{Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.}
A little over a week ago, I got to attend the DFW Writer’s Conference*, which was on the top of my MUST-GO list last year. I had a wonderful time meeting my friends, listening to inspirational speakers, and pitching to agents.
Aside from that writer’s conference, though, my “dream conferences” to attend actually cater more toward my book-nerd-fangirl heart: BEA, ALA, and a variety of conventions, including World Fantasy con, Dragon*Con, ComicCon, YALLfest. Eventually, over the course of the next five years, I’ll be able to get to all of these conventions!
What about YOU? Any book conferences I should know about to add to my MUST-GO list?
(*I really wish I had the chance to go to my local SCBWI’s conference this year, but they held their annual conference on the same weekend as DFW Con’s. Next year!)
[I'm celebrating my blog's Birthday Month! Hop over HERE to read the deets, and fill out the comment form to enter for a chance to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble e-gift card. Remember, any additional comments on any post this month will earn you extra entries!]
I don’t think I can convey how much I love Julie Kagawa’s story-telling. I honestly don’t know what it is, but whenever I pick up one of her books, I get sucked right into the story.
She captivated me with her Iron Fey series, writing a world so lush and imaginative that the words disappeared, and for a time, I felt like I actually lived in a hybrid Alice In Wonderland meets Labyrinth landscape. Even when I didn’t agree with the decisions her characters made, I was lost in the fairy tales she wove.
The Immortal Rules is no exception.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a mutated virus creates Rabids that threaten the survival of humans and vampires alike, the vampires step out of their shadowed existence, creating cities where humans are herded and kept like cattle. Humans are registered to each Master Vampire, trading blood for food rations and resources within the city walls. Those who are unregistered with the vampires live in the Fringe, eking out an existence by any means necessary.
One such Fringer is Allison Sekemoto, who dreams of the long ago world without vampires that she’s only read about in books; where humans fought against their oppressors and not merely kowtowed to them. Allie hates vampires, and sees them for the monsters they are, but when she is attacked by Rabids outside the protective city walls, her overdeveloped sense of survival clutches onto the only lifeline offered to her: become a vampire, and live to fight another day.
And fight, she does! This is definitely not one of those “being a vampire will make your life easier” tales. If Allie isn’t slicing through hordes of Rabids, she is battling with her own inner monster that pushes her to feed. (Sidenote to writers: I would recommend this book just for the pacing alone!)
I know that many people may be put off with the vampire theme in this book, but please believe me when I say that vampires (or any other literary theme) don’t have to be “played out” or over done. In fact, this book is a great example of twisting up what’s already out there. Yes I know YA is the “hot” thing to do now. Yes, I know that vampires and dystopian and post-apocalyptic themes have been done. But I promise you that The Immortal Rules is much, much more than the sum total of all those labels.
Moreover, it’s a great example of the power of storytelling. This book simply has It: that je ne sais quoi that elevates it from its various labels to create a compelling story.
* * *
As you know, I believe that good books are meant to be shared, and the authors who wrote the books (and took the time and care to craft these wonderful worlds) should be appreciated and supported. So, I’m giving away a copy of this book.
The Immortal Rules releases Tuesday, April 24, 2012. I plan on ordering the book Wednesday, April 25. For your chance* at a copy, please fill out the fancy contact form below. I’ll have it up between now till 12AM, April 25, 2012, at which point, random.org will pick the lucky winner for me, and I will announce the winner that day.
This giveaway is closed. Congratulations, Susan S!
*I will be ordering through The Book Depository, so if they deliver to your country, feel free to enter!
So, have you read a book lately that transcended its genre? Or, have you read a book that didn’t live up to its hype? I’d LOVE to know about it!
Also, if you’ve read The Immortal Rules, please share your thoughts, too!
When I was in high school, I wanted nothing more than to travel around the world and write for a living. I didn’t necessarily want to write novels or stories, per se, but a little literary non fiction would be cool. (I really enjoyed Joan Didion’s work back in the day. Still do.)
