The Quantum League: Spell Robbers

The Quantum League: Spell Robbers
By: Matthew J. Kirby
Reported by: Roark Helms
Source: ARC via Scholastic
Publishing date: January 28th, 2014

After Ben Warner is recruited to join a “science camp” led by the eccentric quantum physicist Dr. Madeleine Hughes, he quickly realizes it’s no regular science camp. Along with his new friend, Peter, Ben discovers the secret, powerful art of Actuation—the ability to change reality by simply imagining it differently.

When a mysterious group of men invade Dr. Hughes’s laboratory, abducting her and stealing her precious equipment, Ben and Peter are suddenly caught up in a turf war between dangerous actuators desperate for Dr. Hughes’s innovative technology. And as Ben and Peter are pulled into a perilous, hidden world full of impossibilities now made possible, will their combined powers be enough to save Dr. Hughes and vanquish their enemies before it’s too late?

From Edgar Award-winning author Matthew J. Kirby comes a fast-paced, boldly imagined tale of friendship, deadly adventure, and the infinite power of imagination.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's (support indie stores!) || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

 
In the words of my 11-year-old brother:

I would rate this book four out of five.

The characters: Ben is really freaking cool. He was way ahead of Peter, who was already ahead of everyone else. Sasha is okay but I think she was acting sort of bossy and I don't really like bossy people. Peter is actually kind of immature because there will always be someone who is better than you and so you should just try to do your best instead of whine about it.

The story: The plot is very interesting and cool but I'm just wondering... why did it take 160 pages for things to get really interesting? The beginning felt so slow and the book would be five out of five if the beginning didn't take so long to get good. I can stand the characters because everyone makes mistakes but I am not very patient. I am glad I read on though. I do think the plot is cool because it tells you how Ben learned Actuation and how and what the Quantum League does what it does. I think that what a really smart thing that the author did was how in the beginning I didn't know who was the antagonist and so that led to a lot of mystery, which I really enjoyed.

There we go! Thank you Roark, and thank you Scholastic for providing us with a copy of this fantastic book. I can't wait to dive into it myself as it sounds extremely promising as a sci-fi middle grade! ^.^ I'll be back to review more YA next month but until then, I wish everyone happy holidays and the best new year yet! :D  


P.S. Please don't kill me for my constant absence. T.T Sometimes I really hate school...

Book Review: Sorrow's Knot

Sorrow's Knot
By: Erin Bow
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Scholastic (ugh I love you guys thank you <33)

In the world of Sorrow’s Knot, the dead do not rest easy. Every patch of shadow might be home to something hungry and nearly invisible, something deadly. The dead can only be repelled or destroyed with magically knotted cords and yarns. The women who tie these knots are called binders.

Otter is the daughter of Willow, a binder of great power. She’s a proud and privileged girl who takes it for granted that she will be a binder some day herself. But when Willow’s power begins to turn inward and tear her apart, Otter finds herself trapped with a responsibility she’s not ready for, and a power she no longer wants.

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's (support my local indie store!) || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

Sorrow's Knot is a woeful, poetic tale with a dew-dazzling quality to it, hypnotic in rhythm and unrelenting in emotions. Erin Bow's writing is beautifully quiet, with words stringed together like charms on a bracelet without ever stealing the story away from its original purpose: to give us some sense of hope, of peace and serenity, even when we know that not all is well.

I think what Sorrow's Knot does exceptionally well is its delicate balance of romanticizing sacrifice and spearing freedom. It raises such profound questions, and in a way that never makes you feel as if its suffocating you with its morality. How free is freedom, and how far are we allowed to go to protect freedom before we've gone too far? Is sacrifice a smudge of weakness or is it heroic and insurmountable?

Besides the phenomenally crafted themes and writing of the book, the worldbuilding is superb as well. The world is reminiscent of Native American culture, and some parts of it reminds me of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (Evil Forest, etc.). But that's not to say the world is a parody; if it is based on any sort of Native American or African culture at all, it is safe to say that Sorrow's Knot is more of a corollary, a refining of such traditions rather than an imitation. And the world is rich and believable and immersive, and it's almost impossible to not forget yourself when you're wallowing in lakes with Otter or hiking through mazes of crooked branches.

The characters, finally, are commendable for their depth and realism. Though they live in a world so completely different from ours, there never was a doubt in my mind that they weren't fleshed out. Every character had its own identity and even the most seething, hateful ones had qualities that allowed us to glimpse their humanity. It is truly remarkable, how incredible each character is developed.

