Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - Farah

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1)

Author: Kendare Blake 

Publication date: August 30th, 2011

Publisher: TorTeen

Genre(s): Young Adult (Ghosts)

Challenges: A-Z

Source: Publisher

Format: Hardback

Pages: 316

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Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

Spooky, thrilling, and full of excitement. That was Anna Dressed in Blood.  Being the first ghost book I ever read, it was everything I hoped for. The books started with Cas on the hunt of killing an already dead man, in other words, a ghost. Cas Lowood kills the dead, and has always been doing it since his father died. Living with his witch mother and her black cat, Cas always travelled around the world to kill specific ghosts. That's when he travels to Canada in order to kill Anna. Anna being called Anna Dressed in Blood already has a reputation around the town. Cas already thinks of it as a challenge to hunt and kill Anna. This book being from a male's POV wasn't so bad! I always prefer girl protagonists than boys, but I actually really enjoyed this book, even though it was from a guy's POV. 

It was nice to see how Cas normally went to school to do his research on Anna. That's where he met some people, and hung out with them to find out more. All the characters were likable, and felt real. I really don't know how to describe this, but the characters seemed whole and genuine. At first I thought I wouldn't really enjoy reading about Anna because she's a ghost, but somehow I really liked Anna! I understood her, and her pain, and I was able to know why she acted the way she did. I really liked the flow of how Cas and Anna met, and how everything else happened. The relationship, does sound ridiculous, but it felt good. I highly enjoyed reading how Anna and Cas got to like each other, even though it's between ghost and human. Definitely different and heart clenching!

Overall, Kendare did a great job in writing this book. It showed that she did her research, because it really felt like I was living the moment with them. It felt very spooky, and so many times I was so scared while reading the book at night! I was actually scared I'd have nightmares! I have to say the ending killed me, so I really cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel of the book, Girl of Nightmares.

Waiting On Wednesday (30) - Out of Reach

Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos

Publication Date: October 16, 2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Find on: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository, B&N

How do you find someone who doesn't want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he's in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn't come home.

Rachel's terrified--and she can't help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.

With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah's best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler...and the possibility that Micah may never come home.

 As soon as we read the synopsis of this book, we immediately fell in love. We have a feeling that this book is going to be an unforgettable one, and we can't wait to get our hands on it!   

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we are excited about. 

Review: Envy by Elizabeth Miles - Juhina

Title: Envy (The Fury Trilogy, #2)

Author: Elizabeth Miles

Publication date: September 4th, 2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre(s): Young Adult (Mythology, Paranormal)

Source: Publisher
Format: ARC

Pages: 320

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The Furies are back in the second book of a chilling paranormal trilogy where revenge rules the day—and “sorry” isn’t going to cut it. Spring is coming, and the ice is slowly melting in Ascension…revealing the secrets buried beneath.

     Emily Winters knows the Furies have roots in Ascension, Maine—but she’s about to discover that they’re deeper than she ever imagined. With the help of her new friend Drea, she vows to dig them out. But it’s hard to focus when she’s desperate to make up with JD, and to figure out why Crow, a mysterious Ascension High dropout, seems to be shadowing her.

     Meanwhile, new girl Skylar McVoy is determined to leave her own dark past behind. So she’s thrilled when popular Gabby takes her under her wing, and the stunning and sophisticated Meg offers to give her a major makeover. But everyone knows what happens to the vainest girl of all…

     It’s tempting to be naughty. But beware: the Furies are always watching, and their power grows stronger by the day.

Envy was a definite step up to Fury. I enjoyed Envy so much more than Fury and that is mainly due to the fact that the characters in this installment weren't as clueless and hence frustrating as Fury. Emily Winters knows the Furies are back. She doesn't ignore the obvious clues and occurrences and this time she's not going to wait for The Furies to come and get here, she's going to fight. I finally let out a sigh of relief when I saw how Emily isn't going to hide in her room and is actually trying to figure away to defeat The Furies. The writing is superb, Elizabeth Miles knows how to keep you anticipating and guessing what happens next and you're usually wrong. Which is something I pleasantly take. This novel is told from two POVs, Emily, like in Fury, and also Skyler, a new girl in town, however she is even more clueless than Emily was in Fury, but what's different with Skyler is that she is desperate for attention, to be liked, and to be popular, the three things that would turn off any female protagonist for me. 

