Girl vs. Ghost by Kat McMurry and Marie August - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Girl Vs. Ghost (Misdirected Magic Trilogy #1)
Author:  Kate McMurry and Marie August
Publisher:   Blazing Star Press
Release Date:  April 10, 2011
Paperback, 242 pages
ISBN 10:     1613400004
ISBN 13:  9781613400005
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Girl vs Ghost is a young-adult, paranormal, romantic comedy suitable for all ages.

Isabel Lindley doesn’t believe in magic, but her best friend is obsessed with witchcraft. Strictly as a favor, Isabel agrees to help with a spell and is shocked when the ghost of a teenage boy splat-lands in her bedroom. Her friend is thrilled—even though only Isabel can see or hear the ghost—but Isabel is horrified. She’s the most ordinary sixteen-year-old girl on the planet. What is she supposed to do with a ghost who doesn’t know his own name, how he died, or why the heck he’s tied to Isabel with a psychic chain? Her only hope to take back her life is to help him solve the mystery of his demise so he can go to the Light. Or wherever. She’s not particular, as long as the ghost is gone.

My Take: 


Isabel's best friend Tripp is always getting into something new.  Her grandmother Alora, has a New Age shop, and right now, Tripp's interest is witchcraft.  One night while Tripp is practicing "witchcraft" at Isabel's house, Isabel feels as though someone is watching them.  As Tripp finishes her summoning spell, someone falls into Isabel's lap. 

The problem?  Only Isabel can see this someone, and worse, he doesn't even know that he's a ghost.  On top of THAT, he doesn't know who he is, or how he ended up as a ghost at all.

With the help of Alora, an angel named Uriel, and a 16th century Irish stableboy named Finnegan, Isabel and Tripp must find out what happened to the ghost in order to send him on.

This was a rather cute, fun read.  If not for a spot or two of cursing, I would even have said it would make a good middle reader.  There were some spots of funny, and even a little bit of romance, as well as the mystery behind how the ghost became a ghost in the first place. 

QUOTES:

"Quest?" Isabel said after Alora has channeled Uriel.  "I'm supposed to go with the ghost, uh, Marc, on a quest?  What am I, Sancho Panza to his Don Quixote?"

Adding insult to injury, his sister had walked through him twice while she'd kicked Isabel out the door.
He hated it when the living did that to him.

Writing:  3 out of 5 stars

Plot:   4 out of 5 stars

Characters: 3 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:   3out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   3.25 out of 5 stars

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Book website

Read the first chapter (PDF)


BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.  You can even get the Kindle version right now for only $.99!

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary eBook of this title from the author to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

RELEASE DATE! - Wildefire by Karsten Knight - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Wildefire
Author:  Karsten Knight
Publisher:   Margaret K. McElderry, a division of Simon and Schuster
Release Date:  July 26, 2011
Hardcover, 320 pages
ISBN 10:    144240339X
ISBN 13:  9781442403390
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Every flame begins with a spark. 

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

My Take: 

First sentence: Ashline Wilde was a human mood ring.

Ashline Wilde and her sister Eve are adoptees, both kickbutt Polynesian girls who don't quite "fit" into the rarefied atmosphere at Scarsdale High School.  As the book opens, Ash is giving the beatdown to a girl named Lizzie who hooked up with Ash's boyfriend Rich.  When Eve, who has been expelled from school and took off on her own three months ago,  comes riding up on her motorcycle, things go from bad to worse.

When Ash gets home, her parents, who are really good and loving, decide to go searching for Eve, leaving Ash, who decides not to go, home alone, where a prank is pulled on her that ends in tragedy, leaving Eve with yet another arrest warrant.

Cue forward eight months, and Ash is now in a boarding school that she chose - clear across the country in northern California, a place where she actually has friends and is dating Bobby, captain of the soccer team.  One evening, she and some friends are out at a bar (where they are not supposed to be), and a scream that only a few hear results in a foiled kidnapping attempt.

I won't go into much more of the plot, because it would contain lots of spoilers, so I will give quick summaries of the good and bad instead.

