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September 29, 2012

Review: Skinny by Donna Cooner - Farah

Title: Skinny
Author: Donna Cooner
Publication date: October 1st, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Pages: 272
Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.

But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.
When I first saw the cover of Skinny, I immediately decided this was a book I needed to read ASAP. If you know me, I'm such a sucker for realistic fiction, and especially books that talk about eating disorders. The synopsis kind of reminded me of one of my all time favorite books "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson. The main protagonist, Ever, pissed the hell out of me. She's fat, and the big problem is that she feels sorry for herself. She doesn't try to help herself, and she pities herself, and I'm just standing there wanting to slap her. I mean if you want to be "skinny", you gotta work for it. You're obviously going to eat less, and cut off the chocolates and junk. I actually found myself rolling my eyes most of the time. Also I hated how much of a big deal her schoolmates made because of her weight. I mean, so what if a person is fat? Does that mean you can't be friends with them? I found that really stupid and unrealistic to believe. People at her school were actually disgusted because of her! I mean, really?
 After doing some thinking, I understood why she felt pity for herself. The voice inside her head, Skinny, is the most unsupportive person, or actually a voice, can be. It's not mentioned in the book, but I understood Ever's psychological problem. That's how the voice inside her head developed, and it grew to the point that even Ever gave the voice a name. That's when I realized that the characters felt real, even though it wasn't clarified of who or what "Skinny" is. Moving to her friend, Rat, he was a very fun character to read about. The only problem was that Donna Cooner didn't really provide any history about how the two of them got to meet each other and etc. Honestly, the story did get better towards reading, because I liked how Ever's attitude towards her body changed, and she started feeling more confident about herself. (Yay)
Overall, it wasn't a book I could compare to "Wintergirls", but it was still a fun read. Even though somethings were expected, it was still a good read that I would recommend to a friend. Really teaches people to be more confident about who they are, and what they look like. I also really liked Donna Cooner's style of writing, so i'll be waiting for her next novel. 

September 28, 2012

Cover Reveals (Spotlights): The post with the MAJOR pretties & the spotlight

Hello lovely readers! for this specific post we are just going to spotlight a few newish covers that we ADORE. They might not be very new but we just can't get out of our minds. Then in the end we have a spotlight cover that Juhina loves and can't wait for the book since it is coming from Melissa Pearl! Ok scroll down and check out the pretties

Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt
Slated by Teri Terry 
Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

Ashes & Ice by Rochelle Maya Callen
Premeditated by Josin McQuein
Indigo Awakening by Jordan Dane 
Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland

My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi
Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally 

Sirens by Janet Fox
Bruised by Sarah Skilton

Undone by Cat Clarke
Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan
If he had been with me by Lauren Nowlin
Empty by K. M. Walton


Now it's time for our FEATURED cover reveal this month, and it is *drumrolls*

Betwixt

Title: Betwixt
Author: Melissa Pearl
Publication Date: November 5th, 2012
Genre: Young Adult (Contemporary, Paranormal)

Beautiful, wild-child Nicole Tepper is hit by a car and left for dead. But when she wakes the next morning, Nicole finds herself in bed without a scratch. Perhaps she was more intoxicated than usual, as her mother is giving her the silent treatment and her friends are ignoring her as well.

Things take a turn for the weird when Nicole soon discovers she is actually hovering between life and death. Her body is lying in the forest while her spirit is searching for anyone who can hear her. Unfortunately the only person who can is Dale Finnigan, the guy she publicly humiliated with a sharp-tongued insult that has left him branded.

Desperate, Nicole has no choice but to haunt Dale and convince the freaked-out senior to help her. Will he find her body before it's too late? Or will the guy who tried to kill her with his car, beat him there and finish her off before anyone finds out?
Now you tell me, what are your personal favorites? Which books are you really excited for? & Which covers from here disappointed you? Please leave your opinion in the comments section below!
Thank you!

September 27, 2012

Mini Reviews: Easy by Tammara Webber & Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Easy

Title: Easy
Author: Tammara Webber
Genre: New Adult (Contemporary)
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Oh wow, Tammara Webber has gone to the dark side.. and I like it! This novel isn't your typical contemporary, it is SO much more. You might be fooled into thinking it is going to be a semi-light read in the beginning, but oh my when Lucas is introduced, everything becomes darker, more complicated, more serious, emotional, and just deep. Jacqueline's situation could happen to any girl out there and rape is a very serious topic. I remember watching season 3 of Veronica Mars and the serial rapist mystery and how terrified I was for the girls there. I was holding my breath so many times throughout the novel, for fear for Jacqueline and also during the scenes with Lucas. My god, Lucas is just so messed up but so vulnerable at the same time. I think they both needed each other to get through some serious stuff in their lives and I loved how raw and real and brutally honest their relationship was. This author and novel is one and something to look out for. I recommend this to every YA reader. This is why I love contemporary novels! 

