Title: Throat
By: R.A. Nelson
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal  Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Books (January 25th, 2010)
My Copy: Advanced Reading Copy via Publisher
BookWhisperer Rating:


About the Book:
R. A. Nelson takes us on a supernatural thrill ride, a modern-day vampire story set on a NASA base and filled with space-and-science intrigue. Seventeen-year-old Emma feels cursed by her epilepsy—until the lost night. She's shocked to wake up in the hospital one morning, weak from blood loss. When her memories begin to return, she pieces together that it was a man—a monster—who attacked her: a vampire named Wirtz. And it was her very condition that saved her: a grand mal seizure interrupted Wirtz and left Emma with all the amazing powers of a vampire—heightened senses, rapid speed—but no need to drink blood. Is Emma now a half-vampire girl? One thing soon becomes clear: the vampire Wirtz is fierce and merciless, feared even by his own kind, and won't leave a job undone.

Throat is a strangely inventive storyline that captured my attention immediately. The idea of a young girl with epilepsy that is attacked by a vampire was very original and interesting. It was quite a journey to explore that world for this young girl after having discovered a she carries vampiristic characteristics while still human. More interesting was the actual account of her trying to medically find an explanation for her symptoms. In most stories this is avoided at all costs. It was nice to see the reality of this young girl having to process the evidence of being something other than human. This was a good read that I found intriguing, but it was a mild struggle. This story is just over 500 pages, but it was a lot of information that may not have been exactly essential for the story. With the extent of detail and structure this story was border lined overload. I felt that this story was lacking the ability to grab the reader and glide you through the rest of the story. This was mostly due to the abundance of information provided. It was not a quick story or even a exhilarating story that would allow readers to over look the length. Overall, Throat was still entertaining and exciting to read.

Title: Trapped

By: Michael Northrop

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Publisher: Scholastic Press (January 1st, 2011)

My Copy: Early Review Copy from Publisher

BookWhisperer Rating::

About the Book:

The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive....

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision....

This is my second novel by Michael Northrop. While he creates a very suspenseful story I find the pace to be a major disadvantage to his story lines. Trapped  is a very realistic horrific story about seven students that are stranded during the record breaking snow storm. All readers can relate to this terrifying plot. 

Title: Hexbound
By: Chloe Neill
Series: Dark Elite Series Book #2
Genre: Young Adult Parrnormal Fiction
Publisher: Signet Publishing (January 4th, 2011)
My Copy: Review Copy provided by Publisher
BookWhisperer Rating:



About the Book:
Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia’s School for Girls, but she’s already learned that magic can be your best friend…or your worst enemy.

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turns out, even a little magic can turn you to the dark side. That’s why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities, on top of avoiding the snobs who think they run her school, nursing a crush on a cute sophomore with a big, werewolf-y secret, and fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago’s nastiest nightlife—including the tainted magic users known as Reapers.

Then Lily’s invited to a private meeting with Sebastian. He’s hot, powerful, and offering to help her harness the magic flowing in her veins in a way no one else can. He’s also a Reaper. Lily can’t hide her suspicions. But she’ll soon find out that the line between good and evil isn’t always clear…
Any doubts left after completing Firespell were immediately dissapated from the start of Hexbound. This novel was action packed from page one. Lily is not only a newby to the Adept Society, but she is a newby to magic in general. After suffering from an direct hit by a Firespell user she has miraculously appeared to have Firespell magic of her own. With help from her new Adept friends, and others maybe not easily considered friends, she has found herself growing in her abilites. Lily is a very take charge kind of girl that readers will fall in love with. Being new to the world of magic it is interesting to watch Lily's experiences; she seems very open minded which leaves her consistently questioning the nature of everyone she interacts with whether friend or foe. Being a rarity with the Firespell powers it seems Lily is becoming an interest of everyone in the magical world. Although, Jason's interests seem to go far deeper than her magic; that attraction between the two allows for a deeply romantically charged atmosphere. Unfortunately, I am not sure what the future holds for this couple especially with the regular appearances of one mysterious Sabastien. It seems that his attention is for far more than the simple teachings of Firespell. Above all else Lily is constantly looking for answers to questions about her parents. After having just discovered that they are not teaching Philosphy at the local college or on a sabbatical in Europe; she is discovering that her entire world has been packed full of lies and betrayals that she can't seem to unravel. With nothing but times; she spends her day learning,  night fighting everything creepy, and any spare moments looking for answers about her estranged family. With nothing but questions the future for the Dark Elite Series is unclear, but what is clear is the promise for a action-packed thrill ride of answers for the books to come.