Bad:  The novel is kind of loosey-goosey in places; could definitely use some tightening up and fleshing out here and there, but many readers won't quibble about that.
Eve - well, she's a little TOO psycho - I like a good villain as much as the next reader, but her character is a bit overdone, and we really don't find out why and how she ended up so different from Ash
Speaking of villains, who/what exactly ARE the Cloak?  Are they good or bad or somewhere in between?  Maybe I'm slow, but I just didn't really get it.

Good:  Ash is seriously kickbutt - an irreverent type of character with a good soul
I love mythology and folklore - and there's such a great mix of different gods and goddesses here that it kept me wanting to read on.

Mixed:  The ending - seriously, there's a twist that most won't see coming (I kind of saw it, but not early, which was great) - it's kind of a cliffhanger, though (not "Who Shot JR"-like, but almost).  I can't really figure out if I liked the ending or not.

Summary:  I think that Mr. Knight has a winner here; many will love it and most will like it.  It's original, and even exciting and witty in many places.  I will be looking for the next-in-series.

QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):

One second Ashline was standing in the middle of the circle.  The next second Rich was curled in the fetal position on the ground, howling in pain, holding his tennis bag in front of him like a shield to prevent further irreparable injury to his groin.

"Eve, that monster made out with my a**hole ex-boyfriend.  For something like that you put peanut butter between the pages of her textbooks or . . . or spread a rumor that she has herpes.  You don't . . . you don't . . ."  But she couldn't finish the sentence because her nose had discovered the scent of burned flesh.

On her way toward the office, Ashline leaned over the receptionists desk.  "Quick question - are there any prizes for having two visits to the headmistress's office in one week?  Like you hang a monogrammed coffee mug on the wall for me?"
The girl glanced at the headmistress's door, before she allowed a slight smile to break across her face.  "Like a frequent flyer program?"

Sensitive reader:  Some profanity.

Writing:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Plot:   4 out of 5 stars

Characters:  4 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:   3.5 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   3.75 out of 5 stars

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the trailer  here

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Browse Inside

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

 

This is one of my listed titles for the 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the publisher facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

eGalley Wednesday - July 6, 2011 - Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly and In Front of God and Everybody by KD McCrite

It's Wednesday!  Time for another chance to link up our eGalley reviews!  The linky stays open all week, and the only requirement is that your review(s) must be of eGalleys (Galley Grab, NetGalley, etc.)

Grab the button below, place it in YOUR eGalley review and join in! Link up throughout the week!  And don't forget to visit the other participants!

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Up for review this week are two titles:  Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly, and In Front of God and Everybody by KD McCrite:

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Title:  Angel Burn
Author:  L.A. Weatherly
Publisher:  Candlewick Press
Release Date:  May 24, 2011
Hardcover, 464 pages / ISBN 10: 0763656526  / ISBN 13: 9780763656522
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

Age Range:  14 and up

Willow Fields has always been a bit different - she can fix cars and does psychic readings on the side.  She and her mom Miranda, who suffers from catatonic schizophrenia and needs a caretaker, both live with her Aunt Jo, whose charitable acts does not come without complaint (lots of complaint).

When Beth Hartley, one of the popular girls at school, comes to Willow for a psychic reading, her vision of Beth's future is not a rosy one, and when Beth quits school to join the Church of the Angels, Willow feels responsible and wonders what she can do to get Beth back.

Alex Kylar has been an Angel Killer since he was seven.  After his mother was killed by an angel, his father Martin joined up and took Alex and his older brother Jake with him (picture the television show "Supernatural", only with a larger band of hunters).  Now that Alex is on his own, he receives his kill orders via text directly from the CIA, and one of these texts sends him to Willow's town.  When Willow is put in danger, they end up on the run together.

In this book, the angels are BAD angels (mostly).  They feed off of human energy, and the effect is called Angel Burn.  Angel burn causes insanity, MS, cancer, Parkinson's, AIDS, and a host of other illnesses in humans.  The feeling that the victims get, however, is one of euphoria and devotion, and has spawned a religious following (The Church of Angels).

Although there are some slow points (especially a bit after the middle of the book as Willow and Alex hide out), there is plenty of heart-pounding action and good character development.  Both Willow and Alex are wonderful protagonists, completely believable (Willow coming to terms with what she learns, for example - she doesn't just jump in with both feet saying, "Oh! Well then, let's go kill some angels" - she has the perfect amount of skepticism and self-doubt).

