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Friday, April 8, 2011

Raising the Dead, by Mara Purnhage (bridge book in the After Midnight series)



As the daughter of the famous Silver Spirits paranormal investigators, Charlotte Silver is used to all things weird. But when coffins start floating down her street during a flood, life turns extra strange. And wonderful, when her friend and crush Noah signs on to help Charlotte and her folks in the aftermath. Cemetery cleanup might not sound exciting, but as shocking discoveries and a lurking stranger come to light, Charlotte learns that sometimes, raising the dead can bring unexpected rewards.


As high school lives go, Charlotte's is anything but normal. It's hard to be with parents like hers.

Another good one from Purnhagen. While the paranormal aspect is certainly present, this novella is heavier on the teenage love and general craziness of growing up.  Charlotte's focus is torn between either making sure Noah knows she's interested, to trying to pretend she's not (because he certainly isn't), to trying to help William with the mystery of the family burial grounds behind his house. Any one of those would wear a girl out!

It's nice to have a little extra in this series. You can tell between book one and book two that there are a few months missing, so it's nice to catch up with the characters. The paranormal story in Raising the Dead is just as intense as that in the other After Midnight books.  There's a distinctly evil feel this time, what with the mystery, and events in the story.

As I've come to expect, the writing is approachable and easy to get caught up in. It's escapist, with a creepy, scary side. Just the way I like it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book is part of the library collection for the school library I work in. I was not solicited to write a review, nor am I receiving any compensation. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Thursday, April 7, 2011

Past Midnight, by Mara Purnhagen (Book One in the After Midnight Series)



Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings.

Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear.

All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive….


(From the back of the book)
 
Charlotte's always been a partial member of the family paranormal research team. She's not the "sensitive" daughter, like her older sister, able to tell before the investigation begins that they'll be successful. She's sound crew. But that all changes while visiting and investigating in her sister's college town, Charleston.
 
Paranormal fiction can be really well done or it can be cheesy as all get out--in my opinion there is no gray area. Purnhagen does it well, because the After Midnight series isn't just a paranormal series. She includes a secondary focus on Charlotte just being a high school student, dealing with the usual angsty things as well as coming in to her own as a young adult in high school.

The characters are approachable, believable. You've got the down to earth ones, the slightly nerdy guy, and that one girl driven to succeed, even if it means stepping on the ones trying to help her. The only bit that just doesn't work well for me is that Charlotte's friends seem rather unphased by her sudden "outing" as the daughter of the famous ghost hunters. With just a minor bauble, they seem to take it in stride. I'd expect a little more, I don't know...teenage behavior.


Regardless, it's a good read. Believable for the most part, and page turning for those who love a good "ghost story."

Purnhagen, Mara. Past Midnight. HarlequinTEEN. September, 2010.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book is part of the library collection for the school library I work in. I was not solicited to write a review, nor am I receiving any compensation. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”







The LightKeeper's Ball, by Colleen Coble

From the publisher's site:

At the elegant Mercy Falls masquerade ball, Olivia's hidden identity will be revealed.

It is the dawn of a new century and Olivia Stewart is heiress to an empire. Her family numbers among the Four Hundred—those considered the wealthiest and most distinquished in America. Unfortunately their wealth has nearly disappeared, and now their security rests upon the Stewart daughters' marrying well.
 Olivia's sister, Eleanor, was engaged to Harrison Bennett, one of the nation's wealthiest men, but has since died. Now the pressure is on Olivia to take her place, despite her suspicions about Eleanor's fiancé. Using her family's long-forgotten English title, Olivia travels to Mercy Falls, California, as Lady Devonworth, hoping to learn more before committing to marriage. There she finds that Eleanor's death was no accident. And Harrison is not the man she thought he would be.
 When Mercy Falls holds a charity masquerade ball to raise funds for the new lighthouse, secrets—and truths long hidden—will be revealed. But can Harrison really love Olivia when he finds her true identity? Can she live with the repercussions of failing her family, or will she finally realize that nothing—not money, family, or romance—will ever compare to God's unconditional love?

Olivia's lost her sister, but the circumstances just do not make any sense. Despite family members and friends telling her ot let things alone, Olivia just isn't satisfied with a pat answer. Particularly when she receives a letter her sister wrote before her death. And now, Olivia's life is in danger.
 
Light, easy read with plenty intrigue and simple romance. I really don't read a lot of traditional religious fiction, though I do enjoy the thoughtful and well-written piece. But The Lightkeeper's Ball, with some religious undertones, (note, I said "under" not "over") is just a good story. It doesn't move overly quickly, but doesn't draaaaaaag you into boredom either.
 
Olivia is, simply put, believable. You can't help but love her for "bucking" the trend of the typical turn of the century young woman, who was married off for possible societal and often financial connections rather than love. Coble has created a town--Mercy Falls--that is filled with people that you want to know and support. You cheer for the good guy and are heartbroken when tragedy befalls someone. All in all, Mercy Falls is a likeable place to visit and escape to for a while.
 