Read this book. There's nothing else I can say but ask you to read it. It is, quite simply, breathtaking.

starred review

Spirit Animals Comin' Your Way!

Spirit Animals: Wild Born
By: Brandon Mull
Reported by: Juli & Roark Helms
Release Date: Sept. 10th, 2013
Source: ARC via Scholastic (Thank you so much!*)

Four children separated by vast distances all undergo the same ritual, watched by cloaked strangers. Four flashes of light erupt, and from them emerge the unmistakable shapes of incredible beasts - a wolf, a leopard, a panda, a falcon. Suddenly the paths of these children - and the world - have been changed for ever. Enter the world of Erdas, where every child who comes of age must discover if they have a spirit animal, a rare bond between human and beast that bestows great powers to both. A dark force has risen from distant and long-forgotten lands, and has begun an onslaught that will ravage the world. Now the fate of Erdas has fallen on the shoulders of four young strangers ...and on you.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's || Barnes & Noble || Book Depository 

Talk about creative! My brother and I've both been big fans of Scholastic's multi-author series, and this one, Spirit Animals, is no exceptions. Let's have my ten-year-old brother take it away first:

Roark: 
This book was just so... COOL. The main characters got the Fallen Four spirit animals, which is so cool. They each had better spirit animals than other people, which is really interesting because they must be awesome to have such cool spirit animals. I also really liked the plot because it tells you a lot about the spirit animals world, which is very fascinating**. It is also good because it switches from person to person so I can get more information from different places.

I think the characters are awesome**. Conor learned how to use his spirit animal faster than everyone else, which was cool. Abeke was the first to learn how to turn the spirit animal into a tattoo. They're all smart, maybe not like Meilin but, while Meilin is the best fighter which is cool because she's a girl [my sister is really good at Kung Fu but my friends don't believe me because she's a girl]***, everyone else can fight well in their own awesome way. Rollan, lastly, is my favorite because he is so funny.

Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5.

Me: 
Since I'm just a tad above the targeted age range and the complete opposite of my brother, I can't sing praises for Wild Born without a few (or, I suppose, one really big) reservation(s).

First off, though: Brandon Mull is excellent at world-building. I found it fascinating how he managed to twist four cultures into a cocktail of a world that, though anachronistic, surprisingly retained many of the elements of each culture when it would've been much easier to neglect their foundations. I enjoyed running on a South America-like street with Rollan, being pampered (ephemerally) in an Asian palace with Meilin (Since I'm Asian, the discrepancies in the Asian worldbuilding stood out to me more than the other ones did; still, it is a commendable effort on Mull's part to make it as reminiscent of Asia as possible without compromising the story's overarching world), shake with terror in a Medieval England-esque surrounding alongside Conor, and hunt through wild forests with Abeke that brings images of Native American tribes to the mind.

Yet where he excels, I also reluctantly found fault. Mull's writing is... dull. Quite dull.

It feels plain, especially in the  first few chapters, full of telling and detached emotion. It is only after about 50 pages in that I really began to see the characters for who they were. Even then, oftentimes I found myself not exactly enthused--though certainly not unwilling--to dive back into the Spirit Animals world because something about the writing just didn't necessarily captivate me. It missed a spark; a touch of something magical, to fit in rightly with its exquisite world.

Still, I didn't care much about the writing's obtuseness after a while because the action and any scene, really, was just so entertaining. The characters were written exceptionally well in regards to their authenticity. I saw a lot of myself in Meilin, and laughed far too loudly at Rollan, and I could appreciate the humbleness of Conor just as well as I admired Abeke for her bravery. Each character could hold their own, and because of that and the excellent world-building, even with the writing being flat, the plot never ran too slowly.

The verdict? If you stick with the book through its rough beginning, you'll likely find yourself flipping the pages quickly--and if not quickly, then at least satisfactorily. After all, it's not every day you get a middle grade that mashes all the charming bits of the age group together in quite the inventive and ambitious tale. Besides, the spirit animals are, as my brother would say it... SO COOL.

*I received an ARC copy provided by the publisher in an exchange for an honest review. No monetary or otherwise beneficial supplement was exchanged.
**He didn't actually say that. He said cool. I had to change his vocabulary up, I'm sorry. T.T
***He didn't include this in the actual review that he handed me, but he had mentioned it to me before and I thought it was a very valid point. ^.^

Oh! Before y'all ditch this post--Scholastic is doing this cool (GAH! Now I'm turning into my brother!) thing where you can actually play an online game set in the Spirit Animals world hand have your own Spirit Animal. I think it's very innovative, and you should totally check it out here.

