Wednesday, June 12, 2013

I'm Moving On Up!

I'm moving to WordPress, midnighters!  Like, now.  So things might be a little hinky for the next 24 to 48 hours.

You can find me at Midnight Book Girl.

Blogger, it's been real.  At times it's been fun.  But it has not been real fun lately. You were great in the beginning, because let's be honest, I was a total noob.  I couldn't even figure out how to schedule posts- remember those days?  Or how I couldn't post a link to save my life?  Those were the good times, Blogger.  When I still thought you cared.

I feel Google broke up with me first though, when they stopped caring about GFC and decided to ditch Google Reader.

But now I've got WordPress for my blog and Bloglovin' for my reader. Hopefully everything works out and you all come along for the ride.  I'll be doing several giveaways in the coming months to thank my old and new followers. 


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Author Elizabeth Norris Shares Her Summer Reads!




Elizabeth Norris, author of Unraveling and Unbreakable, stops by to share 5 more of her top summer reads!








·         Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child.

Every summer reading list needs a good thriller, and Jack Reacher thrillers are the best around. This one takes place in New York City and has one of the tensest opening scenes ever. 

·         Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood.

This book has one of my favorite twists ever. I actually gasped when I read it. It also has beautiful writing, a fantastic protagonist, a swoonworthy love interest, and a world that I want to go visit.

·         Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. 

This is one of my all time favorite books. It's full of several different mysteries and love stories that tie up beautifully in the end. 

·         The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker. 

This is the book for all those people who love Veronica Mars. It's tense and funny and even a little gut wrenching.

·         The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.

This is actually the first YA novel that I ever read as an adult. One of my students had been telling me about it was an amazing book she read over summer vacation. It has great characters, a warm summer feel, and a romance that will melt anyone's heart. Sa-woon.
...............................................

Make sure to check out more of Liz’s summer reading recommendations by visiting Bewitched Bookworms (June 11th). She also shared her top summer movie and TV picks and excerpts with I am a Reader, Not a Writer (May 31st), Reading After Midnight (June 4th), Tynga’s Reviews (June 5th), Two Chicks on Books (June 7th), I’d So Rather Be Reading (June 10th) and Good Books and Good Wine (June 14th). More to come!

Check out my reviews of Unraveling and Unbreakable.  Also, here's a link to an excerpt from Undone, a Unraveling novella.
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Monday, June 10, 2013