The main reason I liked Envy much more than Fury is the fact that we do not delve into the tiny details of the surroundings of our characters every time. You don't see paragraphs of descriptions about the color of snow or how cold the winter is. That was my main issue in Fury and I'm glad I didn't see that in Envy. Also, we actually get some progress in Envy. We find out more about The Furies and their history, as well as hope that there might be a way to get rid of them. All of this is with the help of Emily's newfound friend Drea. Also, there is Crow, a new guy that I actually really like. I wasn't that fond of the romance in Fury and how it suddenly started and then ended within 20 pages, so Crow was a pleasant distraction for Emily and I hope Elizabeth Miles keeps him in the story. 

Envy, while not as creepy as Fury, still had its fair share of creeped out worthy scenes, especially the ones with The Furies. Throughout the novel you also get to witness the normal everyday life of the characters in the book, so this novel doesn't just center around the mythology, you get a glimpse of what could have been if The Furies never showed up and I liked that The Furies and talk of them didn't occupy 100% of the novel. I really enjoyed Envy and the ending Elizabeth Miles wrote was mouth gapingly shocking. She's not an author scared to take the extreme and I salute her for that. I honestly don't know what's in store for her third and last installment but I'm going to be one of the first waiting for a copy to get to me so I can finally figure out how to get rid of these darn Furies! If that is possible...

Other books in the series: Fury (Book #1)

Review: The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers - Juhina

Title: The Encyclopedia of Me 

Author: Karen Rivers

Publication date: September 1st, 2012
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)

Challenges: Contemporary, Debut

Source: Publisher
Format: ARC

Pages: 256

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A is for "Tink Aaron-Martin," "Aardvark," and "Amazing" in this wonderful alphabetical novel!

Tink Aaron-Martin has been grounded AGAIN after an adventure with her best friend Freddie Blue Anderson. To make the time pass, she decides to write an encyclopedia of her life from "Aa" (a kind of lava--okay, she cribbed that from the real encyclopedia) to "Zoo" (she's never been to one, but her brothers belong there).

As the alphabet unfolds, so does the story of Tink's summer: more adventures with Freddie Blue (and more experiences in being grounded); how her family was featured in a magazine about "Living with Autism," thanks to her older brother Seb--and what happened after Seb fell apart; her growing friendship, and maybe more, with Kai, a skateboarder who made her swoon (sort of). And her own sense that maybe she belongs not under "H" for "Hideous," or "I" for "Invisible," but "O" for "Okay."

Written entirely in Tink's hilarious encyclopedia entries, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME is both a witty trick and a reading treat for anyone who loves terrific middle-grade novels.

The Encyclopedia of Me takes you on a journey through Tinker’s everyday life in an encyclopedia format. To be honest, I was wary of this type of format, since I am not the biggest fan of verse novels and I was afraid the plot wouldn’t flow and the story would be distorted. However The Encyclopedia of Me was full of laughter, useful information (its an encyclopedia!) and a cute 13-year old female protagonist that has the funniest thoughts, ideas, and interesting tales. My only problem with her was her naivety towards her supposed best friend.  

The story revolves around Tinker, a 13 year old girl who decided to start writing an encyclopedia because she got grounded over something oh so hilair (yup, this word is part of the encyclopedia) but her parents thought otherwise. Her everyday life is integrated in the encyclopedia through the alphabetical letters. We’ve got the Blue haired boy, Hairless cat (which won’t stop scratching her!), Skateboarding (her new hobby), and more. The footnotes are also amaz (Yup, another word from her pops lingo). I honestly was cracking up because Karen Rivers knew how to portray a witty, smart, 13 year old. One with spunk, creativity, and everyday life problems a 13 year old would face. Adding in some angst with the so ever annoying best friend, a blue haired crush, and a bit of trouble and you've got yourself Tinker's Encyclopedia!  

