Review: Blaze by Laurie Boyle Crompton

Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillians) by Laurie Boyle Crompton
309 pages, ePub eBook (via Overdrive Media Console)
Finished on 24/7/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: Thanks to the wonderful participants of #YAStands twitter chars, the first time I joined in I got 15 recommendations, including this one. (Sadly, it's the only one I've gotten around to reading.)

Review: Can I say BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR!? I believe I just did. And I meant it, too. I don't remember exactly who it was that recommended this to me that night, but thank you for expanding my life reading bubble! I owe you quite the hug!

Well, if you can't tell already, Blaze has most definitely left a mark on my memory. She was a wonderful heroine, what with her comic-drawing superpower. But even more than that she was a charrie that constantly believed in people and strived after what she wanted.

The comic theme was the best part of the book, which is why the entire book was so enjoyable! I don't know how Ms. Crompton came up with the idea for this novel, but I'm very glad she did! I think this has made itself onto the list of books that anyone can enjoy. Especially the comic junkies ;).

Shelf-Worthy

Book Reviews: Mash Up #4

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin
Kindle Edition
Did Not Finish
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: The title of the novel was very intriguing, so I decided to give it a try. Whether or not I read the synopsis, I don't remember.

Review: I was really looking forward to this novel, hoping and thinking that it would be another Hate List or Before I Fall. And it might be, but it didn't grab me enough for me to feel like this was the right time to find out.

The main character, Autumn, was quite mislead in her love for Jamie and reading about it did nothing but sicken me and raise my blood pressure. To the point where I had to put the book my Kindle down because it was starting to depress me.

Maybe at some point in the future, maybe next year, I will remember this book and come back to it, but right now I feel as if it isn't doing anything for me.

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My Own Worst Frenemy (Langdon Prep, #1) by Kimberly Reid
Kindle Edition
Did Not Finish
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Chick Literature, Romance, Mystery
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: It just looked like a good Chick-Lit novel. Again, however, I can't remember if I read a synopsis or not. (Honestly, I'm not sure if this would even be considered Chick-Lit, but  it seemed like it to me.)

Review: The first book in the Langdon Prep series seemed much too slow for me. I felt like not enough was happening, and that made it harder for me to get into the story line and actually read it.

Also contributing to my dislike: the genre. I don't think it was the right time for me to be reading a Chick-Lit novel because it just seemed like an overloaded, very annoying amount of drama. Usually, with any other book in this genre, I would be intrigued and just had to know everything about everything. That didn't happen for me with Reid's novel, sadly. Hopefully it was just the timing that was off for me.

I hope that this novel, too, will run across my path again for another try.

Book Reviews: Mash-Up #3

Sweet Peril (Sweet Trilogy, #2) by Wendy Higgins
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 13/6/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Action, Adventure
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I loved Sweet Evil and bought this sequel before I was even finished reading the first.

Review: The second installation in the Sweet trilogy wasn't as great as its prequel. I'm not sure exactly what it was missing, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was action. A good cause for the lack of action was the constant mention of the romance between Anna, Kaiden, and Kope. Of course, this is probably just to me.

I did love the army-building, though. It was nice to meet other Nephs as well as catching up with oldies. I'm so excited to read the next book in the series! Oh, and did I mention that Kaiden is my fictional husband now?

Satisfying eBook

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Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
436 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 23/6/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Adventure (in reference to her quest)
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I'm determined to read all of Dessen's work, and since I've only read This Lullaby before this, I've still got quite a few books to read!

Review: The unique life of the main character (Auden) kind of reminded me of Kelly Oram's novels and their rare charries. I think that might have been what made Along for the Ride even better for me.

Auden hasn't had the best life, but through  it all I'd say she's been pretty productive with her schooling. Not that it could have possibly been any other way with the parents she had . . . actually.... Nevermind. I forgot about Hollis. Guess it was a possibility lol.

Anyway, the summer Auden spent with Heidi and her dad seemed like so much fun. Heidi especially tried to make her feel at home and welcomed Auden with open arms. My favorite part about the summer, though, was Auden's nightly escapades with Eli. It honestly made me want my own quest to go on!