Unbreakable (Unraveling #2) Review

Unbreakable (Unraveling #2)
by Elizabeth Norris
Genre: YA sci-fi thriller
Format: ARC I received from Authors On The Web. All thoughts, opinions and snark expressed in the review are my own.
Midnight Minute: From practically the first page, Janelle is once again in a race against time and parallel worlds to rescue the people she loves the most.
From Goodreads:
Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?
Midnight Thoughts:
~ This is one of those books where it probably would have helped if I'd flipped through the first book again before starting the sequel.  Of course me being me, I didn't.  Luckily, I remembered enough and Norris does a good job of introducing past events without doing that info dump thing that I hate (remember Sweet Valley High books, and how they explained in the first few pages of every book what the twins looked like, their differing personalities, and the fact that they had to share driving privileges of their convertible Spider Fiat? Even at 11 it made me roll my eyes.).
~ Like in the first book, each chapter is a countdown of time left before some bad shiz goes down. I find this slightly thrilling. 
~ San Diego, where Jannelle resides, is in ruins, along with the rest of the world, after a series of earthquakes and general Day After Tomorrow-ness. This is why jumping through worlds should be left to the experts. 
~ Because this series deals with parallel worlds, Janelle runs into the version of her love, Ben, that exists in this world.  He's just not her Ben.  So bittersweet.  But this does raise the possibility that somewhere in a parallel world, Johnny Depp is waiting patiently for me. 
~ The series references X-Files quite a lot, but I think the author might have given a shout out to Alias and here's why: Janelle and her friend, Cecily, are helping people gathered in a large stadium.  People are going missing.  The newest missing person is Renee Adams, and she disappears from Section 47.  47 is a very important number in the Alias mythology and was featured at least once in every episode.  My inner tv nerd was completely satisfied.
~ It takes no time for things to get tense.  Janelle is living in a very different America now.  Martial Law scares the crap out of me, and fuels dystopian nightmares. 
~ Because of the state of the world, Janelle was able to join the FBI as a trainee.  Sigh, if only there'd be a world disaster when I was a teen and was convinced I was going to be the world's next Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs
~ Agent Barclay is back!!!  I'm sorry, but I love him.  I'm Team Barclay, but I want him for me.  Janelle can keep Ben. 
~ So, it turns out there's a lot of missing people.  And that they're being stolen from our world.  Also, Ben's missing and is suspected of being the one responsible for all the stolen people. 
~ I was intrigued be the idea of the missing and where they go when they disappear without a trace.  
~ Barclay, Mr. Straight and Narrow, is now going all rogue to solve the case.  And he wants Janelle's help.  Also, he calls Janelle by her last name, Tenner.  Which I much prefer. He can call me by my last name any day of the week too. 
~ Elizabeth Norris: not afraid to go all George R.R. Martin on her characters.  Just so you know, if you didn't remember who she killed off in the first book, don't assume anyone is safe. 
~ Janelle is torn between going with Barclay and helping to find Ben and solve the mystery, and between staying and protecting her little brother. 
~ But then someone she loves is taken and J's inner Liam Neeson is set loose!  Because Janelle has a particular set of skills... ;)
~ There is a strange kind of chemistry between Barclay and Janelle and I like it.  It helps that I picture Barclay as particularly yummy.
~ Also, Barclay brews and serves cinnamon tea. Shirtless. I seriously bought some the next day. 
~ The action in this book is almost constant and brutal at times. Janelle may not be as physically strong as some of her attackers, but the girl has some amazing mental skills.  I'm a firm believer that a strong mind is the best weapon. 
~ I tell you what, midnighters, if I could open portals into parallel worlds, I'd be breaking into vaults and grabbing gold and diamonds.  Then I'd break into some libraries and steal some books.  Because just think about all our favorite authors and the books they might be writing in alternate worlds.  Maybe there's a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird where Scout becomes a kick ass civil rights lawyer, or where Stieg Larrson is still happily churning out Lisbeth Salander novels.  The mind reels, people!  I would be the world's richest nerd and my library would be ENORMOUS!! I'd buy either North or South Dakota and fill it with libraries and coffee shops and it would be our very own Disney World.  And you could all come and stay as long as you kept it secret, okay?
~ Elijah provides some comic relief- totally needed in a novel where things have gone just as wrong as they possibly could for Janelle and Ben. 
~ I wrote a ton more notes I can't share without spoiling everything!
~ I liked Unraveling quite a lot.  I remember that the first book lost a little steam at the end, Unbreakable does not.  Norris keeps the pace up and keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat.   Some things that happen at the end might make some readers unhappy, but I'm trusting Norris to keep me reading.


Timeless Characters:
Janelle- our heroine and junior FBI badass.
Ben- Janelle's love from book one, now on the run.
Agent Taylor Barclay- Interverse Agent, back off, midnighters, he's mine.  'Nuff said.
Cecily- Janelle's friend.
Jared- Janelle's little brother.
Struz- Janelle and Jared's guardian.
Renee Adams- among the missing.
Hayley- Barclay's ex. She had better stay that way.
Elijah- Ben's friend.
Derek- Ben's brother.
Meridan- brutish bad guy.
 
Midnight Moment:
The prison break! Holy crap, I must have held my breath for pages and pages!  Seriously, some tense Die Hard shiz.


Stop The Clock:
This is a series I'm invested in, and I think if you enjoy X-Files, anything J.J Abrams, and sci-fi mixed with your YA, then start reading these books!


Elizabeth Norris— Website |liz norris





Unbreakable *(Unraveling #2) gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 
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Sunday, June 9, 2013

Sundays in Bed With... The Dream Thieves

 Welcome to my Sundays In Bed With... Meme! The meme that dares to ask, what book has been in your bed this morning?  Come share what book you've spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today!


This morning I'm reading:
The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater.