The ending of this first in a trilogy is perfect; tying together many of the elements in a satisfying way, but letting us know that there's more story to come.

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

"Not all of us feel that we have a divine right to use humans as cattle."

Book Rating:   3.5 out of 5 stars

Parents:  There is a romance, but a well-paced one, not the typical, "Oh, you're so hot; I think I'm in love; let's hit the sack together" romance that seems to typify much of YA romance.

Read an excerpt (PDF)

View the trailer (Flash)

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Title:  In Front of God and Everybody
Author:  KD McCrite
Publisher:  Thomas Nelson Publishers
Released:  May 10, 2011
Paperback, 304 pages /  ISBN 10: 1400317223 / ISBN 13: 9781400317226
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

April Grace Reilly is eleven years old and lives in Cedar Ridge, Arkansas.  She's had her share of snooty city folk looking down on her and her family, and when a couple in a shiny car pull up the drive and are rude, she goes inside the house and lets her 14-year-old sister Myra Grace (who LOVES city folk) deal with them.  THEN she finds out that they're her new neighbors, and her mom finds out that she was rude, and then she has to go with her mother to apologize, and it doesn't matter that they were rude first. 

What a fun and hilarious book!  I LOVE April Grace; she's sassy and smart.  Her parents are wonderful; her Grandma has a new, irritating beau that April Grace has well-founded suspicions of; her sister Myra Grace is big-sister irritating.  As April Grace is taught lessons of kindness by her mother and father, she also finds a way to learn from her new neighbors, and sees that they aren't the only judgmental ones.

I smiled throughout this one.  April Grace is a wonderful character.  Her example of sibling love:

I gave serious thought to sticking out my foot and tripping her so she'd fall face first into some dirty underwear, but if she fell down the stairs and ended up breaking her head or something important, I'd be blamed for it.  Plus, I'd have to do all her chores.

The next April Grace book, Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks, is due to be released in December, 2011.  It is already on my to-buy list!

QUOTES (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

"Come here, dear," she said.  "These people want to meet an actual little hillbilly."

I'll tell you one thing:  Isabel St. James was no prize to look at the day before, when she had her makeup on.  But after she'd been bellowing like a newborn calf for half the morning, it hurt my eyes to look at her.  She'd do the rest of us a world of good if she'd wear a bag over her head.


Book Rating:   5 out of 5 stars

Buy		Read

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That's all for this week.  As always, you can click the Amazon or Goodreads links to find other reviews.  





Link up!

Disclosure:  I received complimentary eGalleys of these titles through the publishers to facilitate my reviews.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post  positive reviews.

 

These books are listed as titles for my 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

eGalley Wednesday - June 8, 2011 - The Restorer by Amanda Stevens and Children and Fire by Ursula Hegi

It's Wednesday!  Time for another chance to link up our eGalley reviews!  The linky stays open all week, and the only requirement is that your review(s) must be of eGalleys (Galley Grab, NetGalley, etc.)

Grab the button below, place it in YOUR eGalley review and join in! Link up throughout the week!  And don't forget to visit the other participants!

<a href="http://www.knittingandsundries.com/search/label/eGalley%20Wednesday" target="_blank"><img alt="eGalley Wednesdays" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3FQDjol4TLo/TZNJLJrth-I/AAAAAAAABd8/7uEBtvPU_g4/s1600/egalley+button.png"/></a>

Up for review this week are two titles:  Children and Fire by Ursula Hegi, and The Restorer by Amanda Stevens:

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Title:  Children and Fire
Author:  Ursula Hegi
Publisher:  Scribner, an imprint of Simon and Schuster
Release Date:  May 24, 2011
Hardcover, 288 pages / ISBN 10:  1451608292  / ISBN 13: 9781451608298
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

In Hitler's Germany of 1934, Thekla Jansen is a 34-year-old teacher, having unexpectedly replaced her old teacher and friend, Fraulein Siderova, a Russian Jew who converted to Catholicism upon her family's arrival in Germany some years ago.  Her conversion, however, didn't keep the school from letting her go due to her Jewish roots.

