2011 Debutante Event

Sorry I've been M.I.A. so long you've guys! I have no real excuse for you guys except... I couldn't blog because my dog ate my computer! Sad but true... (or not true, whatever :P). But I do have something very exciting to share with you guys!

This year Badass Bookie is hosting the 2011 Debutante Event!

What is the Debutante Event you may be wondering? Well, it runs from December 1st through the 25th and it features 2011 Debutante (New) Authors! Each author will be featured over two day time slots. The first day is for you to get to know the author and learn about their book and the second day is a GIVEAWAY! Think about how many giveaways you could enter over the course of the month? Oh yes, it is awesome! Now that you're interested you're probably wondering who the awesome Debutante authors are going to be! Well here's the schedule:

1st-2nd of Dec. - Julia Karr ( XVI)
3rd-4th of Dec - Amy Holder ( Lipstick Laws)
5th-6th of Dec - Carrie Harris ( Bad Taste In Boys)
7th-8th of Dec - Elana Johnson ( Possession)
9th-10th of Dec - Lia Habel ( Dearly, Departed)
11th-12th of Dec - Sara Bennett Wealer ( Rival)
13th-14th of Dec - Beth Revis ( Across the Universe)
15th-16th of Dec - Lisa and Lauren Roecker ( The Liar Society)
17th -18th of Dec - Kristi Cook ( Haven)
19th -20th of Dec - Cynthia Hand ( Unearthly)
21st-22nd of Dec - Kiki Hamilton ( The Faerie Ring)
23rd-24th of Dec - Lauren DeStefano ( Wither)
25th of Dec - Wrap up post

So as you can tell the 2011 Debutante Event is going to be made of awesome! I know that I'm more than a little excited for this thing to start! And a big thanks to Badass Bookie for hosting this amazing extravaganza!

IRON FEY NUMBER FOUR?!

Oh yes! You heard right! Today, Julie Kagawa announced on her blog that there will be a fourth book in her fabulous Iron Fey series that was once thought to be a trilogy. The Title will be The Iron Knight and it's going to be Ash's story! To my dismay, that was all the details provided. You can read her original post HERE. Harlequin Teen also posted about the upcoming book on their Facebook page: "The secret is out! The Iron Fey series will continuenext fall with The Iron Knight!" You can "like" Harlequin Teen (for picking up such a fabulous series) on Facebook HERE. Or you can check out The Iron Fey official website HERE.

Megan, Puck, and Ash as depicted in Julie Kawaga's Sims3 game.

Review: Paranormalcy

Title: Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)

Author: Kiersten White

Pages: 335

Publisher: Harper Teen

Published: August 31st, 2010

Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

"Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. "

Paranormalcy was quite a good book. I really loved the twist on the way paranormals were viewed. Normally you see one, maybe two types of paranormals and that's it. The main character Evie, a human but not really, wasn't even afraid of them, her job was to find them and tag them so that the International Paranormal Containment Agency knew of their existence and could control them so that no one else would find out about their existence. It was really cool how all of the different types of paranormals were shown. It really stuck to the original make up of the paranormals, vampires were scary, werewolves changed into beasts on the full moon, that kinda stuff. It was the paranormals that we love but better! In addition to the original paranormals there were some cool new hybrids thrown in there which was awesome to see something new!

Character wise I wasn't in love with Evie's character, I couldn't really connect with her in the book but she seemed to have her head on as straight as she could given the circumstances and she wasn't overly obnoxious. The other characters were great however. Reth, a faerie love interest, was exceptionally interesting, you never really knew where he stood until the end. Evie may not have been in love with him but I think I was! Lend was interesting because he started off a mystery but opened up gradually as he began to trust Evie. The best part about him though, he could look like anyone he wanted. He's one of those awesome new paranormals I mentioned!

Overall, it was pretty well written. A nice balance of action and love interest. Definitely a series I'll continue and most certainly a book I'd suggest!

*BTW The front cover is cool but the back is even more awesome!!!

Review: Salvaged

Title: Salvaged

Author: Stefne Miller

Pages: 352

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Published: May 18th, 2010

Rating: 5/5

Summary From Goodreads:

"My body was being torn apart, and my stomach felt as if it exploded. The pain was excruciating, and I was aware that I was dying...

