4/5 Stars
Something Strange & Deadly
Author: Susan Dennard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date:  July 24, 2012
Goodreads ♥ Amazon

Review:

I traded for this book on YA Book Exchange and then the novel proceeded to sit on my shelf for a while. When I heard Susan Dennard was coming to Vermillion (BTW no on ever comes to Vermillion, SD so this was really exciting!) I started reading Something Strange and Deadly and was upset at myself for not reading it sooner! 

Something Strange and Deadly follows Eleanor Fitt as she deals with her families financial troubles, her brother failing to return home, spirit hunters, and the rising dead! Eleanor was a character that was easy to root for, so much was going on in her life yet she didn’t let it get her down. Quite the opposite actually she was very inquisitive and willing to do anything to help those she cares about. 

I really liked Daniel, Eleanor’s love interest, he was sharp and witty and I liked all of the devices he put together for the spirit hunters. Actually the spirit hunters were my favorite part of the novel. They were just the right amount of science and supernatural. 

There have only been 2 zombie novels I have actually enjoyed, The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan and The Scourge by AG Henley so I was worried when I began this novel. I can now add Something Strange and Deadly to that list. I enjoyed the way Dennard handled the zombies, they were more reanimated corpses and necromancer type dead rather then scary zombies walking the earth type dead. Their inclusion in the story seemed oddly natural and helped Eleanor’s character to develop. 

Overall, Something Strange and Deadly was a very fun read and I am not eagerly awaiting the sequel A Darkness Strange and Lovely which comes out in a couple months! 

Giveaway:

As I mentioned in my review Susan Dennard came to Vermillion for a signing and I was able to score some signed swag! Just fill out the rafflecopter to be entered! 

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Welcome to Around The World! Friday I feature a Blogger, Author or Publisher and ask questions about the country or state they are from and what it is like to be a member of the book world there! If you are interested in being featured please sign up here.

This Week on the blog I have Trish from Between The Lines!

Interview
Where are you from?
Ireland that little teddy bear shaped country next to England and at the very edge of Europe.

What is the best and worst thing about living in the country you are from?

Best thing is the scenery, take my word for it, it’s beautiful.  Lakes, mountains, great beaches and everywhere you look green, green fields.  And as it’s such a small country you are never too far from whatever you want to do.  Whether that’s a scenic, deserted beach to walk on, a centuries old castle to explore or a day shopping in the city, nothing is more than a short spin away. 

Worst thing is the recession we are currently going through.  Taxes are high, unemployment is high and the road back to economic prosperity looks like a painful one.  The general standard of living is comfortable but it’s just not as good as we had 5 or 6 years ago when we experienced a boom. 

Oh and the rain, that’s the price we pay for those green fields!

What is the biggest challenge of being a book blogger there?

There are not too many challenges nothing that can’t be overcome anyway.  At first I didn’t know of too many other Irish book bloggers but now I have found 5 or so and we all support each other.  I do get envious when I read about events like BEA though, that is my dream to attend one of those.

Are you able to go to book signings, launches, or industry events?

There aren’t too many book signing events or launches.  There are lots of writer’s festivals but they are aimed at writers from than reviewers so I haven’t attended any so far.  From what I hear though, they are planning to expand to include blogging and social media workshops which sounds exciting and I’m looking forward to see what develops.

Are Publishers willing to work with you were you live?

Penguin Ireland are very good to me but as I’m only a newish blogger I haven’t approached other publishers yet for physical ARC’s.  On NetGalley and Edelweiss, publishers have been very generous to me and both those sites are my happy place.  I do have to be careful not to get too click-happy though as I don’t want to end up with a zillion books all due for publication in the same month.  A pretty universal book-blogging issue from what I see!

Emily: I have that some problem on netgalley and edelweiss!

Do you have any favorite books set in the country you are from or written by authors who are from the country you are from?

Tonnes!  So many that I love that I have a feature on my blog called ‘Green Giants – Irish Author Spotlight’ where I share my love.  Or as another blogger has renamed it – The Paddy  Post!  If I have to pick a few favourites Irish authors, I’d choose Tana French, Marian Keyes and Patricia Scanlan.

A Few Of My Favorite Things Section: 

Favorite Book (overall): Really? Don’t make me do it!  I can’t even pick a favourite genre, let alone a favourite book!  Ok, I can’t choose one but a few favourites are Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Daughter of Smoke and Bone and any book by Tana French.

