Grace by Elizabeth Scott: Traveling ARC Tours

Grace by Elizabeth Scott
Summary:

Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom.

In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

Review:

I never thought I would pick up a YA book about a suicide bomber and devour it in one sitting. Elizabeth Scott has crafted an incredibly original novel about a young girl born in to the type of ideological war that engulfs so much of the world and makes her story relatable, moving and downright brilliant.

Grace is on a train with a stranger, Kerr, both hiding in plain sight as they try to get to the border and escape their death-filled lives. As the plot moves forward, Scott peels back layer after layer of their pasts and how they have been intertwined for years.

Scott’s writing is minimal and poetic, revealing only the exact details that somehow form the big pictures. This is a piece of art where the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

Grace is engaging and moving enough to be read for pleasure but also smart and insightful enough that I can see it being read in both history and English classes. It has genuine insight in to an all-to-relevant world and an ending that will leave you both hopeful and haunted.

Grace will be released on September 16. ARC was reviewed as part of Traveling ARC Tours.
This book goes toward my Summer Break Reading Challenge

In My Mailbox - July 18

As always In My Mailbox is hosted by the amazing The Story Siren. See her blog for more details.



Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala (Review)
Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter (Review)
Bailey Kelsey at ceruleannotions
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Crossed Out by Kim Baccellia
Book It Forward ARC Tours
Grace by Elizabeth Scott
Traveling ARC Tours
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
Kathy at Bermudia Onion
Chimera by Rob Thurman
The Knight Agency
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Fallout by Ellen Hopkins
Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams
Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Vigue
White Cat by Holly Black
Elizabeth Scott (and there is a question for you Ms. Scott)
Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink
The Gift by James Patterson
Monster High by Lisi Harrison
The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan
Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty
32 Candles by Ernessa Carter
Bookin With Bingo

Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson

Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson

Summary:

After discovering that someone saw what looked like Dan’s emergency EpiPen in A-lister Plum’s designer handbag, Scarlett and her tough American sidekick, Taylor, sneak into a posh London nightclub, where Plum has a private table. Scarlett is stunned to discover a piece of evidence that might implicate another girl in Plum’s exclusive circle, Lucy Raleigh. Which means Scarlett must cast a wider net in order to catch the right suspect.


Back at school, groundskeeper Jase is hoping to take Scarlett’s mind off her troubles with some heart-stopping kisses. Scarlett can’t help but feel guilty for indulging in romantic rendezvous when she should be hunting down Dan’s killer. However, once Scarlett finds out how Lucy is connected to Dan, she knows she must drop everything and travel to the McAndrew estate in Scotland to hunt for more clues. But when she arrives, Scarlett becomes the target of a dangerous hunt herself.


Review:

I was seriously frustrated with the first book of the series, Kiss Me Kill Me but Kisses and Lies fixed all the problems I had with book one. First of all there was a conclusion, the mystery was solved, I know who killed Dan and let me tell you it was a shocker.

Kisses and Lies had all the things I really enjoyed from Kiss Me Kill Me, Scarlett as a great main character, further development of her friends Taylor and Jase, it was fun and well written and then I got what I wanted the first time: plot development.

Scarlett’s trip to Scotland give the story motivation and development that never happened in book one and there is actually a resolution to who killed Dan. The clues from book one are important but we learn so much more in book two and this book could really stand on its own.

Dan’s family has some serious skeletons hidden in the castle and as Scarlett uncovers them and figures out who killed Dan the book is impossible to put down. It is entertaining and suspenseful with just enough humor. And I was totally surprised with who the killer ended up being and what the motivation was

This book goes toward my Summer Break Reading Challenge

Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson

Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson

Summary:

When 16-year-old Scarlett Wakefield transfers from St. Tabby’s to Wakefield Hall Collegiate, she is relieved that no one knows her dark, haunting secret. A few months ago, Scarlett was invited to an elite party with a guest list full of the hottest names in British society, including Dan McAndrew. Before the party, Scarlett had only imagined what it would be like to have her first kiss with Dan, but on the penthouse terrace, Dan leaned in close and she no longer had to wonder. Their kiss was beautiful and perfect and magical, and then . . . Dan McAndrew took his last breath as she held him in her arms. No one knows how or why Dan died, and everyone at St. Tabby’s believes Scarlett had something to do with it. But now that she’s safely hidden away at Wakefield Hall, Scarlett would rather forget that it ever happened. Only she can’t. Especially when she receives an anonymous note that will set her on the path to clearing her name and finding out what really happened to the first and last boy she kissed.



Review:

I had a hard time with the beginning of this novel but by the end I really loved it. It was a slow start for me, I felt like there was too much background information and not enough action to begin the book, especially since the synopsis tells us what the major conflict is going to be. I really felt like I was half-way through the book and hadn’t really learned anything new or important.

