Fresh Batch (August 5th - 11th)

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Girl of Nightmares
Kendare Blake
Series: Anna, #2
Release date: August 7th 2012
by Tor Teen

 

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. 

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live--not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Read my review here!

The Anna series:

Anna Dressed in Blood book trailer:

Girl of Nightmares book trailer:

 Kendare's Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Kendare Blake is an import from South Korea who was raised in the United States by caucasian parents. You know, that old chestnut. She received a Bachelor's degree in Business from Ithaca College and a Master's degree in Writing from Middlesex University in London. She brakes for animals, the largest of which was a deer, which sadly didn't make it, and the smallest of which was a mouse, which did, but it took forever. Amongst her likes are Greek Mythology, rare red meat and veganism. She also enjoys girls who can think with the boys like Ayn Rand, and boys who scare the morality into people, like Bret Easton Ellis.

Review: Circle of Silence by Carol M Tanzman

Circle of Silence 
Carol M. Tanzman
Series: WiHi, #2
Publication date: July 24th 2012
by Harlequin Teen

 

THE BIGGEST STORY OF MY LIFE COULD BE HOW IT ENDS It's my turn to run a "Campus News" crew, and I've put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.

A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flagpole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda or initiation secrets-until a student lands in the hospital under "strange" circumstances.

I "will" blow this story wide open and stop others from being hurt...or worse. And while my ex, Jagger, might want to help, I don't trust him yet. (And, no, not because of our past together. That is "not" important to this story.)

But whether you find me, Valerie Gaines, reporting in front of the camera, or a victim in the top story of the newscast...be sure to watch "Campus News" at 9:00 a.m. this Friday.

*A copy was provided by Harlequin Teen for review purposes*

As an avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, and after really enjoying Carol's other novel, Dancergirl --Circle of Silence's companion--, this one has been high on my anticipated reads of the year. Regardless of me giving it a 3-star rating, I did truly enjoy it, where it lost its flair on me is on a more individual standpoint which may not be of concern for most readers.

For one, I felt very distant from out protagonist, Valerie. The journalism aspect is interesting, but I felt like some of the decisions she makes are too high stake for a small school news report, as if she thought she was working for CBS and it was expected of her to put her own life on the line. I also found she missed a few clues that, to me at least, were incredibly evident. Consequently, I put this mystery together not far from the half way mark, which inadvertently made the rest of the clues even more obvious. So naturally, I wasn't kept as captivated by the suspense of the mystery as I was hoping, which, in the end, turned out to be anticlimactic for me. Nonetheless, it didn't make it uneventful. I was still intrigued by MP -- the secret society -- and what they were planning next. I was especially delighted to see them share their point-of-view; while keeping their identities hidden, we're given an inside look at their intentions and schemings inside chapters in their perspective. I also enjoyed the dark, dreary tone throughout that progressively got creepier, not to mention a heck of a lot more serious.

Although never the focal point, there's a fairly big romantic undertone in the story. We've got Valerie's ex who cheated and now trying to mend his broken relationship, and Valerie's not sure he can be trusted again. I liked how Jagger was portrayed; even though he's a cheater and I should hate him for it, he's not trying to justify his actions, but rather show that he's remorseful and made a mistake. Plus, it was fun to see Valerie make him work for it. I won't say that I got any butterflies, but it's a cute and sweet romance that gives a good distraction from the more sombre notes.

An entertaining mystery with a good amount of thrill and chill, despite my not getting blown-away, I would still definitely recommend it for fans of the genre. 

3 Hot Espressos

The WiHi series:

Note: these are companion novels and can be read as stand-alones or out of order

 Have a look at my review of Dancergirl here!

Review: The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney

The Boy Recession
Flynn Meaney
Release date: August 7th 2012
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

It's all about supply and demand when a high school deals with the sudden exodus of male students.

The boy recession has hit Julius P. Heil High, and the remaining boys find that their stock is on the rise: With little competition, even the most unlikely guys have a good chance at making the team and getting the girl. Guitar-strumming, class-skipping Hunter Fahrenbach never wanted to be a hot commodity, but the popular girls can't help but notice his unconventional good looks. With a little work, he might even by boyfriend material.

But for down-to-earth Kelly Robbins, the boy recession is causing all sorts of problems. She has secretly liked her good friend Hunter for a while now, but how can she stand out in a crowd of overzealous Spandexers?

As if dating wasn't hard enough without a four-to-one ratio!

*A copy was provided by Hachette Book Group Canada for review purposes*

If you're looking for a really light, fluffy, funny read, The Boy Recession will give you just that. At a very small school, after an awful lot of boys have moved away, the girls are left with a very limited number of date and prom choices. Providing quite a few chuckles and even some laugh-out-loud moments, it's an overall satisfying, quirky novel.