I'm almost done with this book, and I'm all sorts of sad about that.  Because it's an amazing book, full of wonderful words and characters, and it just fills my heart up in a way that only the very best of books do.  I was going to be good this year and read my BEA books in order of publication, but I just can't resist this series.  Honestly, if you start this series, be prepared to mourn the fact that these characters don't really exist.  Well, they don't exist in the real world, but Stiefvater brings them to life in our hearts, which is almost better.  

I'm also officially moving to WordPress this month, starting this week.  If you don't already, please follow me somewhere else other than GFC.  I'm liking BlogLovin' a lot, but I'm still new to it.  Also, be on the look out for some giveaways once I make the jump to WordPress, as I beg once more for followers.   

   What are you reading (or wish you had time to read) this morning? Are you reading the book you thought you'd be reading, or has today found you with a surprise? Link up below! I'm going to try running this more like a blog hop, so feel free to add the link in your meme posts!
 
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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Vicious

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is a meme to share what future books we're most excited about.

I just got back from BEA and while I have tons of WoW books sitting on my shelves, I thought I'd pick a book that didn't get.  Because you can't get all the books, it's just not possible.  Unless I hire assistants... 

Here's what I'm waiting on:
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
from Goodreads:
A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and
superpowers, set in a near-future world.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will.

Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
I really enjoyed Schwab's The Archived, and I've been assured that I will love her book The Near Witch- so I'm going to read that first, until I see Steph next month and we do our book hostage exchange.  But more on that later. ;)

What book are you waiting on?  




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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

BEA Blogger Conference Quickie

After a rough start to the morning (details to come on lunch voucher/cocktail hour tickets fiasco when I get back home), I found that I quite enjoyed this year's Blogger Conference. Some things were better, the panels, the books (at least for those of us in the YA panel audience), and the fact that I was more relaxed. Last year I got there so early and waited on line so long because I was just neurotic.

In every big event like this there are going to be some disappointments. I wish there'd been more authors, but one of my favorite authors from last year, Will Schwalbe, was the opening keynote speaker. There weren't many adult books (am I the only one that feels vaguely dirty whenever I use the term "adult books"? Like maybe it requires gloves to read them and a shot of penicillin?) offered, although the happy hour/cocktail party had some good books.

This year I stayed for the Happy Hour, got to chat with some really great writers, one in particular who was super gracious when I spilled red wine all over myself and my white blouse. I came prepared though, and dazzled people with my Tide Pen skills. ;)

Tomorrow is Day One of BEA, and I can hardly wait! Also, I'm very excited to go to the Penguin Bird Bash, especially since they seem to be quite involved in this year's conference.

I met a bunch of wonderful bloggers and authors, and I survived VoucherGate through their kindness- more on who I met to come later!




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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sundays In Bed With... Follow the White Rabbit to BEA!

 Welcome to my Sundays In Bed With... Meme! The meme that dares to ask, what book has been in your bed this morning?  Come share what book you've spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today!


This morning I'm reading:
Kellie was one of my roommates last year at BEA.  There were four of us in a tiny room, and once we all started bringing back books from the show, Harry Potter's cupboard under the stairs would have seemed spacious.  Somehow, Kellie manage to squirrel her books away (possibly I had made one too many jokes about stealing them) and surprised on the last day with the magical space she'd found to store them. Then a few months later, Kellie surprised us again- she was publishing a book!  I just found this one the other day, so I thought I'd go ahead and read it because today I'm BEA bound once again! 
I'm so excited, but somehow I actually managed to sleep last night.  So now I just have to finish packing, listen to the last 1/2 hour of Warm Bodies so I can start Joe Hill's NOS4A2 on the train.  It feels weird to just be taking my Kindle and phone on a trip, and not several physical books too, but I'll have tons of books to read while in NY.  
What are your weekend plans?  I won't be online much today, but this year I am taking my laptop, so expect updates on how BEA is going.  
   What are you reading (or wish you had time to read) this morning? Are you reading the book you thought you'd be reading, or has today found you with a surprise? Link up below! I'm going to try running this more like a blog hop, so feel free to add the link in your meme posts!
 
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Monday, May 20, 2013

My BEA Two Cents



Some of you might have heard of this little blogger/author/publishing event called BEA, or BookExpo America.  Some of you might be sick and tired of hearing about all of us bloggers who are going to BEA and blowing up your reader with post after post of BEA tips and experiences.  To my readers that fall in that category, I'm sorry, because this is that kind of post.  But I urge you to check out Armchair BEA, which helped me through the years I couldn't go to BEA.

Last year was my first year at BEA and I have to tell you the experience was AMAZING!  I was so fortunate to be able to go- in large part because when I told my friend and fellow blogger, Kim, about the event she literally made it happen.  I've always wanted to go but it seemed too expensive (it is pricey, but the memories are priceless) and too much work to figure out on my own.  With Kim, and our friend Steph, we made our plans.  I found two awesome Canadian roommates, Cindy and Kellie, to share a hotel room with Kim and me.  Suddenly the price for BEA was a lot more within my price range.

4 women, lots of clothes, hundreds of books!
The room was tiny, but the hotel staff and breakfast was awesome.  Plus it helped that even though we had a small room, we all hit it off really well.  Pick good roommates.  If you don't know them ahead of time, get to know them.  The four of us skyped several times before BEA, and in that way Kim and I were already friends with Cindy and Kellie before arriving in NYC. This year I get to stay with an amazing friend and blogger, Pam, of Midnyte Reader.  I am so lucky!!!

The Javits Center is huge, and you will be overwhelmed when you walk in.  But no fear, because there are thousands of your people there.  That's right, we are book bloggers, sisters and brothers of the BOOK.  Those who have been there before are happy to share tips with you.  It's the closest thing to utopia that you will experience on earth.  Just don't be an ass and you should be fine.  Smile, be polite, and I promise you that you will meet people that will reaffirm your faith in humanity.  Bookworms are the very best kinds of people.

So, what do you need to survive BEA?  Here's a list:
  • COMFORTABLE shoes. Everyone says this, and everyone is right.
  • Some cash- to park your rolling suitcases and to use in the non-ticketed signing area.
  • Business card- bring a lot, pass them around.  Also, there are apps you can download on your phone so that you can scan business cards, which I plan on using if some bloggers only have a few cards. 
  • Rolling suitcase- check it in, and fill it up throughout the day.  I should have made more stops last year but I was worried I would miss stuff on the floor.  Here's the thing- you are going to miss stuff unless you've got a timeturner.  The beautiful thing about this is that other books will find you when you least expect it. 
  • Play nicely!  There are always going to be some snobduches at BEA, don't let them get you down!  Keep on smiling, 99% of people there will be awesome, so you be awesome too.
  • Bring snacks and a small water bottle- especially if you're on a budget.  The prices are high at the Javits Center, but it's the same if you go to any event.  Last year I brought a big bottle of water and it weighed a ton.  There are water fountains, so it's fine to bring a small bottle and re-fill. 
  • Wear comfortable clothes!  I suggest going business casual, especially if you're planning on talking to any of the publishing professionals.  Just like a job interview, they will take you more seriously if you're not wearing a tank top and shorts. Unless you have a body like Gwyneth Paltrow or Jennifer Aniston and can make a torn sheet look classy....
  • BEA is a marathon, not a sprint! Don't panic, even if you miss a book drop one day, another chance may come along.  There is never, ever, ever, any reason to run, shove, or frog leap over your fellow BEA attendees... unless you're playing leap frog, but honestly, I wouldn't do that on the floor. 
  • Apologize when you bump into people.  Apologize if people bump into you.  It never hurts to be overly polite. Also be nice to the Power Readers that come the last day of BEA, even if they're clueless.  Some of them are librarians and teachers, most just really love books and don't understand how BEA works.  One Power Reader did me a solid last year, and it really helped my attitude.
  • If you don't know, ask.  Sometimes it's hard to know if a book is available to be picked up, so it's better to ask.  If the book isn't available, try to chat up the publisher, show interest and you never know what will happen! 
  • If you're mailing books, unless you have money to burn, just take it to the post office.  Bring lots of tape!!! Send it media mail, which is ridiculously cheap.  I was dreading the trip to the post office, but it was actually a great experience.  We ran into some fellow bloggers, the employees were really helpful, and it was easier than I could have imagined.  It's hard to let your book babies go, so I suggest traveling with your must read ARCs.  But seriously, tape the shiz out of those boxes like you were preparing them for mummification.  
  • The first day at BEA will be crazy and you'll get lost a million times if it's your first time there.  By the third day, the venue will seem small and you'll know where everything is.  I promise!
  • Listen to everyone's tips and advice, and then do what works for you! 
And finally look for me!

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Sundays in Bed With... Sweet Salt Air

 Welcome to my Sundays In Bed With... Meme! The meme that dares to ask, what book has been in your bed this morning?  Come share what book you've spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This morning I'm reading:
Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky

This is actually an ARC and doesn't come out until June 18th, but I have a feeling I'm going to see a lot of copies of this book when I go to the beach in August.  It has that beach read feeling- and one of the main characters is a food blogger (she's always taking pictures of food before eating it, which totally reminded me of taking pictures of books with drinks when I read at Panera or Starbucks).  I'm just a few chapters in, and although it's not a type of book I normally read, I'm surprised by how much I'm liking it.  Ultimately it's a book about friendship, and I think as we age- especially once we hit our 30's- we start to truly appreciate what a gift true friendship is.   Also the book takes place on an island off of Maine and now I'm worried that Fenwick Island in Delaware is not going to compare well when it comes time for vacation. There should be a special island just for book bloggers to vacation at, and every little cottage should have a well stocked library.  And we should only have to pay what we can afford to pay in order to vacation there.  Someone smarter and hardworking then me- look into this!
I'm also finishing up Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (less than 50 pages to go!) and I think if I power through today I can finish the last 5 hours of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss so that my Bout of Books won't be a complete failure. 

Be sure to check out and participate in my Book STD challenge! 

What are you reading (or wish you had time to read) this morning? Are you reading the book you thought you'd be reading, or has today found you with a surprise? Link up below! I'm going to try running this more like a blog hop, so feel free to add the link in your meme posts!
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Saturday, May 18, 2013

S'up?

I've been soooo neglectful lately of my blog.  I'm reading, but I haven't been keeping up with reviews or other blogs like I should.  I've been working a lot, and... I've been watching a lot of HLN and following the Jodi Arias case because I am a trial junkie and I can no longer deny it. The downside is that this trial has been going on for months now, and even though it's in the penalty phase, it's still being drawn out. 

But as of today, and thru the rest of this month, I will be posting something book related EVERY DAY!  It's okay, you can be impressed. ;) Consider it a countdown to my BEA trip, when I get to hang with so many of you bookish lovelies!!

So, I'm sort of doing Bout of Books, although my goals have gone out the window.  Here's what I'm reading: 
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, which is amazing! 

I'm listening to The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.  I'm going to be featuring it as part of my Book STD feature, which you have to check out.  There's a giveaway and only 2 entries so far!  All you have to do is review a book that a friend made you read, or feature a book you want everyone in the world to read.  This will be a monthly giveaway.

This week I need to pack for BEA, because a week from tomorrow I head to New York!! I'm taking my very first train trip, so I'm very excited about it (let's ignore the train accident that happened up North recently, okay?). 

I'm also turning 36 this month, on May 22nd.  I am less excited about this, but I do love birthdays. 

So, dear ones, what is up with you? 
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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Bout of Books: I Feel the Need, the Need to Read!

Bout of Books

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. 
- From the Bout of Books team

 I'm in!  Here are my goals:
Finish Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
Finish The Name of the Wind (audio) by Patrick Rothfuss
Read a Christopher Pike book, make an update/link post for my challenge
Read at least 1 book off my TBR shelf.
Cull my bookshelves so I have room for all the BEA goodness I will be bringing home in June.
Update all my challenges
Write a review a day
Schedule posts for when I'll be at BEA
Figure out the BEA app for my phone  I finally figured it out!
And LOTS of commenting!  I've been a slacker for months!
Basically, just kick book ass all week long! ;) 
 

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Sundays in Bed With... The Name of the Wind

 Welcome to my Sundays In Bed With... Meme! The meme that dares to ask, what book has been in your bed this morning?  Come share what book you've spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This morning I'm reading:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Hubs actually asked me if I'd read this, because one of his employees mentioned it to him as being a book I might like if I enjoyed George R. R. Martin books.  I downloaded it on Audible, and folks, it's a loooong book.  I'm 5 hours in, with 22 more hours to go.  But, I have to say, I'm really enjoying it.  It's similar to Martin only in that it's a complex fantasy novel.  It's a very easy listen, so it's not as daunting as a long book can be.   
Be sure to check out and participate in my Book STD challenge! 

What are you reading (or wish you had time to read) this morning? Are you reading the book you thought you'd be reading, or has today found you with a surprise? Link up below! I'm going to try running this more like a blog hop, so feel free to add the link in your meme posts!
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Thursday, May 9, 2013

Night School (Night School #1) Review

Night School (Night School #1)
by C.J. Daughtery
Genre: YA
Format: ARC received through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.  I do not get to keep a copy of the books.
Midnight Minute: Allie's parents send her to the mysterious Cimmeria Academy after Allie gets arrested... again.  But it's not the curriculum that's proving hard for Allie, it's staying alive.
Expected Publication: 05.21.13
From Goodreads:
Allie's world is falling apart...

She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn't know a soul.

But instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she's happy there. She's making friends. And then there's Sylvain, a suave French student who openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have her back.

Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are hiding dangerous secrets.


Midnight Thoughts:
~ This book was not what I thought it was going to be about, and I'm so thankful for that!  I was honestly a little worried it would be another House of Night or Vampire Academy type series, however Daugherty keeps things nice and mysterious. 
~ Since her brother disappeared,  Allie has been acting out, and after another arrest her parents ship her off to Cimmeria Academy. 
~ I really wish that I wasn't about to turn 36, or that there was a boarding school for adults, because ya'll, I would totally sign up to go! Cimmeria Academy is no Hogwarts, but it's somewhere, hidden, in England!
~ Bad sign: when the boarding school you're attending is in a secret location and there's no cell phones, iPods or laptops allowed.  That's right, Cimmeria Academy students should learn to be grateful just for electricity.  Actually, I kind of like this idea, because with today's instant media culture, no doubt there'd be tweets and youtube videos of all that mysterious "Night School" society.
~ The vast majority of the kids at the boarding school are legacy students, so Allie garners a lot of attention, speculation and her fair share of distrust for not being legacy.  
~ The Night School is, as explained to Allie, a secret group of "advanced" students.  Hmmkay...
~ Allie has to do detention in the cemetery that's on the school grounds.  That does not sound as horrifying to me as it might to some of my more "normal" readers. ;) 
~ There's two boys, the broody Carter and the charming Sylvain.  Guess which one is the main boy!
~ Carter is a scholarship student, as his now deceased parents worked for the school before they died.  Which adds to Carter's dark broodiness.  
~ Mysterious growling?  Human-sounding footsteps? How are we not thinking werewolf, Allie?!  Seriously, were-wolf.  The description you just gave of what chased you and Jo?  Text book definition of an effing werewolf!!
~ As the mystery deepens, I become aware of the fact that this book is not going to go down the normal YA Paranormal path.  Oh, no, readers, Daugtherty is going all Dan Brown on your butts!
~ Jo teaches Allie how to play chess in the common room, which makes Jo Allie's Ron.  So does that make Gabe her Hermione?  lol
~ Allie visits the school chapel, which has poetry in many languages decorating the walls.  Love that!! Sounds amazing. 
~ Uh, oh, Jo is acting weird.  Or not.  Really, Allie, we barely know this girl.
~ Yeah, that's the second time I spoke to the character like she could hear me.  This book made me do that several times, and I see no reason not to share that tidbit with you.  At times it was like, "No, Allie!  Don't go by yourself in the dark, deadly woods/attic/basement/etc!"  Sadly, she did not always listen to me. 
~ Even though I got the feeling immediately that Carter was endgame, there were several cute moments with Sylvain and Allie.  Until...
~  SPOILER (highlight to read): The author has Sylvain do something so completely awful that despite her best efforts is IRREDEEMABLE.  This really made me upset, because I liked his character, and while I expected him to be revealed to be a jerk, what he actually did should have had him down at the police station recovering from the beat down the cops gave him with their little sticks.   You can't come back from that.  Well, I guess you can, because I used to watch soap operas and two of my favorite male leads (Jack on Days, Todd on OLTL and GH) were magically cured rapists, but I don't think YA is the place for this. No, there's no rape, but Sylvain still does something very unforgivable.
~ There's so much tension between Sylvain and Carter throughout the book, which normally has my eyes rolling, but not so much in this book.  I got why she was attractive to both boys, and not everyone in school was trying to get in her pleated skirt (actually, I can't remember if she wore a pleated skirt as part of her school uniform, but you get my drift, right?).
~ There should be more kissing whilst pressed against walls in this world.  I promise there would be less wars and violence.  Possibly more babies and chapped lips, though...
~ I flip-flopped teams several times until the spoiler thing happened, and I still wish that hadn't happened.  Sigh. 
~ Skinny dipping is "wholesome" fun!  lol And I envision the CW is already in line to make this into a tv show. 
~ Oh, Allie.  I have panic attacks when I'm naked all the time. ;)
~ The dance does NOT GO AS PLANNED.  
~ So, the Night School was slowly revealed, and trust me peeps, it was not what I thought it was.  I felt a bit like Vizzini in The Princess Bride shouting, "Inconceivable!" and Daugherty was all like, "Midnight Book Girl, I do not think the Night School is what you think it is!" Well played, author, well played. 
~  I have lots more notes, but I can't share anymore with you without majorly spoiling the book.  Trust me though, this is like the Da Vinci Code for the YA set to a certain degree, maybe a bit more gothic, a bit less complicated.