Title: Firespell

By: Chloe Neill

Series: Dark Elite Series Book #1

Publisher: Signet Books (January 5th, 2010)

My Copy: Bought Ebook from Barnes and Noble

BookWhisperer Rating:  

About the Book:

As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…
When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.
The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.
Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…

Firespell is a tremendous start for the Dark Elite series that promises much more to come. While Lily Parker is a straight forward no nonsense kind of girl; she offers a very humorous balance of wit and charm. This is a very easy character to fall for immediately. Following this series is a no brainer after having met this one character alone, but Neill offers such a wide variety of awesome characters through this first novel readers will have many more to choose from. Unfortunately the storyline did seem as effortless as the characters in Firespell; from the start this story carried a very slow pace and the direction of the story was very unclear. While I know that some things are to remain a mystery; this story spent an excessive amount of time in the transition that left me wondering about quality of the story. Beginning to end this story is a short 204 pages, with the story transitioning for more than 100 pages I was naturally concerned about the direction of the story. Fortunately, once the story changed it’s direction in the second half the story soared; picking up speed and intensity that carries you throughout the remainder of the book. Rest assured that the second half definitely restores the entire book, but it was still frustrating to know that the first half was lacking in comparison. Neill is a fairly new author that proved her ability to run with the big dogs. This author has much more in store, and I look forward to the unfolding of Lily’s future, and the future of her new adept friends. Hexbound is my next to read, and having experience such brilliance in the second half of this novel; I am anticipating an excellent read.

Jessica Verdays Hollow Trilogy just previewed the cover for book 3. The Hidden is the final book of this awesome series. I love the simple and seductive covers. Can’t wait to get me hands on this one as well.

Title: The Princess of Las Pulgas
By: C Lee McKenzie
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Westside Books
                   (December 15th, 2010)
My Copy: Review Copy from Publisher
BookWhisperer Rating:

About the Book:
After her father's slow death from cancer, Carlie thought things couldn't get worse. But now, she is forced to confront the fact that her family in dire financial straits. To stay afloat, her mom has had to sell their cherished oceanfront home and move Carlie and her younger brother Keith to the other side of the tracks to dreaded Las Pulgas, or "the fleas" in Spanish. They must now attend a tough urban high school instead of their former elite school, and on Carlie's first day of school, she runs afoul of edgy K.T., the Latina tattoo girl who's always ready for a fight, even on crutches. Carlie fends off the attention of Latino and African American teen boys, and one, a handsome seventeen-year-old named Juan, nicknames her Princess when he detects her aloof attitude towards her new classmates. What they don't know is that Carlie isn't really aloof; she's just in mourning for her father and almost everything else that mattered to her. Mr. Smith, the revered English teacher who engages all his students, suggests she'll like her new classmates if she just gives them a chance; he cajoles her into taking over the role of Desdemona in the junior class production of Othello, opposite Juan, after K.T. gets sidelined. Keith, who becomes angrier and more sullen by the day, spray paints insults all over the gym as he acts out his anger over the family's situation and reduced circumstances. Even their cat Quicken goes missing, sending Carlie and Keith on a search into the orchard next to their seedy garden apartment complex. They're met by a cowboy toting a rifle who ejects them at gunpoint from his property. But when Carlie finds him amiably having coffee with their mom the next day -- when he's returned her cat -- she begins to realize that nothing is what it seems in Las Pulgas.

