Absolute Forest of Words

Books Out This Week: March 12 - 18, 2012

2012-03-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Berk
Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads: Guy Langman can't be bothered with much. But when his friend Anoop wants Guy to join the forensics club with him in the (possibly misguided) hopes of impressing some girls, Guy thinks why not.They certainly aren't expecting to find a real dead body on the simulated crime scene they're assigned to collect evidence from. But after some girlish, undignified screaming, the two realize it is indeed a body. Which means they have stumbled across a real, dead murder victim.Meanwhile, Guy has been looking into the past of his father—a larger-than-life character who recently passed away. He was much older than Guy's mom, and had a whole past Guy never even knew about. Could his father's past and the dead body be linked? Does Guy want to know? He's going to need all his newfound forensics skills to find out.

The Savage Grace (Dark Divine #3) by Bree Despain

Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads:

A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle.

Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything.
With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders.

Starters (Starters #1) by Lissa Price

Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads: Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.
He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins

Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads: Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads:Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”-known to everyone as the Glitterati-without them suspecting a thing, is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.
The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her-evening the social playing field between the have and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.
But when the cops start investigating the string of burglaries at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could he wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads:
Blood sings to blood, Froi . . .
Those born last will make the first . . .
For Charyn will be barren no more.

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home... Or so he believes...

Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.
And in this barren and mysterious place, he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

The Deserter by Peadar O. Guilin
Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads: The humans are weak and vulnerable. Soon the beasts that share their stone-age world will kill and eat them. To save his tribe, Stopmouth must make his way to the Roof, the mysterious hi-tech world above the surface. But the Roof has its own problems. The nano technology that controls everything from the environment to the human body is collapsing. A virus has already destroyed the Upstairs, sending millions of refugees to seek shelter below. And now a rebellion against the Commission, organized by the fanatical Religious, is about to break. Hunted by the Commission's Elite Agents through the overcrowded, decaying city of the future, Stopmouth must succeed in a hunt of his own: to find the secret power hidden in the Roof's computerized brain, and return to his people before it is too late. Peadar O Guilin has followed his extraordinary debut The Inferior with an equally original and pulse-racing sequel in which human primitivism collides with futuristic technology.

The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind by Meg Medina

Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads:

Sonia's entire village believes she has a gift, but it's only in leaving home that she finds out who she truly is. A compelling tale from a rich new voice in young adult fiction.

Sixteen-year-old Sonia Ocampo was born on the night of the worst storm Tres Montes had ever seen. And when the winds mercifully stopped, an unshakable belief in the girl's protective powers began. All her life, Sonia has been asked to pray for sick mothers or missing sons, as worried parents and friends press silver milagros in her hands. Sonia knows she has no special powers, but how can she disappoint those who look to her for solace? Still, her conscience is heavy, so when she gets a chance to travel to the city and work in the home of a wealthy woman, she seizes it. At first, Sonia feels freedom in being treated like all the other girls. But when news arrives that her beloved brother has disappeared while looking for work, she learns to her sorrow that she can never truly leave the past or her family behind. With deeply realized characters, a keen sense of place, a hint of magical realism, and a flush of young romance, Meg Medina tells the tale of a strongwilled, warmhearted girl who dares to face life's harsh truths as she finds her real power.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads: 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.

Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould

Release Date: March 13, 2012

From Goodreads:

Venice, 1585.

When 16-year-old Laura della Scala learns that her older sister, Beatrice, has drowned, she is given no time to grieve. Instead, Laura's father removes her from the convent where he forcibly sent her years earlier and orders her to marry Beatrice's fiancé, a repulsive old merchant named Vincenzo. Panicked, Laura betrays a powerful man to earn her way into the Segreta, a shadowy society of women who deal in only one currency—secrets. The Segreta seems like the answer to Laura's prayers. The day after she joins their ranks, Vincenzo is publicly humiliated and conveniently exiled. Soon, however, Laura begins to suspect that her sister's death was not a tragic accident but a cold-blooded murder—one that might involve the Segreta and the women she has come to trust.

Dark Eyes by William Richter

Release Date: March 15, 2012

From Goodreads: Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child and grew up in a wealthy New York City family. At 15, her obsessive need to rebel led her to life on the streets. Now the 16-year-old is beautiful and hardened, and she's just stumbled across the possibility of discovering who she really is.