Sarah Dessen continues to live up to the reputation I've heard given to her, and I'm hoping another of her books will come across my path soon!

Shelf-Worthy

Book Reviews: Mash Up #2

Candle in the Darkness (Refiner's Fire, #1) by Lynn Austin
432 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 11/5/2013
Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Some Romance
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I saw it on Kindle Diary (an app that tells you about free Kindle books), and the synopsis interested me so I bought it.

Review: This was the first Christian novel I'd ever read, and I must say it was pretty great! Usually I stay away from Christian Fiction (not really sure why), but this one had me halfway through it before I realized what genre it was. And by then there was no turning back anyway.

Caroline, Eli, and Tessie were definitely my favourite characters. You could have a real connection with them and not just be reading another character's dialogue or actions. Eli and Tessie were so confident, caring and loving of Caroline that they easily replaced the Fletchers as Caroline's parents in my mind. Caroline herself was quite the determined woman and that made me respect her even more.

I will most likely be spending money on the next book in the series. Hopefully the characters carry over!

Shelf-Worthy

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Sweet Evil (Sweet Trilogy, #1) by Wendy Higgins
464 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 20/5/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: It's one of those YA books/covers that I look at once, remember forever, and eventually make myself read it because I'm tired of procrastinating. (Thank you library.)

Review: Wow. This book was absolutely amazing. It was something about it that just pulled me right in.

Anna and Kaiden -- especially Kaiden -- were some of the best characters I've read in a while. Wen they hurt, I hurt; but honestly, the love they (and shouldn't have) for each other is so emotionally pulling that I couldn't help but adore them even more. The plot was also a wonderful part to their story. Kaiden being in a band was a good little "different" facor that Higgins provided to the story. He was a bad boy, you could say, but not your average one at least. The plot carried you so well. Even though you knew the temporary happiness was indeed temporary, you knew the juicy drama (can we appropriately call it that?) was up ahead and ready to be devoured.

Usually I talk about how I'm going to buy the sequel soon, but, well..... I already have it lol. I'll post a review of Sweet Peril by the end of June (I hope), so be on the look out!

Shelf-Worthy

Review: Double Feature by Brent Hartinger

Double Feature (Russel Middlebrook, #3) by Brent Hartinger
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 8/4/2013
Genres: Young Adult, GLBT, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I've really liked the first two books in the series, so I continued!

Review: Let me say that once I read the "Second Feature," the names of the two different stories actually made sense haha. While having to read through some of the same exact conversations again wass a little annoying, everuthing that was said and done was clarified through the change of perspective. I will most definitely be reading the fourth book, The Elephant of Surprise.

In this Middlebrook installment, the gang signs up to play as zombie extras in a horror movie. You would think that everything would be simply wonderful and problem-free, but these three will always be going through something.

The plot was great! Along with the interesting-ness of being a zombie extra, we get to see Otto again, and Kevin is back to make us want to punch him. Compared to Geography Club and Poison Oak, I think this novel of the series would come last (so far) for favorite plots. It wasn't terrible, and it pulled me in still -- but just not as much as the others. At the same time, it might be because the second feature was similar to the first. Not completely sure.

The characters were fantastic all over again! My favorite from this one was definitely Leah. She added new flavor to the story, and I liked that she was dark and mysterious. Those charries are always the most interesting for me. Also with Double Feature, I fee like Min and I finally have a connection with each other. Before she was just "Russel's best friend," but now more things fall into place I guess you could say.

All in all, Brent Hartinger continued the series well! I'm excited to read The Elephant of Surprise (and to find out why it's entitled as such). Check back within the next week or so my review of it!

Satisfying eBook

Review: Poison Oak by Brent Hartinger

The Order of the Poison Oak (Russel Middlebrook, #2) by Brent Hartinger
169 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 4/4/2013
Genres: Young Adult, GLBT, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: Loved the first book of the series, and was excited to get to the second.

Review: It took me a while to get through the second Russel Middlebrook novel because of my busy-ness. It was even funnier than the first, and the new setting fit wonderfully into the plot of the story.