Interspersed with flashbacks from Thekla's life, where her mother Almut, originally in a home for unwed girls, marries a man named Wilhelm with his own very tragic past, we read the story of how Thekla does her best to get along in a Germany turned upside down with hatred, banned books and poetry.  A Germany where she hasn't dared to visit her old friend, Fraulein Siderova, for nine months, and where her students tease a boy named Bruno whose parents won't allow him to participate in the Nazi Youth movement.

While the writing does bring the reader into a good "feel" for the atmosphere, I felt that this book could have been so much more.  There are things that happen that should twist a reader's heart, but this reader felt like an impartial observer to most of them.  This is the fourth novel in the Burgdorf Cycle, and readers of the previous titles may want to re-visit some of their old friends, but for this reader, this one misses the mark.

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

If Thekla could advise the Fuhrer what to change - just one change if he were to ask her, one single change - she would remind him of his promise to strengthen the German family, get him to understand that children denouncing their parents weakened the family.

Book Rating:   3 out of 5 stars

Read Chapter 1

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Title:  The Restorer
Author:  Amanda Stevens
Publisher:  Mira Books, an imprint of Harlequin
Released:  April 19, 2011
Paperback, 400 pages / ISBN 10:  077832981X / ISBN 13: 9780778329817
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

FIRST SENTENCE:  I was nine when I saw my first ghost.

Amanda Stevens is a 27-year-old cemetery restorer who can see ghosts.  Her father, a cemetery caretaker who also sees ghosts, gave her rules to follow.  One rule is to never acknowledge the ghost.  Another is to keep your distance from those who are haunted.

While restoring Oak Grove Cemetery at Emerson University, Amanda receives a call that a body has been unearthed.  A murder has been committed, and someone used Oak Grove as their dumping ground.  The police detective on the case, John Devlin, is not only handsome, but has an odd magnetism that makes Amanda want to know more about him.  Too bad he is accompanied by his own ghosts - a woman and a child.

Amanda finds out that this is not the first murder victim discovered at the cemetery, and when another body shows up, Amanda is drawn into a plot involving secret societies and people in the highest social circles, a private detective who really isn't, and a child ghost that won't leave her alone.

This is a great, kind of creepy, mystery mixed with a touch of romance.  Amanda is my kind of girl - feisty and strong, but smart enough to be creeped out when she encounters a new breed of ghosts called the Others - black and malignant.  And the ending pretty much rocks .. really .. it's weird, but not TOO.  This is the first in a series, and I look forward to seeing what Amanda gets up to next.

Sensitive Reader:  Read the quote below; that's as steamy as it gets.

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

They were all around us.  Drawn by the heat and energy of our lovemaking. Drawn to the most elemental act of life . . . of what they could never experience again.
Hungry and covetous, they watched us.  Leering from the darkest corners.  Crouching like gargoyles atop the bedpost.  Touching diaphanous body parts in grotesque parody.

Book Rating:   4 out of 5 stars

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the trailer here.

Ebook Exclusive!

Enjoy the prequel to the May 2011 title The Restorer exclusively in ebook format! Download The Abandoned  FREE until December 30, 2011 in the Ebook Store!

Visit the website of The Graveyard Queen

Read an excerpt

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That's all for this week.  As always, you can click the Amazon or Goodreads links to find other reviews.  





Link up!

Disclosure:  I received complimentary eGalleys of these titles through the publishers to facilitate my reviews.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post  positive reviews.

 

These books are listed as titles for my 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

Chime by Franny Billingsley - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Chime
Author:  Franny Billingsley
Publisher:   Dial, a division of the Penguin Group
Release Date:  March 17, 2011
Hardcover, 361 pages
ISBN 10:    0803735529
ISBN 13:   9780803735521
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

My Take: 

FIRST SENTENCE:  I've confessed to everything and I'd like to be hanged.

17-year-old Briony Larkin is a witch and she hates herself.  Her identical twin sister Rose is prone to screaming fits and has a child's mentality.  Briony's mother died in childbirth, and her stepmother, who she loved, was ruled to have killed herself by arsenic poisoning. Briony is the only one who doesn't believe her stepmother committed suicide.  Her father, a clergyman, doesn't speak to his children, and Briony, along with a woman named Pearl, takes care of Rose.

