Tag: ARC

• Advance Excitement at a Glance V

  Posted at 6:34 pm by Laura, on May 6, 2014

  

  This year, in an effort to blog more, to become more involved with the blogging community, and to keep up with the latest publications, I thought I’d create a monthly post about the ARCs I’ve received. These ARCs will be read and reviewed a month prior to the publishing date. The Advance Excitement at a Glance posts will feature one or two (or more, depending on what happens this year) books to look forward to, and it will motivate me to keep my to-read list on track.

  Last month I announced two ARCs, and received a third as a surprise. All three will be reviewed on this blog in the next few days. For June, I have one incredible story to share with you that readers across the board may enjoy.

  

  The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine
  (June 3, Atria Books)

  Jo, the firstborn, “The General” to her eleven sisters, is the only thing the Hamilton girls have in place of a mother. She is the one who taught them how to dance, the one who gives the signal each night, as they slip out of the confines of their father’s townhouse to await the cabs that will take them to the speakeasy. Together they elude their distant and controlling father, until the day he decides to marry them all off.

  Trapped in a house by an unfeeling man who is ashamed of fathering twelve daughters and no sons, the Hamilton sisters are desperate for life and freedom. The eldest, Jo, teaches the sisters how to dance, and eventually how to sneak out in the night and experience Manhattan nightclubs. But the tables turn the day their father announces his plans to marry them off one by one…

  This is a fun and thrilling fairytale retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, set in the Roaring Twenties in NYC. Fans of dance, historical fiction, fractured fairytales, adult and YA fiction will thoroughly enjoy this.

  Which ARCs did you receive for June? What books are you looking forward to reading?

  Posted in Advance Excitement, books | 0 Comments | Tagged advance excitement at a glance, advance reading copy, ARC, books

• Book Review: “Prisoner of Night and Fog” by Anne Blankman (ARC)

  Posted at 3:39 pm by Laura, on April 15, 2014

  Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman 

  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Publishing Date: April 22
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062278814
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★★ 

  In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her “uncle” Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf’s, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

  Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

  And Gretchen follows his every command.

  Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can’t stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can’t help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she’s been taught to believe about Jews.

  As Gretchen investigates the very people she’s always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

  Gretchen Müller’s father is considered a martyr for the National Socialist Party; he darted in front of Hitler and took the bullets. Since then, the Müller family is Hitler’s favorite, and he’s especially fond of Gretchen. She stands by his beliefs and hopes for a better Germany. But when Jewish reporter Daniel suggests her father was murdered, Gretchen’s world is turned upside-down. She watches her brother beat others mercilessly, makes connections between his behavior and Hitler’s, discovers incongruities in her father’s history, and pieces together Hitler’s darkest intentions for the Jews. Gretchen must face her most difficult decision of all: side with the people she’s been molded to hate, or follow a man intent on genocide.

  When I began Prisoner of Night and Fog, I thought I would encounter a I’m-supposed-to-hate-you-but-I-love-you-anyway YA historical love story. That the only interesting thing was that it was set before Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. I was completely wrong. This book is intense, a major psychological page-turner, with mystery, terror, and violence. Yes, there’s a romance, and the way it blooms is stunning — but this is first and foremost a third-party observation and psychological study on Hitler.

  It was oddly thrilling to be in the mind of a young Nazi girl. Gretchen is afraid of her brother, but is most frightened of him when he beats people without guilt. She watches him beat a Jewish man, and is torn between wanting to save this “monster” she’s been trained to dislike, and wanting to turn the other way. She is shocked to find humanity in the Jew. And she’s bothered even more when she meets Daniel and finds that he does not have any tricks in seducing her, does not transfer viruses, does not turn into a monstrous creature. Hitler’s brainwashing went so deep into her mind that when she realizes on her own that the Jews are innocent humans, she feels terrible for believing in such horrors and supporting the Fuhrer. She’s on edge, uncomfortable, tip-toeing around the whole Party. But most of all, she’s iron-willed and determined to find out the truth about her father’s death, even if it means putting her and Daniel on the line.