Russel, Gunnar, and Min are finally out of school and go to volunteer as counselors at a summer camp. Almost all of the story takes place during the first session of kids, which is where all the "fun" happens. The first group is special: they're burn survivors, and have come to camp to get away from all their "misfit problems" at home. And, of course, the group of kids affects the main guy the most.

The plot was great, just as I expected (or was hoping for, because anything can happen I suppose). Russel was really having the worse time of his life. There was constantly something going on with him that was giving him trouble. The plot seemed as if it was fast-paced and the days were flying by, but that surprisingly wasn't the reality. As I said earlier almost the entire novel takes place during the first (two-week?) session. However, I think this is a great thing because that means the book had lots of action, I guess you could say.

The characters in Poison Oak, especially the burn survivors and the role they played, were fabulous (or magnificent since the ones with Russel were guys; "fabulous" might be too girly for them). But anyhow, I really liked how Russel tried to get on and stay on his kids' good side. Because he knew how it felt to be a social outcast, he didn't want them to feel like one or to even feel uncomfortable while they were at the camp. Ian was one of my favorite characters, I think. He was the leader of all the ruckus Russel had to deal with, but like the other burn survivors he had a scary past and he wanted to fit in. And he was very stubborn at some points, particularly when it came to acknowledging that Russel was running the show and not him.

Overall, I really liked this book. I'm excited to get to the third novel already! Look out for my review of Double Feature within the next week or so!

Satisfying eBook

Review: Outsiders by Bailey Vaughn

Outsiders by Bailey Vaughn
65 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 21/3/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Action
Goodreads page, Amazon page

Motivation to Read It: I was contacted with a request to read the new work, and after reading the synopsis I was interested to indulge in the pages.

Review: Let me start off by saying that this book was a lot shorter than I thought it was going to be. However, don't take that as a con to reading it; even though it was shorter than most, it was very well written and captivated me from the beginning.

Bailey Vaughn has a way of writing that made me long for the next part of the story. The plot carried along nicely. Due to the book being short and the author wanting the plot to cover a certain period of time, you sometimes had big time gaps summed up in a paragraph or two. I liked this, however, because I felt as if it fit really well with the story. It wasn't necessary to be updated everyday or even every week with what the main characters went through.

Speaking of characters, I absolutely loved Hannah, Jaise, and Nickolai. All the charries had a lovable asset about them, but the formerly named three were definitely the ones I fancied the most. Hannah and Jaise were favourites for obvious reasons. The main notion, though, was that their love for each other was so constantly solid. It was never "It could be actual feelings" or "I might be in love with him/her"; they knew they were in love and acted as such (as much as they could anyway). In Nickolai's case, I adored the fact that he never gave up trying to get with Hannah, although I'm sure he realized she didn't want him. Takes some dedication to keep pursuing even after rejection, wouldn't you say?

Overall, Outsiders was a great book to read, and I'd gladly recommend it to others that were interested in indulging themselves in Patterson Falls.

Shelf-Worthy

Review: Geography Club by Brent Hartinger

Geography Club (Russel Middlebrook, #1) by Brent Hartinger
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 6/3/2013
Genres: Gay/Lesbian, Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I was contacted by Brent asking to review the series's latest novel, The Elephant of Surprise. Since I hadn't read any of the series before, I agreed to review the entire series.

(Stay in touch with the blog! I will be posting reviews of the books over the next couple of weeks.)

Review: This was my first novel with a gay main character. I have to say that it was amazing. It's one of the funniest books I've read, but even without the humour it had a great plot and the characters were really enjoyable.

Russel Middlebrook finds himself a hidden outcast in modern-way high school, where homosexuals aren't exactly going to be treated like royalty. That's the reason why no one knows that he's gay. And then the most popular kid in the school finds out. How's that for a horror story?

The characters in Geography Club were really enjoyable and funny. All throughout the novel my highlighting draws about every two paragraphs to the oh-so-many entertaining quotes I found while I indulged myself. I also thought that the characters got along and understood each other very well, which is definitely important in books. They made you want to be cheerful with them, or worried, or whatever emotion was being portrayed.

