller. Complete with action, techie intrigue, a horrifying mystery, and a blossoming romance full of sparks, Find Me is an exhilarating debut.When teen hacker and foster child Wick Tate finds a dead classmate's diary on her front step, with a note reading "Find me," she sets off on a perverse game of hide-and-seek to catch the killer. But things get even more personal as Wick's deadbeat dad returns and the killer points to Wick's sister Lily as the next target.With the help of oh-so-cute hacker-boy-next-door Griff, can Wick find her tormenter and save her sister?Find Me won a 2012 Golden Heart Award and placed first in the 2011 YA Unpublished Maggie Awards (given by Georgia Romance Writers).

THE PARADOX OF VERTICAL FLIGHT by Emil Oatrovski

What happens when you put a suicidal eighteen-year-old philosophy student, his ex-girlfriend, his best friend, and his newborn baby in a truck and send them to Grandma's house? This debut novel by Emil Ostrovski will appeal to fans of John Green, Chris Crutcher, and Jay Asher.On the morning of his eighteenth birthday, philosophy student and high school senior Jack Polovsky is somewhat seriously thinking of suicide when his cell phone rings. Jack's ex-girlfriend, Jess, has given birth, and Jack is the father. Jack hasn't spoken with Jess in about nine months—and she wants him to see the baby before he is adopted. The new teenage father kidnaps the baby, names him Socrates, stocks up on baby supplies at Wal-Mart, and hits the road with his best friend, Tommy, and the ex-girlfriend. As they head to Grandma's house (eluding the police at every turn), Jack tells baby Socrates about Homer, Troy, Aristotle, the real Socrates, and the Greek myths—because all stories spring from those stories, really. Even this one. Funny, heart-wrenching, and wholly original, this debut novel by Emil Ostrovski explores the nature of family, love, friendship, fate, fatherhood, and myth.

ALPHA GODDESS teaser + giveaway

Hardcover, 400 pagesExpected publication: March 4th 2014 by Sky Pony Press

In Serjana Caelum’s world, gods exist. So do goddesses. Sera knows this because she is one of them. A secret long concealed by her parents, Sera is Lakshmi reborn, the human avatar of an immortal Indian goddess rumored to control all the planes of existence. Marked by the sigils of both heaven and hell, Sera’s avatar is meant to bring balance to the mortal world, but all she creates is chaos. A chaos that Azrath, the Asura Lord of Death, hopes to use to unleash hell on earth.

Torn between reconciling her past and present, Sera must figure out how to stop Azrath before the Mortal Realm is destroyed. But trust doesn’t come easy in a world fissured by lies and betrayal. Her best friend Kyle is hiding his own dark secrets, and her mysterious new neighbor, Devendra, seems to know a lot more than he’s telling. Struggling between her opposing halves and her attraction to the boys tied to each of them, Sera must become the goddess she was meant to be, or risk failing, which means sacrificing the world she was born to protect.

"Dev grasped her hand and drew it over to him, running his thumb over the mark on her left palm. Sera felt her cheeks redden at his gentle touch. Something electric unfolded inside of her, and her vision tunneled into a memory. This time it was different, though, full of light instead of darkness.

A flutter of firelight from the magical little clay pots lit all around them . . . the discordant aching sounds of a sitar strumming in the background. It was a glorious display, a triumph of good over evil in celebration of their love. His kiss was light upon her cheek, his touch a gossamer caress. She spun in a slow circle, the light on her beloved’s face glowing from within him. She laughed because she was glowing, too."

Amalie Howard also has an upcoming release with HarlequinTeen on October 29th for her brand new series, the Aquarathi, WATERFELL. To celebrate the upcoming release she is hosting an EPIC giveaway! And we mean EPIC. Readers have THREE chances to win an iPad mini! Check out the post here on how you could win: www.AmalieHoward.com

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Seventeen Magazine Summer Club author Amalie Howard grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 22 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts. She currently resides in New York with her husband and three children.

She is the author of The Aquarathi series from Harlequin TEEN (Waterfell and Oceanborn), The Almost Girl from Strange Chemistry, Alpha Goddess from Sky Pony Press, and Bloodspell from Langdon Street Press. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency. Visit her at www.amaliehoward.com or on Twitter (@AmalieHoward).

Website † Twitter † Facebook † GoodReads

Debut YA Book Birthdays

Well, I know I've been MIA (or perhaps AWOL) lately, but life has been busy, so there you go...