  There is plenty of fiction available for victims of  WWII. We have the perspectives of the women at home, from the soldiers across the world, from the Jews in the camps and in Siberia. But there are very few perspectives from the Nazi side, and even fewer from before the war when Hitler’s party was one of many attempting to take control of Germany. Gretchen’s independent transformation, coupled with the trust and understanding with Daniel, makes for a fascinating, frightening, and exciting read.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Balzer + Bray for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Deception’s Princess” by Esther M. Friesner (ARC)

  Posted at 8:25 am by Laura, on April 8, 2014

  Deception’s Princess by Esther M. Friesner 

  Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
  Publishing Date: April 22
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780449818633
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★

  Maeve, princess of Connacht, was born with her fists clenched. And it’s her spirit and courage that make Maeve her father’s favorite daughter. But once he becomes the High King, powerful men begin to circle–it’s easy to love the girl who brings her husband a kingdom.

  Yet Maeve is more than a prize to be won, and she’s determined to win the right to decide her own fate. In the court’s deadly game of intrigue, she uses her wits to keep her father’s friends and enemies close–but not too close. When she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the son of a visiting druid, Maeve faces a brutal decision between her loyalty to her family and to her own heart.

  Maeve’s life is over-exaggerated — for better or worse — in bards’ songs. Sure, she was a daring five-year-old when she chased after her father’s prized bull. Yes, she learned how to use weapons against threatening beasts. And it’s true she speaks her mind, in a witty, intelligent, and clever manner. But Maeve is a princess in first-century Ireland, and an independent, headstrong young woman is one to be feared or beaten down with a stick. She’s determined to find solid ground to stand up for herself and her beliefs without angering her father, upsetting the land’s most powerful druid, and crushing the druid’s son, a healer and master with creatures.

  Maeve, like King Arthur, is based on threads of fact but mostly of mythical fiction. Her frustrations are understandable, and the men in her life are equally supportive as well as manipulative, protective, and controlling. She can see right through them, and plays their game by speaking only the truth and pointing out inaccuracies and falsehoods. She wants to help her father defend the land — thus her warrior skills — but also wants to be a compassionate healer — thus her lessons with the druid’s son Odran. Maeve is a force of nature, admirable and wonderful to behold, and it was a joy reading her mind.

  What I loved most about this book was what Friesner was able to accomplish with so little recorded historical information at the time. Truly, the tales that lasted from Iron Age Ireland are the tales sung by bards and centuries later recorded in manuscripts. Like the game “telephone,” both in Maeve’s experience as well as in research, only a grain of truth can be found in the poems. Even with little research, Friesner managed to concoct a beautiful and rich tale of love, friendship, and compassion in this tumultuous age. I loved the feast scenes — so much laughter and joy — and the moments Odran and Maeve spent in the hut caring for the animals. Every moment circled back to a previous, an endless loop of past events impacting the present, and it was fun to make the connections. Even the dark moments of sexist frustration and political intrigue were scattered with light, sarcastic commentary in Maeve’s thoughts.

  A fun read for anyone interested in ancient historical fiction, fierce young women, and awesome names you’ll need a pronunciation guide to get anywhere close to its actual sound.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Random House Books for Young Readers for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “The Geography of You and Me” by Jennifer E. Smith (ARC)

  Posted at 9:15 am by Laura, on April 1, 2014

  The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith 

  Publisher: Poppy
  Publishing Date: April 15
  Genre: young adult, romance
  ISBN: 9780316254779
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★★

  Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they’re rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

  Lucy and Owen’s relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and — finally — a reunion in the city where they first met.

  Two strangers’ lives change forever after getting stuck in an elevator in sweltering New York City summer heat in the middle of a black-out. Lucy, the youngest in her traveling, absent family, and Owen, new to the apartment building and grieving with his father the sudden death of his mother, end up spending the rest of the powerless day and night together, learning everything and nothing about one another. But when power is restored, their lives immediately change: Lucy’s family moves to Edinburgh and London, and Owen travels across the country with his father in search of employment and college options. As months pass and the distance between them widens, Lucy and Owen soon find that “home” doesn’t always mean a specific place: it can be a person.