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George

Release Date: March 15, 2012

From Goodreads: Jesse cuts her own hair with a Swiss Army knife. She wears big green fisherman's boots. She's the founding (and only) member of NOLAW, the National Organization to Liberate All Weirdos. Emily wears sweaters with faux pearl buttons. She's vice president of the student council. She has a boyfriend.

These two girls have nothing in common, except the passionate "private time" they share every Tuesday afternoon. Jesse wishes their relationship could be out in the open, but Emily feels she has too much to lose. When they find themselves on opposite sides of a heated school conflict, they each have to decide what's more important: what you believe in, or the one you love?

2012-03-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

2012-03-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Publisher: Scholastic
Publish Date: September 13, 2011
ISBN: 978-0545027892
Pages: 640

You might recognize the author's name because he won a Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I haven't read that one yet, but I plan to.

In this book, you get two stories in one - one told in pictures, one told in words - one set in 1927, one set in 1977.

Ben lives in 1977 and is deaf in one ear and has just lost his mother. He's lonely, confused and wants to know about his father, but no one has any answers. He has an accident and is suddenly deaf in both ears. BUT he's found a clue to his father and he runs away to New York City.

Rose lives in 1927 and is completely deaf. She lives with her father, her brother lives in New York City. She's obsessed with an actress and when she sees an article about the actress performing in NY, she runs away to see her.

The characters end up in many of the same places and slowly their paths get closer.

The pencil drawings are amazing and each series tell a perfect story. There's so much detail in each picture, I spent ages looking at everything in the picture, there's all kinds of little touches that make them special.

Both stories show how each child wants desperately to fit in and how they miss having a loving parent. Most reviews I read noted that this book should be for elementary school, but I disagree. I think that a lot of the nuances would be lost on the younger children. Yes, younger children would love the story and the art, but teens and adults would also love it. Heck, I'm very much an adult and I spent an entire day gazing at the art and anxious to know what happened to Ben and Rose. When their paths collide, look out!

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

2012-03-07T07:55:00.000-05:00

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
Publisher: Scholastic
Publish Date: 2007
ISBN: 978-1905294428
Pages: 472

Will Burrows and his father share a love of archaeology...or really, just plain digging. Will's mom never leaves the house and just watches tv in a dark room and his sister takes care of everything.

Then suddenly Will's dad disappears and Will knows it involves their digging. He gets his friend Chester to help him and what they find is amazing. There's an entire colony of people living under their city.

The characters are done decently enough, but I didn't end up feeling attached to any of them. Even when things got rough and they were in danger... I really wanted to be able to root for Will, but he just wasn't interesting enough. I never saw that 'thing' that made me think he was a hero. I think he was stubborn and perhaps foolhardy, but that was it. Chester was a follower and didn't do anything interesting, so I just dismissed him. Will's dad? He's like an absent-minded professor who wasn't even worried about his family or danger, he was just happy to be in the ground. The mom didn't have any personality and didn't seem to care about any of her family at all. The sister was the only really interesting one and she wasn't near as scary as I would have liked.

The story does drag at times, I felt like entirely too much time was spent on description and too little on either action or conversation. This isn't a dual-authored book that worked for me. I thought it would, it sounded really interesting and it's set in England, which I love. I think that I needed more explanation as things went on so that the book made more sense. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series.

The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker

2012-03-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker
Publisher: Usborne
Publish Date: February 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1409536086
Pages: 320

Sherry's family has been in a sealed bunker for over three years due to a weird rabies outbreak. Her grandfather is being stored in the freezer, her grandma won't stop knitting, her parents fight all the time and they're all starving.

Sherry and her dad finally leave the bunker in search of food. Once outside, they're astounded by what has happened to their town...or really as far as they can see. There's no one around...at all. No signs of life. They go to the closest store and they're attacked by 'Weepers' - humans changed by the rabies virus. Sherry escapes with the help of a guy, but her dad is taken.

The story was good, it really was. I like the premise, I like the action, surprises, flashbacks and countdowns. The parts that didn't cut it for me:

- the romance between Sherry and Joshua. It's stated that Sherry is 15 years old and Joshua seems to be older, but you don't know how old - he comes off as early 20's. I was a little creeped out by not knowing and also the romance didn't add to the story, I could have done without it.

- that Joshua takes Sherry on the hunt for her dad. Yeah, he doesn't know what the guy looks like, but give him a description! Sherry was a huge liability and if I were going into a life threatening situation, I wouldn't want to take someone that hadn't proved themselves.