The Last Surprise

The Last Academy
By: Anne Applegate
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Publisher (Thank you!)
Release date: April 30th, 2013 via Point/Scholastic

What is this prep school preparing them for?

Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam—and readers—stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

First off, I should probably make the caveat that I'm not typically a fan of boarding school stories. But Scholastic was really kind in sending me this book, and it had a fun-sounding premise, so I figured... why not? 

Oh, why not indeed.

Dive In!

Deep Dive: Cephalox the Cyber Squid 
By: Adam Blade
Reported by: Roarko (my 10-year-old brother's pseudonym)
Source: ARC via Publisher (Thank you, Scholastic! <3)
Release date: April 1st, 2013 via Scholsatic (Already released!)

A brand-new underwater adventure from Adam Blade, author of the Beast Quest series!

Max's home, the floating city of Aquora, is attacked by Cephelox the Cyber Squid and his father is carried away by the Robobeast. Max and his robodog, Rivet, set off on a rescue mission. Along the way, they meet Lia, a princess of an ancient race of Merryns who live underwater. The Merryn's magic powers are fading because the evil Professor has stolen four pieces of a skull that is the source of their abilities. It is up to Max and Lia to retrieve these items and save Max's father before it is too late.

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

This review is written by my ten-year-old brother, who I figured was perfect for reviewing this book since he's in its intended demographic and loved Adam Blade's Beast Quest.

The Characters:
Max is a smart, brave boy, and his ability to learn quickly makes him a very admirable hero. I didn't necessarily like Lia, the princess of Merryns, because she got angry very easily when Max couldn't understand her. Though I guess anyone could have gotten frustrated in that circumstance. Rivet the robodog was awesome. He could chop through metal and talk and do all these cool things. Mostly, I really liked the characters and their developments.

The Story:
The plot was good, except it seemed a bit of the same storyline as Adam Blade's other book, Beast Quest. It was almost as if Deep Dive is an underwater version of Beast Quest with different characters. Yet I still liked the story because it introduced some really interesting elements that I didn't expect, adding in awesome technology with some really cool ideas.

The Writing: 
The writing was P-E-R-F-E-C-T (my sister's transcription). Adam Blade used words I didn't know and made up some really great terms that I thought was totally awesome.

Overall:
If you like action, you should read Deep Dive. It has some really great action scenes and also pretty epic characters.

What's Pivotal about PIVOT POINT? Well...

Pivot Point
By: Kasie West
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via tour
Release Date: Already released by HarperTeen

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

When I first saw this summary, I was feeling a bit, well...

That is Sokka in disguise in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 3. STILL THE BEST SHOW EVER YUP.

That is to say, I thought it was a fabulous idea, but I was skeptical towards how it would work out. There are many brilliant ideas that turn out to be an utter flop, and I just worried about how well Kasie could handle the whole shebang.

Well, one thing's for sure: that woman can plot.

Otaku Happiness

Ink
By: Amanda Sun
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via tour
Release Date: June 25th, 2013 from Harlequin Teen

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

-Summary from Goodreads 
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

I've heard people say that the best books are the ones that make you homesick for somewhere you've never been.

I don't think I've ever felt so much yearning to be in Japan than I have while reading Ink.

That Time I Ate In-N-Out

Let The Sky Fall
By: Shannon Messenger
Reported By: Julianna Helms
Release Date: March 5th, 2013 via Simon Pulse
Source: ARC via Tour

A broken past and a divided future can’t stop the electric connection of two teens in this “charged and romantic” (Becca Fitzpatrick), lush novel. Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

If your state doesn't have In-N-Out, that seriously sucks.

Something interesting: While I was reading this, I was on "vacation" in Palm Springs. Which was awesome, because I drove past many of the places in the book while I was "vacationing". And during that time, there was a scene in the book that involved **EXTREMELY MINOR SPOILER AHEAD** an Animal-style Cheeseburger at In-N-Out.  **EXTREMELY MINOR SPOILER OVER** I always knew In-N-Out had a "secret menu", but I didn't realize it was called Animal Style. So last weekend, while I was out at a Debate Tournament and happened to stop by an In-N-Out, I bought an animal-style cheeseburger.

SO. GOOD.