The Lightkeeper's Ball isn't a challenging read. It is escapist, but the message cannot be missed. Ultimately, in order to be true to yourself, you must be real with God. Everything else will fall into place.
 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Thomas Nelson Publishers through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Coming soon....

Watch this space (or well...this page. *grin*). Reviews for the following titles are on their way!





Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Jane Austen: a Life Revealed, by Catherine Reef

Jane Austen's popularity never seems to fade. She has hordes of devoted fans, and there have been numerous adaptations of her life and work. But who was Jane Austen? The writer herself has long remained a mystery. And despite the resonance her work continues to have for teens, there has never been a young adult trade biography on Austen.


Catherine Reef changes that with this highly readable account. She takes an intimate peek at Austen's life and innermost feelings, interweaving her narrative with well-crafted digests of each of Austen's published novels. The end result is a book that is almost as much fun to read as Jane's own work—and truly a life revealed. Includes bibliography and index.
(from the marketing material)



I'm a fan of Jane Austen's work, but really don't know much about her beyond the fact that she stayed single all her life and died fairly young. There isn't a lot of primary source information about her available, because after she died her family destroyed most personal letters and doesn't seem to have agreed on too many things about her.

Regardless, this book reads more like a novelization of her life than a traditional biography. It's a comfortable read (because calling it an "easy" read doesn't do it justice). The book follows Jane's life, from birth to her death. Reef shares not only information about Jane's particular story, but also about members of her family, with whom she was very close. Each of her novels is summarized during the telling of the story, which seems a bit tedious at times for a biography. However, you soon realize that each novel is part of Jane's story. Her characters developed as grew older and experienced life.

Reef's book provides an approachable look at an author who can seem rather daunting to a young adult. I mean, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice aren't exactly light reading for today's high school student. It's a wonderful read, and adds to the understanding of not only who Jane Austen is, but how much her daily life influenced her writing.

Reef, Catherine. Jane Austen: a life revealed. Clarion Books. April, 2011.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Hougton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”




One Hundred Candles, by Mara Purnhagen (Book 2 in the After Midnight Series)

I’ve opened a door that cannot be closed.

It’s taken a long time for me to feel like a normal teenager. But now that I’m settled in a new school, where people know me as more than Charlotte Silver of the infamous Silver family paranormal investigators, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with a popular football star like Harris Abbott? After all, it’s not as if Noah is anything more than a friend...

But my new life takes a disturbing turn when Harris brings me to a party and we play a game called One Hundred Candles. It seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until spirits unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now my friends and family are in very real danger, and the door that I’ve opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

As if being a high school student is hard enough...

Charlotte has lived with the paranormal all her life. Her parents are famous (infamous) for being paranormal researchers, but in the "Ghost Hunters" tradition of debunking the events rather than blind acceptance. Charlotte has almost always been involved in the family business, though only recently has she experienced some things for herself.

It seems that something has sought her out. Strange things are happening at school that seem to be recreating the stories told at the party that. Charlotte can explain away many of them, but there's just some things that no one has an answer for. To top it off, someone else has heard the same ghostly voice talking about pushing back a curtain.

Things are heating up. People are getting physically hurt, and what happens in a few months time really will change Charlotte's life, forever.

I'm a sucker for a good paranormal story that doesn't include glittery vampires or hunky werewolves. And the whole "debunking" aspect of this family appeals to me. Purnhagen's story is just good. She doesn't go for the unbelievable, and the fact that Charlotte is a bit skeptical about everything just makes everything that much more realistic.

With the growing interest in all things supernatural, this second book in the After Midnight series continues the story that's just fun..and captivating...and scarily believable. ;)

Purnhage, Mara. One Hundred Candles. Harlequin (Harlequin TEEN). February, 2011.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Harlequin TEEN through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver

They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them.

Until now.
 Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.
(from the book jacket)

(From the front cover flap:)
Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.


Imagine a world where the simple (and oh, so complex) emotion of love is outlawed. And not just outlawed, but eliminated. It's dystopian, to say the least.

The world, right down to the Bible, has been rewritten. "Uncured" boys and girls cannot mingle. The "cured" are told what life will bring, or at least the highpoints. Those who cannot conform are dead or imprisoned, or delivered to mental institutions.

Lena's marked--her mother couldn't conform. The time for her to be cured is fast-approaching, and though she's always been certain that the prescribed way is the way (if only to avoid being like her mother), suddenly she's not so sure.

Lauren Oliver has delivered a page-turner. Literally. It took me all of 4 hours to read this book because I couldn't put it down. I love Lena, her insecurity even when she is certain of the direction she should go. Her innocence and her passion when she realizes how things should really be, at least for her. This story has no slow moments, no time you wish things would pick up a bit. It's a coming of age-love and adventure story. The best part is that it's the first in a trilogy. The worst part is that I have to wait until next February to read the next installment. :(




Oliver, Lauren. Delirium. Harper Collins, February 2011.


Disclosure of Material Connection: This book is part of the library collection for the school library I work in. I was not solicited to write a review, nor am I receiving any compensation. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



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