The Cadet of Tildor trailer Reveal

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Title: The Cadet of Tildor

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin)

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: High fantasy

Expected Release: January 10, 2013

|Summary|

Tamora Pierce meets George R. R. Martin in this smart, political, medieval fantasy-thriller.

There is a new king on the throne of Tildor. Currents of political unrest sweep the country as two warring crime families seek power, angling to exploit the young Crown's inexperience. At the Academy of Tildor, the training ground for elite soldiers, Cadet Renee de Winter struggles to keep up with her male peers. But when her mentor, a notorious commander recalled from active duty to teach at the Academy, is kidnapped to fight in illegal gladiator games, Renee and her best friend Alec find themselves thrust into a world rife with crime, sorting through a maze of political intrigue, and struggling to resolve what they want, what is legal, and what is right.

Book trailer by: Medieval Reenactment Group “Liberi Lusenta” located in Italy

 

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Bio:

 Alex is a YA fantasy author, a Tamora Pierce addict, a horse rider, and paramedic.  The latter two tend to hand in hand a bit more often than one would like.  Alex started writing at 2 am.

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EARLY REVIEW: Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

Title: Valkyrie Rising
Author: Ingrid Paulson
Genre: Young Adult, Mythology
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 352 pages 

Publication: October 9th 2012 by HarperTeen

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|AMAZON|BOOK DEPOSITORY| 

Source: Publisher

|SUMMARY|

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.

 |REVIEW| 

To be honest, when I started this book I didn’t have high expectations. The summary sounded decent enough but I thought it was going to be the same cookie cutter stuff that makes up most YA these days. I am happy to say that I was WRONG! Paulson’s debut novel is a breath of fresh air, and the story was fun, exciting, and original to make it shine above other YAs in the genre. There’s no vampires, werewolves, faeries, or zombies…instead the book is all about the Valkyries .A Valkyrie is a female warrior who decides who dies and lives in battle. The people chosen by the Valkyries are taken to Valhalla to become Odin’s (god who rules Valhalla) warriors. 

The world building was simple and easy to understand. The author did a great job by incorporating the Norse/Celtic mythology into the story/dialogue which made everything flow. Readers weren’t overloaded with information nor did it bog down the amazing story. Ellie was an extremely likeable heroine. She’s strong not in the physical aspect but strong willed. Ellie has always been cast in the shadow of her brother Graham, the all-star athlete and most popular guy in school. Graham is always watching over Ellie like she’s some fragile little girl, but in reality she’s far from it at sixteen-years-old. Guys are afraid of talking to her because she’s ‘Graham’s little sister’ and when someone does, Graham scares them off. When arriving in Norway, Ellie hears rumors of smart/athletic/strong local boys over the age of 18 disappearing and all signs points to Graham.  Ellie discovers that she descended from a long line of Valkyries. Ellie of course doesn’t conform to the idea of what it means to be a Valkyrie, instead she uses her new abilities to find the missing boys and protects her brother at all cost. 

As I said before she isn’t a strong fighter, but that never stopped her from trying. As the other Valkyrie knocks Ellie down, she gets back up and fights. What I love about Ellie is that when her grandmother tried to keep secrets from her, she never whines about it instead she goes out and finds the information herself. Also when she first discovered that she was a Valkyrie with crazy abilities, she didn’t question why her…instead she embraced it. Then we have Graham, the over-bearing but caring brother. From the dialogue exchange you know Ellie is really close to her brother. Man, I wish I had a brother like that. And finally, we have Tuck, Graham best friend. Tuck, he pretty much steals the scene every time he in it. I never smiled, laugh or grin so much in my life! LOL. Tuck may seem like a little smart-ass but there’s also a sweet side to him. Tuck and Ellie has this flirty-bantering relationship going on but as the book progress you definitely see that’s there more to their relationship than beings friends. And to complicate their ‘relationship’, Tuck has a few secrets of his own. 