Oh my gosh. Sorry to all the vegans out there, it's just, OMG HOW CAN SOMETHING TASTE SO GOOD. But anyways, back to the point: Let the Sky Fall is somewhat like that amaaaazing cheeseburger, in that it is delicious and awesome and also wields a secret, unique power of its own: something really original.
  

My brother's first review: FREAKS!

Freaks
By: Kieran Larwood
Reported by: Roarko
Source: ARC from publisher
Release date: March 1st, 2013, via Chicken House/Scholastic

Weirdest. Crime Fighters. Ever.

Sheba, the fur-faced Wolfgirl, can sniff out a threat from miles away. Monkeyboy clambers up buildings in the blink of an eye -- then drops deadly stink bombs of his own making (yes, THAT kind)! Sister Moon sees in the dark, and moves at the speed of light. Born with weird abnormalities that make them misfits, these FREAKS spend their nights on public display, trapped in a traveling Victorian sideshow. But during the day, they put their strange talents to use: They solve the most sinister crimes. And in a dank, desperate world of crooks and child-snatchers, they're determined to defend London's most innocent victims: the street urchins disappearing from the city's streets.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

Juli: When I received Freaks, I knew that it would be the perfect read for my 10-year-old brother, Roarko (not his real name; hey, he's 10, I've gotta protect his identity, yeah?). Here is the first review by my brother, praising Freaks:

Freaks was a really good book, because one) there was a lot of action; two) there were a lot of fantastical elements that I never thought of; and three) there was a lot of excitement.

Marie Lu is a Prodigy

Prodigy
By: Marie Lu
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via ALA
Release Date: January 29th, 2013 via Putnam Juvenile/Penguin

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.

-Summary from Goodreads || Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's

Darn it, Marie. If I actually cussed, I would be throwing out a firecracker of expletives right now. 

I read this book a while ago, so I don't remember every nook and cranny of it. But here is what I do remember: every time I think about it, I just want to weep and simultaneously punch a wall. I still freeze every time someone mentions it because I just. freaking. can't.

Unravel Me

Unravel Me
By: Tahereh Mafi
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via ALA
Release date: February 5th, 2013 via HarperTeen/HarperCollins

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

-Summary from Goodreads || Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's

I liked Unravel Me. There isn't much in my memory about how exactly it impacted me, but I remember that I liked it.

But I don't remember that I loved it.

Rae Carson Deserves the Crown of Embers

The Crown of Embers
By: Rae Carson
Reported by: Julianna Helms 
Source: ARC via ALA
Release Date: Already released! Go grab your copies now! :D

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns (my review here!), a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

-Summary from Goodreads || Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's

Man I love Rae Carson.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns was the first ARC I've ever received, and I can't say how amazing it was to meet Rae Carson during ALA. What would be really cool is if I received an ARC for the third book, The Bitter Kingdom. Probably not happening, but that'd make this whole thing come full circle. Also, oh yeah, I kind of NEED the third book to survive. No, seriously. You think I'm joking, but I really am not. This series does this to me:

That's my beloved Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Also know as the best TV series ever. (*waits for Whovians and Browncoats to go all Avatar State on me in the comments*)

So yes. I feel a lot of angst. Largely due to Rae and The Crown of Embers.

City of a Thousand Disappointments

City of a Thousand Dolls
By: Miriam Forster
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via an amazing friend
Release Date: February 5th, 2013 from HarperTeen/HarperCollins

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

-Summary from Goodreads || Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's

I'm going to try really, really hard to make this review as gentle as I can let it be. But make no mistake: I did not, at all, like this book.

Let's just discard some misinformation first. That first line in the summary? "An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure"? That is not true. At least, not for me. Let me explain.

I Knew You Were Madness

Splintered
By: A. G. Howard
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Release Date: January 1st, 2013 from Amulet Books/Abrams (Out today, peeps. Get it ASAP! :D)
Source: ARC from publisher (thank you so much! <3)

For sixteen years, Alyssa Gardner has lived with the stigma of being descended from Alice Liddell—the real life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s famed novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But cruel jokes about dormice and tea parties can’t compare to the fact that Alyssa hears the whispers of bugs and flowers... the same quirk which sent her mother to a mental institution years before.

When her mother takes a turn for the worse and the whispers grow too strong for Alyssa to bear, she seeks the origins of their family curse. A set of heirlooms and a moth tied to an unusual website lead Alyssa and her gorgeous best friend / secret crush, Jeb, down the rabbit hole into the real Wonderland, a place more twisted and eerie than Lewis Carroll ever let on.