  Smith has a unique way of creating love stories out of travels and chance encounters. I loved The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and was thrilled to receive this. It certainly makes you wonder what sort of lasting imprint you’ve left on a complete stranger, with a look or comment or action. Imagine an extreme situation where you and that stranger were forced to be together for an extended time — how would this happenstance grow into friendship? Would you keep in touch, and how?

  Lucy and Owen have a bit of an inside joke with postcards, sending them to one another throughout the novel. It began as a snarky comment, that people only send postcards out of politeness, and say “Wish you were here” when really the sender is probably functioning just fine without the sendee. But for these two, a postcard with a few lines means so much more. The wish is genuine. The thought and effort speaks volumes. It’s amazing how, having only been in the other’s presence for roughly four times in the novel, the love can seem so real despite the minimal communication and the vast distance. They see the other in everything, there’s a constant desire to turn to the other and share the excitement or sadness over an event, followed by a disappointment over the constant fact the other is not there. You’d think this desire would be exaggerated passion, “insta-love,” or some other hokey term — but it’s not. It’s like a crush you didn’t realize you had till you found yourself disappointed at the reality of a situation, and then begin to hope once more when a small hint is tossed your way.

  It was wonderful to read Lucy’s adventures in Europe, to watch her build a relationship with her parents for the first time; to root for Owen and his father (and their stow-away turtle) on their trek across the country for employment, to witness them slowly emerge from their grief. The ways in which Lucy and Owen’s lives intersect are remarkable, further solidifying such a beautiful basis for a relationship.

  Definitely a read for fans of Smith’s previous work, as well as Gayle Forman’s Just One Day and Just One Year. Enjoyable and touching.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Poppy for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: fiction, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Advance Excitement at a Glance IV

  Posted at 9:52 am by Laura, on March 31, 2014

  

  This year, in an effort to blog more, to become more involved with the blogging community, and to keep up with the latest publications, I thought I’d create a monthly post about the ARCs I’ve received. These ARCs will be read and reviewed a month prior to the publishing date. The Advance Excitement at a Glance posts will feature one or two (or more, depending on what happens this year) books to look forward to, and it will motivate me to keep my to-read list on track.

  Last month, I read several ARCs, including Always Emily and Solsbury Hill (many more reviews are on their way, too! March was a busy reading month). This month is another jam-packed reading session, but I’m really excited about these two books in particular. Note the “lost” theme!

  

  Royally Lost by Angie Stanton
  (HarperCollins, May 6)

  Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

  Becca has a difficult time enjoying a family vacation in Europe until she meets Nikolai, a prince who has fled his kingdom and enjoys a personal European tour undercover. But Becca’s vacation is ending soon, and Nikolai’s guards are constantly searching for him — what will they do?

  Cute, light, fluffy, and European — I’m down for that! It sounds fun and adventurous.

  

  The Lovely and the Lost by Page Morgan
  (Delacorte Press, May 13)

  Ingrid and Gabby survived the Underneath. They saved their brother, Grayson, from a future of dark servitude and exposed a plot to undermine the Alliance. But danger still lurks in the streets of Paris, and the Dispossessed, perched on the city’s bridges and rooftops, might not be able to save their human wards this time.

  I’m not even going to give a summary, because I know I’m going to love this book just as much as I loved the first. Oh, Luc. Gimme gimme gimme.

  What books are you looking forward to in May? Got any ARCs you’d like to share the excitement over?

   

   

  Posted in Advance Excitement, books | 0 Comments | Tagged advance excitement at a glance, advance reading copy, ARC, books, genre: young adult

• Book Review: “Always Emily” by Michaela MacColl (ARC)

  Posted at 9:16 am by Laura, on March 25, 2014

  Always Emily by Michaela MacColl 

  Publisher: Chronicle Books
  Publishing Date: April 8
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9781452111742
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★

  Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature. But they’re not there yet. First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.