Favorite Book Recent Release: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Author: Tana French and JK Rowling

Social Media: Twitter, great for making connections and seeing what other bloggers are getting up to. If you want to tweet me with me, I’m @TrishHannon

International Food: Italian, yum!  Especially when eaten in Italy J

Emily: Thanks so much for stopping by Trish! I loved learning more about blogging in Ireland and now I definitely want to go for a visit!

Connect with Trish:

Blog ♥ Twitter ♥ Bloglovin

The Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Author: Robin Palmer

Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
Goodreads ♥ Amazon
Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Annabelle Jacobs never asked to be famous, but as the daughter of Janie Jacobs, one of the biggest TV stars in the world, she is. Growing up is hard enough. Having to do it in public because your mother is a famous actress? Even harder. When your mom crashes and burns after her DUI mug shot is splashed across the internet? Definitely not fun. Then your mom falls for a guy so much younger than she that it would be more appropriate for you to be dating him? That’s just a train wreck waiting to happen.
From Robin Palmer, author of Geek Charming and Wicked Jealous, this is a novel about the most complicated relationship a girl ever has: that with her mother.

My Thoughts:  I really like the sound of this book a relationship between a teenager and her mom is hard enough without your mother being famous. I am excited to see how this story resolves itself and what will happen to Annabelle along the way.

The Forgotten Ones

The Danaan Trilogy

Book One

is now available exclusively on Amazon!

And until May 19 it's only 99 cents!

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.
What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

Goodreads 

About Laura Howard

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

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2/5 Stars
The Loop
Author: Shandy Lawson
Publisher: Disney/Hyperion
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Goodreads ♥ Amazon

Review:

The Loop follows Ben and Maggie who are stuck in a time loop which means that they relive the same two days over and over again. Each time they relive the loop they die in the storage room of a Walgreens. Interesting premise right? Unfortunately, there was a disconnect between the interesting premise and the execution of the story. 

The Loop started off intensely. Ben is going to his favorite New Orleans district and while at the mall he runs in to a girl who drags him all over, shoots a guy, and then starts explaining things about the loop that they are stuck in and how they will eventually die. The problem wasn’t a lack of action in this novel, quite the contrary, there was always something happening. I think my main problem was the characters. Ben and Maggie seemed immature and the decisions they made never made sense to me. I wanted to reach out and shake both of them! I understood that they were trying to resist fate but why did they even make some of these decisions in the first place loop or not? 

That brings us to the second thing I disliked about this novel. The Loop itself made no sense to me. The basic concept was alright but there was no explanation of how people get trapped in these loops or why certain people are more susceptible to loops (Maggie had apparently been in 4 prior to this one). It was never explained why the characters could sometimes remember what happened in previous loops but at other times couldn’t remember anything. And what were Maggie and Ben doing in Shreveport in the first place prior to the loop ever activating? At the end of the novel I was left with the feeling that nothing was really answered or accomplished. I felt unsatisfied.

Overall, The Loop was action packed but that was about it. The characters never experienced any real growth and I’m not entirely sure what the point of the story was. I will say that I am in love with the cover of this novel though, I’m a sucker for awesome word pop-art and the exploding diamond effect really caught my eye. Hopefully more authors and publishers switch to these type of covers and get away from ‘the girl in the pretty dress’ style covers.

Thanks Disney/Hyperion for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy of this novel.   

I got tons of great books this past week and in addition to all of these awesome books I also won a $10 Amazon GC from Always YA At Heart ! So bear with my while I show you all my new goodies =)

Won

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry (Thanks HarlequinTeen!)

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (Thanks Bookshelvers Anonymous!)

Transparent by Natalie Whipple (Thanks Jenn @ Some Like It Paranormal)

Wishing For Someday Soon by Tiffany King (Signed)(Thanks Valerie @ Stuck In Books)

 For Review

Castles on the Sand by E.M. Tippetts

Love in Darkness by E.M. Tippetts

Bought (Half Price in Kansas)

Valiant by Holly Black

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Eckles

The Dark ad Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

 Bought (RT Convention)

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Last weekend after finishing finals I was able to attend the RT Booklovers Convention in Kansas City, Missouri! Usually book conventions are held in Chicago which is a 9 hour drive from where I live or way down in Texas so it was great to be able to attend a convention a mere 5 hours from Vermillion!