There, creepy counterparts of the original fairytale crew reveal the purpose for Alyssa’s journey, and unless she fixes the things her great-great-great grandmother Alice put wrong, Wonderland will have her head.

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's (local indie stores FTW!) || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

What is it with madness?

Why is it that everyone is so burdened and broken that the only perfection that exists is a product of our own imagination? Splintered is pure madness, insane and twisted and sinister and completely seductive. You see those vines caging Alyssa's hair? Those same vines trap you, too.

Splintered is so heartbreaking it makes you want to weep an ocean of your own. Everyone is flawed and impossibly real and emotionally tumultuous. And that's the way it is: tumultuous. But Splintered is just what it is: the rock that splinters your exterior. It's not the type of book that crawls into your heart, per say, but more like the type of story that robs your breath and frightens you when you realize that its craziness is paralleled inside you.

A. G. Howard brings out the darkness in you and sprinkles it with doses of light--just enough to keep you afloat, but not enough to obscure the fear of drowning under.

The magic of Splintered, is, cliché or not, everywhere. The writing is beautiful and haunting. The words create such a flamboyant atmosphere, and the world-building is so thoroughly fleshed out that even the most illogical sequences somehow make sense. It's as if Ms. Howard smashed the world into pieces and rearranged it upside-down and backwards and all wrong all over the place, like a puzzle that fits in a darker, creepier way.

Splintered, at its heart, is a turmoil unsettled. Madness or tranquility? Self or community? Eccentric or accepted? But it's all those questions amplified to a degree that is unimaginable but by the mind of Ms. Howard and her ambient words.

There are retellings, and then there are retellings that twist everything around. Splintered is the epitome of the latter: what you thought was Alice in Wonderland is the original puzzle, and Splintered completely rips it apart. But that doesn't mean it doesn't pay homage to the classic--in fact, it is not so much that Splintered isn't Alice as that Alice cannot be Splintered. They are like twin souls wedged into one body. There are similarities, but there are differences that cannot be ignored.

Wonderland, it seems, is nothing that it seems. This journey is harrowing and completely phenomenal.

Hold on tight--the rabbit hole is as twisted and deadly as ever; even a potion can't keep you immune from Splintered's alluring charms.

*Why yes, that is a Taylor Swift song reference in the title. Why, no, I'm not going to reveal my sentiment regarding Swift's arduously mundane love life.

Thank You + Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR AWESOMENESS!**

How do I start this post?

An explanation, I suppose. I've been gone so much lately that it's as if this blog is more of a phantom than an actual thing, but still I see you followers here--and just, your continuous support makes me want to weep. *hugs all* *wipes tears*

Alright, so you all deserve the truth. The reason why my posts are so sporadic is because of time. Or, rather, lack of it. I think most of you know that I'm a high school student, though there are only like, three people in the blogging community who know my real age. I'll reveal it someday. :) But anyways, so while I'm juggling school, I have three jobs (one full-time, two part-time), at least four hours in meetings a week, full weekends dedicated to debate tournaments, musical theatre shows, choir performances, running the fansite for Insignia, researching for academic competitions, and bagpipes lessons, just to name a few things, and while I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to all of these things, you can probably see that I have pretty much no time to read and/or blog.

But I've quit two of those jobs, and I'm finally learning how to really balance everything. It's not a perfect system, and I'm still not reading enough, but I hope that the posts I can now regularly get out will be good enough. I'm so sorry that I've been such a ghostly presences as of late, but that will change. It's time to truly thank you all with my words and action, not just fleeting apologies.

So there's my explanation. But that wouldn't exist without you guys, and so I want to take this moment to thank some of the most important people in my online life (in no particular order):

1) Monica from Cover Analysis, Jazmin from Wonderful Bookshelf of Jaz, and Rachel from Beauty and the Bookshelf . These people are some of the biggest reasons why the blogging community is so amazing. They give me so many amazing memories and so many times I've found myself asking them for advice, because I know they understand me and it's just such a satisfying, beautiful thing, you know? To have friends who know you for who you are and who would fan-girl along with you even though you've never met in person.