The plot was unquestionably entertaining  I loved how it kind of skipped over days (and weeks?) sometimes to get to the next point in time that important events take place. At the same time, it actually annoyed me a little a couple of times because I loved the charries so much that I wanted to spend every possible moment with them. (Creep status; I know.) I was glued to the story. I found myself longing to read it even when I knew that there was no way it could happen at that moment.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who was willing to read it. Even if they weren't, I'd find a way to make sure they read it. Very well-written, and worth taking the time to devour.

Satisfying eBook

Book Reviews: Mash-Up #1

So this is basically just going to be a combination of all the books I read in January that never got reviews. I'll leave the last one or two so I can write actual reviews for them. Below won't be a complete review, just kind of a paragraph of feelings, really.

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The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence, #1) by Jessica Sorensen
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 6/1/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I saw this one somewhere, Goodreads I believe, and the cover intrigued me. I searched it in the Kindle Store, and it was only a dollar. People were also giving great reviews about it, so there was no way I couldn't buy it.

Review: I can't remember how I came about this book, but I'm glad it happened. It was truly captivating; I only wanted to read this book. It was as if reading another novel while in the middle of Coincidence would've been disrespectful or something. But either way, I couldn't put the book down.

Callie and Kayden have had a hard time growing up for sure, and the way they, especially Callie, were introverted was so interesting to read. The characters - all of them - found a way to entertain me. The main ones throughout the novel were developed really well; Seth had a great sense of humour that made me love him even more.

This is a really great book, and the sequel is seriously taking too long to get here. :)

Shelf-Worthy

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Until the End (Final Friends, #1-3) by Christopher Pike
846 pages, paperback
Finished on 13/1/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Action, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: All I have to say is: Christopher Pike.

Review: I mean, really though: what IS their to say? Besides "Christopher Pike has done it again," of course. The book was truly amazing.

The Final Friends series follows Jessica  Mark, Polly, Sara, and some of the other kids at their school through a "suicide," a disastrously-ending prom, and a sinking ship. What do all those things have to do with each other, you ask? Why darling, I can't tell you that....! Sorry (not really; buy the book lol).

Everything about this series was just really awesome. The characters were so funny (esp. Jessica & Sara) and realistic that you could totally imagine the scenes happening. The plot was set at both a good pace and a stressful one. The former due to the fact that it was well-balanced -- not too fast, not too dragging; the latter because you constantly want to know the next major thing that happens. However, much to our unliking, Pike builds the suspense by keeping us waiting. Not that I'm complaining. There's always a surprise with Pike.

Anyway, just get this book. Or any of Pike's books really. They're just so "perfectly" written. He is a definitely my favourite male author. For now, at least, anyway.

Shelf-Worthy

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Tall Cool One (The A-List, #4) by Zoey Dean
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 19/1/2013
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Chick-Lit
Goodreads page

Motivation to Read It: I've been wanting to get around to reading this book for quite a while. Finally plugged it into a challenge and put it (literally) at the top of the list to read.

Review: It's been a while since I've read one of Zoey Dean's books, but I don't think I'll ever stop liking them. They are always light reads and, for the most part, cheerful (which is a good little break from the constant Paranormal stuff). Tall Cool One didn't disappoint.

Anna ends up going on a trip to Mexico that was really the main contributor to the book's "fun" element. Sam is still having a hard time with Poppy (her new stepmother if you don't remember); you  kind of felt bad for the situation, but at the same time Same was just a little too harsh sometimes.

The characters overall really were great. I won't dwell into that much more because I'm sure I've expressed my love for them before. The plot was awesome, too. Like I said: light, funny, and a quick read. It's definitely a book to read if you want a break from the serious.

Satisfying eBook

Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

The Last Little Blue Envelope (Little Blue Envelopes, #2) by Maureen Johnson
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished in Sept. 2012
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Adventure, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age
Synopsis via Goodreads:

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack--and the last little blue envelope inside--she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure--one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

Motivation to Read It: My school started a new program this year called Reading Scholars, so that influenced me a little bit. Plus I've been wanting to read this one since I finished 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

Review: It took me two whole months to find time to finish this book, but school didn't keep it from being an awesome sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I'm glad that I got a chance to read this series! It's like travelling to Europe with Ginny instead of just reading about her and her friends going. I also learned some things from Ginny's experiences.