Karen Rivers has written a cute, hilarious (how many times have I said that?) contemporary novel that appeals to all teenagers. Since this is a middle grade novel, and I am no middle grader, my rating is perspective. I honestly think middle graders would switch to this encyclopedia and ditch the other boring ones as soon as they get their hands on this book! 

Interview: Denise Jaden + GIVEAWAY

Hello lovely readers! Today we are happy to say that we have an interview with the amazing Denise Jaden! I recently read her book, Never Enough, and I devoured it immediately. You can check my review HERE. Never Enough is a realistic fiction, and it is Denise Jaden's second young adult novel.  Let's know a little bit about the author and her latest book before we get to the interview questions!

Denise Jaden's writing has appeared in Mississippi Crow Magazing (Spring, 2008), The Greensilk Journal (Fall 2007 - where her story, LOCKED AWAY, won an Editor's Choise Award), and The Tidepool Fiction Ezine. Her novels have received various awards through Romance Writers of America. Her first novel for teens, Losing Faith, was released from Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster in 2010, and her next  one, Never Enough, was released in July, 2012. She lives outside Vancouver, Canada with her husband and her son. 

Find Denise Jaden on her Website I Twitter I Goodreads   Find Never Enough on Goodreads I Amazon I B&N I Book Depository 

Loann’s always wanted to be popular and pretty like her sister, Claire. So when Claire’s ex-boyfriend starts flirting with her, Loann is willing to do whatever it takes to feel special… even if that means betraying her sister.

But as Loann slips inside Claire’s world, she discovers that everything is not as it seems. Claire’s quest for perfection is all-consuming, and comes at a dangerous price. As Claire increasingly withdraws from friends and family, Loann struggles to understand her and make amends. Can she heal their relationship —and her sister—before it’s too late?

Describe Never Enough in three words.

Appetite For Beauty (This was actually the title for the book at one point.)

What made you write a story about anorexia/bulimia?

A good friend of mine was struggling with an eating disorder, and back when I wrote the first draft of Never Enough, it was so I could understand her better. Surprisingly, it also helped me understand myself better.

Did you ever imagine yourself to be a writer when you were young? if not, what did you think you'd be?

No, actually I hated reading and writing when I was younger. I thought I’d be a dancer or an actress, traveling the world. I’ve actually done a bit of all of that, but I love writing more than I have ever loved any of those other endeavors.

What are some of your personal favorite books?

I love THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green and ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins. Also, anything by Tara Kelly or CK Kelly Martin are always at the top of my list.

Where do you usually write or read? Provide pictures if possible

I have a small spare room in my house that doubles as my office. I have a few posters up in there, like my text messaging glossary, because I’m behind the times and barely know how to text. Sometimes I write in my office, but more often than not, I tend to migrate to my kitchen table with my laptop. I’ll attach a picture of both—hopefully it will show people that books really can be written anywhere!

 What food/drinks do you snack on during your writing process?

I try not to snack too much while writing, because when I get stuck on a sentence or word or scene, it would be very easy for me to eat an entire Costco-sized bag of chips while trying to figure it out. But I do like sipping at coffee or tea.

 What shows or movies have you recently watched?

My husband and I went to see the new Batman movie last week. I thought it was great. As the mother of an eight year old, I’m also up on all the latest cartoons. My son and I recently saw (and loved) the latest Ice Age movie.

 For your next book, any plans for a new genre? 

Not really a different genre, but my next book has a stronger romance and mystery than either of my first books. It’s called FOREIGN EXCHANGE, and it’s about a girl who sneaks away from her class trip in Europe to find her missing best friend.

You can enter to win a physical copy of Never Enough by Denise Jaden.

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