  Practical Charlotte and imaginative Emily may be two creative and artistic sisters, but their opinions and habits often clash in Haworth. They both notice their brother Branwell acting oddly — or, more so than usual — coinciding with their neighbor’s mysterious death. Soon Charlotte and Emily meet the neighbor’s son, a frightened woman, and a determined stranger on the moors, each with a different story that, eventually, influence the sisters’ writing and future success.

  This review is battling two sets of opinions (ha, quite like these sisters!): one based off a Brontë fanatic and academic, and one based off a YA reader. As someone who has spent the last 10 years researching the Brontë family, reading their works, watching adaptations, and reading the occasional fictional account, I would have rated this with 1 star. Their lives were exaggerated and slightly misrepresented, and something about their father Patrick seemed off from all I’ve researched on him. Then again, the only true critic would be someone who befriended the real Brontës, and obviously they’re long gone.

  As a YA reader, I could give this 4 stars. It’s a great introduction to the secluded family, to the minds of the authors of the strange and wild stories, to the gothic feel of the moors. The mystery is intriguing, the situations the sisters encounter are thrilling, and the growth between the sisters is beautiful to watch. Emily and Charlotte are given alternating chapters in their own POV, and I have to say Emily’s is most compelling. She’s given life and freedom, while Charlotte’s seems restrained. Maybe it’s an expression of their personalities, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the real Charlotte and it would’ve been great to read some more depth in her chapters. Something quite like Jane’s in Jane Eyre — restrained to others but inwardly flourishing.

  For a cozy mystery set on the English moors in the 1830s, this is an entertaining read. Yet I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who is a massive Brontë fan or scholar. It’s a good bridge for those new to the Brontës and their quiet yet turbulent lives.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Chronicle Books for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 4 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Solsbury Hill” by Susan M. Wyler (ARC)

  Posted at 4:41 pm by Laura, on March 15, 2014

  Solsbury Hill by Susan M. Wyler 

  Publisher: Riverhead Trade
  Publishing Date: April 1
  Genre: romance, adult fiction
  ISBN: 9781594632365
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★

  When a surprise call from a dying aunt brings twenty-something New Yorker Eleanor Abbott to the Yorkshire moors, and the family estate she is about to inherit, she finds a world beyond anything she might have expected. Having left behind an American fiance, here Eleanor meets Meadowscarp MacLeod—a young man who challenges and changes her. Here too she encounters the presence of Bronte herself and discovers a family legacy they may share.

  With winds powerful enough to carve stone and bend trees, the moors are another world where time and space work differently. Remanants of the past are just around a craggy, windswept corner. For Eleanor, this means ancestors and a devastating romantic history that bears on her own life, on the history of the novel Wuthering Heights, and on the destinies of all who live in its shadow.

  Eleanor Abbott arrives at a family estate in northern England after discovering her childhood friend and long-term boyfriend cheating on her. As her aunt’s friends and family help Eleanor decide on matters regarding the future of the estate, she contemplates Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, the man she left behind in New York, and the man she meets on the moors.

  I had such high expectations for this novel — I can hardly write a summary for it because I’m so deeply disappointed.

  My expectations were high because of the Wuthering Heights comparison. Marketed as a retelling, a romance as strong as Heathcliff and Catherine’s, and other such similarities is false advertising. The romance is shallow — if existent at all — and it’s certainly not a retelling. A retelling would be Margot Livesey’s The Flight of Gemma Hardy — new setting, new character names, but essentially the same core for motives or personalities. Forewarning, this is not a retelling, and the comparisons are…barely there.

  The writing and the plot was not what I expected either. I thought descriptions and dialogue and plot would be fully developed, well-written, enticing, imaginative, lush. It fell completely flat. It was like reading a teenager’s fanfiction, or a preteen’s attempt at writing smut. And maybe this is because I’m not a romance reader — the very first couple pages contain explicit yet poorly written sex scenes, and then for the rest of the novel the characters are one-dimensional, lacking in personality, and forceful in poor dialogue.

