Waiting on Wednesday (146)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

My picks this week...

The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst

Lost your way? Your dreams?

Yourself?

Welcome to Lost.

It was supposed to be a small escape. A few hours driving before turning around and heading home. But once you arrive in Lost...well, it's a place you really can't leave. Not until you're Found. Only the Missing Man can send you home. And he took one look at Lauren Chase and disappeared.

So Lauren is now trapped in the town where all lost things go-luggage, keys, dreams, lives-where nothing is permanent, where the locals go feral and where the only people who don't want to kill her are a handsome wild man called the Finder and a knife-wielding six-year-old girl. The only road out of town is engulfed by an impassable dust storm, and escape is impossible....

Until Lauren decides nothing-and no one-is going to keep her here anymore.

Sarah Beth Durst is one of my favorite fantasy authors so I'm beyond excited for this one! The premise sounds amazing, and I'm intrigued to see how she transfers from Young Adult to Adult with this.

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando 

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

As someone who will be starting college this fall, the concept of having roomates is sort of freaking me out, so to see a book about this is awesome! Plus, I love Sara's books, and while I've never read anything by Tara before, I've heard lots of amazing things.

Are you dying to read these books as well? Let me know in the comments! Oh, and I just realized both of these books feature MCs with the name Lauren! Weird right? :)  

Review: Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Vampire romance takes a snarky turn in this humorous novel from Sarah Beth Durst.

Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire…fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil…until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don’t exist), and they’re shocked she survived. They’re even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl’s family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King’s feast—as the entrées.

The only problem? Pearl’s starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she’s definitely dead if she lets down her family. What’s a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

Review:

After reading Enchanted Ivy and Ice, two of Sarah's previous novels, I became a Sarah Beth Durst fan for life. Sarah is one of my favorite paranormal/fantasy writers because she writes such creative and fun stories. Therefore, when I heard about Sarah's Drink, Slay, Love, I knew I had to read it, even though I was hesitant about the whole vampire aspect. However, I shouldn't have worried one bit, as Sarah Beth Durst not only introduces a strong, kick ass protagonist in this, but she also makes story lines involving vampires sparkly and unique once again.

Drink, Slay, Love starts the story of Pearl, a teen vampire just about to make her introduction into the society of vampires. However, everything changes for Pearl when she's stabbed by a unicorn. Suddenly, she can go out in the sun as well as see her reflection, two things that shouldn't be possible for any vampire out there. Her parents, though, are making the best out of these new found abilities, as they are making her in charge of the food supply (aka high school students) for the big vampire event. But what happens when Pearl starts to identify with her family's and fellow vampires' food? Only time and more pages can tell in this fun, fast paced read about one vampire's identity crisis during a time in which one could only mean death.

I adored Pearl from the start. I loved her sarcastic and tell-it-like-it-is attitude, because not only did it cause some laughs (especially when she first starts school) but it also lead to some real important change in Pearl's high school world and life. One of my favorite aspects of this book was seeing Pearl began to transform into the life of a typical high school student. Sarah made the switch complex and twisty, as Pearl constantly was second guessing her ties to her new found friends as well as her family. This made her story more likable, in my opinion, as it showed that just like anyone, she has her flaws and setbacks. I also really enjoyed getting to see her make friends in the human world. It was sweet how she took Bethany under her wing, and I just adored her connection with Evan, a boy who could fully take all of Pearl's comments on.

The plot in this was also a lot of fun. As mentioned before, Sarah makes the vampire aspect work well, and I especially enjoyed how she mixed it with some unicorn magic as well. It allowed for a lot of exciting paranormal twists and turns to occur. The only aspect of this book I wasn't particularly found of was how it tended to drag towards the end. However, other than that, I didn't have any other big problems.

In all, Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst is great addition into vampire lit, especially for readers who want something a little different.

Grade: B+

Drink, Slay, Love (Amazon, BN, Goodreads)  is now out!

Source: Author/Publisher 

Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst

Summary/Cover from Publisher's Website:

What Lily Carter wants most in the world is to attend Princeton University just like her grandfather. When she finally visits the campus, Grandpa surprises her: She has been selected to take the top-secret Legacy Test. Passing means automatic acceptance to Princeton. Sweet!