To get back into the spirit of things, let's celebrate some debut YA book birthdays!

TUMBLE & FALL by Alexandra Coutts

A novel about the end of days full of surprising beginnings
The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand. 
Alexandra Coutts's TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world. 

THE BURNING SKY (The Elemental Series) by Sherry Thomas - her fame as come as a writer of adult romance, but this is her debut YA novel


Just before the start of Summer Half, in April 1883, a very minor event took place at Eton College, that venerable and illustrious English public school for boys. A sixteen-year-old pupil named Archer Fairfax returned from a three-month absence, caused by a fractured femur, to resume his education.
Almost every word in the preceding sentence is false. Archer Fairfax had not suffered a broken limb. He had never before set foot in Eton. His name was not Archer Fairfax. And he was not, in fact, even a he.
This is the story of a girl who fooled a thousand boys, a boy who fooled an entire country, a partnership that would change the fate of realms, and a power to challenge the greatest tyrant the world had ever known.
Expect magic.

And as an aside, I just finished The Raven Boys last weekend and pre-ordered The Dream Thieves, which comes out this week.  So even though it's a long ways away from Maggie Steifvater's debut book birthday, I have to give her a shout out (and squee) anyway.

What I've been reading lately

I have been devouring books these days... you read my review of DARKER DAYS by Jus Acardo.  But there have been a ton of other fun reads on my Kindle lately too.

Most of these are older, but if you haven't read them yet, I'd recommend them to you.  Here are my mini reviews for each.

PIVOT POINT by Kasie West

This book blew my mind just a little bit. It was so awesome and I couldn't wait to read it every night. I highly recommend this to any fan of YA literature. It has everything, from love to angst to danger and one great, big impossible choice.  (I know, it's not much of a review, but there aren't really words to describe how much I enjoyed watching the two alternate realities play out and how well they were woven together.)

WRECKLESS by Bria Quinlan

I enjoyed this fun, little read about a wall-flower coming out in a big way after being betrayed. Even though the story takes place over just one night, the character arc is pretty dramatic and liked watching the main character come into her own. I could understand why she had been hiding herself for so long, but it was nice to see her move forward too. I also enjoyed the male lead too. He had some baggage of his own, but a heart of (perhaps tarnished) gold.

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Steifvater

I really enjoyed this story. It was hard for me to put down at night and go to sleep. I kept wanting to come back and see what would happen with the Raven Boys, Blue and their quest. The uniqueness and intrigue of the story really resonated with me. What I didn't like was how little was tied up at the end. I get that it's a series, but we get introduced at the very end to an entirely new plot line without any real resolution to biggest plot in this story. I docked it a star because of this. But, of course, I pre-ordered the next book, so I wasn't put off enough that I didn't still want to know what happened. Plus, Maggie's writing is beautiful. I love how she turns a phrase, as it were.

So, those are my short thoughts on each of these enjoyable books.  What have you read and loved lately?

Happy Book Birthday to A Missing Peace

My blogging buddy, Beth Fred, is celebrating her YA book birthday today for her new novel, A MISSING PEACE.  The reviews coming in on this book are fantastic!
A turbulent, emotionally charged YA novel that breaks down barriers and challenges the status quo...

Angry, seventeen-year-old Iraqi war refugee Mirriam Yohanna hates her new life in Killeen, Texas, where the main attraction is a military base, populated with spoiled army brats like Caleb Miller.

Caleb has much to be angry about too, including Mirriam who turns him down flat in front of everyone. Eager for retribution, Caleb agrees to a dare that will see him take Mirriam to the prom and regain his pride.

But their relationship soon moves beyond high school antics. Mirriam and Caleb are bound together by more than location, and as they are forced to work closely together on a school assignment, they start to uncover an explosive story that has the potential to ruin lives — and both of their futures. One single truth changes everything and strengthens their bond.

When Mirriam's family discovers their relationship, they decide it's time to arrange her marriage to a proper Iraqi man. Caleb must convince Mirriam that he is in it for forever — or risk losing her for good.

 To learn more about Beth, check out her blog.  You can get your copy of A MISSING PEACE today on Amazon (when I checked it was only $.99).

Ember Blog Tour & Review of DARKER DAYS (+ contest)

"Our fires burn brightly for our readers and as a way to say thanks to our readers we've launched our latest division of Entangled Teen and it's name is Ember. We have two exciting launch titles: Darker Days by Jus Accardo and Chaos by Christine O'Neil. Read away!" Entangled Teen Ember is a division of Entangled Teen that specializes in digital-first YAs.Chaos by Christine O’Neil
My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly, when I lose my temper, my fingers become weapons of mass destruction. Turns out I'm a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast.