When a young man named Eldric comes to stay with them, Briony tries to keep herself from being his friend. She doesn't want to get jealous; jealousy is what caused her sister Rose's damage, her jealousy caused the fire that burned down their library and destroyed her books.  Her jealousy caused the huge wave that came up and swallowed her stepmother, making her ill and putting her in the bed that she eventually died in.  Briony carries all of the guilt for all of the bad things that have happened in her family, and she can't allow herself to feel love, even though the Old Ones keep telling her that she didn't hurt anyone.

She finds out that the Boggy Mun, angry over the draining of the swamp at Swampsea, has sent swamp cough into the village to kill the children.  When Rose falls ill with the swamp cough, Briony knows that her abilities can't remain a secret any longer, even though it means hanging.  She must let the village know how to cure the children, even if it means her own death.

Chime is a lyrical mystery tied up in a fantasy, with a unique writing style and dialect.  It will not be for everyone, as the story seems to double over on itself at times, and what Briony and the reader thinks happened may not be at all what really happened.  We meet the Old Ones, unique creatures specific to Swampsea, and the Chime Child, with one foot in the world of the Old Ones and one in the human world.  The Chime Child is the one who determines at trial who is really a witch, and at the last trial, she made a mistake, and an innocent was hanged. 

The manner in which Briony's tale unfolds can be confusing to some, as Briony is herself confused, having been told many things that may or may not be true, and the reader may have their own suspicions that Briony doesn't share.  This is a complex tale with many layers, each of which I enjoyed peeling back through Briony's narration.

QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):

Eldric wasn't handsome, not in a Greek statue kind of way, not like Cecil Trumpington, who wants to marry me.  Well, Cecil actually wants to marry the idea of me.  He wants a girl with ivory skin and corn-silk hair; he wants a girl with the face of an angel.

In a proper story, antagonistic sparks would fly between Eldric and me, sparks that would sweeten the inevitable kiss on page 324.  But life doesn't work that way.  I didn't hate Eldric, which, for me, is about as good as things get.

They'd throw stones at me too, once I was in jail. But at least I was a witch and deserved it.  I wasn't so sure about Nelly.  You'd think I'd recognize a fellow witch, but no:  I'd find out with everybody else.  If Nelly was a witch, she'd turn to dust once she was hanged.  If not, we'd know we made a mistake.

Writing:  5 out of 5 stars

Plot:   4.5 out of 5 stars

Characters:  4 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:   4 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   4.3 out of 5 stars

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

 

This book is included in my list for the 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through Shelf Awareness to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories by Holly Black - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories
Book Depository/Amazon
Author:  Holly Black
Publisher:  McElderry, a division of Simon and Schuster
Publish Date:  March 22, 2011 (first published February 9, 2011)
Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN 10:   1931520631
ISBN 13:  9781931520638

Publisher's description:

Poisonous girls whose kisses will kill. A fateful eating contest with the devil. Faeries who return to Ironside, searching for love. A junior prom turned bacchanalia. In twelve short stories, eerie and brimming with suspense and unexpected humor, Holly Black twists the fantastical creatures you thought you knew in ways you'll never expect.

My Take: 

This is a great collection of short stories, most of which can be categorized as horror, fantasy, or paranormal.  Although billed as YA, these tales are for all fans of the strange and for those of us who like a taste of a good tale when time doesn't permit for prolonged reading.

Don't look for "The Spiderwick Chronicles" in these pages; these stories are for a more mature set, full of dark faeries, unicorns, strangeness and cold fear.  We have deals with the devil, bargains with vampires and vampire wanna-be's, and children who disappear on the beach. 

As with all collections, some stories stand out more than others, but there's not a loser in the bunch, and quite a few gems.

This is definitely a book to add to your story collection.

