Teaser Tuesday #2 (Feb 19)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser for this week. 

Fire Country

by David Estes

"Men sit on stone benches drinking fire juice and telling boisterous stories and jokes that end with raucous laughter from their mates. There're no women in sight." 

--page 25 of epub version

Teaser Tuesday #1 (Feb 12)

I decided to join Teaser Tuesday here on Renee's Library. If anyone is interested in trying this you can comment your teaser here or post one on  your own blog, or both. :) 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser for this week. 

The Other Side

by Terry Tyler

" Nice fella, got a bit of ambition, I'll say that," said her father. "Could do with a haircut, though."

The Body Finder (The Body Finder #1) by Kimberly Derting

The Body Finder (The Body Finder #1) by Kimberly Derting 
Hardcover, 327 pages
Published: March 16th 2010 by Harper Collins Children's Books
ISBN: 0061779814 
ISBN13: 9780061779817
url: http://www.thebodyfinder.com
Literary awards: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), Chicago Public Library Best of the Best for Teens (2011)

Goodreads Summary

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

My Review

I absolutely loved this book. I regret not instantly reading it months ago when I first bought the epub version during a sale. It incorporated several genres that I enjoy...romance, paranormal, crime, and mystery. The romantic aspect won me over more than anything. What can I say; I’m a sucker for romance. 

Before I get into all the juicy romantic stuff, let me talk about the main thing that drives this series…Violet’s “ability”.  As mentioned in the summary, Violet has the ability to sense the bodies of murdered people. She doesn't seek them out, they call to her. Each body has its own unique sound that resonates which only she can hear.  She refers to it as an echo or an imprint.  It started when she was a little girl, when she uncovered a dead girl while in the woods with her father. For the majority of her childhood she mostly found dead animals, so many that she created her own pet cemetery in her yard. But she doesn't only hear “echoes” of bodies; she also hears echoes of the bodies on the ones who murdered them.  For example, she can’t around her cat after he has hunted because she can hear the echo of his prey on him. It is also difficult for her to be around some police officers and military men because ending a life is a downside to their profession.  Each echo and imprint is as unique as a fingerprint. Her gift is a complete secret and no one completely understands where it came from or why she’s the only one who seems to have it. The only person who knows about it outside of her parents and her police chief uncle is her best friend Jay. 

Ah Jay! What a character. He’s witty, tall, smart, strong, protective, and as of late, very popular with the girls at their high school. He lives with his mom (I believe she’s a single parent because there isn't much mention of his father), but spends almost every free moment with Violet. Platonically of course! Normally, Violet only looked at Jay as her goofy best friend and wouldn't care about his new popularity with the girls. However, something must have changed about Jay over the summer because, like the girls at school, she’s starting to view him differently too. She actually finds herself becoming jealous at all the new attention he’s getting. But she really shouldn't worry at all; he doesn't appear to be very interested in spending time with any other girl but Violet. But of course, they’re best friends; it’s perfectly normal, right? In the land of romantic YA novels, predictably it isn't so simple.

The murder/kidnapping of the young girls is the contemporary portion of the novel. Especially during the chapters when the predator is the narrator. The way he seeks out and lures in his victims is similar to many real-life news stories we unfortunately hear about often. Yet, when I first read the abductions, I found myself asking the same question many ask when they see some horror/thriller movies…why are these people so stupid? Don’t these girls know not to talk to or accept rides from strangers (a point even the predator wonders, even though it’s to his advantage that they don’t)? Their best defense in this novel is that they’re from a small town where the biggest crime is probably jaywalking, which is why the anxiety level of the town immediately went up after Violet discovered the first body. Be that as it may, the scenes the predator describes and the chase scenes are very active, suspenseful, and have you at the edge of your seat. Unfortunately, since the few secondary characters in this book aren't as defined as Jay and Violet, what few clues that are given do not lead you to any concrete guesses as to who the predator is. It is as big a mystery to us as it is them. If you‘re an avid reader of crime, thriller, mystery books as I am, the conclusion may not be a complete surprise to you. If you’re not, then it most definitely will be. I will say this…for someone who says she’s accustomed to woods and trails in her town, Violet sure does trip and fall a lot. 

The relationship between Jay and Violet is the bright side of the novel. The fact that Jay and Violet were friends first adds to their romantic relationship. They already had a comfort level with each other that was boyfriend/girlfriend-like before they decided to go beyond friendship (i.e., holding hands). Even after they officially get together, they still have those casual, playful buddy moments that are funny and adorable. They know each other so well that they know what the other is thinking without one word being uttered. 