  Maybe I’m harsh because I see the Brontës as untouchable. Maybe this just wasn’t my book. Either way, I was disappointed.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Riverhead Trade for review.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: romance, review

• Advance Excitement at a Glance III

  Posted at 6:43 pm by Laura, on March 1, 2014

  

  This year, in an effort to blog more, to become more involved with the blogging community, and to keep up with the latest publications, I thought I’d create a monthly post about the ARCs I’ve received. These ARCs will be read and reviewed a month prior to the publishing date. The Advance Excitement at a Glance posts will feature one or two (or more, depending on what happens this year) books to look forward to, and it will motivate me to keep my to-read list on track.

  Last month, I read Panic and Savage Girl. For April, there are four ARCs in my queue, but I will feature two in this post and leave the other two as surprises! I’m excited about all of them and can’t wait to share my reviews with you.

  Mimi Malloy, At Last! by Julia MacDonnell
  (Picador, April 8)

  …when an MRI reveals that Mimi’s brain is filled with black spots—areas of atrophy, her doctor says—it looks like she’s destined to spend her days in “one of those storage facilities for unwanted antiques.” Mimi knows her mind is (more or less) as sharp as ever, and she won’t go down without a fight. Yet as she prepares to take her stand, she stumbles upon an old pendant of her mother’s and, slowly, her memory starts to return…

  Divorced and retired Mimi learns to enjoy the quiet life, smoking an occasional cigarette and listening to jazz on the radio, but is constantly bombarded by her sisters’ nostalgia for childhood and children’s praises of assisted living. When she finds out about her medical condition, and discovers her mother’s pendant, she begins to remember bits of her repressed childhood, and finds love along the way.

  At laaaaast, my loooove…I met the author back in August and absolutely gushed over the title, chapter titles, premise of the story, Mimi, everything. She was so pleased that she and her editor offered to send me an ARC of the book, and I screamed in January when I found it on my doorstep (probably disturbed the neighbors with that one…). I cannot wait to meet Mimi and experience a second “coming of age” with her!

  Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman
  (Balzer + Bray, April 22)

  Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.
  And Gretchen follows his every command.

  Gretchen Müller grew up in National Socialist Party and knows nothing of the true hardships of the people Uncle Dolf so fiercely despises. But after she meets Daniel Cohen, a Jewish reporter, she is exposed to the dangers of the Nazi Party and the devastation and destruction it leaves behind.

  Balzer + Bray has some amazing books, and since I’m always in the mood for some great WWII fiction I have high hopes for this book!

  What books are you looking forward to in April? Got any ARCs you’d like to share excitement over?

  Posted in Advance Excitement, books | 0 Comments | Tagged advance excitement at a glance, advance reading copy, ARC, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult

• Book Review: “Savage Girl” by Jean Zimmerman (ARC)

  Posted at 9:15 am by Laura, on February 27, 2014

  Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman 

  Publisher: Viking
  Publishing Date: March 6
  Genre: historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9780670014859
  Goodreads: —
  Rating:  ★★★★

  Jean Zimmerman’s new novel tells of the dramatic events that transpire when an alluring, blazingly smart eighteen-year-old girl named Bronwyn, reputedly raised by wolves in the wilds of Nevada, is adopted in 1875 by the Delegates, an outlandishly wealthy Manhattan couple, and taken back East to be civilized and introduced into high society.

  Bronwyn hits the highly mannered world of Edith Wharton-era Manhattan like a bomb. A series of suitors, both young and old, find her irresistible, but the willful girl’s illicit lovers begin to turn up murdered.

  Zimmerman’s tale is narrated by the Delegate’s son, a Harvard anatomy student. The tormented, self-dramatizing Hugo Delegate speaks from a prison cell where he is prepared to take the fall for his beloved Savage Girl. This narrative—a love story and a mystery with a powerful sense of fable—is his confession.