I think that personally I wanted more plot, less romance. I did like that Sherry reacted as I would expect the average person to - she freaked out! I also loved that she didn't instantly turn into bad-ass fighter chick!

While reading the book, I really couldn't help but be reminded of the Will Smith movie "Legend". Awesome movie, by the way. Let me know what you think!

Books Out This Week: March 5 - 11, 2012

2012-03-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick
Release Date: March 5, 2012

From Goodreads:

Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in broken-down Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, his dad works nights and Finley is left alone to take care of his disabled grandfather. He's always dreamed of somehow getting out, but until he can, putting on that number 21 jersey makes everything seem okay.
Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. The life of this teen basketball phenom has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he won't pick up a basketball, and yet answers only to the name Boy21—taken from his former jersey number.
As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, "Boy21" may turn out to be the answer they both need. Matthew Quick, the acclaimed author of Sorta Like a Rock Star, brings readers a moving novel about hope, recovery, and redemption.

Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

Gabby lived under the radar until her makeover. Way under. But when she started her senior year as a blonder, better-dressed version of herself, she struck gold: Billy Nash believed she was a the flawless girl she was pretending to be. The next eight months with Billy were bliss...Until the night Gabby woke up on the ground next to the remains of his BMW without a single memory of how she got there.

And Billy's nowhere to be found.

All Gabby wants is to make everything perfect again. But getting her life back isn't difficult, it's impossible. Because nothing is the same, and Gabby's beginning to realize she's missed more than a few danger signs along the way.
It's time for Gabby to face the truth, even if it means everything changes.
Especially if it means everything changes.

Everlasting (Kissed by an Angel) by Elizabeth Chandler

Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

Ivy should be ecstatic that her formerly-dead boyfriend Tristan is back on earth with her, but the life of a fallen angel is never easy. Tristan has been cast down in the body of a murderer, and the police are after him. Now, there's only one way that he and Ivy can be together: they must clear him of the murder.
But when it becomes clear that there are darker forces at work, and Tristan and Ivy are still paying the price for Ivy's miraculous survival of the car crash, these starcrossed lovers have more at stake than ever before. And one of them may not be alive much longer....

Vampire's Kiss (The Watchers #2) by Veronica Wolff

Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE PARTNERED WITH A VAMPIRE, YOU HAVE TO WORK THE NIGHT SHIFT.

By her wits, blood, and sacrifice, so far Drew has survived the intensive training on the Isle of Night. As a second-year Acari, her ultimate goal is to become a Watcher, and now she has a shot at her first mission. Except nothing is as it seems. The vampire Alcántara is as sinister as he is sexy, Ronan is more distant than ever, and it turns out there are other vampires out there. Bad ones.
Ancient, bloodthirsty, and powerful, these undead are really old school. They’ve captured one of the Watcher vamps and are torturing him for information. The only chance to save him is to infiltrate a major summit the baddies are holding on their own island. There will be mortals there, serving as butlers, maids, and various hired help. Drew had better brush up on her skills as a serving girl, because she’s about to go undercover…
But, when their vampire prisoner turns out to be a gorgeous bad boy, Drew’s first mission quickly turns into more than she bargained for…

Balthazar (An Evernight Novel) by Claudia Gray

Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

Haunted by memories from his first days as a vampire, Balthazar has spent hundreds of years alone—without allies, without love. When he emerges from his isolation to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, Balthazar has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Having learned of Skye’s powers and the remarkable effect her blood has on vampires, he plans to use her for his own evil purposes. As they stand together to fight the evil vampire, Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by Skye...just as Redgrave realizes that he can destroy Balthazar once and for all by taking her for his own.
In a story filled with forbidden love and dark suspense, one of the most beloved characters in Claudia Gray’s New York Times bestselling Evernight series will captivate readers with his battle to overcome his past and follow his heart.

Soul Bound (Blood Coven #7) by Mari Mancusi

Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

Sunny McDonald and her vampire boyfriend Magnus are on the run—accused of treason and wanted alive…or undead. And her own twin sister is the slayer sent to track them down.
Rayne would do anything to save her sister Sunny from the Vampire Consortium dictator who wants her dead. Instead, she’s been commissioned by Slayer Inc. to bring her twin back for justice…which Rayne knows means certain death. She also knows that if she and her boyfriend Jareth go against orders, they’re not only signing their own death warrants, but those of every vampire in the Blood Coven.
As a rival slayer with a personal vendetta moves in, Rayne and Jareth know they must do something to stop her. So they embark on their most dangerous journey yet, deep, down beneath the streets of New York City and through the Gates of the Underworld itself. But when a greedy god demands the ultimate sacrifice, will Rayne be forced to choose--between her sister...and the vampire she loves?