However, once Dan died the story really picked up and I was very interested. Scarlett is a great protagonist, and I love living this story through her. She is funny and brave but realistic enough that going through this ordeal with her is very understandable.

While I loved the characters in the book, and the idea of the story I was really frustrated at the end. I felt like nothing was actually resolved and at the end of the book I knew just about nothing more than I had from the synopsis. Its like this book existed merely as a prequel to Kisses and Lies. I love reading books in a series but the main conflict in this book is never resolved, it is all back story and no action which is really frustrating. Thankfully, I already had the second book in the series so I was able to read them consecutively which made me less angry but if I didn’t I would have been seriously ticked off. My review of the second book will come soon, and I really liked it.

I wanted to really like Kiss Me Kill Me. The writing is great, the characters are great but I was really frustrated with how the plot never amounted to more than the summary on the back of the book.

This book goes toward my Summer Break Reading Challenge

2010 Debut Author Challenge

The 2010 Debut Author Challenge is being hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year. I'm going to challenge everyone to read at least 12 debut novels! Click here to read all the details.

I am a little late to the party but I am going to play along anyway and here are the debuts I want to read. I will link to my reviews as I complete them.

1. Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala
2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
3. All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab
4. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
5.The Mark by Jen Nadol
6. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
7. Simply from Scratch by Alicia Bessette
8. Swallow by Tonya Plank
9. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
10. The Line by Teri Hall
11. Claire De Lune by Christine Johnson
12. Freefall by Mindi Scott
13. Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick
14. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

Summary:
Tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one...

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own. Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

Review:
It is very rare that I find a book so engaging that it literally pulls me in to the pages and the world around me stops. In my ridiculously busy schedule I can rarely pick up a book and read it cover to cover in one sitting, life just gets in the way.

However, life had to wait tonight as I started reading Tell Me A Secret and everything else literally disappeared. I didn't eat dinner, I didn't watch the Home Run Derby (if you have ever met me in real life you know this is a HUGE deal), I didn't do anything but read every word of this amazing novel.

Now if you are having trouble following what I am saying, I don't blame you, I am having trouble thinking clearly having finished this book just minutes ago but I will just lay it out there. THIS.BOOK.IS.BEYOND.PERFECT.

Cupala has managed to write a book that is both heartbreaking and full of hope, and impossible to put down. She writes about the secrets of a teenage girl, the trials of a family and how both birth and death can change everything in an instant.

Rand has lost her sister and is now pregnant and still in high school and the journey she takes the reader on is perfectly written. Cupala makes sure we feel every single emotion Rand does, from the happy to the sad to the angry to the heartbreaking, and yes I cried while I read this.

One of my favorite things about the book is that every character has multiple names, and they all represent different parts of their lives. It is in these small details that the book is even more incredible.

Every character, from Rand to her mother to her boyfriend and her best friend, has so many layers and twists that create a depth I've rarely seen in a single novel. It usually takes many books in a series to create the kind of well-rounded characters there are in Tell Me A Secret.

I can make you one promise, you will not be able to put this book down.

I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of this book at Cupala's website but everyone should go buy this book right now. It is a truly original YA novel from an incredibly talented debut author. I can hardly wait for whatever she puts out next.

This book goes toward my Summer Break Reading Challenge and 2010 Debut Authors Challenge

Eat Pray Love 3 or What's Your Word?

Having finished Italy discuss what the first phase of the journey has been like. Something fun could be that in Chapter 33 while sitting in an outdoor café in Rome, Gilbert’s friend declares that every city—and every person—has a word. Rome’s is “sex,” the Vatican’s “power”; Gilbert declares New York’s to be “achieve,” but only later stumbles upon her own word, antevasin, Sanskrit for “one who lives at the border.” What is your word? Is it possible to choose a word that retains its truth for a lifetime?

The first part of the book is so much about her healing in Italy. She has to learn how to smile, laugh and enjoy life again before she can really begin the hard stuff. I love this part of the book because she fights her depression and just does what I wish I could do. Travels around Italy, learning the language (of which I have a basic knowledge), eating the food and just enjoying the country. I firmly believe we would have a lot less depression if we could all treat it this way.

As for my word, I have spent a lot of time thinking about this since the first time I read the book. I have even asked my friends what my word is but of course I haven’t yet found the perfect one. I often end up back at fuerza, which is strength in Italian but it hasn’t seemed perfect yet. Trust me, when I do find my word I am getting it inked on my body somewhere. When I asked my friends a lot of them said independent. And while that feels close as well, it doesn’t feel quite right. Maybe part of it is that those are different words for different phases of my life and I am still looking for something all encompassing.

One particularly close friend said my word is sassy. I think that’s funny but there is no way I am owning it as my word.

The next part of the journey is totally different. And I hope you all enjoy!