Their hooking up was predictable, as most books like this are. As Jay put it, they were going to get together eventually; it was just a matter of time. Everyone saw it…everyone except Violet, that is. We know about Violet’s changing feelings because she tells us, but Jay’s feelings were just as obvious. It was evident that he was willing to do anything for Violet and only had eyes for her. Even as the line of girls interested in him grew, he only wanted to spend time with Violet and seemed to get a bigger rise out of bragging to her about it than from getting the attention to begin with. He’d be polite to his “fan club”, all the while looking over his shoulder to see where Violet was. 

What wasn't immediately predictable was how electrifying their relationship would be once it finally happened. At first it’s very romantic and sweet and then the temperature between them shot up about 100 degrees two chapters later. And it’s only a nice surprise for us, but for them as well. Fortunately, they still keep their heads about them and are able to reign in the physical activity so that book remains suitable for teens as young as 14. 

I strongly recommend this book and I will definitely be continuing the series. The next book is Desires of the Dead and my copy included and excerpt from it. It promises to be just as good. 

Black Moon (Paige Tailor Series #1) by Jessica McQuay

Black Moon (Paige Tailor Series #1) by Jessica McQuay
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: October 2012 by Cambridge Press
ISBN-10: 1936185741
ISBN-13: 978-1936185740

Goodreads Summary

"Am I losing my mind?"

Paige couldn't help but question her sanity. What other explanation could there be for her hearing a conversation held barely above a whisper in the back of a classroom full of students? What about coming home to find one of those very classmates lying in wait in the darkness of her home, ready to attack her?

Confused, frustrated and feeling every ounce of her social ostracism, Paige confides in the one person she's always been able to count on: her mom. But when her mom reveals a deeply rooted, unbelievable family secret, Paige discovers her world is filled with more than she ever imagined possible. A world where fairytales live alongside nightmares and secrets are the glue that binds them together. Suddenly no one is who they seem and Paige is faced with more questions than answers. Can she survive in a world filled with creatures scarier than anything she could imagine and where deceit runs as thick as blood? Or will the truth send her over the edge?

My Review

I read this book as part of a read and review and I received an ARC copy of the book. The book is a bit slow starting as Paige learns about who (or better yet what) she is, her roots, and her powers. For the most part I enjoyed it. It was nice to join Paige in her journey to learn about herself. Every time Paige thinks she's learned the whole truth, another twist in her family history comes to light. I greatly felt Paige's pain and confusion as her world is turned upside down and the person she trusted the most, her mother, reveals lie after lie (even though they're more lies of omission than anything else).

My feelings towards Paige as a character are kind of bitter sweet. Sometimes I was with her and felt for her, but other times, particularly when she was sarcastic or uncontrollably angry, I just wanted to shake her. She is a strong character, especially towards the end, but her age, immaturity, and social awkwardness shine through quite a bit. She doesn't seem to have any friends at all, not even acquaintances. And she reminds us over and over how she is uncomfortable in social situations and that she isn't the most athletic person. It really makes me wonder how she's gotten this far in life. Not everyone is a socialite, this is very true. However, I've read only a handful novels where the protagonist lacks any companionship. It must be so lonely for Paige to be going through all of these changes and new discoveries without anyone to talk to about it. Well, until she meets Naialah, that is.  

One question I have is how come in these YA novels are children allowed to miss school abruptly and sometimes for long periods, and yet still move on to the next grade? This isn't particular to this one novel; I've seen this in quite a few. In this novel there is at least one consequence to Paige's absence to go to her mother's childhood home, but she was still able to graduate even though I believe she was gone for weeks. I don't think it’s as simple as that in real life. Just saying.

I did have one major problem with this novel and it's a stylistic one. I know some people like a lot of details and I am not totally against it myself (I just speed read through when it gets to be too much). I am a firm believer, however, that there is such a thing as too much detail, especially when it leads to redundancy.

I won't even touch the factor that every little thing that the characters do is described when I feel that at times it could have been expressed in a simpler fashion. For example:

"I grabbed the mouse and double clicked on the internet icon and waited as it loaded onto the screen. I clicked Google and typed in 'Faeries' as the search string."

I feel this is too detailed. It could have been stated much more simply because these are steps that everyone knows. However, this is my personal preference, everyone's style is different. Plus, this was an ARC copy, so maybe this was fixed before publication.