There are also secondary characters like the trickster god Loki, and the Valkyries that but I’ll let you guys read more about them yourselves (don’t want to spoil anything ;)). Paulson’s debut novel is not to be missed! This is one of the best young adult novels I read so far in the second half of 2012. Valkyrie Rising’s original plot will have you flipping the pages till you reach the very end. If you’re looking for a great mythology infused book full of mystery, action and romance (no love triangles!!) look no further.  I highly recommend this to everyone, definitely a shelf keeper! I hope Paulson writing the sequel because I can’t get enough of these awesome characters. 

  

FTC disclaimer: HarperCollins provided me with a copy of Valkyrie Rising, and in return I provide an honest review.

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Title: The Faerie Ring
Author: Kiki Hamilton
Genre: Paranormal/Historical, Young Adult
Series: The Faerie Ring #1

Hardcover, 343 pages

Publication: September 27th 2011 by Tor Teen / Macmillan 

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|AMAZON|BOOK DEPOSITORY|

Source: Bought for myself

|SUMMARY|

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

|REVIEW| 

Tiki is a street orphan living with other children in an abandon clockwork shop, together they all pickpocket/steal to make it from day to day. One night while out on the town doing her usual thing, Tiki stumbles upon a building with fresh food, she sneaks into the building and steals a loaf of bread and cheese. As she tries to get out of the building undetected, she temporarily hides in the building’s library. It’s there where she steals a ring, the most beautiful ring she has ever seen. It turns out the ring belongs to Queen Victoria herself! Tiki plans to pawn the ring to make enough money so her and her ‘family’ can have a real place to live and never have to go hungry again. To complicate matters, this isn’t an ordinary ring. The ring is a contract/truce between the British royals and the realm of the faeries. Both the royals and the faeries will stop at nothing to get the ring back….and they both have an idea of who has it.

This was a great book, blending history with paranormal/fantasy elements. The Faerie Ring is center around Tiki and the ring as she tries to steal it, ransom for it and then tries to steal it again lol (have to read the book to know what I mean). Tiki is a smart and independent sixteen-year-old, and the glue that holds her little group together. The supporting characters were just that…supporting characters. They didn’t really do anything to help/hinder the story. Then there’s the mysterious Rieker, a fellow pick-pocketer, he seems to always be where Tiki at/or when she needs help.

There were a few twists and surprises towards the end of the book, and we learn about Rieker’s ‘other identity and that there’s more to Tiki than meets the eyes. The ending and resolution felt rush, but I guess book two is suppose to expand on the faeries  problems...I just hope we get more background and answers about the faeries realm. Overall I enjoyed this novel, the pacing was good and it kept me engaged that I finished the book in a day and half. If you’re looking for a fun-light read, and enjoy reading about faeries, you should give this book a go! 

Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

Title: Death and the Girl Next Door
Author: Darynda Jones
Genre: Paranormal Young-Adult
Seres: Darklight #1

Paperback, 304 pages

Publication: October 2nd 2012 by St. Martin's Press 

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|AMAZON|BOOK DEPOSITORY|

Source: Publisher

|SUMMARY|

 Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace.  Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home.  For Lorelei, life goes on.

High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be.  Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it,  standing outside her house in the dark, night after night.  Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school.  Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.  What does Jared know about her parents?  Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei?  And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real? 

|REVIEW |

I am a fan of Jones’s Charley Davidson’s series and when I heard she was coming out with a YA series I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! Death and the Girl next Door is NOT what I expected. Our Main heroine Lorelei is your typical sophomore, who enjoys hanging out with her two best friends Brooklyn and Glitch. Things start to get weird when the school loner Cameron begins stalking Lorelei, every time she turns around she sees him lurking in the corner. Lorelei always had visions; some come true while others are just random and bizarre. Things get stranger when a boy from Lorelei’s vision shows up at her school! Next thing you know Cameron and the mysterious Jared are fighting over her. 

I truly wanted to like this book, but I found Lorelei extremely annoying, and the story’s mystery too dragged out. I’m probably in the minority who didn’t like this book. When Jared first shows up at school, Lorelei didn’t really freak out that this is the SAME guy from her vision. Instead she’s drooling over how amazingly hot he is, and he of all people noticed someone like her who is pasty white and plain (she said so herself). In another scene in the first half of the book, we have Cameron and Jared fighting over Lorelei, Cameron tells Lorelei to stay away from Jared because he’s the dangerous bad guy. While Cameron tries to get Lorelei away from Jared, what does Lorelei do instead? She attacks Cameron and defends Jared! WTH? She doesn’t even know Jared and Cameron may be the school’s loner but at least she knows of him since the third grade (or was it kindergarten, I forgot). If I was in her situation, I wouldn’t trust either dudes. 

The book’s pacing was slow, I found myself constantly losing interest or not caring about what’s going on. In the first quarter of the book, Lorelei is demanding answers to what is going on around her. Why are Cameron and Jared fighting over her? Why are they both so freakishly strong? What is Jared? etc. Instead of getting answers, the characters beat around the bush about it. This drove me nuts! I pushed on hoping that things would get better but not so much. Once I found who was what, I was a little surprised since I wasn’t expecting the book to be about certain paranormal beings but it still didn’t make up for the majority of the book.

Overall I felt this book lacking in the story, character development, and world-building. The world-building didn’t feel put together until towards the end of the book where readers finally get some answers. Death and the Girl next Door didn’t offer anything new or exciting to the YA genre, the elements found in this book can be found in numerous of other YA title in the market today. This is a start to a new series, and one I won’t be continuing. From the other reviews I’ve seen, many seem to really love this book, so while it wasn’t for me it might be for you. I suggest anyone who’s still interested in this book to maybe read a chapter sample or excerpt, or borrow from friend/library before thinking about dishing out the $10.

FTC disclaimer: St. Martin's Griffin provided me with a copy of Death and the Girl Next Door, and in return I provide an honest review.

EARLY REVIEW: Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Title: Eve & Adam
Author: Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
Genre: Young-Adult, Sci-Fi/Futuristic
Seres: Eve & Adam #1 (Last page of ARC indicated of a sequel)

Hardcover, 304 pages

Publication: October 2nd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

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|AMAZON|BOOK DEPOSITORY|

Source: Publisher

|SUMMARY|
In the beginning, there was an apple –

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker's head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die – not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy. Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect . . . won’t he?

|REVIEW|  

The book immediately started with a BOOM! Our main character sixteen-year-old Evening a.k.a. (Eve or E.V.) gets hit by a car in the first page causing her leg to get torn off! The ambulance rushes her to the hospital but her mom Terra Spiker, knows the best care can only be given by Spiker Biopharmaceuticals, her own research facility. It is there where Eve gets better, but her mom doesn’t want to her to leave just quite yet. Terra gives Eve a little side project, to create the perfect boy. While at her mother’s facility Eve learns that Spiker Biopharmaceuticals isn’t really what it seems to be. The things Eve learns can put her mom and everyone working there behind bars. 

Eve and Adam is written with  multiple points of view, narrated in first person by Eve, Solo and Adam. Each chapter has the character’s name listed at the beginning, and it can switch from one chapter to the next or it has the character continue for a couple of chapters then switches. Eve, Solo, and Eve’s best friend Aislin were the main characters of the book but there wasn’t anything that made them stand out. They all act like typical teenagers, there were times I didn’t really care about them or was annoyed with them. Eve is the daughter of one of the richest woman in San Francisco, Solo is an orphaned boy living at Spiker Biopharmaceuticals and Terra Spiker is his guardian (after the death of his parents) and Aislin is the funny side-kick but a person who doesn’t know when to get out of a bad situation if it hit her in the face. 

I didn’t really know what to expect when I started this book, but the cover and summary definitely piqued my curiosity. The first half of the book was pretty slow, with the authors sit building the world and introducing us to the characters and plot. At exactly halfway through the book, the story picks up with a lot of action and revelations about Project 88715, Solo’s parents and the death of Eve’s dad.The writing was well-done nothing complicated and pretty straight forward. 

This was a good start, it didn’t blow me away but well worth the read. I’m hoping with the world already set and the characters already introduced that the next installment, Adam and Eve will be fully engaging. If you’re looking for a fun not too serious sci-fi book, then Eve and Adam is the book for you! 

FTC disclaimer: Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) provided me with a copy of Eve & Adam, and in return I provide an honest review.