Timeless Characters:
Allie- our heroine, reeling from her brother's disappearance and acting out, finds herself at a mysterious boarding school stuck between two hotties. 
Carter- Bachelor #1, step right up!  Broody, hot mess boy.  Only he's not that broody or hot mess-ish.  Secretive. 
Sylvain- French hottie, charming.  Carter is not his biggest fan, and the two boys are pages away of having a dance off for Allie's hand.  
Isabelle- the headmistress of Cimmeria Academy.
Christopher- Allie's missing brother.
Jo- Allie's first real friend at boarding school.
Gabe- Jo's boyfriend, possible a Night School member.
Katie- red-headed wenchy girl, hates Allie, wants Sylvain. 
Jules- prefect, friend to Katie.
Mr. Zelazny- history teacher (but he's pretty much the Mr. Filch of the story).
Lucas- Jo's ex, part of Allie's new friends.
Rachel- gossipy new friend
Lisa, Ruth, Phil- more friends.  Don't get attached. o.0
Eloise- the school librarian.
Mr. Ellison- I think he's the groundskeeper.  He oversees the cemetery detention. 
Clare- Carter's ex. 
Lucinda- mystery woman.
Nathaniel- mysterious mothereffer. 
Mark and Harry- Allie's London friends.  I've recorded their names, but you don't need to.  They are but a blip on the radar, my dears.  OR are they?  (see, Daugherty, I can mess with readers too! ;)
 
Midnight Moment:
I realized that some shiz would go down at the dance.  One expects that.  I did not expect the shiz storm that was unleashed.  Some of it bothered me (Sylvain) and some of it shocked me a bit because I didn't realize this book was going to be that... intense? 


Stop The Clock:
Is this a perfect book?  Nope.  There's a few bumps in the road to a full on Midnight Read, including some truly difficult suspensions of belief, characters acting outside of their established personalities, convenient information supplied by characters who previously had been barely mentioned the first 200 pages or so, BUT, there's promise here.  I really liked that the book surprised me.  I really liked that Allie didn't hold onto her whole "teenage rebel" thing that I figured would only continue at boarding school.  I'm very intrigued with where this book is going, and even though some mystery has been answered, there's lots more to be revealed!  I am in this one for the long haul.  


Goodreads also shows this as a possible cover:

But the ARC I was sent had the cover I include with the synopsis.  I probably prefer the top one, just because I think it invokes the mystery of the novel a bit more.  What do ya'll think?  

C.J. Daugherty — Website |C.J Daugherty 
So, book 2 is already out in the U.K.?  Um, need it!  Plus that cover is Ah-mazing. 




Night School (Night School #1) gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

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