My awesome friend Nichole and I at the book Convention! She was nice enough to let me stay with her family and show me around Kansas City & Lawrence, Kansas. (Side Note: Lawrence is awesome)

At the convention I ended up getting 15 books from home signed and using all the self-restraint I have I only bought 2 books. I did go a little crazy at the Half-Price books stores in Kansas though, to make up for it!

Stephanie Perkins

Beth Revis & I

The view from the check out line at the Giant Book Fair

Carrie Ryan & I

Myself & Keira Cass

The Highlight of the convention for me was finally getting to meet Sarah Rees Brennan! She was just as awesome in person as she is on page and signed my copies of Unspoken and The Demon's Surrender. She was also kind enough to give me this awesome necklace and the first chapter of Untold! 

Sarah Rees Brennan and I!

Upon hearing that I am Team Rusty she gave me a spoiler. In Untold, Rusty goes on a date (SUPER VAGUE). Now I just have to wait until August to find out who he goes on a date with!

All in all the convention was awesome and I can not wait to attend more in the future!

Chantress
Author: Amy Butler Greenfiled
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Publication Date: May 7, 2013

Synopsis:

Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful—and most hunted—girl in England.
“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.
When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.
Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion…
Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

Goodreads ♥ Amazon ♥ B&N

Review:

Chantress wins my favorite cover of the year award. I love the pink’s and purple’s and the girl in the cape. Not to mention the cover matches the story beautifully. The story centers around Lucy, a girl who has grown up on a deserted island and after finally breaking the rules and singing is transported to England where she is the last Chantress.

I can only think of one other novel that I have read that is set in this time frame, Grave Mercy by R.L LaFevers, it is interesting to see how different life was in ye olden England. Greenfield did a great job of making the setting feel real and incorporating actual historic events in to the storyline. I liked that she included the men of science and learning from the Invisible College and how they had to meet in secret, it felt very true to the time and made this fantastical story a little more real.

Lucy was a likable enough character she was daring and brave. I liked that she was willing to join a cause that she felt was right and put in the effort, time, and training to live up to her full potential as a Chantress. 

I wasn't too keen on the romance between Lucy and Nat though. I think it was partially because of the time, being 1667, the romance was very chaste and slow building. I actually was never really sure the characters liked each other until the very end of the book. This would have been all right had there been action to take the place of the romance but there wasn’t a ton of action until the end. Most of the middle of the book was spent with Lucy training in secret underground and while she did need the training I was rather bored during this lull in action.

Overall, I enjoyed Chantress. It was a light simple read set in an interesting time. While there were a couple things I didn’t like the story overall was a good one with an original premise, I can say without a doubt that I have never before read a story about a Chantress!

Playlist:
I had a hard time putting this playlist together because this book is set in 1667 so the whole time I was reading the soundtrack in my mind was very renaissance fair-esque.

 Glass Window by Mediaeval Baebes

I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons

Only Time by Enya

I Am Eve by Mediaeval Baebes

Author Bio:

Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author. Born in Philadelphia, Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and plots mischief.


Giveaway:
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Untold (Unspoken #2)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Expected Publication: Oct, 20, 2013
Goodreads

Synopsis:

It’s time to choose sides… On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.
But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?’

My Thoughts:  I really loved the old cover for this series but this is one of the few re-designs I like just as much as the original. I have been waiting on this sequel since the second I finished my ARC of Unspoken back in May 2012. Waiting until October feels like torture! I can't wait to see what happens next, all I know for sure is that Sarah Rees Brennan is going to find a way to surprise me!  

When You Need Something Light & Fun

I just finished my finals last week and so I was super excited for this topic! I wanted to share my favorite light, summery, beachy reads and hopefully the weather starts cooperating so that it will actually feel like I am doing some summer reading! 

1 Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

2 How My Summer Went Up In Flames by Jennifer Doktorski

3 The Boys of Summer by CJ Duggan

4 What A Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn

5 Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren

6 Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen

When putting this list together I was only able to come up with only 6 books. Looking through my read lists on Goodreads I found that I read mostly darker YA fiction. I will definitely have to change that situation this summer! If you can think of any recommendations make sure to leave them in the comments.