Lily's test is to find the Ivy Key. But what is she looking for? Where does she start? As she searches, Lily is joined by Tye, a cute college boy with orange and black hair who says he's her guard. That's weird. But things get seriously strange when a gargoyle talks to her. He tells her that there are two Princetons—the ordinary one and a magical one—and the Key opens the gate between them. But there are more secrets that surround Lily. Worse secrets.

When Lily enters the magical Princeton, she uncovers old betrayals and new dangers, and a chance at her dream becomes a fight for her life. Soon Lily is caught in a power struggle between two worlds, with her family at its center. In a place where Knights slay monsters, boys are were-tigers, and dragons might be out for blood, Lily will need all of her ingenuity and courage—and a little magic—to unite the worlds and unlock the secrets of her past and her future.

Review:

If you've been a long time reader of my blog, you'll probably know that I absolutely loved Sarah Beth Durst's previous book Ice. It was amazing, and simply one of my favorite books released last year. So, to say I had high expectations for Enchanted Ivy would be a serious understatement. Though, as it turns out, I had nothing to worry about, because Enchanted Ivy is yet another solid attempt from Durst, one that is sure to become a favorite with her current fans and bring her new ones along the way.

Lily Carter has many wishes that range from hoping that her mother will get better to getting into Princeton, though the Princeton one is probably her biggest. So when her grandfather agrees to take her with him to his annual Princeton reunion, Lilly is beyond ecstatic, especially when she learns that she'll also be taking the legacy test (Prize- automatic acceptance into Princeton). Though, as it turns out the legacy test will be anything but easy, as there's secrets to be found, evil people to be recognized, and two adorable boys who may or may not like Lilly. If anything, this weekend will certainly be one to remember!

Lilly Carter was an awesome protagonist! I loved the fact that she truly cared about her mother and grandfather...to the point where she would even risk her life to save them both. I also enjoyed the fact that while she was smart and brave, she was also one to make mistakes. Though, she never left them get her down, instead she worked harder to make everything work out. Plus I really adored her relationships with Tye and Jake. Both were funny, charming boys, and without them this novel would simply fill incomplete. The only problem I had with the characters was the fact that while they were really close to all being three dimensional, they weren't all the way there.

Another one of my favorite parts of Enchanted Ivy was the premise. I loved the idea of two Princetons- a magical one and the real one. It was a cool idea, and the execution of the idea was even better, because I was always on the edge of my sit, curious to find out more about the different creates of the magical Princeton and what they ment for the real Princeton. I also adored the setting Sarah brought into play through her vivid descriptions. She truly made me feel like I was right there with Lilly, Jake, and Tye the whole time.

And just like in Ice, Sarah Beth Durst's writing was a high point of Enchanted Ivy as well. She's a writer who can easily make even the most boring of topics interesting through her extremely creative imagination, and a writer I admire greatly! I simply can't wait to see what paranormal type read she comes up with next, because it's sure to be great!

In all, Enchanted Ivy is a creative, romantic, and intriguing paranormal book unlike many in its genre, leaving it to be a book I absolutely adored! This is actually one book I would love to see a sequel to.
 
Grade: A-

Enchanted Ivy is now out!

Source: Sarah/Simon and Schuster for review

Quick Qs and As with Sarah Beth Durst!