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I'm stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this annoying and super-hot—guy all
up in my business, I'm about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there's this watchdog council of semis who keep an eye out for any bad apples. They think I'm the baddest one in the bunch and want to take me out before I do any more damage. My nemesis Mac might turn out to be my salvation, only he's got secrets of his own...and they may just kill us both.Darker Days by Jus Accardo 
A little sin can be deadly...Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They’re your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They’ll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.Seven deadly ones, in fact.They’ve got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...There’s a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.

REVIEW

I was given an ARC of Darker Days in exchange for my honest review.  This was my first Jus Accardo novel, but I "knew" her from #yalitchat and was really excited to dive in.  The synopsis sounded awesome!  And I wasn't disappointed.  From line 1, I knew I was going to like Accardo's writing style.

Jessie (awesome name, btw!) Darker takes teen snark to a whole new level.  This girl has a quip for everything and can't manage to keep her mouth shut unless a witch is forcing her to.  But it wasn't annoying at all.  Jessie just had that kick butt personality and when you're a teen, sometimes your only (or best) weapons are words.  Not that Jessie has a shortage of weapons, because when it comes to "monster mashing" (her term), she and her mom are on top of their game.  They take down zombies, possessed dogs, and any sort of Otherworlder that comes their way.

The book sort of reminded me of a teen version of Kim Harrison's The Hallow Series (starting with Dead Witch Walking).  Jessie is tough at nails even if not completely competent.  She's got a bit of a hidden power -- she's not a witch but her abilities are arguably cooler.  And there are a collection of cool paranormal creatures in the mix.

Perhaps the best paranormal creature is Lukas.  Sweet, yummy Lukas.  Lukas is full of Sin himself (at least it's not Lust), but he does a really good job of keeping his inner evil at bay (I can't tell you more than that without spoiling things). But the best part about Lukas is how at peace he is with his fate because just a small amount of time with Jessie has given him peace. Who doesn't want someone to love them like that?  Jessie and Lukas felt so star-crossed, it made me root for them even harder.

The plot was relatively complex, meaning I didn't guess precisely how the ending was going to come down.  That's a good thing!  And it certainly kept me flipping the pages.  It's action-packed and I never once felt bored or wanting the pace to move along more quickly.  But then again, with 7 deadly sins rampaging your town, there's never going to be a dull moment.

In short, if you like snappy dialog and a fast-moving plot with paranormal hotties and baddies, you won't want to miss Darker Days.  I'll be very interested to see where the next book in the series goes.

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Debut YA Book Birthdays~ Week of August 20th

Well, this is it for us.  Today is my kiddos' official LAST day of summer.  School starts tomorrow and I'm pretty excited (although I'd be happier if Lands End had gotten the new uniforms here on time!). But something else that's pretty exciting are these debut YA novels.   What's got you excited this week?

VIII by H.M. Castor (who knew Henry VIII was so hot??)


Destined for greatness...tormented by demons. The epic story of Henry VIII’s transformation from a handsome, gifted youth to a murderous, cruel king.Hal is a young man of extraordinary talents, astonishing warrior skills, sharp intelligence, and a fierce sense of honor and virtue. He believes he is destined for greatness. His father wishes he would disappear. Haunted by the ghosts of his family’s violent past, Hal embarks on a journey that leads him to absolute power—and brings him face to face with his demons.

“History comes alive from the first page to the last” (The Independent) in this fascinating, previously untold story of how a charismatic, athletic young man grew up to become the murderous, vengeful King Henry VIII.

BROTHER, BROTHER by Clay Carmichael (she has other
children's books and an MG, but this is her first YA)


The day his grandmother dies, seventeen-year-old Billy “Brother” Grace discovers that he has a twin who has recently made headlines by nearly overdosing on drugs. His twin also happens to be the son of a powerful senator. His newly discovered family may not be all that interested in a cheery reunion, but Brother is determined to get answers. When he arrives on the secluded island off the coast of North Carolina where the senator and his family live, sparks will fly, old resentments will be released, and secrets revealed. Part coming-of-age story, part love story, Clay Carmichael's Brother, Brother is a book about finding out that who you are and where you come from aren't necessarily the same thing.