QUOTES

Let me tell you something about unicorns - they're faeries and faeries aren't to be trusted.  Read your storybooks.  But maybe you can't get past the rainbows and pastel crap. - Virgin

I used to run a bookshop, but I found that I wasn't suited for it.  I didn't like it when people bought things.  I like to have all my books with me.  - Paper Cuts Scissors

After all, the devil was the most famous guest she'd ever had.  She'd heard of him, and what was more, she was pretty sure he knew a lot of people she'd be impressed by. - A Reversal of Fortune

BOOK RATING: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Table of Contents

(with links to some of the stories)

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
A Reversal of Fortune
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Night Market
The Dog King — listen to it on Podcastle
Virgin
In Vodka Veritas
The Coat of Stars
Paper Cuts Scissors — listen to it on Podcastle
Going Ironside
The Land of Heart’s Desire
The Poison Eaters

BUY IT:  At Book Depository, Amazon through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

This book is included in my list for the 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through their Galley Grab program to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

Author Q & A with Lori Pescatore - Author of Human Blend

I'd like to take a moment to introduce Lori Pescatore, author of Human Blend.

About the author:

A preschool teacher by day and a wife & mom by night. Although I love all of these titles, I can now add published author to the list of things I can consider myself. I was proud the day I got married, I was proud the day I gave birth to each of my boys, (now grown men) and I was proud when I got my certification to teach. My newest accomplishment in being a published author is my latest proud moment. Writing all my life for fun, family and friends, creating my own story and original characters has been a wonderful journey, one I hope is long lived. It is what I want the rest of my life to be about.

Human Blend is the first of a trilogy of books in the romance/fantasy/science fiction genre. It is what I love to read and what I love to write. I hope you enjoy my labor of love.

Lori graciously agreed to a Q & A session about herself, about her book, and with some of my weird random questions thrown in :)

1.  What is your favorite genre to read and why?

My favorite genre to read is anything paranormal or fantasy with a touch of romance. I write what I like to read. But that does nto explude other genre's. I mostly like a great story with likable characters.

2.  What are your top three favorite books of all time?

The Outsiders, The Hunger Games and Marked

3.  What is your writing space like?

Spacious. My writing space is everywhere. Have notebook will travel. I hand write my work then type it later so I can write anywhere. Most of Human Blend was penned in bed and in the car waiting for my husband who was out looking for a job.

4.  Pistachio or Rocky Road ice cream?

Rocky Road, more for the name. Not a nut person.

5.  Since "Human Blend" is the first in a trilogy, around when do you think we'll be able to read the next book in the series?

It is in production now and I'm shooting for an April release for the second in the series.

6.  If "Human Blend" were made into a movie, who could you easily picture as the main characters?

Krystin (sic) Bell would be my choice for Laney/Julie.

Jesse McCartney for Austin, I've seen some of his earlier acting gigs and he was wonderful

Chris Pine for Eli

Orlando Bloom for Marcus

(Orlando is hot; I've been in love with him since LOTR)

7.  Because a hospital setting makes a good portion of this title, have you worked in or volunteered in a hospital or been impacted by someone who has?

I've spent a lot of time in hospitals and have encountered so many wonderful people. It really takes a special person to do that type of work and I admire them all immensely.

8.  Who has been your biggest inspiration when it comes to pursuing your writing career?

I get most of my inspiration from other Indy writers. There are so many talented unsigned writers out there as well as many who are unsigned for a reason. The publishing industry is changing in so many ways now that it allows some amazing voices to be heard. So that is my inspiration, to proudly be an independent and promote other amazingly talented writers.

9.  On the subject of ice cream (I know, I have an obsession):  Cone (dipped or not) or sundae?

Cone not dipped. All obsessions are good.

10.  Team Austin, Team Eli, or Team Marcus?  (I'm kinda partial to Team Eli myself)

So not a fair question. LOL. I'm afraid if I pick one it will tip the direction in which the story is going. So let's say Team Julie.

(You can't say I didn't try)

11.  Any final thoughts to share?

I hope to have book two ready by April. It will actually start as a prequel giving more details to the fantasy creatures in the book as well as some background information before picking up where book one left off. I'm having a blast writing it. 

 About the Book:

Human Blend: Escaping from them had been difficult enough, now Laney needs to keep hidden. All she wanted was to be on her own. Laney is not like other girls... she has very special abilities that set her apart from others. How or why she came about these abilities is a mystery she has yet to unfold.

Haunted by memories and flashbacks of the suffering she endured at the hands of her captors, she changes her appearance and hides out in a small town. Ignoring her own warnings, she begins a relationship with a local boy.