Of course, this was still when I didn’t *quite* understand the value of money. I mean, I knew travel involved money, but my plan was basically to magically appear on distant shores with nothing but my backpack, which was filled with moleskine notebooks and pens. You know, the priorities. And, of course, a towel*.
Anyway, I always envisioned myself with well worn travel clothes, even wearing a. lot. of linen in my teenaged years, because, you know, linen wears really well and is made to look wrinkly. (No ironing, score!)
Well, fast forward *blank* years, and clearly I’m not a travel writer. I don’t have a book of short stories based loosely on my travels entitled Wanderlust. I don’t have a blog that chronicles my every move, sustaining a living from the kindness of strangers whom I meet in exotic locations. (The name of that imagined blog being, you guessed it,” Wanderlust.”) As you see on my bio, I’m currently very landlocked as a retail store manager in the middle of America. Far from glamorous or exciting. But my wanderlust simmers still, relegated to the back burner of my life, briefly satisfied with a road trip or vacation here and there. Adequate for now, but nowhere close to what I truly want to experience.
Enter Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard. (I said HERE that you needed to mark your calendars for this book’s release, but as a public service, here I am to remind you all!)
It all begins with a stupid question:
Are you a Global Vagabond?
No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.
Bria’s a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan’s a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they’ve got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.
But Bria comes to realize she can’t run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.
This book…this book captured the very essence of that need. That unnameable thing that I’ve wanted to find, if it could ever be found. The spirit of charting your path and following the road less traveled. Basically, when I read it, it was like I was reading about my life.
And this passage from Bria’s point of view was so. dead. accurate. of what I envisioned for myself when I was her age, it’s uncanny:
I could picture it already.
I would glide from ruin to ruin along La Ruta Maya, in a caravan of beautiful, happy people, and I’d be the mysterious one, gracious and profound. Butterflies would float down from the jungle canopy and alight on my bronzed skin. I would wear silver necklaces and ankle-length skirts that shifted in the breeze.
Sigh. Kirsten Hubbard captures the young adult voice really really well.
I remembered an important lesson that I kind of forgot along the way. I was too focused on what I wasn’t doing or what I could be doing better and how those things proved that I wasn’t good enough to be a fill-in-the-blank. I had to remember that I AM ENOUGH. No rules, no comparisons. Just me.That against all odds, I need to finish my work, and remember my love for writing. It wasn’t about being good enough or what other people will think of my work. I just needed to remember that I loved the feeling, the satisfaction that I get from writing. That feeling of creating stories just for me…is just as fulfilling and unnameable and a truth-self-evident as the wanderlust inside me. That thought was and is enough.
And I clung to that thought, and it inspired me to revisit WIP2 again. I’m grateful, because now I’m so close to finishing my draft, woohoo!
I read this book as an e-galley, and I SO wished I had the physical version of this book. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still grateful that I got to read it when I did (especially since I’m thisclose to The End of WIP2), but since Bria is an art student, we get to see a lot of fun illustrations (drawn by the author herself!) sprinkled throughout the book that I really wanted to see on paper. Speaking of which…
THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
Congratulations, Laura! You shall be experiencing the Wanderlove pretty soon!
Anyway, I hope you get the chance to read this book, and I hope you become inspired to follow your passion, no matter how hard the journey, and no matter where your journey will take you.
*”Traveling with a towel” is a reference to Douglas Adams’s cult favorite, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
EDIT: Wanderlove will be available for purchase, Tuesday, March 13! Feel free to pre-order through your usual bookish channels! ^_^
{Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.
This week’s question: What was the best book you read in January?}
First of all, I can’t believe that January is gone, let alone have a “best of” for it. I’ve been so tunnel-vision-y with My Plan to finish this draft of WIP2 (which is still not done, ahem) on top of the everyday fires I had to put out responsibilities that I had to take care of for the paythebills job (main reason why WIP2’s current draft isn’t done yet), that even though I wanted to read so. Many. Awesome. Books. I just couldn’t.* I had to do the Grown Up Thing and Prioritize. *pout*
So, despite acquiring a bunch of books, most of which were sponsored by my friends and family via birthday presents (THANK YOU ALL!), I only really read three books: Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake; Pandemonium, by Lauren Oliver; and The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. (If you KNEW how quickly I devoured books you would be shocked, SHOCKED by this paltry number!)
I know this is a cop-out answer, but considering I prioritized my life to read these books, I would say ALL THREE were truly awesome. Plus, since they were distinctively different genres/styles, they all fed different Book Cravings that I’d been jonesing for.
If I must, MUST choose one, I would HAVE to choose The Fault in Our Stars, since that book is so life-changing AMAZING. (The fact that I’m choosing to spend my meager pennies to buy another copy to giveaway would ALSO be a great indicator to how much I loved it, I would imagine!)
I will eventually come to the point where I can read more science fiction and fantasy, the genre of my heart, but I am waiting till this draft is winging its way to my crit partners before I indulge. (See how Grown Up I am? See??)
So, what was the best book YOU read in January?
[*Waiting in the wings for me to finish WIP2 are Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi, Legend, by Marie Lu, 77th Shadow Street by Dean Koontz, Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, and 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I. So. Can’t. Wait!]
Six-ish months ago, I went to a little John Green reading, where I first heard snippets of his yet-unpublished-new-book. Though Green read many clever lines that I loved and noted, I went to great lengths to scribble down this conversation in my notebook:
“Literally?” I asked.
“We are literally in the heart of Jesus,” he said. “I thought we were in a church basement, but we are literally in the heart of Jesus.”
“Someone should tell Jesus,” I said. “I mean, it’s gotta be dangerous, storing children with cancer in your heart.”
“I would tell Him myself, but unfortunately I am literally stuck inside of His heart, so He won’t be able to hear me.”
(Sigh. I knew I would love this book. He had me at the mocking use of “literally.”)
Along with sharing the first chapter of his then-unpublished-and-yet-to-be-named book (my notes referred to it as “the story after Paper Towns“), Green also shared anecdotes that related to both his author-journey-so-far, and what he felt was his responsibility as a writer to produce stories that were both helpful and beautiful.
I didn’t understand all the implications of his talk until I read The Fault In Our Stars, that long ago unnamed book.
Green sought to add a story that was both beautiful and helpful into this world? I’d say he exceeded his expectations. (He certainly exceeded mine!) (Also, much of his author-journey-anecdote became clearer to me after reading this book, a lesson I’m taking to heart for my own journey.)
And, here I am, left in a sort of afterglow.
I always get a quiet hush whenever I read an amazing book. Being a part of a story’s world, being momentarily linked with the author of those words, deserves a sort of reverence. Like, we traveled on a pilgrimage together for a time, and shared a holy act of worship.
Or, maybe I’m just maudlin right now since the characters in The Fault In Our Stars loved and grieved the way I would (and have) loved and grieved, and that poignancy is still with me.
I can go on and on about The Fault In Our Stars, but I don’t want to give the wrong impression of this book with my muddy words. Instead, I’ll give you the opportunity to read this book for yourself, and we can revel in the beauty together. (If we haven’t met yet, “Hi! You totally need to read this book so we can be friends!”)
I will send a copy of The Fault In Our Stars via bn.com to one lovely reader of this blog.
[THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED--Congratulations, Christine Myers! Barnes and Noble is processing your order as I type this!]
This book simply needs to be read, and it would be my privilege to give a copy away. I think of it as adding beauty to someone else’s life.
By the way, if you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend reading it in the privacy of your own home. Unless, of course, you’re comfortable bawling your eyes out and wiping snot on your shirt sleeve* in public. Then, by all means, do what you want.
I interrupt what would normally have been an insightful, nay, inspirational post to say this:
“Squeeeeee!!! It’s here, it’s here!!”
I am OF COURSE talking about John Green’s latest book, The Fault In Our Stars, newly released this past Tuesday. (I first mentioned how I looked forward to the book HERE, when I went to a John Green signing back in June, and he read an excerpt from it.)