The Princess in Las Pulgas is a very emotionally charged novel; about a young girl that loses her father to cancer, and then must learn what it takes to be a survivor. Carlie not only has to deal with the loss of her father at a young age, but she soon finds herself in an entirely different life that she is being told is her own. Prior to her father death; Carlie had what one would call the "Luxurious Life".  Coming from the highly promenient side of town Carlie was used to a very sophisticated type of lifestyle; the kind that left her wanting for nothing. Only to wake one day and find herself living in a low class/poverty neighborhood and attending schools with metal detectors at every entrance. This is not a society of comfort or safety that Carlie is so accustomed. This is story about this young girl learning to look more than skin deep, and judge by character rather than class. It is interesting to see the transformation of this young girl when she finally decides to accept her new life. The progress of changes is very slow in this story allowing for very slow pace. Many readers may find this to be a struggle in reading, but the story is worth the struggle. Very good lesson for young generations to see what effect prejudices have on life.

Here is what I received this week. In My Mailbox is a meme dedicated to introducing everyone to new books, by showing you what we received every week.

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Scholastic Point Books (March 1st, 2011)

Description:

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

 

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Avon Books (February 22nd, 2011)

Series: Night Huntress Book #5

Description:

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones must battle once more to save countless innocents. With vampires mysteriously disappearing, rumors abound that a dangerous species war is brewing between the vampires and the ghouls.

Throat by R.A. Nelson

Knopf Books (January 25, 2011)\

Description:

R. A. Nelson takes us on a supernatural thrill ride, a modern-day vampire story set on a NASA base and filled with space-and-science intrigue. Seventeen-year-old Emma feels cursed by her epilepsy—until the lost night. She's shocked to wake up in the hospital one morning, weak from blood loss. When her memories begin to return, she pieces together that it was a man—a monster—who attacked her: a vampire named Wirtz. And it was her very condition that saved her: a grand mal seizure interrupted Wirtz and left Emma with all the amazing powers of a vampire—heightened senses, rapid speed—but no need to drink blood. Is Emma now a half-vampire girl? One thing soon becomes clear: the vampire Wirtz is fierce and merciless, feared even by his own kind, and won't leave a job undone.

Stash by David Klein

Broadway Books (July 27th, 2010)

Description:

Gwen Raine is a woman readers will instantly recognize: an attractive, thirtyish stay-at-home mom who lives in the kind of tranquil suburban community where the wives spend their days ferrying the kids to and from school and music lessons and nature camps and where the husbands work long, grueling hours at stressful white-collar jobs in order to maintain the upscale standard of living to which the whole family has become all-too-accustomed. It’s a milieu in which everything seems to be right—yet so much can go wrong. 
   And it does—starting with a seemingly minor decision that turns Gwen’s perfect life upside down. It’s a typical Friday morning in late summer and Gwen is anticipating a long-awaited weekend away at the lake with her overworked husband, Brian, and their two small children. After dropping her daughter off at swim class, Gwen drives across town to purchase a small bag of marijuana from an old flame. She’s counting on the pot to help her unwind later that night in those precious private moments with Brian after the kids are asleep. Then, on the way home, Gwen gets into a car accident—an accident that leaves her bruised and somewhat battered but leaves the other driver (an elderly man who crossed over into her lane) dead. The local police know the accident isn’t her fault, but when they find the marijuana in Gwen’s car, they throw the book at her. There have been problems with drugs in the schools and they want to crack down on abusers, whoever and wherever they are. Before long, Gwen is in legal hot water—and the temperature keeps rising. Finally, under pressure from the police, her attorney, and her own husband, she reveals her source’s name. 
   Meanwhile, Brian is embroiled in a moral and legal dilemma of his own when the big pharmaceutical company he works for markets an anti-anxiety drug for "off-label" use as a weight-loss aid, only to discover that it can have deadly consequences. And Gwen’s former lover Jude, a local restaurateur and the supplier of the stash of the title, has gotten in way over his head with his little side business.

What did you get this week?