Discount Armageddon (Incryptid #1) by Seanan McGuire
Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night... The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity-and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren't for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family's old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone's spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city...

The Ivy (Ivy #1) by Lauren Kunze & Rina Onur

Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do?

Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with
Gregory
the guy she loves to hate ...
Evan
the guy she'd love to forget ...
Clint
the guy she'd love to love ...
and Matt
the guy she really should love ...

all vying for her attention.

But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.

Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?

Dead is a Battlefield by Marlene Perez
Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

Jessica Walsh is starting her freshman year at Nightshade High and trying to forget about the tragic events surrounding her brother’s graduation. She wants to have a normal high school experience. But that’s easier said than done in Nightshade.
When a new boy shows up at school, the girls are infected with a case of seriously creepy crushes. But when their obsession turns to violence, Jessica and her friends start to wonder if there’s more going on than just a little friendly rivalry. Are the smitten girls turning into love zombies?
And Jessica has other worries—like her crush on Dominic Gray, the cute but moody new singer for Side Effects May Vary, and the mysterious tattoo that appeared on her arm one day and lets her know whenever there is trouble brewing. Jessica learns she's a Virago, a woman warrior chosen to fight evil whenever it threatens her hometown. But does a lowly freshman really have what it takes to keep Nightshade safe?

Illuminate (Gilded Wings #1) by Aimee Agresti

Release Date: March 6, 2012

From Goodreads:

Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.
As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser

Release Date: March 8, 2012

From Goodreads:

Two families. Four teens.
A summer full of secrets.

Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities…and escape from their everyday lives.
Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too—at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she’s not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it.
Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie’s secret gets out, forcing each of them to face reality—before it tears them to pieces.

Do you see what I see?

2012-03-02T12:03:00.000-05:00

Fair Coin by E.C. Myers

Fair Coin by E.C. Myers

2012-02-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

Fair Coin by E.C. Myers
Publisher: Pyr
Publish Date: March 6, 2012
ISBN: 978-1616146092
Pages: 250

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A 'fair coin' is a term from probability theory and statistics. Basically it means that you have the probability of getting 50% heads, 50% tails on any flip. Unless the coin has been tampered with, in which case you can tell by the non-randomness of the flips.

Ephraim Scott is 16 years old. His dad left and his mom's a drunk. It's up to Ephraim to make sure she gets to work on time or to call in for her when she's too drunk. One day he comes home late to find his mother has attempted suicide. That kicks off a crazy series of events that forever change Ephraim.

See, his mom attempts suicide because she had to identify Ephraim's dead body. But Ephraim found her, right? Right. So he figures the dead guy just looks extremely similar to him. His mom has the guy's belongings, so he goes through them. The guy even has a library card with Ephraim's name on it. Then there's the coin. It's a state quarter, only it has Puerto Rico on it and Puerto Rico has never been a state. Oh yeah, and Washington's head is turned the wrong way. How does he know this right away? He collects coins.

Then he finds a note in his locker that tells him to make a wish and flip the coin. It's in his best friends handwriting, but Nathan claims he didn't write it. He uses the coin a couple of times before he shares the knowledge of what it does with Nathan, but Nathan becomes obsessed with it.

The wishes begin innocently enough, he wishes his mom was okay. Then she is...but she doesn't remember ever NOT being okay and neither does anyone else. since the whole thing went well, he starts making wishes that you'd expect from a teenage boy. Like wishing his crush into liking him. Things start to go wrong with the wishes and Ephraim decides that every time he makes a self-centered wish, the coin lands 'tails' up. He's convinced it's magic. It takes Ephraim quite awhile to figure out that more is going wrong than he thinks, he isn't paying enough attention to the effects of his wishes on everyone and everything around him.

The story really shows how anyone can become a victim of power of any kind and how they're always sure that they can 'fix' things by one...more act...until it's too late to fix anything. It's a great debut novel with twists and turns, a little romance and a little violence. A true sci/fi story and one of the best I've read in the last few years.

The characters:
Ephraim - basically a good kid, but he wishes his life were better. Don't we all?

Nathan - Ephraim's best friend, they're fun and close until the coin.

Jena - the girl Ephraim crushes on. She's smart, funny and responsible.

Mary & Shelley - Jena's best friends.

