Category: YA

Unfolding, by Jonathan Friesen

unfolding
I do not own this image. Image belongs to Blink.

 

Jonathan Friesen is a former teacher’s pet who wrote his first novel while his students were working. Unfolding is his newest novel.

Jonah has a tough life in tiny Gullary, Oklahoma. He has a debilitating physical condition and epilepsy, which keeps him on the outside of many things. His parents are distant. He’s in love with his next-door neighbor, the troubled Stormi, deposited here as an infant when a tornado touched down. The same tornado that destroyed the Supermax prison where Jonah now works—the only employee—as an occasional tour guide and the caretaker for the prison’s solitary inmate, the mysterious Tres.

Stormi is carefree and vibrant, everything Jonah wishes he could be. She’s also different, a difference the town notices when she senses things before they happen, averting tragedy—or not. When Stormi senses she should leave town to find safety, Jonah is drawn in her wake as they struggle to find out the truth behind what happened in Gullary so long ago, and left the town scarred and harboring a darkness Jonah can only imagine.

This book. I couldn’t put it down. Seriously. I would have finished it in one sitting except I’m not independently wealthy and had to go to work. From the opening sentence to the final line, I was completely spellbound. Jonah is a fantastic character:  he’s physically struggling, but emotionally strong, and this story is so firmly in his viewpoint I felt like I was experiencing every stumble and seizure. Stormi is full of life and mystery, and their interactions leap off the page. You should definitely read this!

(Galley provided by Blink via NetGalley.)

The Scent of Salt and Sand, by P.C. and Kristin Cast

 

sss
I do not own this image. Image belongs to Diversion Books.

 

P.C. and Kristin Cast are a mother-daughter writing team. They wrote the NYT best-selling House of Night series. The Scent of Salt and Sand is a novella in their Escaped series.

The walls separating Tartarus have fallen, and now monsters from Greek mythology have escaped to the mortal world. The Sirens are part of the escapees. Bound for centuries because of their bloodlust, greed, and murders, the Sirens now run Siren Tours for tourists to Alcatraz, where they find their prey.

It’s Melody’s first time in the mortal realm, and she doesn’t want to be there. She’s different from the other Sirens:  she doesn’t like blood, she has no interest in murder, and she hears specters in the water. Then she meets Dean, who becomes her assigned target, and falls in love. Can she keep Dean safe from her monstrous family, or has their love doomed them both?

So…I like P.C. and Kristin Cast. I enjoy their writing, which has a decidedly young adult slant. I’ve met them both, and they’re very bubbly and funny. I’m a fan of P.C.’s Goddess Summoning series, as well as The House of Night. I have not read either of the books in this series. I enjoyed most of this novella. The Sirens have always fascinated me, and their move in the real world is well-done. However, I really didn’t care for the ending of The Scent of Salt and Sand. At all. I intend to read Amber Smoke, but I’m pretty undecided about reading any more about the Sirens.

(Galley provided by Diversion books via NetGalley.)

Over-commitment?

So…I’ve decided to do NaNo next month for the first time since 2012.

Yes, I have a full-time job with long, crazy hours. Yes, I go to school, too. Yes, I have a 5k to train for in 2 weeks, a 10k in 5 weeks, and a half-marathon in February. Yes, I have 2 blogs to maintain and I write book reviews for My Trending Stories.

What’s your point?

I participated in—and won—NaNo 5 years in a row, from 2007-2011. I started NaNo in 2012, but depression hit me hard, and I abandoned it (along with practically everything else). I found that barely-started story (about 35 pages of it) last year and did not even remember writing it. (But I was pretty impressed!)

When I had mostly conquered my depression (May 2013), I wanted to get back to my normal life. Then I had a stroke on June 1st. I spent the next 6 months in a haze of exhaustion, recovery, and adaptation as I came to terms with my new normal after almost dying.

I didn’t write a thing for over a year.