Combining the dual perspectives of Kelly and Hunter, we meet two students at this school who are both on different grounds. One is striving to get noticed by the opposite sex, while the other is fighting them off. Despite the characters being quite enjoyable, I didn't find them particularly complex. We're only shown the surface of what they are both like, nothing deep rooted that truly gets our emotions involved. Both POVs are fairly well done and end up intertwining quite wonderfully. When it comes to Hunter's POV, though, I found some of his inner monologue extremely typical, making it obvious it was written by a female author.

*Giselle in a husky voice impersonating Hunter* "I'm a guyyyy, I sleep until 2 and I eat Fritoooos. I wrestle my with my friends and play World of Warcraft all niiiiight. I like to be a slacker and be irresponsibleee."

Ahem.
Yeah, so Hunter is a pretty stereotypical teenage boy. His personality is a bit hard to grasp, as well, as he does things that are contradictory to his slacker behaviour - like suddenly joining a school play. Oftentimes I simply felt awkward reading his perspective. Eventually, once passed a certain point, he does get a better development where he seems to come out of his shell; becoming more endearing and keeping up with the humoristic jabs that got me laughing.

Kelly's character is a bit more convincing, coming off as having more substance. She's not the most popular, nor the loner, just a normal everyday kid who realizes she's got a crush on a boy. She's a sweet girl that also got some laughs out of me with her clever sense of humor. Together, they surprisingly fit very well. Their relationship from the start -- as friends -- is adorable. It's not a steamy, all encompassing romance, but an honest teenage relationship that can be both cheesy, and endlessly romantic.

A fun kookie adventure that is sort of a guilty pleasure drama fest, The Boy Recession is recommended for those who want a quick, no frill, read.

3 Hot Espressos

Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Girl of Nightmares
Kendare Blake
Series: Anna, #2
Release date: August 7th 2012
by Tor Teen

 

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. 

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live--not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

 *A copy was provided by Macmillan for review purposes*

This is one example of a book I would read for the cover alone. Heck, slap this cover on a 9000 page Spanish history book, and I will read it ALL! Even though I don't know Spanish >.< Luckily, what's inside this cover is just as incredible as the outside and will leave you equally spellbound!

It was clear from the beginning that Anna was not going to be as big a character as in the first novel. I was a bit disappointed at first because Anna is fabulous and crazy, but I can assure you that her absence is filled so formidably that you will not be left with any longing for her. She's not completely absent either, she has her way of making herself present in the story. Cas, though, he's still there in his full glory. He's got a fabulous sense of humor and incredible charm that fill the pages yet again. His loyalty to his friends, the determination behind his wants; it's admirable and makes him a positively strong, enchanting character. He's definitely kept his place as my favorite YA male protagonist.

Along with Cas, comes the laughs. (This was a totally unintentional rhyme, I swear!) It's really one of my favorite aspects of this series: How Blake can easily blend in laugh-out-loud funny dialogue inside such a creepy, dark story is a great feat! It makes it not only scary, but just plain fun and entertaining, too.

“Every time I question him about the feasibility, he smiles at me like he's Yoda and I'm just a dumbass without the Force.”
-Quoted from the uncorrected proof.

Aiding him in his mischief, Carmel and Thomas are worthy of mention as two fantastic supporting characters that have just as much soul in this series as Cas himself. The group dynamics make them a powerful trio and I was pleasantly surprised by the direction Blake takes them in this sequel.

In Anna Dressed in Blood, the plot was creepy and horrific. In Girl of Nightmares, it is turned up a notch. Although it may be a tad less creepy, I felt much more afraid in this one; it has a more serious, all encompassing tone. The vibe is more sinister and the scary parts are downright terrifying. Let's just say, things get pretty out-of-hand-serious. I loved it. I've been a fan of horror my whole life and while I truly enjoyed the first book, I completely fell in love with its sequel!

As for the ending: Perfection! True, immeasurable perfection!

An absolutely thrilling sequel that will render you speechless in awe, Girl of Nightmares is filled with compelling characters and spine-chilling events. Fans of Anna Dressed in Blood will not be disappointed!

5 Hot Espressos

 The Anna series:

 Find my review of Anna Dressed in Blood here!

Waiting on Wednesday (47)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

My pick this week:

Broken

A.E. Rought 

Release date: January 8th 2013
by Strange Chemistry

 

Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein where a young couple's undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's.

The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks' estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.

Frankenstein really fascinates me and I love how this one sounds! Plus the cover is so pretty! And RED! Red = Awesome! Always!

What are you waiting on?

Link me up! :)