2) #TeamKilt. This. This is the reason why I started blogging. Oh, TeamKilt, there are NO WORDS for me to describe my love for you. For those of you who don't know, #TeamKilt is the  fan group for Jeri Smith-Ready's amazing Shade trilogy. (You can find my reviews of Shade, Shift, and Shine by clicking on the respective titles. Also, find more information on this amazing group of people at the fansite) Back in the summer of '11, when the lovely YA-Sisterhood held their first YA Crush Tourney, and I saw my beloved Zach on there, and- oh man. I'm going to cry now. I'm gonna do it. Darn it darn it darn it. Anyways, long story short: Zach's presence in that competition spurred me to create my own blog, and here we are, more than a year later, and my love for that series is still as strong as ever. (Also, wow, did I really not put up a post for the blog's anniversary? *grimaces* Okay, wow, totally shame on me.)

3) Goodreads buddies. I know, I know. This year was such a tumultuous year full of Goodreads author-blogger fiascos. But let's not focus on that. I want to bring attention to the fact that Goodreads connected me to a lot of amazing people, like Wendy, Steph, and Exp., who, though I don't very often chat with anymore, I quite admire. (If you want to find my Goodreads, here it is.)

4) Twitter peeps. Twitter. Oh, I know this thing is getting long, so here it is in one sentence: I used to be confuzzled by Twitter, but now I don't know what I'd do without it. #ObsessedButHappy (Shout out to Rory, even though you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I don't think!)

5) YOU. Can I just-

Thank you. Thank you for reading my words, my thoughts, even though I am as unreliable as they come. I'm thankful for each and everyone of you, whether or not you subscribed or followed, because that doesn't matter--what matters is that you gave up part of your day for me, and no matter if it was a minute or fifty, I will forever be grateful.

Ah, darn it. WHY am I always so freaking sappy?!?!

So. Before we go, I have a giveaway for you guys. Because come on, it's Thanksgiving. (And haha, if you scrolled down here just for the giveaway, that's totally okay. I know, I do it, too. :) )

DETAILS:
-You must be at least 13 years old, or have parental consent to enter the giveaway if you are under 13.
-There are two giveaways. One is international, the other is U.S. only. Please be careful to enter in the one that applies to you! (i.e. If you're from the U.S., you  can enter in both. If you're from somewhere other than the U.S., you can only enter in the international one. Sorry! I'm trying to save all my money for college. >.< The Christmas giveaway will have international giveaways for all, though!)
-There are multiple ways to enter. However, you only need to complete the free entry to be considered "in" the giveaway.
-You are not required to follow the blog to enter. Still, a follow would be appreciated, if you like the stuff I post! :)
-The giveaway will end on December 1st, 2012.


GIVEAWAY #1 (INTERNATIONAL): 

Prize: THREE winners will receive swag packs, full of bookish goodness! Enter through the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway #2 (U.S. ONLY): 
Prize: ONE winner will win either a signed ARC of Every Day by David Levithan, a signed ARC of Beta by Rachel Cohn, OR a signed hardcover of Legend by Marie Lu.
-If you want this prize but live internationally, I suggest coordinating with your friends in the U.S. to see if you can work something out! Again, sorry!)

Enter through the Rafflecopter form below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! <3

A Wee Touch of Enchantment

Touch of Death
By: Kelly Hashway
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via tour
Release date: January 15th, 2013 via Spencer Hill Press

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

Now here we have something interesting.

Zombies + Greek mythology? Sounds like an epic tour de force, yeah? That's what I thought, too. But Touch of Death is about as deceptive as its cover--what at first seems like a gorgeous and dark tale is really about a girl, insta-love, plus predictive plots weaving the way. *cues drumroll*

UNSPOKEN humor = the best humor

Unspoken
By: Sarah Rees Brennan
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Publisher/Netgalley
Release Date: It's out! Go buy it ASAP!

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's* (support my local indie bookstore!) || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Book Depository

I've met Sarah Rees Brennan a total two times, both times at the RT Teen Day event. The first time I met her was back in 2011 at the Los Angeles RT Convention. At the time, I didn't read a lot--I loved reading, I just wasn't obsessed with it--but I fell in love with Ally Carter's books and saw on her website that she was going to be at RT, so I went, with the sole intent of wowing Ally with my Supreme Coolness and Complete Un-awkwardness (hahahahaha I must've been way more ignorant than I thought I was), but of course, I ended up being both Supremely Uncool and Completely Awkward. 

Which would have been really sad. EXCEPT SARAH REES BRENNAN WAS THERE.

And she made my day.