My problem has to do with the instances where Paige expresses her thoughts to us and then says the exact same thing verbatim in the next paragraph. Or at one point where Paige explains to her mother everything that happened one afternoon and we get a whole monologue of information we already know. 

"I told her about trying to make the grass and flowers around me grow and failing and how stupid the whole thing made me feel. The in the middle of my lame attempt at magic, hearing Rachel approach through her thoughts...And how I ran away when I heard the thoughts of the rest of her little entourage, and left her stuck there."

All this information would have been fine, except we just went through the whole thing with her. I feel a simple "I told her everything that happened this afternoon..." would've sufficed. 

Also, many times there are long, speech-like dialogues from characters that sometime either say the same thing several ways or are just too wordy. Sometimes less is more powerful.

I also wonder about the cover. It's nice and all, but I'm not sure if it fits in with the story. Is it a foreshadowing to all the family secrets that are to be revealed?

For those who like action, there is some, but it doesn't come until the last fourth of the book. McQuay does do a good job of making it worth the wait.

For those romantics out there, sorry, there isn't a guy that catches Paige's eye. Actually, it's a  little unclear whether Paige is interested in guys at all. There are hints towards the end, but nothing concrete. I guess Paige is learning about herself all the way around. 

For a first novel, this novel is pretty good. The plot is good, with a lot of buildup and a great climax. Paige is a decent protagonist, but there are instances where she gets a bit annoying. She does gain strength by the end. Stylistically, it was a bit too detailed and wordy for me at times, but if that doesn't bother you, then I definitely recommend it. I would like to read the next book in the series when it comes out because there are still questions that I hope McQuay will answer.

Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry #2) by Simone Elkeles

Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry #2) by Simone Elkeles
Published April 27th 2010 by Walker Childrens (first published 2010)
Paperback, 326 pages
ISBN: 0802720862 
ISBN13: 9780802720863
url: http://www.perfectchemistrythebook.com/rules-of-attraction.html
Literary awards: Romance Writers of America RITA Award Nominee for Best Young Adult Romance (2011), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2010)

Goodreads Summary 

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado. Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn't talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

My Review

This book was just as addictive as Perfect Chemistry. Carlos has the same sarcastic, bad boy personality as Alex did in Perfect Chemistry, which is to be expected since Alex and Carlos are brothers. Like Alex in Perfect Chemistry, Carlos believes that his destiny is set and it doesn't include college or a career. And like Alex, Carlos winds up falling for the most unlikely person.

From the beginning of the novel, Carlos is forced into a situation that is less than ideal for him. After getting into trouble in Mexico and losing his job, he’s sent to Colorado to live with Alex, who’s attending the college. From the time he gets off the plane, Carlos is determined that no matter how many rules Alex tries to enforce or how hard Alex tries to convince him that he could do better than gangs and drugs, he will never be like Alex…at least not the college student Alex who’s in a committed relationship with the rich gringo Brittany. He misses the old Alex, the gang-banger who was tough, dated around, and who listened to no one. This new Alex, Carlos feels, is a sell-out, a want-to-be gringo, who is completely whipped by Brittany. He will never allow that to happen to him.

Underneath his tough exterior, however, there is a softer side to Carlos. For example, his mother and brothers were lead to believe that he was fired from his job in Mexico due to his involvement with a local gang. In reality, he was fired because he stood up to his boss for taking advantage of a 15-year-old female employee. He may be a rebel who doesn't follow rules, but he knows injustice when he sees it. He also has a soft spot when it comes to his mom, who got pregnant and married young, lost her husband in a gang hit when Carlos was 4 and Alex was 6, and who has works multiple jobs in order to support her sons. He gives her a hard time with is rebellious ways, but deep down he wants more than anything to make enough money so she doesn't have to work so hard and to see her smile and laugh like she used to. He loves Alex as well. They may clash a lot in regards to Carlos’ future, but in the end they’re brothers and will always have each other’s back.

Kiara is a quiet, shy girl who loves hiking and cars and who never backs down from a challenge. She comes from an upper class family with a father who is a psychiatry professor at the University and a mother who owns and runs a tea shop. As the novel begins, she was “text dumped” by a guy she dated over the summer and her gay best friend Tucker (b.k.a. “Tuck”) creates the “Rules of Attraction” which lists the great things about Kiara and the things she is looking for in the perfect guy. Being her last year of high school, she has vowed to be more outspoken now that she has gotten her stuttering problem under control. Her vow is tested when she is assigned to be Carlos’ peer guide his first week at Flatiron High School. From the moment he meets her, Carlos is determined to give her such a hard time that she quits before the week is out. Little does he know, he has met his match.