Other books by Tammara Webber
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Stormdancer (The Lotus War, #1)


Title: Stormdancer (The Lotus Flower #1)
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Young Adult (Steampunk)
Rating: DNF

I am just so disappointed in Stormdancer. This is one of the few books during my one year of blogging that I DNF-d. I always ask myself, whenever I contemplate whether to DNF a book or not if I am enjoying the novel, if I am easily distracted while reading it, if I even understand what is going on, and lastly if I want to find out the ending or how the story progresses and reaches the end. Unfortunately for Stormdancer I just didn't care. The book was SO full of unnecessary details that derailed me from the plot. There are so many new terms and characters that I had to keep on flipping back and forth and try to understand what the hell is going on. Also, I have to stress on this, the detaillllllllls. Why do authors love to complicate things? A person enters the room. Yes describe what they're wearing, what they look like, but don't spend TWO pages giving me descriptions of the surroundings! I was so restless, so fidgety and so easily distracted while reading this novel. I just couldn't enjoy it, and I couldn't even bear to make myself finish. There are multiple books, such as The Unnaturalists and The Diviners, that I made myself go through and finish even though in the end I didn't enjoy them. However Stormdancer, from the first page, couldn't hold my interest. I am so disappointed because this was one of my most anticipated 2012 titles and I actually received a physical ARC of it. Which is why I am giving away my physical ARC for someone else that would appreciate and enjoy this novel. 

September 25, 2012

Interview + Giveaway with Hanging by a Thread author Sophie Littlefield

Hello awesome readers! Juhina with you! Today at Maji Bookshelf we've got an interview with the awesome Sophie Littlefield, author of the recently released YA mystery novel Hanging by a Thread. Hanging by a Thread was an amazing mix of mystery, contemporary, and paranormal. Be sure to check out my review here. Be sure to check out the interview, it's funny!, and the giveaway at the end of the post. 












Sophie's first novel, A BAD DAY FOR SORRY (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Minotaur, 2009) has been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, Barry, and Crimespree awards, and won the Anthony Award and the RTBookReviews Reviewers Choice Award for Best First Mystery. Her novel AFTERTIME was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Horror award.







Follow Sophie:
 Website | Twitter | Goodreads 
Find Hanging by a Thread on Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Summer is the best part of the year in Winston, California, and the Fourth of July is the highlight of the season. But the perfect town Clare remembers has changed, and everyone is praying that this summer will be different from the last two—that this year's Fourth of July festival won't see one of their own vanish without a trace, leaving no leads and no suspects. The media are in a frenzy predicting a third disappearance, but the town depends on tourist dollars, so the residents of Winston are trying desperately to pretend nothing's wrong.

And they're not the only ones hiding something.

Clare, a seamstress who redesigns vintage clothing, has been blessed—or perhaps cursed—with a gift: she can see people's pasts when she touches their clothes. When she stumbles across a denim jacket that once belonged to Amanda Stavros, last year's Fourth of July victim, Clare sees her perfect town begin to come apart at the seams.

In a town where appearance means everything, how deep beneath the surface will Clare dig to uncover a murderer?

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Now on to the interview! 

Describe yourself in a tweet (140 characters)
She seems nice but have u seen that crowd she hangs out with? also has a mouth like a trucker. sure writes a lot of books though
Describe your YA novel Hanging by a Thread in three words 
Creepy Atmospheric Chills








What is the one thing you always need or do when you are writing?
Pandora! I wouldn't have gotten my last half dozen books finished if I hadn't figured out what my characters would listen to and then set up their stations. It puts me right into the heart of the book when I sit down to work. Now that I live in an apartment, I have to be a little more considerate about volume, but most of my neighbors work out of the house so during the day I blast it.














Where do you usually like to write or read? 
I've just set up my new office. It's made out of a coat closet, but it's my favorite writing space ever. I painted it a gorgeous shade of blue and splurged on Elfa shelves. Because it's out in the open, right in the middle of the apartment, I clean it up whenever people come over, so it stays pretty neat.

If you had one power, such as Clare's power of seeing the darkest memory of the wearer of the clothes she touched, what would it be?
I've been asked this before, and the answer actually inspired my BANISHED series: I would love to have the power to lay on hands and heal. 

Do you have a story behind the cover of Hanging by a Thread? Do tell!
I wish I could say that I had some part of creating that gorgeous cover, but the truth is that the Delacorte art department came up with it on their first try. I've been blessed with great covers ever since my very first book (and THREAD was my tenth, so that's a long streak of good luck). The one thing I'll add is that the pink quilt Claire is lying on looks *exactly* like the comforter that was on my daughter's bed all through middle school, which was a little freaky.

What is your favorite book, show, and movie?
Oh sweetie, I could never name just one! :) But I'll share my most recent favorites: DARE ME by Megan Abbott, "Luther" on BBC television, and "Drive." By the way, "Drive" was based on a novel written by an amazing author named James Sallis. I hate it when they give the author's name a two-second credit in tiny print, don't you?

What inspired you to write a mystery novel with a twist of paranormal?
My first series was mystery, so it's a natural genre for me. But I had so much fun with both the BANISHED series and my adult post-apocalyptic/zombie series (AFTERTIME), that I couldn't resist adding a little something extra. I have to admit I got (stole?) the idea from my best friend, Juliet Blackwell, who writes a series about a witch who runs a vintage clothing shop in San Francisco.