Aside from my own ridiculous need to finish this draft of WIP2 THIS MONTH, I now have another incentive to get me to write my pages! ^_^
I’ve read a lot of good books since my last Share the Love post. Let’s see, there’s…
The Iron Queen, by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Daughter, by Julie Kagawa
The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa
Darkest Mercy, by Melissa Marr
The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann
The Girl of Fire and Thorns, by Rae Carson
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
I’ve actually read more than these books, but I list these specifically to showcase the inordinate amount of fantasy that I’ve been reading lately. I wonder if that was a conscious decision on my part or not. I know I picked up Eon and Eona specifically to inspire me about an aspect of WIP2. And, I also picked up Ender’s Game (which I know is science fiction, but has fantasy elements I enjoy) and Among the Hidden for that reason, too. I know that somewhere in the recesses of my mind, my muses are tinkering with a post-apocalyptic fantasy, and I wonder if they’re hungry for more fantasy?
Maybe it’s a combination of the available e-galleys and ARCs that came my way, coupled with my need to read meatier works? After all, the fantasy genre does lend itself to intricate world-building, and often uses sociopolitical power dynamics to add conflict and tension to the narrative.
For example, take, The Girl of Fire and Thorns (newly released September 20). This book is full of political intrigue, magic, and adventure. Set in a world reminiscent of medieval Spain, the story centers around Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza (aka Elisa), Orovalle’s second-born princess. Though she is royal, her privileged status comes less from her royal lineage, and more from being a Godstone-bearer.
Once a century, God chooses a bearer during a baby’s naming ceremony by placing a Godstone (a living jewel) on the baby’s navel. The Bearer is destined to perform an Act of Service, and the mythos surrounding the Bearer sets in motion harrowing challenges that Elisa must overcome.
What appeals to me the most is the sheer amount of terrain that Elisa covers throughout the story. I loved the big-ness of this world. I loved experiencing the lush climates of Orovalle; the seaside of Joya d’Arena; and the desert mountains of the rebel stronghold. I loved the concept that all these various countries and people groups are on the precipice of war. But, what I love most? Carson weaves these settings and power plays brilliantly through the narrative, making the countries so unique they were almost characters in themselves. (Interested in reading the full review? You can read it HERE.)
Honestly, though, now that I think about it, this year’s obsession with fantasy probably started after reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor. My initial Good Reads reaction to it was…
“Holy. Crap.
This book was AMAZING!
I loved Every. Single. Word.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a beautiful example of what YA literature could be, and what I strive for in my own fiction. I wish books like these were available to me when I was a YA, but at least I can appreciate them and revel in them now!
Brava, Laini Taylor, for crafting such a remarkable story!”
…and, since this book is holy-crap-amazing, I wonder if I just wanted to keep experiencing that awe, thus glutting myself on more fantasies. Hmm.
(BY THE WAY, Daughter of Smoke and Bone will launch on Tuesday, September 27, but I was lucky enough to read an ARC of it back in June, thanks to my dear friend and crit partner, Kayla (which I talk about HERE) and I remember gushing about it to my friend, Carol, that she was awesome enough to give me a signed ARC (which I talk about HERE.))
I plan on putting up a full review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone next week, because, DUDE, you all need to read this book. For reals, yo.
“The blood pooling on the floor under the assassin’s back reminded Nick of butterfly wings.”
Man, what an awesome first line! It sets up the mood, theme, and direction of this book perfectly! After a line like that, my expectation was that this book would be a post-James Bondian mission. Like, what happens *after* a mission takes place and the hero reports Mission: Accomplished.
Well, this is definitely not a post-Mission: Accomplished spy thriller. More like, Mission: Hasn’t Ended Yet. And, oh yeah, it’s not just about the mission.
Nick, a soon-to-be-retired CIA operative and the hero of this story, makes it home from a mission in Brazil, but unfortunately, his “work” didn’t quite stay there. Needing to find safety, he thinks of the only person with whom he’s found a semblance of peace: Lillian Love, now owner of the Monarch Inn.
The Monarch Inn is nestled in West Virginia, and named for the monarch butterflies that migrate through that area on their way to Mexico. At the Monarch, Lillian Love and her son Devan run the business as best they can, quietly living their lives. When Nick stumbles back into Lillian’s world, his presence soon shakes up their seemingly-peaceful bubble. Illusions of a perfectly happy and normal life are challenged, as these characters discover strength in unlikely circumstances.