As with Alex and Brittany, Carlos and Kiara are forced together and hate each other at first. Carlos feels that Kiara is not worth his time because she’s white, rich, dresses in baggy clothes and doesn't immediately fall for his charm and good looks. Kiara feels that Carlos is mean with a huge chip on his shoulder and nothing but trouble. They play a couple of pranks on each other in a means to intimidate each other. The more time they spend together, the more they find themselves thinking about each other and slowly becoming attracted to each other. As time goes on, Kiara starts to see the nicer sides of Carlos and the more she learns about him, the more she feels for him. Carlos likes that Kiara seems to handle everything he throws at her and is crafty enough to fight back.

There is some action and violence towards the end of this novel, but not as much as there was in the Perfect Chemistry. Also like Perfect Chemistry, there are some minor sexual situations, so it may not be suitable for anyone under the age of 16.

I recommend anyone who likes romantic, realistic, contemporary fiction. I will definitely be reading the last book in the series, Chain Reaction, which tells the story of the youngest Fuentes brother, Luis.

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1) by Simone Elkeles

  

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1) by Simone Elkeles

Paperback, 359 pages

Published: December 23rd 2008 by Walker Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 0802798225 
ISBN13: 9780802798220

url: http://www.perfectchemistrythebook.com/

literary awards: Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Young Adult Romance (2010), An ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers for Top Ten (2010), Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee (2011), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2011)

Goodreads Summary

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created 'perfect' life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for: her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect.

Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

My Review

Out of all the YA novels I have read in the past year, this book was the most contemporary. It is most likely because the majority of YA novels I read are apocalyptic, dystopian, paranormal or supernatural. This is the first book in a long time that involved situations and issues that can, and do, occur in our society; issues of turfs, cliques, gangs, popularity, wealth, poverty, and race. This story could easily be a story of teens in your own city or state. It can be compared to many movies such as West Side Story and Pretty in Pink. It is definitely a modern day Romeo and Juliet. 

This book is another alternating POV story, told through the eyes of the “star-crossed lovers” Brittany and Alex. Brittany is the blond, blue-eyed cheerleader from a wealthy family. On the surface Brittany has the perfect life, but what most don’t know is that her life is far from it. Her 20 year old  sister, Shelley, is mentally and physically disabled and in need of constant care; her mother, unable to handle Shelley’s imperfection, is always concerned about appearances, and criticizes Brittany constantly; and her dad works constantly and is totally disconnected from his family when he is home. Alex is the son of Mexican immigrants, whose father was murdered before his eyes when he was young, and is the man of the house for his mother and two younger brothers. He is a member of the Latin Blood gang, is no stranger to trouble, and has a reputation for being dangerous. Alex is also very smart and is only part of the Blood to protect his family. He actually wants to go to college and have a better life and he tries hard to keep his brothers from becoming members of the Blood. 

The alternating POVs help us see both how different Alex and Brittany’s worlds are and how they are very similar. They both put on an act for everyone and do exactly what is expected of them even though what they really want is to be who they are. Alex wants to have a better life that includes college but feels it’s beyond his reach because of where he comes from. Brittany wants more than anything to be herself and make mistakes without having to feel like she’s letting her parents down by doing it. It is only when they are able to reveal these truths to each other that they fall for each other. Alex is relieved to find out that even though Brittany comes from wealth her family has problems too. Brittany is comforted by the fact that Alex puts on as much of show for everyone as she does and that there is more to him than his gang reputation, particularly that he doesn't want to be in the gang and wants more from his life. Brittany also likes how close Alex’s family is and that his mother cares so much for him. 

Their love for each other comes with consequences. Both Alex and Brittany’s family and friends are against their union. On Alex’s side, they feel that he’s  selling out by dating Brittany and that he will never live up to her expectations because he’s Mexican, member of the Blood, and didn't come from money. Brittany’s friends and family, however, feel that she’s disgracing herself by dating someone so beneath her and fear that she will end up in trouble because of his association with the Blood. What neither side realizes is that they love each other because they learned that there is more too them than outside appearances and stereotypes. 

I loved every second reading this book. It included a good amount of heartwarming and romantic scenes, as well as some action. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to read a realistic, contemporary YA novel. It is very well written and incorporates both cultures, especially the use of simple Spanish words. There are two more books within the series, Rule of Attraction and Chain Reaction, which tell similar stories about Alex’s brothers. I plan to read both in the future and will provide a review of them.