The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

Gosh, I love a good historical romance. I have a confession to make... Ok, here goes. I used to be a historical romance novel junkie. It was a phase I went through in high school and well into a college. At the time, I felt like I was too grown up to read YA (silly me!) and I wanted something light and lovey-dovey. It’s still something I enjoy every now and then, but as you all know, I am happy now to admit that I will never grow up (points to her URL) and will forever love young adult fiction.

Anyways, back on topic. Pure historical romance is hard to find in the young adult genre, so when my Authors are ROCKSTARS! co-host, Allison, chose this book as her pick of the month for our July podcast. I *knew* it was something I had to read right away. I’ve been craving some juicy, mushy-gushiness and “The Other Countess” was just what the doctor ordered.

“The Other Countess” takes place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. At the start of the book, William Lacey, Earl of Dorset, has just become earl after the death of his father. His father left his family in dire circumstances after wasting their fortune working with an alchemist trying to change common elements to gold. William sends the alchemist and his young daughter out on their bottoms in a rage, hoping to never see them again. The book then advances a few years to William attending court for the first time, hoping to obtain the favor of the Queen or a rich wife to save his family from poverty. It is at court that he meets Lady Eleanor and is instantly smitten with the sassy and educated young woman (a rarity for the time period). When he finds out that Lady Eleanor is actually the daughter of the alchemist who ruined his family in his quest for gold, he shuns her and turns back to his quest for a rich wife. Unfortunately for his family’s fortunes, Eleanor has touched his soul and when their paths cross once more, he finds he may not be able to ever let her go again.

“The Other Countess” is what it is. It’s not full of epic adventure, action, or saving the world like other historical/paranormal romances of late. It’s a classic historical romance, set in the Tudor time period. It’s full of lush descriptions though of lovely countryside, the court of Elizabeth, lavish dinners, parties, gowns, you name it. The romance moves quickly (after all, women & men didn’t exactly have the time we have nowadays for courtship, especially when in secret), but it’s sweet and deliciously satisfying. I loved it so much that I will definitely be re-reading it again soon. It made me feel all warm and gooey, the perfect pick-me-up book. Once you start, you won’t want to put it down.

“The Other Countess” is published in the USA by Delacorte Books for Young Readers (Random House) and was released last week (July 12, 2011). The second book in the series, “The Queen’s Lady” will be released in the US in April 2012. Allison at Reading Everywhere shared her ARC with me.

Paranormalcy and Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Normal isn’t something in the cards for Evie. When you can see under the glamours of all sorts of icky creatures, life isn’t ever going to be normal. For example, sexy vampires actually look like rotting corpses (sorry Twilight fans!). Yeah, gross. Evie works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, helping them gather and control paranormals that are dangerous to themselves and the human race. Her day-to-day life has been as ordinary as it could be under the circumstances - home school, hang out with her mermaid best friend, bag & tag a paranormal, and then back to some Easton Heights, her favorite teen TV drama. That is until a paranormal boy, unlike anything she has ever seen before, shows up at IPCA. Shortly after, paranormals start dropping dead for no reason in massive numbers, her dreams are being filled with creepy poems, and her faerie ex-boyfriend has gone from stubborn to crazed stalker. Something weird is definitely going on and it looks like Evie might just be at the center of it all.

I loved this book. Ms. White’s voice is incredibly refreshing. It’s sassy, but without crossing over into Juno-esque (aka trying too hard) sassyland. Her characters are all very real. I absolutely love that while Evie describes herself as cute, she’s not the “OMG most gorgeous thing ever”. Same goes with Lend, the mysterious shape shifter. She finds him attractive because of who he is, not the face he wears. So many teen books nowadays have character descriptors such as “perfect teeth” (can't stand teeth descriptors - totally not necessary. Maybe I'm just jealous!) or they meet a guy and instantly it’s “omg he is like the hottest guy on the planet”. It bugs me. Sure, I thought my husband was a hottie when I met him in high school, but I wasn’t like “OMG HOTTEST GUY EVER!! MUST HAVE!!”. It was more of a “Wow, that guy sure is a cutie. I should try to get to know him better. Yum!” Of course, now that I’ve been in love with him for years, I think he’s the hottest thing on two legs, but that’s because I know him and love him for who he is.