You know those people in your life who are just so full of this untamable energy that they seem to explode whenever they're by you? The type of people who make jokes that are so funny that you can't even breathe, and they're just smiling all crookedly at you 'cause they're just glad to have entertained but isn't really sure just how they so completely blew you away?

Well, Sarah is one of those people. In fact, if that type of person had a name, the name would be Sarah. 

SILVER Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Silver
By: Talia Vance
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Netgalley/Publisher
Release Date: Sept. 8th, 2012 from Flux

An Irish heritage, Celtic myth, and deadly beauty

In eighth grade, Brianna did something so dreadful she was suspended and homeschooled. No one could explain what happened that night . . . except Brianna's Irish grandmother, who gave her a silver charm bracelet and told her to wear it until she turned seventeen. Ever since she slipped it on, Brianna has felt like she's invisible. People stare right past her as if she doesn't exist. And that includes Blake Williams, the one boy she can't resist.

But everything changes in one frozen, silver moment when Blake sees her--and recognizes what she's been hiding. Brianna is descended from Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth. Yet before she can fully understand who or what she is, Brianna accidentally binds her soul to Blake--whose tribe has spent the last thousand years hunting Danu's descendants to protect humanity.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs.Nelson's (support my local indie store!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

When describing Silver, the words clever--or perhaps witty--astounding, and bewilderingly intense come to mind. In this fascinating tale tangling threads of ancient Celtic myth and an authentic yet strong heroine, Silver manages to do three things: 1) make itself feel as valuable as silver (pun intended), 2) sincerely pluck out the nature of desire and growth of teenagers--therefore inducing twisted plots and often frustrating, but understandable, decisions, and 3) transform the mythological genre into a new excitingly unique and incredibly detailed creature.

I spy... a new mythological creature in YA?!?

Valkyrie Rising
By: Ingrid Paulson
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Tour
Release date: Oct. 9th, 2012 from HarperTeen

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's* (support indie bookstores!) || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || Book Depository

Quick, quick! Grab your reins and your deer--we've got an original mythological creature in La Ville de YA!

Okay--seriously though. Even as I didn't fully enjoy Valkyrie Rising, I have to admit that it's got some fantastic mythology and setting that we very rarely see in a market as crowded as YA. I can go on and on about why I think that is, but then this would not be a review but rather a rant of utter pointlessness, so let's just skip right to the good stuff, yeah?

The two biggest points Valkyrie Rising has going for it is its mythology and setting. But let's save the praises for last, because unfortunately, this book did not claim me an infatuated fangirl overall.

THE LOST GIRL is out (among other titles)!

August 28th, 2012 is a VERY important date, everyone! You remember how on May 1st this year, Insurgent, Shine, AND Bitterblue came out? Yeah, that was crazy. Well, today's pretty much May 1st all over again. Starting with The Lost Girl, of course.

The Lost Girl
By: Sangu Mandanna
Release Date: August 28th, 2012 from Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.

What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.

From debut novelist Sangu Mandanna comes the dazzling story of a girl who was always told what she had to be—until she found the strength to decide for herself.

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's* (support indie stores!) || Barnes & Noble || Amazon || The Book Depository

If you visit my blog semi-often, you've probably seen my review for The Lost Girl. Really, it's more of a rant about how spectacular and amazing this book is, but let's just keep that between us, shall we?

You know how there are all these different types of instruments, how they're all so different and powerful and how, when they all clash together, the noises and sounds merge into this tinkling, spine-chilling sound? Imagine those instruments as essential parts of a book. The piano is the plot, the characters the violin. The flute is the emotional depth and the drums the pacing. These all sound beautiful on their own, but often the drums and the flutes clamor or the piano and violin are out of sync and the end product, though delightful, feels often... insubstantial. As if there's something missing and it's incomplete even though all the needed plot elements are there.

The Lost Girl is the song that meshes everything together and emerges with a masterpiece--one deserving waterfalls of tears and thousands of standing ovations. It's the arrow that snags you right in the heart. It's the poison you swallow with love. It's the air you breathe when you're desperate and a raging mess.

**Read the full review here!**

So yes, today, The Lost Girl releases. And my blog post is basically telling you to GO BUY IT. I've included links above, so really, you should have no excuses not to read this book. ;) Even if you're on a tight money schedule (which I totally understand), you can always go the library, borrow it from a friend, get it cheaper on your e-reader, etc.

And if you're still hesitant? Just read on to see how awesome Sangu Mandanna--the author--is!