Ginny left us in teh last novel with her backpack being stolen and all the letters, including the unread 13th letter, being in the bag as well. Now Oliver, an Englander, contacts her saying that they should meet so he can give her the letter. She goes and discovers that the last letter requires her to travel across Europe once again. This time, however, she brings along Oliver, Keith (remember him?), and Keith's new girlfriend Ellis. Talk about some good reading!

The characters were even better this time around than they were in the first book. Ginny isn't paranoid anymore, and Keith's mixed feelings are enough to keep anyone interested. Oliver had his moments where he seemed as if he actually cared, but at other times he was just being a smart-alick. Even though, at first, I wanted Ginny and Keith to further their "kind-of-something," Ellis was such a sweetheart. She admired Ginny from the stories Keith had told about her and always tried to be as helpful as she could be the entire time they traveled.

The plot was, to me, more fast-paced than the first book. They went to the European countries so fast, and the trips were pretty much a paragraph long, then they explained what happened while they were there. Not that this was a bad thing of course. I'm not too fond of books that move super slow, so it was nice to travel at top speed. Maureen describes the settings, actions, and characters very well. The way they all interacted with each other and their surroundings was definitely entertaining.

Hopefully -- just maybe -- Johnson will decide to write a third book following Ginny. I'm not sure how she could continue the series with the same concept, but I'm sure she'd come up with something truly spectacular!

Satisfying eBook

(Rating System)

Review: Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram & Interview w/Kelly!

Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished on 29/6/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Action, Romance
Synopsis via Goodreads:

Ellie’s sweet sixteen is a summer of firsts. First car. First kiss. First boyfriend. First serial-killing stalker?

Hockey-obsessed tomboy Eleanor Westley has never been the object of a guy’s affection before. So when the hottest boy she’s ever seen moves in across the street and starts treating her like she’s the center of his universe, naturally she’s going to be a little skeptical. But everything starts to make sense when girls who look just like Ellie start dying all around the city. Obviously the new guy is the killer, and of course he only likes her because he wants to slice her into tiny pieces. Right?

The more Ellie gets to know Seth the more she’s convinced he’s a psychopathic killer. The problem is he’s the sweetest psychopathic killer she’s ever met. Not to mention he’s brutally hot. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t help but fall for him. Will Ellie find true love, or will her summer of firsts turn out to be a summer of lasts?

Motivation to Read It: Kelly contacted me asking if I would like to read it, and being that I'd heard how good Being Jamie Baker was, I was all for it!

Review: This novel was ahmazing! As soon as possible, I'm going to get a copy of Being Jamie Baker to indulge in.

Ellie was a really great character; she's a complete tomboy to the core -- the absolute opposite of her older sister Angela. She was known for punching people and being a seriously good hockey player. Seth has just moved in across the street, and for him it's love at first sight when he sees Ellie. His timing for moving in, however, is not exactly making everything between them honky-dory. Especially when you add in the creepy things he says sometimes. Yeah, kinda scary.

The plot was really great! It sucked me in from the beginning and just wouldn't let go of me. I wasn't really able to predict anything with this book, which I really liked. It's one of those where you think the characters will do one thing, and they do the complete opposite. I have to say, when they revealed who the killer was, I had a hunch that it was going to be that person, but even still, it wasn't just a "I'm totally sure" hunch. The novel keeps you guessing until the end.

The romance that Oram mixed in with everything was really good, too. You had the annoying guy that needs to stop being a player, the guy that was a good friend and somehow ended up trying to get her a girlfriend. In the middle of her sister trying to play matchmaker, Ellie is constantly drawn to Seth. Even while she's worrying that he's going to kill her as soon as he can, she can't help but be fascinated by him at the same time.

The characters were really just spectacular. They all had really defined personalities, and none of them were cliche to me in the least. I think my favorite charrie might'be been Seth, but Ellie wouldn't be too far behind. Seth was just so determined to prove to Ellie that she shouldn't be scared of him, and he was always trying to make her trust him and protect her. That's what I loved the most: him wanting to keep her safe so bad. He totally deserves an award for that.