Anyways, I’m totally off topic here. Let’s get back to the amazing Kiersten White’s Paranormalcy series. This is a fun series for anyone who wants something a little different from the usual paranormal fiction fare. It’s silly and cute, while still having the elements of a good paranormal story (action & romance). Plus you get a whole boatload of fun creatures in this one - vampires, faeries, werewolves, shape shifters, you name it! There is something here for everyone. I won’t go and spoil the second book for you (which comes out tomorrow, BTW), but it continues on and is just as awesome. I know I am desperately awaiting book 3 and I’m sure you will be too!

“Paranormalcy” and “Supernaturally” are published by HarperTeen. You can get the first book in paperback or hardcover. “Supernaturally” is out in hardcover TOMORROW! Go go go and get your copy. Move it people! Also, be sure to listen to the Authors are ROCKSTARS! podcast with Kiersten later this week.

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Ooo! This book is serious fun. I love books involving ancient myth and this book adds a fun cultural twist on things. It isn’t just limited to the myths of the Greek. There are Egyptian, Polynesian and Norse, oh my! And that’s just to name a few of the originating cultures for this group of teenage god misfits.

The book though follows the story of one young woman in particular... a young girl named Ashline Wildefire. The book starts off on an action heavy note - Ash has just found out that her boyfriend has cheated on her with the resident school blondie and Ash is in the process of kicking her teeth in. If this wasn’t bad enough, her run-away sister returns and does the unthinkable in retaliation. We then fast forward to Ash attending a boarding school on the other side of the country and continuing her slightly rebellious life. She falls in with a group of fellow students and they all find out... they’re the reincarnations of gods and goddesses! How crazy is that? But how did they all end up here and why is someone trying to kill them all? And oh! Where does her well-meaning but destructive goddess sister fit into all of this? Well, you’ll just have to read “Wildefire” to find out.

Karsten Knight has a wonderful voice. I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive of male voice with a teenage female protagonist. I know that’s really sexist of me, but you don’t see a lot of male writers in YA period, let alone writing action/romance paranormal young adult literature. Mr. Knight delivers though. He creates a cast of characters that you really come to care for, which is saying a lot since it is a BIG cast and a LOT is going on. The flashbacks that each character goes through are incredibly moving and really give life to each teen god/goddess. Ashline (or Ash) is an amazing heroine. She’s definitely strong-willed and powerful, but she has a vulnerable side and real feelings. She definitely is a girl who lives in the “gray” of life, but has a good heart. She loves her sister, despite the palpable tension between them. There is so much depth to her and despite her being quite literally extraordinary, she still feels like your average teenage girl in a lot of ways. Adult and teen readers alike will fall in love with Ash. She’s fun, playful, vulnerable, strong, loving, smart and powerful. What isn’t there to love about a young woman like that?

Another character I’d really like to single out is her sister Eve. While she lives in a darker life than Ash, there is still so much good to her. You don’t know whether to love or hate her, despite all the horrible things she’s done. I love when things are not cut and dry. It adds another layer of suspense and makes things more complex for the reader. The action sequences between Eve and Ash are outstanding. Wow. I could feel my muscles tensing along with Ash and my heartbeat increase when confronting Eve. All the action scenes in this book were outstanding.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was one of the books I read while on bed rest for a back injury. It really kept me engaged and entertained the entire time I was reading it. There were a few moments that were maybe a bit rushed, but never to the point where they pulled me out of the story. The characters are what really make this book though. I’m seriously impressed with the emotional connection I was able to form with this large cast of characters due to Knight’s clever character development.

I could keep raving about this book, but this review is getting long winded! Go out and pre-order yourself a copy today.

I received an ARC of Wildefire from the publisher to review. It is published by Simon & Schuster and is scheduled to be released in July of this year. Pre-order a copy today. It's worth the wait!

Nightshade and Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

I devoured “Nightshade” and “Wolfsbane” by Andrea Cremer over a period of 48 hours and they were delicious. Seriously, these books are worth staying up late for.. and that’s a big sacrifice considering I have a toddler who thinks 5:30AM is a wonderful time to be awake. What makes them so great? Well let’s review Michelle’s paranormal/fantasy YA romance checklist and talk about it, shall we?