'Mom?' My vision was murky, but I could see her face. It was bloody, and her eyes were large and full of fear.

Her voice calmed. 'Get out of the car, Attie.' Her words sounded crisp and clear.

I looked into the backseat in search of Melody and found her lying covered in blood in a twisted heap on the floor. I turned my attention back to my mother and out of the corner of my eye saw fire.

'Get out, Attie!'

'Mom?'

Everything went dark.

Attie Reed should have died in the wreck that stole the lives of her mother and best friend. But her life was spared. Why? When Attie moves to Oklahoma to stay with the Bennetts for the summer, she hopes she has left her nightmares behind. But her battle is far from over, and Riley Bennett steps forward to help her fight the nighttime monsters. As the battle wears on, Riley begins fighting monsters of his own: his feelings for Attie. And Attie realizes she must begin to face the monsters of the night herself if she wants to conquer them for good. Can Attie's life be Salvaged?"

Oh my goodness! I must say I am absolutely, positively, irrevocably in love with this book! It's the kind of book that you can just read over and over! It was so good I don't even know what to say about it!

The characters were great. The point of view switches back and forth from Attie and Riley which was awesome because you were able to see everything from two points of view. It really allowed the reader to get into their heads and you really got to know them. You were able to see how they hurt and the struggles they faced and the joy and love they had for each other. Attie and Riley both grew and changed throughout the novel and it was great to watch. They, along with their friends and families, were funny, serious, loving, and caring. They were all beautifully written characters that I wish I could meet in real life.

It was really great to read a book where God was a major part of the novel too. I feel that in books these days religion is throw aside, almost taboo to write about. It's very rare to get a book that mentions going to a church let alone has Jesus as a character! Salvaged had strong moral values which I really appreciate and added excellently to the novel. (I know not everyone is into religion but it was extremely tastefully written and I think anyone, no matter what their religious views, will loves this book!)

Salvage was a love story, a family drama, and the typical teen thing all rolled up into one. I definitely suggest this book to anyone looking for a good, powerful read. I don't mean to gush but it was one of the best books I think I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Guest Blogger: My Hearts In Hardback

Today we are lucky enough to have Kailie Lynne from My Hearts In Hardback here with us to tell us about her 5 favorite books! Kailie's a new blogger so definitely check out her blog and maybe show some love by following! Now, here's her favorites:

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Hi everyone! I'm Kailie Lynne from My Hearts In Hardback. I'm guest posting for Monica today, and I will tell all you guys about my 5 all-time favorite novels.

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry: I don't usually read children's novels but I absolutely love this one! This is the book that made me love reading. Lois Lowry's books have a lot of suspense and adventure, but The Giver is her best book by far. No matter how old you are, you will definitely enjoy this book.

2. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti: This is by far the best book in the world! I love Susane Colasanti's books, but this one is probably my favorite. It has some intense parts, and then some romantic parts. I seriously finished it in like two days because I couldn't put it down.

3. Are You Alone On Purpose? by Nancy Werlin: This was also a great book. And again it's about teen love, and friendship. I haven't read any of Nancy's other books, but I already love her for this book. I can't wait to read Impossible and Extraordinary.

4. Take Me There by Susane Colasanti: Another Susane Colasanti book. (She's THAT good, lol.) I'm still reading this, but I only have about 2 chapters to go. What I'm trying to say is that this is a great book that I just love! Again, a teen romance novel. But what I like about this book is that there are different parts and every part is a different characters POV. If you like teen romance, you should pick up one of Susane Colasanti's books.

5. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech: This is again a great children's novel, but it is still a great book. This books is written in verse, like some of her other novels. But this one really gets to you, and the ending is amazing. I would recommend this to anyone.

Well I hope you like my guest post, and a BIG thanks to Monica for letting me be the guest blogger! Hope you get the chance to check out my blog! I'm a new blogger, so I don't know all the ropes yet, but I would love to hear any suggestions or feedback!

Lots of love!

-Kailie Lynne

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Thanks so much for the post Kailie! It was a pleasure having you! There's a few on that list I definitely can't wait to pick up!

Happy Reading Everyone!