Through Lillian, and Devan, I discovered the emotional depth of what could have been a superficial action tale. They told the narrative with Nick, alternating in a three-person perspective. Each voice is unique, and paced really well throughout so that the tension remained tight.
Though I expected a plot driven, action packed story (I’m a Die Hard kind of girl, yippee-ki-yay!), it was the unexpected character driven multiple perspective storyline that won me over. (In fact, though I’m a fan of the action and story in Brazil, I actually preferred the scenes at the Inn, especially Devan’s perspective.) Getting into these characters’ heads gave such a satisfying depth to the story and steered it away from being generic.
Nerd Point: I ate up the science facts about monarch butterflies that the author gave in the beginning of the book. It threw me off at first, since notes of that nature seem to come at the back of the book, with other acknowledgements and appendices, but looking back, I liked it, because it kept me in the mindset of these butterflies, how they persevere despite all external odds against them, and how they’ve endured, despite all scientific logic. They are truly worthy of being the symbol to represent the spirits of revered ancestors.
I think it’s with that mindset that I was able to sympathize with the characters more. They have come to realize that they are stronger than they appear, and can hope for a brighter future despite all logic and odds.
* * *
I invite you all to chat with the author, Michelle Davidson Argyle TONIGHT (9/15) at 9PM EST. The chat will be hosted by Annie Cechini on her blog, conveniently found HERE.
During the chat, you’ll be able to participate and be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Monarch.
Also, please visit DB Smyth’s blog HERE for her ridiculously-awesome-why-did-I-even-bother-to-review-this-book-when-I-can-just-link-to-her Monarch review (with more details about tonight’s giveaway.)
Hope to chat with some of you tonight!
* * *
Speaking of giveaways, my wonderful friend, Carol Miller is hosting a giveaway of GLOW. Much anticipated by me, since I love scifi. Click on the pretty cover image to get to Carol’s giveaway!!
GoodReads Summary:
What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you’d been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?
Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth’s collapse, the ship’s crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader’s efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don’t know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them…
Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.
But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren’t all from the outside.
Also, there’s a banner on my sidebar linking to Regina Linton’s blog, who is hosting a giveaway for it, too!
I first heard about A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie, by Matt Blackstone, through two of my blogger friends, Paul Joseph and Carol Miller, who posted reviews about it. Through Paul, I participated in a fun twitter contest Matt started to celebrate his book launch, using the hashtag #myobsession #ascarysceneinascarymovie. It was a fun way to express that we all have our own quirks and obsessions.*
Plus, through that contest, I got to “meet” Matt, and he’s so ridiculously nice and awesome. He even answered these very important questions for me:
1. What ONE thing can you not live without?
Tortilla chips, specifically Red Hot Blues from Garden of Eatin’. Can’t beat that name, and the chips are delicious. No, they did not hire me as a spokesman. But if they want to hire me, they can contact me via my website at mattblacktonebooks.com. I am available throughout the summer. I have limited acting experience—the last play I was in was a first grade Mother’s Day play—but I am enthusiastic about their product and make a mean commercial.
2. If you had to name your muse, what would it be?
I already answered that question. Spicy blue tortilla chips
Here are my other muses: my wife, first and foremost. Then my students—as 9th and 10th graders, they’re charming, goofy and give me great material. Also, Bob Dylan. 30 years ago. Oh, and the guy on the Dos Equis commercials: The Most Interesting Man in the World. That dude cracks me up.
3. What is your favorite book and why?
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. Vengeance, justice, heroism—very superhero-esque. Stupid Monsieur Danglers and Caderousse—you got what you deserved, punks! I read it in 9th grade. That was only good thing about 9th grade.
4. You’re in a round room with no doors or windows, and your only tool is a piece of chalk with which you can draw your way out. The chalk cannot be used to draw windows or doors. What would you do?
Play tic-tac-toe. Right hand for O’s; left hand for X’s.
