Coming Soon to a Library Near You

Coming Soon to a Library Near You is a weekly feature inspired by Jill at Breaking the Spine that looks at upcoming books.

This Week’s Book: Dragonswood
Author: Janet Lee Carey
Release Date: Jan 2012
Summary: Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations. Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends.

Not even Tess’s power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword. And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of the Dragonswood.

In this epic romance, an ancient prophecy comes true in a way neither dragon, fairy, nor human would have predicted

This is usually more fantasy that I like to read. However, every once in a while I like to try some fantasy books, but only if they sound good, and this one sounds really awesome! Plus, the cover is beautiful. 

Eve

Eve

By Anna Carey

October 2011

336 pages

Summary:  Almost all of the adults have been wiped out by a deadly virus, leaving children and teens in orphanages. When Eve finds out that the bright future the teachers have promised her is a lie, that all the girls will be put in hospitals to produce babies, she risks all to escape to the wild beyond the school walls. There she meets Caleb, who goes against everything that her school had taught her. Together, with authorities and savages on their heels, they attempt to make it to safety and start a life together.

Review: Eve is an intriguing dystopian that feels like a mix between Epitaph Road by David Patneaude and Wither by Lauren DeStefano. The world building is well done, and would be easy for non-dystopian or non-fantasy readers to enjoy. Some areas could have been filled out more (the plague and the ending), but with a possible sequel, the story definitely has room to grow. The naivety and gentleness of Eve combined with her strength and willingness to survive at all cost made her an engaging and dynamic character. Her spunk was especially endearing in her interactions with Caleb. One of the better dystopians to come out in the last few months.

Also by Anna Carey: The Sloan Sisters series

If you liked Eve you might also enjoy: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Colins, Epitaph Road by David Patneaude and Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Rating:

Writing: 3.5/4

Characters: 3.5/4

Plot: 3/4

Originality: 2.5/4

Popularity: 3/4

Cover: 4/4

Grade Level: S

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all the Canadian bloggers. I'm off to spend time with family, enjoy the warm weather and eat a lot of turkey!!!

Trash to Treasure - Sept

Each month there are several books that I start to read but for one reason or another I just can’t get into. I have a fairly low tolerance for the books I read, usually only giving them between 50-100 pages before I quit. There are just too many books to read and not enough time to “trudge” through something I’m not enjoying. However, I recently realized that I never mention them on here. So I’ve decided to do a monthly feature looking at some of the books I just couldn’t get into and why.

Leverage by Joshua Cohen (75 pages) – This is where I wish I wasn’t such a one dimensional reader. This book had a great premise, good pacing and tackled relevant issues from a new perspective. The characterization was really strong, and I was especially drawn to Danny. I really wanted to like this book, however, at the end of the day, I couldn’t get past the sports. It was too distracting, which made keeping up with all the football players names difficult, and I just generally lost. Despite not having finished it, I would still highly recommend it to those who want a really great story and don’t mind reading a little bit about sports along the way.

Missy’s Reads and Reviews, Reclusive Bibliophile and Helen’sBook Blog all have positive reviews on their websites you should check out. 

Month in Review - September

I always enjoy reading blogger’s monthly recaps. It’s a great way to see what you’ve missed, notice trends and see how books compare to each other.  I stole this idea from Imagination in Focus, one of my favourite blogs to follow.

Number of Books Read: 7

Favourite Read: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead. Awesome on all accounts

Least Favourite: Leverage by Joshua Cohen  

Most Original Idea: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Best Character: Sydney from Bloodlines (although the book that had the best characters all around would be The Graveyard Book)

Best Villain:  Jack from Supernaturally by Kiersten White, he was arrogant, strange, a little all over the place and a complete surprise.  

Best Supporting Character: Adrian from Bloodlines (as he was also my favourite character in the VA series.

A honourable mention goes out to Saving June by Hannah Harrington which was also a great read this month. 

Heartless

While I was on my trip I became seriously addicted to the Pretty Little Liars series. Since the books are very similar in plot, writing style, etc., I’ve decided to do mini reviews so I’m not repeating myself as much. For a full review, check out my review here.

Heartless

By Sara Shepard

2010

274 Pages

Book 7

Summary: Four gorgeous girls are telling very ugly stories. First Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer claimed they found a dead body in the woods behind Spencer's house, only to have it vanish without a trace. Then, when the same woods went up in flames, they swore they saw someone who's supposed to be dead rise from the ashes. And even after all that, the pretty little liars are still playing with fire. Call me heartless, but it's about time someone shut these liars up for good. After all, nobody likes a girl who cries wolf—least of all me. . .


Review:  This book was a wild ride with multiple theories, accusations and huge plot twists. I loved how each girl was convinced she knew the identity of A and Ali’s real killer. In doing so, Shepard left a lot of little clues for the readers to piece together. Where other books have been about the girls’ lives as well as Ali and the mystery, this one focused more closely on what actually happened to Ali and her family. Be prepared to be surprised!


Rating: 3/4

TGIF

TGIF is a great Friday Meme hosted by one of my favourite blogs, GReads. It posts fun and relevant questions.

This week’s question: Banned Books: How do you feel about the censorship of the freedom to read? Do you think the education system needs to be more strict on what children are exposed to in books?

As a librarian, I’m obviously against censorship; it goes against everything I believe in (things such as freedom, expression, accessibility and discovery).

I remember as a kid our school library had a section of books that were “off limits”, books that we could read once we were a little older. Even as a kid I remember how oppressive this felt, how limited and restricted I was, especially because I had already read most of what was in my “allowed” section. My mom, being the champion that she is, contacted the library and gave them permission to lend me anything from that section that I wanted. She trusted that I would make good decisions, and she was involved enough to know what I was reading anyways. The kicker was that the librarian told her that no parent had ever done that before. Most of the books were Christopher Pike or R.L Stein books (nothing too graphic, I assure you), and it just breaks my heart that no one else thought to challenge this. So no, I DO NOT think that the education system needs to be more strict.

Some of the best books are banned books; books that challenge the norm, give agency and voice to groups often ignored and speak truth no matter how gritty. Those are the kind of books that I want my kids to read, or at least have the option to read. 

ALA Banned Book Week Website