Slowly, I’ve gotten back into writing, but I miss the adrenaline-fueled rush of NaNo, so I’m giving it a shot next week.

Guess which story I’m going to finish? Yep. The one I started during my last NaNo.

So…

…I’ve decided to do NaNoWriMo for the first time in 4 years! I did it–and “won”–5 years in a row, from 2007-2011. In 2012, I started it, but then my depression kicked in and I stopped writing.

Had the stroke in June 2013, and I’ve been struggling to get my writing groove back ever since.

I’m not going to write a new novel, though. Instead, I’m going to finish the novel I started in 2012, now called Siren Song. I finished the outline months ago. Now I’m going to put it to use.

I’m witchofbreithla over there, if you’re interested.

Yes, it’s probably insane to be working full-time, finishing up my Bachelor’s degree, and training for a 10k..and deciding I need to spend most of November writing.

Insanity is relevant.

Escape to Ash Island, by J.H. Lucas

ash island
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to J.H. Lucas.)

 

J.H. Lucas has worked in film and in graphic design. He has been a finalist or semi-finalist for several awards. Escape to Ash Island is the first book in the Generation Havoc series.

One hundred years from now, America is has changed. From the Saharizona desert wilderness, to the cowyotes and buffalopes that populate it, things are not what they used to be. The poison sands of the desert are spoken of in the Prophecy Song, which is now forbidden.

In a slave labor factory in the middle of Saharizona, Cash, a young inventor with no memory of life before the farm, wonders about what’s beyond the fence. And he hears about a mythical island in Calitopia, so he and his friends escape the factory and head across the desert. But they don’t know the Red Enforcer, a cyborg, is on their trail determined to stop them—and the Prophecy—forever.

Escape to Ash Island is set in a vividly imagined word that is far different from the America of today. In essence, it is about friendship and the survival of hope, but these themes are set amidst adventure. Escape to Ash Island feels more like middle grade fiction than young adult, but it is an entertaining read.

(Galley provided by J.H. Lucas via NetGalley.)

Deadgirl: Ghostlight, by B.C. Johnson

deadgirl
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Curiosity Quills Press.)

B.C. Johnson has been writing since he realized “it was one of the few socially acceptable ways to tell people a bunch of stuff you just made up off the top of your head.” He writes edgy young adult novels about unusual characters in outside-the-norm situations. His newest novel is Deadgirl:  Ghostlight, the second novel in The Deadgirl Saga.

Lucy Day is dead. Contrary to popular belief, that is not as bad as it sounds. Sure, dying is pretty horrible, but if you’re a phantom like Lucy—transformed by her overpowering will to live—you can still have a life. Lucy is dependent on the memories and emotions of others to survive, but once she’s conquered that, she thinks she has it made.

But one of Lucy’s friends is more than she appears, and she convinces Lucy to help her save those about to die. Soon Lucy is on the trail of a group of voyeuristic serial killers, which is scary enough by itself. Then there’s the mysterious wraith Lucy is haunted by. Not to mention the prospect of dating again…

Deadgirl:  Ghostlight is a quirky novel with lots of action. It’s our world, but with more:  more than meets the eye, more layers, and much more going on that ever imagined. Lucy Day is a typical teenage girl, except not. She has issues that would make most people curl up into a ball and cry. The characters are loveable, but flawed. This is well-worth the read. (It is the second book in a series, but works without reading the first, which is also available.)

(Galley provided by Curiosity Quills Press via NetGalley.)

Anything You Want, by Geoff Herbach

anything you want
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.)

Geoff Herbach is an award-winning young adult author. His newest book, Anything You Want, came out on May 1st.

Taco’s motto is “Today is the best day of your life, and tomorrow will be even better.” That’s what his mom always said, until she died of cancer, and his dad moved away for work, leaving Taco and his brother alone. Taco misses having a family, but when Maggie Corrigan agrees to go to prom with him, he thinks he’s found happiness again. Because Taco loves Maggie, and she loves him, too.