Overall, get this book. It's amazing, and I'm really glad I had the chance to read it! I'll definitely be on the lookout for Oram's next novel, V is for Virgin.

Shelf-Worthy

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Help me give a big warm Butterfly welcome to Kelly Oram!!!

Q: What gave you the idea for Serial Hottie?
A: Honestly I can’t remember what first made me think “serial killer.” It was more the tone of the book that I set out to write. I wanted to do something a little offbeat and funny. I was also in love with the idea of that “one crazy summer.”


I’d read so many YA novels that had all the same scenes—new town, new high school, mean girls, cafeterias, lockers, lab partners… (I’d even just written one of those in Being Jamie Baker.) I wanted something totally different, with not a single scene that took place at school. That meant summer break. Summer breaks when I was in high school meant running around the neighborhood unsupervised, playing street hockey, and spying on hot boys with my best friend The next thing I knew New Hot Boy lived across the street and had a definite mystery too him. (Ellie totally gets her overly active imagination from me.) The plot then grew from there.

Q: What's your favorite part about being an author?
A: Being able to tell stories! I always have so many ideas floating around in my brain. I love being able to make all those crazy ideas and daydreams come to life. Even when I thought no one would ever read my stories but me, I still wrote them. I will always write them. I need the creative outlet.

Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?
A: I am a reading addict! I probably read one-two books a week on average. I’m a sucker for YA. (Sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, you name it.) The more romance the better! Aside from that my life is pretty much consumed with my children. I have four of them and I love the little monsters to pieces!

Q: What are some of your favorite authors of all-time?
A: Meg Cabot for sure tops my list, with Jennifer L. Armentrout coming in a close second. Meg & Jennifer = Love! I’m also a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong, Scott Westerfield, Simone Elkeles, Sarah Dessen, John Green, and now Josephine Angelini.

((I must interrupt my own interview to try to tell you how happy this makes me that I've found another John Green fan. *swoons* I love his work. SO much. You cannot believe. I can't even explain. Okay, back to the questions.))

Q: What would you say is the best book you've read so far this year?
A: I absolutely fell in love with Josephine Angelini’s Starcrossed and Dreamless this year. These books are so wonderful I could gush all day. They’re a modern spin on the Helen of Troy mythology. Awesome characters, great writing, super fun story, exciting, and home of my newest YA crush. *Cheers for Team Orion!*

Q: What advice would you give people who are aspiring to be an author?
A: READ! Anything and everything you can get your hands on. Reading other’s work is honestly the best tool you have in improving your own writing. Also, that very first manuscript is the hardest one to finish. If you’re having trouble completing it, forget your delete key exists. Disable it if you have to. Just get the book finished first and then go back and worry about rewriting.

Q: Just for the fun of knowing, do you prefer your chicken grilled or fried?
A: Grilled on the BBQ. Dark meat. Mmm, now I’m hungry.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming work, V is for Virgin? When can we expect to see it on the shelves?
A: V Is For Virgin is about a girl who gets dumped for her decision to stay virgin until she’s married. After a bit of a public breakdown, she gets tired of the ridicule and decides to start a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. The controversy catches the entire nation’s attention when a famous rock star learns about Valerie and decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge. Good times.

Hopefully this book sparks a little bit of thought from those who read it. It’s about knowing who you are, making choices for yourself, and standing up to peer pressure. (In a fun, sexy, getting-chased-by-hot-rockstars kind of way…)

I think it’s a little more risqué than my first two books, (with the subject matter being sex, that was sort of inevitable) but it’s still relatively clean. Hopefully people really enjoy it because I had a lot of fun with it, and am very proud of it.

I should have a cover to share soon. I saw the mock-up recently and totally love it, and I’m working on getting a short teaser posted on my blog in a few days.

Q: How can we keep up with you and your books?
A: Well, I try to keep my blog updated. The website is www.kellyoram.com. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter. And I am hopelessly addicted to Goodreads, so you can always find out what I’m up to on there. (I love friends!)