The relationship turns dangerous when the boy begins developing similar abilities. This development does not fall under the radar of the men who are trying to recapture her.

A young doctor's interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child's illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harboring secrets of his own. Laney's new life falls apart when she meets a young intern that seems to have all the answers to her questions. The information sends her into a tail spin. Thoughts of going on the run once again are thwarted as those whom she was running from find her.

Thanks to Lori for taking time out of her day to let us know a little bit more about her.  Check out the review of Human Blend here on this blog and you can even enter to win your own copy through February 9th!

Human Blend by Lori Pescatore - BOOK REVIEW/GIVEAWAY {CLOSED}

Title:  Human Blend
Author:  Lori Pescatore
Publisher:  CreateSpace
Paperback, 234 pages
ISBN 10:   1453765131
ISBN 13:  9781453765135

Goodreads description:

Escaping from them had been difficult enough, now Laney needs to keep hidden. All she wanted was to be on her own. Laney is not like other girls... she has very special abilities that set her apart from others. How or why she came about these abilities is a mystery she has yet to unfold.

Haunted by memories and flashbacks of the suffering she endured at the hands of her captors, she changes her appearance and hides out in a small town. Ignoring her own warnings, she begins a relationship with a local boy.

The relationship turns dangerous when the boy begins developing similar abilities. This development does not fall under the radar of the men who are trying to recapture her.

A young doctor's interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child's illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harboring secrets of his own. Laney's new life falls apart when she meets a young intern that seems to have all the answers to her questions. The information sends her into a tail spin. Thoughts of going on the run once again are thwarted as those whom she was running from find her. 

My Take: 

Laney looks 16, but is quite a bit older .. you see, she does not age normally.  She also has remarkable abilities - the ability to heal and the ability to foresee numbers.  The latter ability makes her very valuable to the men who forcibly took her from her father at a young age and have held her ever since.

Now she has escaped them, and in her new life as Julie Miller, an 18-year-old, she finds herself in Marion, Virginia, where she meets a boy named Austin Dorsett, and gets a volunteer position at a local hospital.

Can she keep the men who are after her from finding her?  Why is she so attracted to Eli Ellsworth, a senior doctor at the hospital?  What are the hazy memories of when she was first abducted trying to tell her?  Are there others like her?

As Laney tries to live her new, normal life, is her past is catching up to her?  Will she be able to outrun it, or is she placing her new friends in danger as well?

There were some editing issues, although, as a whole, they didn't take too much away from the story.  As this is a YA book, I was somewhat taken aback at the physical relationships that seemed to move far too quickly for me.  Although an explanation for this eventually appears, I would have felt more comfortable if it had appeared earlier.

I loved this plot concept, and Laney's character (known as Julie through most of the narrative) was compelling.  I loved her instinct for healing, even though it meant that she had to take the pain of the sickness she was healing inside of her for a while; the selflessness she showed in doing so was wonderful and endearing.  As this is the first in a planned trilogy, I think we will see a bit more character development in the secondary characters; I never really understood how the "bad guys" came to meet Laney or her father or how they knew of her abilities - these are two things I'm looking forward to finding out.

All in all, I liked this read; although it didn't grab me from the start, I eventually found myself pulled into the plot and felt so much sympathy for Laney and for the life she had been forced to lead.

As with all of the YA books that come in for review, I gave this one to Not-So-Bebe-Girl Autumn to read, and she blew through it in less than a day.  She said, "Well, she's a pretty fast girl" (speaking of the physicality), but she also said, "I understood more later, and I really liked it ... can I loan it to Jasmine (her bf) to read?", which is high praise, since she only wants her friends to read the books that she really likes.

BOOK RATING: 

My Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Not-So-Bebe-Girl Autumn's Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

BUY IT:  At Amazon,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

WIN IT:  Thanks to the author, I am able to give a copy away to one of my readers!  I am making the giveaway international (although, if international shipping costs for a physical copy are prohibitive, the winner's copy may be in eBook format)

MANDATORY ENTRY:  If you could have one psychic ability, what would it be and why?

EXTRA ENTRIES:

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ELIGIBILITY:  Open Internationally

End Date: Thursday, February 9, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST



Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the author to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.