5. Austen or Bronte. Who would survive a zombie apocalypse?
Neither. Zombies are scary, yo!
Awesome, thanks for enlightening us, Matt! And, I’m sure my husband would completely agree with you on The Count of Monte Cristo!
Anyway, back to A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie…
So, I initially thought that this book may have been about someone with quirks, and would be written like an after school special: “don’t judge a book by its cover” and “treat others how you would want to be treated.” But after reading the first chapter, I knew it wasn’t going to be the average contemporary YA set in high school. (Read the first chapter here.)
A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie is told through the perspective of Rene, a fourteen-year-old boy with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Through his perspective, even the most ordinary decision (what should I wear today?) requires great thought and deliberation. Written in the tradition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie is well-crafted and intelligently written, and uses humor and offbeat characters to bring to light the value of everyday heroism.
I loved this story because it reminds me that even when people seem to have it all together, sometimes they really don’t. And, sometimes, even our heroes and idols need superheroes of their own, and maybe, just maybe, I can be that hero in their life.
Because I liked the book so much, I decided to do a giveaway. All you need to do is enter your name, email address, mailing address in the nifty form below, and I’ll randomly choose a person to receive a copy of A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie. Giveaway ends Tuesday, August 23, thirteen days from now! (I will announce the winner on this post as an update.)
Matt also was kind enough to send me signed bookmarks, and I’ll be sure to include one with the book.
But wait! There’s more!
I have two more signed bookmarks to give away! I’ll randomly pick two people to send these signed bookmarks to.
UPDATE:
Random.org has spoken, and the winner of the book & bookmark is Beth Morey!
Also, Michele and Helena will receive signed bookmarks!
“Lightning is nature’s proof that when positive and negative forces come together, the only outcomes are release and destruction.”
I’ll be honest.
I was skeptical about picking up a paranormal romance set in a high school. Visions of love triangles and OMG’s danced awkwardly in my head. (*CRINGE*) But, after the first chapter (well, actually after the first page!) I knew that this wasn’t going to be the average Young Adult Paranormal.
First of all, the main character, Ashline Wilde is unbelievably tough, her sass and energy sizzling from the page (er, in my case, my e-reader). I literally laughed out loud when I got to this line:
“Your date better be as well-planned as your speech was convincing, or I’m afraid it will be back to slumming it with the wood nymphs for you.”–Ashline Wilde
(Don’tcha just love a witty and sassy girl? And, wood nymphs, ha!)
The refreshing thing, though, is that she’s not just tough because that’s what Strong Female Characters are supposed to be. She also has family and social pressures that I can relate to, and remember from, high school (well, minus the whole super power thing…which would be awesome). I also remember that unacknowledged and repressed need to belong somewhere. I don’t want to make a big deal out of this, but I’ll just say that as an Asian/Pacific Islander who grew up in a predominantly white, middle-upper class Long Island, I understood Ash’s perspective on being Polynesian and growing up in Scarsdale.
Anyway, diversity aside, I also appreciated the nods to lesser known pantheons and mythologies. I was that little nerd growing up, scrawling hieroglyphs on my wall (well, really, my brother did that since he was a better artist, but I told him what to write!), and pretending I was a great archaeologist, like Indiana Jones, uncovering artifacts of lesser known cultures, so it was refreshing to see those old myths come to life. More than that, I appreciated seeing that these gods weren’t portrayed as the Big Bad coming to destroy life, the universe, and everything, but were faced with choices just like the rest of us.
So, if you’re looking for a fun read for the summer that’s smarter than the average YA fare, then give Wildefire a try. It launches tomorrow, July 26. (Read the first chapter here.)
Fair warning, though. There weren’t any surfing scenes, which I totally expected (I’m all right with that, though, since that means I get to write more surf scenes in my own WIPs ). And, when I got to the end, I tweeted this:
At least the ending did it’s job. Now I have to wait a whole year for the next one. (Check out the next two book titles that Karsten shared on his blog here.)
I first heard about A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie, by Matt Blackstone, through two of my blogger friends, 
Matt also was kind enough to send me signed bookmarks, and I’ll be sure to include one with the book. 