  Hugo Delegate knows he’s in trouble. Whether or not it was Savage Girl — Bronwyn — who committed the murders or he, Hugo’s determined to free her and take the blame instead. He tells their story from the very beginning, in a windy, dusty city in Nevada where his wealthy family found and collected this feral young woman and brought her to New York City to be educated, trained, and prepared for her season. But somewhere within his story, Hugo blurs Bronwyn’s character, and begins to wonder if his love for her blinds him from her true nature, or if something — someone — more sinister is at work.

  While many historical novels stick to the historical facts of the day — politics, education, fashion, transportation, social expectations, belief systems, etc — Zimmerman embodies the language of the day in her story. From skeptical Harvard medical man to a drunkard wailing over his love, lust, and confusion, Zimmerman’s Hugo is a character that comes alive through the rich diction. I felt like I was on the train with his family, traveling across the country and entering high society and working with this “raised by wolves” young woman. Bronwyn is quite similar too — her growth is fascinating, her fierce independence and loyalty and brave nature colliding together to create this beautiful, believable character from the wilds. Feral children are not simply stories; they were real.

  When I first received this ARC, I assumed it would be like reading Catherine from Wuthering Heights plucked and dropped into Edith Wharton’s high society — her passions and wild-like manner considered animalistic and foreign. It’s nothing like that, and I’m glad. The mystery of the murders propelled the already intriguing plot (the character growth is enough to keep you reading), and it’s not until the exact last page that the truth is revealed. Zimmerman will keep you guessing, tossing around Hugo, Brownyn, and many other suspects back and forth. Who should you believe? The unreliable narrator? The wild woman?

  Oh, it’s just so wonderfully written. Transported in time! A time that many seem to skip across when discussing history, that age between the Civil War and the suffragettes — beautifully represented in this great book.

  Thank you, Viking and Goodreads, for providing this book for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Panic” by Lauren Oliver (ARC)

  Posted at 11:15 am by Laura, on February 22, 2014

  Panic by Lauren Oliver 

  Publisher: HarperCollins
  Publishing Date: March 4
  Genre: young adult, thriller, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780062014559
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★

  Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

  Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

  Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

  For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

  Heather and Dodge, participants in a thrilling post-graduation game where the winner takes all, have different reasons for entering Panic. Heather jumps in to prove something to herself. Dodge, in a sense, plays for revenge. But Panic must be kept a secret from the adults and police of Carp — a small, poor town in the middle of nowhere — because Panic is the only chance any of the students have to escape and start a fresh, new life.

  First of all, this is not dystopian and it is not another Hunger Games. Yes, it sounds like THG, and yes it sounds dystopian, but this is a thriller contemporary novel through and through. The high school graduates of Carp of years past devised a daring, life-threatening game where the winner takes $50,000 — money raised from the school population, $1 donated from each student for every day of high school attendance — and escapes the awful, poor, messed up town. The winner can do whatever they want: go to college, get surgery, travel the world, pick up and leave, become athletes or actresses, you name it. These students are desperate, and they will put their lives on the line for that chance to escape.

  And that’s what fuels Panic, the desperation of the participants. Heather is deeply insecure, feels unloved and worthless, and she enters Panic blindly thinking she’ll catch the eye of her ex-boyfriend, when in reality she realizes she entered to prove something to herself and to the world. Every participants has a sad, angry, desperate story, and it fuels them throughout their frightening game. Jumping off tanks, crossing highways blindfolded…anything for the $67,000 pool for this year’s winner.

  So why 2 stars? While this was well-written, dirty and gritty, honest, and filled with intense emotion, it just wasn’t the book for me. I continued reading because I love Oliver’s work, but this particular book was not meant to be read by me. Maybe I’ve never felt this angry, scared, insecure, or desperate, or maybe I’ve had a sheltered upbringing, or maybe I just never interacted with people in these dire situations. Who knows? This is not a reflection of the book’s quality, but rather my enjoyment of the book.

  Thank you, Edelweiss and HarperCollins, for providing the book for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: fiction, genre: thriller, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

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• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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