Thanks, Kelly, for stopping by! It's been fun getting to know you a little :D

Review: Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Bewitching (Kendra Chronicles, #2) by Alex Flinn
338 pages, Library Book (hardcover)
Finished on 16/6/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Some Historical Fiction, Some Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age
Synopis via GoodReads:

Bewitching can be a beast. . . .

Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn’t.

I go to a new school now -- one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I’m not still here because I’m stupid; I just don’t age.

You see, I’m immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years -- except for when to take my powers and butt out.

I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don’t even want to think about it.

Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn’t get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl -- and it isn’t an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

Motivation to Read It: I've loved everything I read by Flinn, so there wasn't really much hesitation. That and the cover had "Beastly" on it. It was a done deal before it even started.

Review: Beastly and Cloaked were really good, so I knew when I saw Bewitching that it would most likely be just as awesome. I can say without faltering that this was better than both of them

Honestly, I'm not sure who the main character was supposed to be -- Kendra or Emma. I would think it ws Emma, but Kendra wasn't as MIA as she was in Beastly. Emma lives with her mother and her stepfather, who she doesn't even think of as a stepfather because they are so close. All of a sudden, insert Lisette: the biological daughter of Emma's stepdad who is coming to stay with them now that her mother has passed away. From the beginning Emma's told her daughter to be careful around Lisette, that the girl only wanted to take her stepdad away from them. Emma should've listened to mother's intuition.

The book actually begin with Kendra telling part of her own historu, which was really interesting. Also, there were points where Kendra would interrupt and tell a little about her previous not-so-successful bouts of generosity. I liked Emma's part a little better, though, because it was quite longer (as it was supposed to be). There were a lot of times when I was wondering how Emma could be so blind as to Lisette's intentions once she had gotten settled into her new home. I mean, they were obvious. But everything was really great! I was always wanting to know how Emma was going to handle each situation.

The charries were awesome as well; I think Travis was mt favorite even though he wasn't mentioned that much. He was barely present at all once he was introduced to readers, even after he and Emma got together. However, he was so sweet, and even though all the girls wanted him and he was a big shot, he wanted the girl that was reading the most unlikely thing (which he had surprisingly read, too) at his party. I just wish there were more guys like him.

I really liked this book, and I seriously believe that if you have ever read Beastly or any of Flinn's other books, you would really enjoy this one as well.

Satisfying eBook

Review: When the Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright

When the Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright
266 pages, Library Book (hardcover)
Finished on 24/5/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction
Synopsis via GoodReads:

Lahni Schuler is the only black student at her private prep school. She's also the adopted child of two loving, but white, parents who are on the road to divorce. Struggling to comfort her mother and angry with her dad, Lahni feels more and more alone. But when Lahni and her mother attend a local church one Sunday, Lahni hears the amazing gospel choir, and her life takes an unexpected turn.

It so happens that one of Lahni's teachers, Mr. Faringhelli, has nominated her for a talent competition, and she is expected to perform a song in front of the whole school. Lahni decides to join the church choir to help her become a better singer. But what starts out as a way to practice singing becomes a place of belonging and a means for Lahni to discover her own identity.

Motivation to Read It: My cousin read this and said that it was really good. I saw it at the library and put it in my hands automatically.

Review: This novel was better than I thought it would be. Lahni really clicked with me, and the author had more than one plotline going on at once, which really added flavor to the book.

Lahni is almost in high school, she's nowhere near the top of the social ladder at her school (a school she doesn't even like at that), and then some crazy guy starts stalking her. But she finds a new home when she and her mom start going to church.

The characters were really good. I had to keep reminding myself that Lahni was just in the 8th grade. Sometimes she seemed a couple years older than what she was, but that's a good thing; just means she was mature :). Donna and Amber were your usual "queens" of the school, but every book has them I think.

The plot, like I said before, had little stories running off of it. There was the problems with her parents and the crazy stalker kid. These added some extra flavor to the story, which I really liked. The main plotline, which was Lahni's singing and being in the talent competition at her school, was amazing. I really enjoyed reading about Lahni's experience with this. She definitely earned more confidence in herself.

Overall, this book is really great, and I think you should take some time out to sit and read it. It isn't too long of a read, and it's a great story.