• Strong female heroine - CHECK. Calla is KICK ASS. She not only possesses some awesome powers and skills from being able to transform into a wolf, but she’s a strong willed person. The events of this book rock her safe little world and she has to deal with emotions she hasn’t really experienced. I loved seeing Calla discover her own vulnerability and the injustices in her world’s society. I look forward to seeing her grow more from these experiences in the third book.
• Love triangle (and not one of those “wimpy maybe I sorta like this guy, but this guy is clearly the winner despite guy #2”) - CHECK and it is angst-i-licious. Yes, so much that I had to make up a word for it.
• Creative Paranormal/Fantasy elements - CHECK! I love the world within our world that Ms. Cremer has created.
• Good writing - again, CHECK-A-ROONY. Ms. Cremer’s writing is exciting and fluid. I didn’t ever feel the need to stop because of some bad phrasing or ridiculous situation. She does a great job at foreshadowing without frustrating the reader (a problem I’ve run into a lot recently in YA paranormal books) and she didn’t do any crazy deus ex machina stuff to rush through explanations. She was able to maintain an element of suspense throughout while giving the reader little bursts of knowledge. Well done, Ms. Cremer.
• Great action sequences and suspense - I know I already mentioned this when I discussed the writing, but wow. Ms. Cremer got my heart pounding during some of these big action sequences.

Yeah, so I’d have to say Ms. Cremer’s “Nightshade” series is all that and a bag of chips. If you like paranormal/fantasy young adult romance, this should DEFINITELY be on your list. I know that the genre is an acquired taste, but it’s one of my favorites. I am anxiously awaiting the third book in this triology.

I was provided with an ARC of "Wolfsbane" by the publisher at the ALA Midwinter Conference. "Nightshade" is already available and "Wolfsbane" will be released in July of this year. It is published by Philomel (Penguin). Go to your local bookstore or library and pick up a copy of Nightshade today.

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

This book made me miss my mom. I know that seems a little strange, but my mother was a CASA worker and a long time foster mother (over 30 foster children, plus her own 4!). She would have enjoyed this interesting take on what happens to abused children.

Lost Voices is the first book in a series and to be honest, it sometimes feels like pieces are missing, making the plot a bit disjointed. The book follows the story of Luce (short for Lucette) who is a mild mannered, troubled young teen. Her father, who was a “diamond in the rough” type, has presumed dead after being lost at sea and now Luce lives with her alcoholic and bitter uncle. She is treated poorly by almost everyone in she encounters and has become a weak slip of a girl. After the abuse hits a breaking point, she transforms in this dark and mysterious way into a mermaid. In Ms. Porter's world, abused females turn into vengeful mermaids/sirens who take revenge on the human race for having wronged them in their past life.

Ms. Porter's mermaid lore is very interesting to read and I found it a nice twist from the romantic paranormal young adult books I've been reading as of late. While this book definitely falls into the paranormal category, it is a book that deals with real life issues including abuse (physical and sexual), revenge, the moral dilemma of right and wrong, etc. I really enjoyed seeing Luce's character develop from someone who has been beaten down for years to a strong young woman who follows her own moral code, which is different than the society she lives in. In addition to interesting character development, the writing style of Ms. Porter is incredibly exquisite. She definitely has a gift for using words as an artist as well as a storyteller. Lost Voices stimulates the imagination with absolutely gorgeous visual images. I do not think that I have ever saved so many passages from a fiction book to my clipboard on my Kindle. I just wanted to be able to re-read these visual passages again. They were like beautiful sweets to feed my imagination.

While I greatly enjoyed Ms. Porter's novel, it did have its downfalls. The plot seemed a bit disjointed at times and I wasn't sure where it was going. There was no real action. However, I'm eager to see how the second book develops. It might explain some of the questions I now have after completing Lost Voices.

Overall, it's a solid debut novel that takes an interesting real life topic and adds an unusual paranormal twist. Great job, Ms. Porter!

Lost Voices is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. They provided me with an advanced reader's copy. It is scheduled to be released in July 2011.