Contest Alert - Win a signed ARC of Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Angie Frazier is holding a contest to win a signed ARC of her debut novel Everlasting on her blog. I've blogged about her book before and it is one of the 2010 new releases I want to read the most, so be sure to head over to her blog at http://angie-frazier.livejournal.com/71511.html and enter to win a copy!

About Everlasting:

Sailing aboard her father's ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a lady in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn't love in order to preseve her social standing. On her last voyage before the wedding, Camille learns the mother she has always believed dead is in fact alive and in Australia. When their Sydney-bound ship goes down in a gale, and her father dies, Camille sets out to find her mother and a map in her possession - a map believed to lead to a stone that once belonged to the legendary civilization.

Book review: Ashes by Kathryn Lasky

Ashes by Kathryn Lasky (Published by Viking, February 4, 2010)

Thirteen-year-old Gabriella Schramm lives a comfortable and happy life with her middle class family in Berlin, Germany in 1932. Her father is a scientist who studies and teaches physics at the university. Because of his work, Albert Einstein is a friend of the family. Gaby enjoys reading books, going on after school outings to the zoo and the movies with her best friend, Rosa, and spending summers at her family's vacation home by the lake. Her biggest worry up until now has been the teacher who confiscates the books he catches Gaby reading during class. But all that is about to change, as Adolf Hitler grows in popularity and power.

First, Hitler’s private army, in their brown uniforms, begins to fill the streets of Berlin. Then the persecution of Jews and communists begins. Intellectuals and scientists like Gaby’s father are a target, too, for teaching un-German ideas and for not supporting the Nazis. Gaby is increasingly worried that her older sister Ulla’s boyfriend may be a Nazi. And even the books Gaby enjoys escaping into in these troubled times are becoming a target. As her entire world changes and seems to crumble around her, Gaby must come to terms with all that she has lost.

Ashes is a fascinating and often troubling look at life in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. Gaby was a very likeable heroine. I especially enjoyed that she loved reading and that books were her escape into another world, which reminded me of myself at her age. If you enjoy historical fiction and are interested in this time period then I highly recommend you read this book, and I also think it would make good supplemental reading for preteens and young teens learning about this era of history in school.

Waiting on Wednesday: Faithful by Janet Fox

Faithful by Janet Fox (Published by Penguin Books, May 13, 2010)

Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet’s life is in tatters. Her mother has disappeared, and is presumed dead. The next thing she knows, her father has dragged Maggie away from their elegant Newport home, off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana. Torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her friends, from society, and verging on no prospects, Maggie is furious and devastated by her father’s betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as Tom and the promise of freedom capture Maggie’s heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she is and who she wants to be.


There have been so many great new historical fiction books for young adults, as well as many upcoming in 2010. This is one of the ones I particularly want to read. It sounds like it has an interesting and unusual historical setting and a great romance too! I really wish this book was coming out sooner than May. And I love the cover too!

In My Mailbox - 12/26/09

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and got lots of great books!

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature.

Ashes by Kathryn Lasky

Thirteen-year-old Gabriella Schramm’s favorite pastime is reading. With Adolf Hitler slowly but unstoppably rising to power, Gaby turns to her books for comfort while the world around her changes dramatically: The streets become filled with soldiers, Gaby’s sister’s boyfriend raises his arm in a heil Hitler salute, and the Schramms’ family friend Albert Einstein flees the country. When Gaby’s beloved books come under attack, she fears she may have to leave behind the fiction—and the life—she has always cherished.


Good Fortune by Noni Carter

Ayanna Bahati lives in a small African village when she is brutally kidnapped, along with her mother and brother, and forced onto a slave ship to America. As Ayanna, renamed Anna, rises from the cotton fields to the master’s house, she finds the familial love she’s been yearning for—but she is also faced with more threats to her survival. Risking everything to escape the plantation, Anna makes it to the North and to freedom, eventually settling in the free black community of Hadson, Ohio, and educating herself to become a teacher.


The Mark by Jen Nadol

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.
Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?


Poisoned Honey by Beatrice Gormely

This story begins with Mariamne, a vulnerable girl who knows little of the ways of the world. Much as she wants to be in control of her own destiny, she soon learns she has no such power. She must do as her father and brother see fit, and when tragedy strikes, Mari must marry a man she does not love and enter a household where she is not welcome, for the good of her family.
But she finds a small way to comfort herself when she meets an Egyptian wisewoman who instructs her in the ways of the occult arts. In the spirit world, Mari finds she has power. Here, she really is in control of her fate. But is she? Or is the magic controlling her?
This gripping portrait of one of the most misunderstood and controversial Biblical figures is the story of a young girl’s path through manipulation and possession, madness and healing, to a man who will change the world forever.


Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore (Hardcover copy, reviewed the ARC here)

Nimira is a foreign music-hall girl forced to dance for mere pennies. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to sing with a piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new and better life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets are beginning to stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumors swirl about ghosts, a madwoman roaming the halls, and Parry's involvement with a league of sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. Then Nimira discovers the spirit of a fairy gentleman named Erris is trapped inside the clockwork automaton, waiting for someone to break his curse. The two fall into a love that seems hopeless, and breaking the curse becomes a race against time, as not just their love, but the fate of the entire magical world may be in peril.

My top 10 upcoming books for 2010 - part two

Here is the second half of my top 10 wishlist for 2010. I hope everyone got some great ideas for new books to read from the list. If you have any 2010 books you can't wait to read, be sure to leave a comment about them.

6. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (Published by Delacorte, March 9, 2010)

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.


7. The Fire Opal by Regina McBride (Published by Delacorte, March 11, 2010)

There was a time when Maeve O'Tullagh led a simple life; a time when she and her mother, Nuala, collected kelp on the foreshore near their cottage in Ard Macha; a time when she played among the Celtic ruins with her older brothers and daydreamed about the legendary Holy Isles, an enchanted land ruled in a past age by a beautiful goddess.
But after Maeve's sister, Ishleen, is born, her mother sinks into a deep, impenetrable trance. For years, Maeve tries to help her mother "awaken," and then the unthinkable happens: Ishleen succumbs to the same mysterious ailment as Nuala.
Heartbroken to think that her sister and her mother might be lost to her forever, Maeve sets off on an unimaginable quest to a world filled with fantastical creatures, a web of secrets, a handsome, devious villain who will stop at nothing to have her hand in marriage—braving them all to retrieve a powerful glowing stone that will help her recover the souls of her loved ones and bring them home to Ard Macha.

8. Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink (Published by Little Brown, August 1, 2010)

As sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe searches for a way to end the prophecy that has divided her family for generations, her twin sister Alice hones the skills she'll need to defeat Lia. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim her sister's role in the prophecy, and that's not the only thing she wants. There's also Lia's beloved, James.
The sisters always knew that the prophecy would turn their closest allies against them. But they didn't know what betrayal could lead them to do. In the end, only one sister will be left standing.


9. The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood (Published by HarperTeen, June 1, 2010)

Jessamine Luxson lives with her father, Thomas, an apothecary, in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle. Thomas’s pride and obsession is his locked garden full of dangerous plants, which Jessamine is forbidden to enter.
When a traveler brings an orphan to their cottage, he claims the boy has special gifts that Thomas might value. Jessamine is drawn to the strange but intriguing boy, called Weed. Soon their friendship deepens into love. Finally, Weed shares his secret: He can communicate with plants. For him they have distinct personalities—and some are even murderous. From the locked garden the poisonous plants call to Weed, luring him with promises of deadly power.
When Jessamine falls inexplicably ill, only Weed’s relationship with the Poisons can save her. But Thomas is determined to exploit Weed’s abilities, even if it risks Jessamine’s life—or drives Weed to the brink of madness.…

10. Sleepless by Cyn Balog (Published by Delacorte, July 13, 2010)

Eron De Marchelle isn't supposed to feel a connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce human charges to sleep. While he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to--after all, getting too involved in one human's life would prevent him helping his other charges get their needed rest.
But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia. Julia, with her fiery red hair and her sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. Eron has always felt protective of Julia . . . but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't seem to reach her . . .
Sandmen are forbidden from communicating with humans outside their dreams. But will Eron be willing to risk everything for a chance to be with the person he loves?

My top five reads of 2009

I read a lot of great books this year, and it was hard to narrow it down to my top favorites, but I managed to make a top five list. I have reviewed all of these books here at my blog - click the book title to read the review!

1. The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley

The story of Katherine "Kat" Bab, who has lived all her sixteen years in the English countryside. After her adoptive mother dies, Kat travels to London and the court of Queen Elizabeth I in search of the truth about her biological family, finds intrigue and romance at court, and must decide where her heart truly belongs. A lovely historical novel, with lots of romance and rich historical detail, that has crossover appeal for adults who wouldn't typically read young adult fiction.


2. Prophecy of the Sistesrs by Michelle Zink

A refreshing and unique young adult fantasy, set in 19th century New York, with the feel of an old gothic novel. Sixteen-year-old Lia is an orphan after the death of her father, and soon learns that she and her twin sister Alice are part of an ancient prophecy that makes them mortal enemies. I can't wait to read book two!!


3. Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

Aerin and Dane are both students at Academy 7, the universe's most elite boarding school. But that is where their similarities end. Dane comes from a privileged background but never had what he most longed for, the love and approval of his father. Aerin is an orphan who has escaped from slavery and is determined to keep her past a secret. Thrown together during a joint punishment, these unlikely friends find danger, mystery, romance, and unexpected family secrets.


4. Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards

The story of a cross-class romance between two teenagers who come from very different worlds, told in poems and set against the backdrop of one of the worst disasters in American history. Celestia comes from a life of luxury where she has everything she wants - except the choice to be with the one she loves. Peter comes from a working class family and meets Celestia while working at the resort her family is vacationing at. Celestia risks the wrath of her family to try and find her way back to Peter but it is caught up in the deadly Johnstown Flood of 1889. Even if you don't usually read books in verse, give this one a try! It is just amazing.


5. Unclaimed Heart by Kim Wilkins

I had books 1-4 already picked out when I started writing this post and they were all pretty much tied in my mind. However, I had a hard time choosing the final book for the list. But I finally settled on Unclaimed Heart. There's nothing particularly groundbreaking about the plot - it's the story of Constance, a rebellious girl of the late 18th century who falls in love with a young man from the wrong social class - but there was just something about the combination of the unique and exotic setting and the very sweet love story that I really enjoyed. It's one of those books that doesn't stand out as something really unique, but that I truly love anyway because it has everything I usually love in a book.

So that's my top 5 reads for 2010. What are some of your favorite books from the last year? Be sure to comment!

My top 10 upcoming books for 2010 - part one

2009 is almost over, and it was a great year with a lot of great new books I enjoyed reading. But now I am looking ahead to 2010 and I thought I would share the top ten books on my wishlist I am looking forward to in 2010, hopefully some of them will catch your interest! And if you have any great 2010 books you can't wait to read, please post about them in a comment, I am always looking for great books to add to my wishlist. Here is part one of the list - be sure to check back tomorrow for part two!!

1. Everlasting by Angie Frazier (Published by Scholastic, June 1, 2010)
Sailing aboard her father's ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a lady in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn't love in order to preseve her social standing. On her last voyage before the wedding, Camille learns the mother she has always believed dead is in fact alive and in Australia. When their Sydney-bound ship goes down in a gale, and her father dies, Camille sets out to find her mother and a map in her possession - a map believed to lead to a stone that once belonged to the legendary civilization.


2. A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis (Published by Simon & Schuster, April 1, 2010)

Magic may be the greatest scandal in Regency England. But that's not going to stop Kat Stephenson when there are highwaymen to foil, sinister aristocrats to defeat...and true loves to capture for her two older sisters.


3. Faithful by Janet Fox (Published by Speak, May 13, 2010)

Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet’s life is in tatters. Her mother has disappeared, and is presumed dead. The next thing she knows, her father has dragged Maggie away from their elegant Newport home, off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana. Torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her friends, from society, and verging on no prospects, Maggie is furious and devastated by her father’s betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as Tom and the promise of freedom capture Maggie’s heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she is and who she wants to be.


4. The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry (Published by Henry Holt, June 8, 2010)

Joan’s mother is Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most beautiful woman in the world. Her father is Henry II, the king of England. She loves them both—so what can she do when she’s forced to choose between them? As her parents’ arguments grow ever more vicious, Joan begins to feel like a political pawn.
When her parents marry her off to the king of Sicily, Joan finds herself with a man ten years her senior. She doesn’t love him, and she can’t quite forget her childhood crush, the handsome Lord Raymond.
As Joan grows up, she begins to understand that her parents’ worldview is warped by their political ambitions, and hers, in turn, has been warped by theirs. Is it too late to figure out whom to trust? And, more important, whom to love?


5. Mistwood by Leah Cypess (Published by Greenwillow Books, April 27, 2010)

Isabel is a shape-shifter, able to shift at will into any animal form. She senses that her power is great. She knows—deep in her soul—that she exists only to protect the king and the royal family. But when she awakens in Mistwood to the sound of approaching horses, she can’t remember anything and she flees. How long has she been in the forest? Who hurt her? Why is she hiding—because it is certain she is hiding. Who are these men riding after her with such determination? And most importantly, why can’t she shift?
Captured and thrust into the mysterious and dangerous royal court, Isabel must uncover her past, separate the truth of her heart from the legend of her magic, and, above all, keep the unbearably handsome new king safe. Even if protecting him means disaster for her.