Except Maggie ends up pregnant. While everyone else is having a meltdown, Taco is excited about the prospect of having a family again. Now he just has to juggle calculus with learning how to be a dad. It would be great if he didn’t have to climb the side of the Corrigans’ house to see Maggie, too. But Taco is an optimist. He’s sure he’ll get things all figured out before the baby gets here.

Anything You Want is a light-hearted look at a hard subject, from the eyes of a boy who means well, but doesn’t always know what’s going on. It’s a look at growing up from the inside of Taco, a happy-go-lucky boy who just wants a family.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)

Tragedy Girl, by Christine Hurley Deriso

tragedy girl
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Flux.)

Christine Hurley Deriso is the author of Then I Met My Sister, Thirty Sunsets, and her newest novel, Tragedy Girl.

Tragedy should be Anne’s middle name. Her parents just died in a car crash, forcing her to move to a new town to live with her aunt and uncle. There she meets Blake, whose girlfriend drowned a few months before. They understand each other, and what they’re each going through, and hit it off immediately.

Then Anne starts to wonder if something is off. Her friends never let her be alone with Blake. Blake’s friends and family act oddly around him. Then she starts hearing rumors about the death of Blake’s girlfriend, whose body was never recovered. Soon Blake himself starts acting strange, and she starts wondering if there’s more to the story than anyone else realizes.

Tragedy Girl is a fast-paced psychological thriller about two wounded people who find each other, but it is also about secrets and the damage they can do.

(Galley provided by Flux via NetGalley.)

You Were Here, by Cori McCarthy

you were here
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.)

Cori McCarthy was born in Guam, has lived in New England, the Midwest, Ireland, and Michigan, and has traveled all over, although she loves Washington D.C. She is the author of The Color of Rain, Breaking Sky, and her new novel, the multimedia You Were Here.

Jaycee has accomplished what her older brother, Jake, couldn’t:  live past graduation. Five years ago, daredevil, adventure-loving Jake died the night of graduation, and Jaycee’s whole world crumbled. She lost the brother she adored, and her best friend drifted away soon after. She feels lost, disconnected, and plans to reconnect by visiting some of the places Jake enjoyed going.

She doesn’t expect to have help, but her former best friend, a heartbroken poet, and her friend’s usually drunk, always childish boyfriend go along for the ride. And Mik, the enigmatic, selectively mute guy from Jaycee’s childhood, once Jake’s friend, now the one person who gets Jaycee to reveal more of herself than she thought possible, the one who gets her.

If you’re exploring an old asylum and an abandoned amusement park, it’s good to have company. No matter how crazy.

You Were Here explores many nuances of grief, and how people deal with it. It is not for the faint of heart, the characters are broken and flawed, but they learn to deal with those flaws and heal each other. Full of “Don’t try this at home” stunts and beautiful art, You Were Here is well worth the read.

I loved this book. From the first page, I was hooked, and I stayed up hours finishing it. The characters are fantastic, warts and all, and Jaycee’s growing relationships with the others, as she lets them into her wounded heart, are beautifully done. If you love YA books, you should definitely pick this one up!

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)

Writing Inspiration: Too Busy

It’s true, I really am too busy to write (fiction) right now. I know that sounds like a cop out, but it’s not. Really.

School starts next week, and I’m going to be out-of-town M-F for work, so I have to attempt to get everything done for the first week, plus the second week’s reading, this week. So there’s that. Plus, an hour-long commute to work right now. Let’s not forget trying to work out, eat healthy, and not let the house become a complete disaster.

Priorities.

So, while I may not actually be writing fiction, I am outlining Siren Song (just a general phase outline), to the tune of 5 scenes a day. And I’m almost done with that, which will make the actual writing so much easier!

I love when my stories surprise me. On Tuesday, I had a character I never even thought of saunter onto the screen and inform me that he was there to provide conflict (And also scenery. Of course.). So there’s that.

I hope everyone else is getting more writing done than I am.