Sarah Beth Durst is the author of an incredible book titled Ice, and today I'm lucky enough to have a Quick Qs and As featuring her!

~~~

1) First off, I’m going to give you a couple of categories and I would like you to list your favorite.

Food? Raspberries
Drink? Mango lassi
Book? Beauty by Robin McKinley
Author? Tamora Pierce
Movie? Star Wars
Season? spring

2) Can you describe your latest book-Ice- in three words?

Polar bear fantasy

3) What was the inspiration behind Ice?

I was inspired by the Norwegian folktale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," which is a Beauty and the Beast variant where Beauty kicks butt. I was tired off all the fairy tales where the girl sleeps through all the action (or worse, is dead). I wanted to write about a girl who saves her prince. So I took the old folktale, set it in modern-day Alaska, changed the Beauty into the daughter of an Arctic research scientist... and the story evolved from there.

4) Are you alike to your main character- Cassie- in any ways?

Cassie is fearless, impetuous, and strong. She leaps before she looks, and she loves the frozen North. I, on the other hand, am a total coward (seriously, I’m afraid of Frisbees) who plans each day with various lists on multiple Post-Its and needs to be temperature-regulated at all times. But we do have one thing in common: both Cassie and I would go east of the sun and west of the moon for our loves.

5) How did the title Ice come to be?

For the first thirty drafts (yes, I do a LOT of drafts), I called the novel The Polar Bear King (or affectionately PBK). But then I decided that sounded too medieval for my modern fantasy. Besides, Bear isn't a king in my story -- he's a guardian of souls. So I went with the most noticeable feature of Cassie's world: ice.

6) I absolutely love the cover Ice has because it’s just stunning and in my opinion shows a glimpse of what’s to come inside. So, this all leaves me to wonder what your thoughts on the cover are.

I love, love, love the cover! The artist is Cliff Nielsen, and I think he captured the tone of the story perfectly! Plus the lovely model (Ashley Bohannon) looks exactly like Cassie should. I danced around my house whooping in an unladylike fashion when I first saw the cover.

7) Is there a specific message you hope readers of Ice take from it?

For me, ICE is about true love, about going to the ends of the earth to make a relationship work. I wrote it as a love letter to my husband.
In general, I try not to write with a specific message in mind. What I want most is for my story to sweep you away from whatever is worrying you and let you escape into an adventure.

8) Do you have a favorite scene or line in Ice? If so, would you mind sharing a glimpse of it with us?

Looking up again, she saw a blue wall of ice around an opalescent castle. "Oh," she said faintly. It was not fata morgana. She tilted her head to see the banner-crowned spires that rose behind the wall.

"Welcome to my castle," the bear said.

9) What type of setting do you usually write in?

I like writing about magic in the real world. This is probably because I've always wanted magic in the real world. I was the kid who always put "magic wand" on her list for Santa, who checked all closets for entry to Narnia, and who never wanted her own pony (because I held out hope for a friendly telepathic dragon instead).

10) What’s you absolute favorite thing about writing for teens?

Best thing about writing for teens is that they are more willing to email authors than adult readers are. I love reader email!

11) What’s up next for you book-wise?

My next book is coming in fall 2010 from Simon & Schuster. (No title yet.) It's about getting into college. You know, taking the campus tour, talking to the gargoyles, flirting with the were-tigers, riding the dragons... :) I'm very excited about it.

12) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks so much for interviewing me!

~~~

You're very welcome, Sarah! :)

Other Links:

My review of Ice
Sarah's website
Sarah's books on Amazon/ Barnes and Noble/ Indie Bound
Sarah's blog
Sarah's twitter

T2T: Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

Summary:

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.

Review:

Ice was a magical and spellbinding novel from the very first page to the last.

The world Sarah Beth Durst created in this novel was simply amazing, I loved the idea of Munaqsris and atmosphere she created for them around it. Plus, she described everything in such vivid detail that was never too much or too little.

Further more, I adored (and envied at times) the love that Bear and Cassie shared, even if it was a bit strange. Since, it was just so real and wasn't that usual  love at first sight thing that you tend to get from Young Adult novels. Instead it was something that both worked towards achieving  by turning from slight enemies to friends to finally something romantic. Also, I adored how it was shown that both would go the end of the world for the other no matter what.

As I kind of mentioned above, Sarah's writing was so easy to get caught up in. Since, there was always a new twist, turn, or character added that simply changed everything around, leaving this to be one story that was a absolute pain to have to put down. 
 
In all, Ice was a fantastic story that I hope everyone will have the chance to read because it really is that great. 
 
Grade: A
 
Ice is now out!
 
* Source: Publisher in exchange for review for blog tour. Thanks Simon and Schuster!

This review was part of a Traveling To Teen Tour, to find out more about past and future tours as well as contests, please visit the website. Also, as you can tell, this post is a bit late. So, Yan, please do  forgive me for that.