I had a very interested email this week regarding a organization called The Covenant House. This privately funded organization is dedicated to rescuing homeless, runaway, and throwaway kids. I have read several books this year that have been about troubled youths, such as the ones that this specific group helps. They contacted me this Holiday Season to see if I would be interested in posting a banner on my blog for their organization. After researching their organization I am happy to support this group, and spread the word far and wide. This is a wonderful group, and it is awesome to see that people are out there willing to help the unfortunate youths of today. If you are interested in reading more about this group check out there website here.

 

Title: The Lost Saint
By: Bree Despain
Series: Dark Divine Series Book #2
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Egmont USA (November 28th, 2010)
My Copy: Review Copy from the Publisher
BookWhisperer Rating:

About the Book:
The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel.  Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi.  She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother.  When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do.  She must become a Hound of Heaven.  Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero.  But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble.  Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung.  Readers, raveous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth into The Lost Saint.
The Lost Saint was a astounding follow up for the The Dark Divine. Grave and Daniel are amazing character with a magical romance that all readers will crave. The story is twisted again in this second book that adds even more suspense and intrigue to this incedible story. The beginning of this book is ten months from the ending of The Dark Divine, and lacks the slower pace that the first novel carried. As Grace is trying to learn to live with her new werewolf abilities she also in a constant battle to stay in control of the her wolf. The Lost Saint gives readers moment after moment of whirl wind action question everything and everyone that we learned to trust in the first novel. Many new characters arise in this book that will prove to be essential in the future of The Dark Divine Series. I found myself overwhelmed by the excellence of this book, and can not wait to see what is to come for the future of Grace and Daniel.

You will find listed here all the books that I have reviewed this year. If you are interested in other years I will have links below for each additional years listings. To see a review click on the book cover, and it will take you directly to that review. Pink stars following Titles mark my favorites.

Thanks The BookWhisperer

Review List 2010

The Mark by Jen Nadol

Wish by Alexandra Bullen

Milestones by Samira Armin Hodges

Be Careful What you Wish For by Kimberla

In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

Possessed by Kate Cann

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn

Shift by Rachel Vincent

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer

The DressKeeper by Mary Naylus

  Numbers by Rachel Ward

Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater Rhodes

Clearing by Heather Davis

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

  The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

Crazy beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Secret Society by Tom Dolby

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

The Crazy School by Cornelia Read

Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw

The Sight by Judy Blundell

Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen Coloma

The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia

Feather by Abra Ebner

Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between by

Branded by Keary Taylor

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

Zen and Zander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Deception: A Haunting Emma Novel by Lee Nichols

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Blood Song by Cat Adams

My Soul to Save by Rahcel Vincent

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Stranded by JT Dutton

Once Upon a Nightmare by Lee Moylan

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Swoon at your Own Risk by Sydney Salter

First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

  Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey

Retribution by Jeanne Stein

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead

Northing Like You by Laura Strasnick

Just Like That by Marsha Qualey

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James

Legacies by mercedes Lackey and Rosemary

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Forbidden Sea by Sheila A Neilson

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Tricksters Girl by Hilari Bell

Trapped by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan

No and Me by Delphine De Vigan

IDrakula by Bekka Black

The Ghost’s Child by Sonya Hartnett

Torment by Lauren Kate

Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Not The Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Where the Truth Lies by Jessican Warman

As you Wish by Jackson Pearce

Forgotten by Melody Carlson

Dark Song by Gail Giles

Romeo & Juliet & Vampires by Claudia Gabel

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Hush by Eishes Chayil

  The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike

From the Dead by John Herrick

  Hush Money by Susan Bischoff

Siren Song by Cat Adams

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Beneath the Skin by Adrian Phoenix

Hope in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum

Last Door by K. Raven Rozier

The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by

Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt

Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvery

Matched by Ally Condie

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

Inconvenience by Margie Gelbwasser

Intrinsical by Lani Woodland

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa                      2011 Release

Alpha by Rachel Vincent

Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky                                 2011 Release

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

Vampire Crush by AM Robinson

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

The Princess of Las Pulgas by C Lee McKenzie

Firespell by Chloe Neill

Hexbound by Chloe Neill

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Throat by R.A. Nelson