Any plans for your next YA novel? will it be a different genre?
I've just turned in my next novel for Delacorte. It's a little different: pure thriller, about two teens who are infected with a deadly virus and have to find an antidote before it kills them.


To end this interview, if clare touched the clothes you're wearing now, what would she see?
Ha ha, very tricky! :) Luckily, I haven't done anything too terrible in what I'm wearing right now, which is my favorite writing sweats. They are about ten years old and threadbare, and Clare would just see me sitting in this chair working away and eating a LOT of Trader Joes bittersweet chocolate and walnut bars.

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Now to end this post, Sophie Littlefield has generously offered ONE (1)  copy of Hanging by a Thread to one lucky US reader! So, you want to win a copy? fill out the rafflecopter below! and if you didn't win? make sure to still check out Hanging by a Thread!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan - Farah

Title: Unspoken
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publication date: September 11, 2012
Publisher: Random House Books For Young Readers
Genre(s): Young Adult (Paranormal/Fantasy)
Source: NetGalley
Format: Digital ARC
Pages: 370
Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan was just one of those books that I didn't know what happened to. It started out great! This book is actually the first book I read by Sarah Rees Brennan, and I immediately fell in love with her writing. She has this way of getting the reader addicted to her style of writing, and even though this looked like a creepy book to me, it was actually very funny. The main protagonist, Kami, is the school's journalist. Living in Sorry-in-the-Vale, the Lynburns have a suspicious and famous reputation. When Kami knows that the Lynburn boys are back in town, she's determined to squeeze all the information about the Lynburns from them.
For me, the story was interesting. Kami was fun, and the though of her actually meeting the guy she has been talking to through her head for all her life. It was a very refreshing idea to read about. A person you have been talking to through your head, like an imaginary friend, who suddenly appears as a real person in your life. The characters were funny to read about, and I liked most of the characters. Despite everything being funny and okay, there was something that bored me! I felt like the story dragged on and on and on, and that bored the hell out of me! I felt like nothing progressed, and everything went in a slow pace. I really enjoyed the beginning of the story, and you don't know how much I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. 
Big kudos for Sarah Rees Brennan. Her writing is beautiful and funny, and full of sarcasm, which is something I definitely enjoy in books. I know a lot of people loved this book, and I kind of feel mad at myself for not liking this. Anyways, I know this book would be loved by many people so I'll definitely recommend it to all young adult readers. Im just going to say, it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

September 24, 2012

Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray - Juhina

The Diviners (The Diviners, #1)
Title: The Diviners (The Diviners, #1)
Author: Libba Bray
Publication date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre(s): Young Adult (Paranormal, Ghost)
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Pages: 608
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.
Historical fiction and I are known to be best friends. Fantasy and I are really close friends. But why didn’t I get along with The Diviners by Libba Bray? I wasn’t even able to play nice and to at least be on friendly terms with it. The Diviners and I are not only NOT close, but we have become mortal enemies as my journey with it continued. At one point I thought we might be able to mend the failed friendship, to maybe even have a frenemies relationship, but unfortunately, I couldn’t, or maybe I wouldn’t; I’ll never know who is at fault. However I am sure when I say that The Diviners was an experience I never want to repeat again. 
The Diviners is 608 pages. I’ve read long books that I wished were even LONGER (think Harry Potter, The Host, and Divergent). I’ve also read books that are short that I wished were shorter, but they were a fairly quick and harmless failed attempt at getting to know a book during a coffee date so in the end I left feeling slightly disappointed, but moved on quickly. However what I had with The Diviners? It was a three-day supposed vacation where I got stuck with the new acquaintance that not only messed up my vacation but also my judgment towards who ever was able to get along with it. I was restless, whiny, and a pain in the butt to everyone who was around me while reading this book. I could not stop complaining about how boring, how long, how over the top descriptive it is and how there was over 10 POVs in this book. I almost quit several times but told myself I had to at least finish 50% of it, then on 49% of the book, I catch a glimpse of maybe something more. Maybe the book and I started off on the wrong foot and we just needed some warming up. So I read a little more, another 100 pages of disappointed, then that darn glimpse of something more. This was how the book was for me until the end.  
The ending of The Diviners, oh how clichéd it was. With a book that centered so much about naughty john and the murders and sacrifices and powers, to end it with a kiss between the girl and the love interest that popped up only in the last 50 pages? No, I.. no. No. I am so disappointed in The Diviners. The story behind this book could have been creepy, scary, and just so entertaining. But none of that happened. The main protagonist was so frivolous, so childish, and just so selfish I just couldn’t like her. Some of the POVs include Thea, Sam, Memphis, Mable, Will, Gabe, and others. This doesn’t include the characters that do appear but don’t have a chapter for their POV. In all honesty, I was drowning in this book and what kept me going was the hope of finally reaching the surface and ending the struggle I was in for the past six days.