Even the minor characters are fleshed out and interesting. I haven't read many books where no matter how minor the character, that you felt like you knew something about them.

A bit on the author:

E.C. Myers grew up in New York, graduated from Columbia University, worked in software development on Wall Street, worked in programming for cable tv and is currently a development writer for a children's hospital...as well as being an author. This guy is great! Let's see, what else? He's been published in quite a few magazines and anthologies, as well as winning several contests - including being a finalist in L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future contest. You can hear him do live workshop critiques on WBAI 99.5FM (if you can get that channel). He also blogs on www.theviewscreen.com for Star Trek Re-watch reviews. Oh yeah, and he moderates on the Yahoo Group GothamLit. I don't know about you, but he sounds like a lot of young people I know right now.

Kings of Colorado by David E. Hilton

2012-02-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

Kings of Colorado by David E. Hilton
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: January 11, 2011
ISBN: 978-1439183823
Pages: 288

From Goodreads: William Sheppard had never ventured beyond his Chicago neighborhood until, at thirteen, he was sent away to the Swope Ranch Boys’ Reformatory, hundreds of miles from home, for stabbing his abusive father in the chest with a pocketknife. Buried deep in the Colorado mountains, Swope is shrouded in legend and defined by one prevailing rumor: that the boys who go in never come out the same. Despite the lack of fences or gates, the boundaries are clear: prisoners are days from civilization, there exists only one accessible road—except in the wintertime, when it’s buried under feet upon feet of snow, and anyone attempting escape will be shot down without hesitation in the shadow of the peaks. At 13,000 feet above sea level, the mountains aren’t forgiving, and neither are the guards. With twenty-four months of hard time ahead of him, Will quickly learns to distinguish his allies from his enemies. He also learns about the high price of a childhood lost. At Swope, herds of mustangs are trucked in to be broken by a select group of inmates. Once the horses are gentled, they are sold to ranchers and landowners across the Southwest. Horses come and go, delinquent boys come and go. The boys break the horses, Swope Reformatory breaks the boys. Throughout this ordeal, Will discovers three others who bring him into their inner circle. They are life preservers in a sea of violence and corruption.

I almost forget to mention: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Mr. Hilton 'gets' how 12 - 18 year old boys talk to one another. The way they act with one another when no adults are around. It was very realistic. The writing is beautiful - the slang and rhythm of the speech from the 1960's was perfect.

Will, the main character, feels guilty about stabbing his father, yet knows he wouldn't go back and change it. I think he feels guilty for not feeling bad about what he did. The story is told from Will's point of view. He goes from being the new 'fish' to being an old hand and serving his two years at Swopes.

Will's three friends: Benny, Coop and Mickey all come across as real boys too. Yeah, they did some stupid stuff that landed them in Swopes, but sometimes it wasn't really their fault. Some of it was their upbringing, their loyalty or their abusive/drunk/negligent families.

Will decides he has to break the mustang that Coop didn't complete. The breaking of the horse seems to symbolize the breaking of the boys. I read several reviews and comments that the things that happen on the ranch aren't realistic. Remember, this was in the early 1960's. Child Protective Services weren't like they are now - in fact, the juvenile system would much rather send them to somewhere that would force the boys into acceptable behavior than worry about WHY they were acting out. I mean, even the neighbors just took it for granted that there was 'home training' going on. See, that's what they called beating your wife and kids. Since it was acceptable, when Will stabbed his dad, that was very frowned upon. I'm sure that the same people would think that at least some of the things that happened at the ranch were acceptable.

This is a very dark story, with swearing and violence. I would say that I haven't read a book that made me feel this way since THE OUTSIDERS and STAND BY ME. I think it's that the boys seem to be on their own and no one really cares what happens to them. Even at the end, Will knows that no one but the guys he was there with (and Miss Little) really understand how he feels. It's a fabulous debut novel and I'm sure we'll see many more good things from David Hilton!

If you'd like to know more about the author, his website is: www.davidhilton.com

Books Out This Week: February 27 - March 4, 2012

2012-02-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Allegiance (Legacy #3) by Cayla Kluver
Release Date: February 28, 2012

From Goodreads:

Only I saw Narian for who he truly was: a young man with courage and an independent mind, and made to pay for what was outside his control. He couldn't help his past any more than he could help the way those intense, deep-blue eyes pierced me and held me captive.

An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return...
Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn't truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica-until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge.
Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn....

When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellison