Bloggin 'Bout Books Blog

Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko Published: August 4, 2015 Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books Received: E-galley for review through Netgalley (Thanks Wendy Lamb Books!) Lizzie doesn't have friends at school--Miss Barstow's, a school for young ladies to learn how to become perfect wives. Lizzie would rather read books or accompany her doctor father on visits to patients. That's why Lizzie can recognize the problems with the quarantine of Chinatown. Nobody is wearing protective gear, for one thing. But nobody will admit that the plague is in San Francisco. What lengths will adults go to in order to keep the news of plague quiet? I remember reading Al Capone Does My Shirts  when I was younger, and I enjoyed it. This book left me feeling a little unfulfilled. It was good, but I also felt like Choldenko tried to encompass too many threads without deeply exploring any. I thought the book was about the plague, but really that's tangential. It only becomes ne...

Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel Published: June 2, 2015 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Received: An Egalley from the publisher on Netgalley! Thanks HMH!! Charlie Price just died in a fiery plane explosion, Except all that's been recovered is his bloody jacket. So technically he's missing, presumed dead. But Lena doesn't care about technicalities or improbabilities. As Charlie's girlfriend, she's certain he's still alive, still out there somewhere, waiting for her to find him.  Aubrey had to find out about her boyfriend's death through the internet. He wasn't answering her texts or calls. But he'd encouraged her to sign up for his campus newspaper. And the paper announces the missing student. When she finds out about his funeral service, she heads to Paris. Where she meets Lena, Charlie's other girlfriend who is convinced he's still alive. Aubrey agrees to chase after Charlie. But Aubrey's just looking for...

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma is a paranormal mystery that focuses on the qualities of friendship and the loss of every bit of normal life in prison. I requested this for review because of the beautiful cover. (I'm a terrible cover judging person, I know.) And I thought the synopsis sounded interesting. But when I received my copy (in exchange for an honest review as always), I couldn't stop reading it. I cannot describe the first chapter of this book as anything other than compelling. The writing is stunning, and I was driven to find out what happened next.  The dual narrative switches between Amber, a sixteen year old sent to a juvenile correction facility three years earlier, and Violet, a ballerina headed to Julliard whose best friend committed an unspeakable crime. The two voices are generally distinct from one another--at least, I never had a problem telling them apart. I preferred Amber's voice so that helped me to distinguish them too.  It...

Vision in Silver is Anne Bishop's newest novel in the Others series.  *** I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*** I'm obsessed with Bishop's Others series. There really isn't another word for it. If you haven't read Written in Red (#1) yet, I really encourage you to go pick up a copy. Anyone who knows me or has been following my blog for awhile is aware that I rarely read non-YA books. Bishop is an author who I adore and always read.  There's a lot of great things about Vision in Silver. We learn more about Thasia and the world of the Others and the humans. The tension that was seen in Written in Red and continued to build in Murder of Crows begins to come to a head in Vision in Silver. The relationships between humans and Others continue to grow. I love seeing the Others (who are capable of destroying humans) threaten bad humans for the sake of humans they love. It's the ultimate protector of the p...

Ticker by Lisa Mantchev is a delightful steampunk novel. I've really haven't read much in the steampunk genre (Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, and the first book of the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, although I'm sure die hard steampunk fans might have issues with both of those). But I loved the cover of this one (I know! But I can't lie, as I get older, I judge covers even harder). I requested it from Netgalley and received my first egalley for review! This was also the first whole book I read on my kindle (fun fact.). Ticker is about young Penny Farthing. The women in her family inherit a mysterious heart ailment. Both of her sisters have died from it. She is saved from dying by an augmentation: a replacement, clockwork heart. However, the person who replaced it for her has been accused of several heinous murders, and is currently on trial. Then Penny's parents are kidnapped. Ticker is an adventure of a novel. There are very few slow points, a...