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review 2019-05-29 17:34

‘The Kingdom’ is a combo of sci-fi and fantasy, with a dash of mystery and fairytale, Westworld crossed with DisneyLand, and poses profound questions about humanity

Kat's Books

The Kingdom is the ultimate fantasy theme park, with its thrilling rides and coasters, set among safari grasslands, mermaid pools, and tropical forests, a monorail, and the magical Princess Palace. Long-extinct animal species have been bioengineered and now roam free, along with hybrid animals like horseflies as well as virtual dragons.

And what’s this Kingdom without princesses? Ana is one of seven Fantasists - half-human, half-android princesses, who are engineered to make park visitors' fantasies come true. Her programming dictates that her behavior is predictable, and she is not complicated with the vast array of human emotions. So when Ana does start experiencing emotions, questioning what she's been told to think and say, her whole world inside this surreal futuristic amusement park changes. It also leads to the most controversial trial of the century and to a surprise romance.

Author Jess Rothenberg isn't new to the YA scene, having been both the editor of the popular 'Vampire Academy' series, and writer of 'The Catastrophic History of You & Me.' But this is a genre-bending departure from vampires and paranormal romance for Rothenberg, bringing us a mash-up between sci-fi and fantasy, Westworld crossed with Disney World. The Kingdom is set in Lewis County, WA, 2096, a future that comes across as incredibly eerie, the kind of ‘too good to be true’ that is undeniably unsettling from the very beginning.

Ana, being half-human, has deep questions about the role she is supposed to play in the theme park, as it becomes clear that it’s far from ‘normal’; most importantly, the question of whether she actually committed the highest crime of all - murder - pushes the story through twists and turns all the way through. The confusion Ana feels over her romantic feelings and friendships are also fantastically exaggerated examples of how the teenage years can be a minefield to deal with anyway, and the way she questions the treatment of animals hit me at my core.

This book is the perfect combination of fantasy and sci-fi, with the twist of mystery, romance and good dose of a fairytale mixed in, and it brings up so many profound questions about humanity and how we treat others. It felt like nothing else I had read lately and so I loved this deeply original book.

*Thank you to Christian Trimmer for introducing me to this delight, and Henry Holt Books for Young Readers for treating me to an early copy.

Source: www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864907-the-kingdom

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review 2019-03-21 18:32

‘Scary Stories for Young Foxes’ deserves to be an instant children’s animal book classic; a middle-grade novel draws inspiration from Poe and Lovecraft, and has a lot of heart

Kat's Books

Scary Stories for Young Foxes - Christian McKay Heidicker,Junyi Wu

Life as a young fox is scary, with so much to learn about the dangers out there in the woods. Little foxes learn about these dangers from their mama, a masterful storyteller, or the hard way, by facing the world.

This beautifully-written and illustrated middle-grade book invites the reader to step inside the minds of little foxes, and embark on an adventure, full of the real-life challenges that they often face:

Nasty humans, vicious woodland creatures like the Golgathursh and badgers, and dangerous territorial foxes. And especially the harsh Winter.

This is a tale within a tale, and just like scary stories told around a campfire, it has elements of horror and delight. Not only is it precautionary for fox kits, like foxes Mia and Uly, readers will recognize the themes of friendship, family, bravery, and the drive to push ahead when life is difficult.

Author Christian McKay Heidicker has a way with words too, and through his writing he has conveyed a very vivid picture of woodland life, describing objects as a fox would see them, and creating new words for things that wouldn’t make sense to them. He also doesn’t shy away from the brutality of nature, from the cycle of life and death, and the struggle for survival against the most difficult of odds. The young foxes in his story face hunters, painful separation from family members, and gruesome injuries and death. Heidicker draws inspiration from classic authors Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft, and weaves in a very well-known children’s book author into this very book; young readers who love a scary story will enjoy this, but it’s not for those who are easily upset by animals getting hurt or struggle with the harshness of nature.

The most wonderful part in my reading this (aside from enjoying the adventure and the amazing artwork by Junyi Wu) was how it reminded me of discovering books about animals in my childhood, such as ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ ‘The Wind in The Willows,’ and ‘Watership Down.’ I enjoyed these with my dad, and they fueled my love and compassion for animals. I expect many readers who will enjoy this book will be or are animal-lovers too, as Heidicker has embodied the curious and mischievous nature of foxes so well in this book, and it’s really hard not to love them because of it. This deserves to be a children’s animal classic!

**Thank so much to the editor, Christian Trimmer of Henry Holt Books, for my early copy and the chance to read and review this book.

Release date: 8.20.19

animals Nature book review Middle-grade death Scary Stories arc-galley henry holt books

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review 2015-02-02 05:00

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Take Me Away...

e-ARC, 400 pages

Release Date: February 3, 2014

Published by: Henry Holt & Co.

Stand-alone

Source: Netgalley (A huge thank you to both the publisher and Netgalley. This galley was provided to me in exchange for a just and honest review. I received no type of compensation for getting this galley.)

For fans of: Contemporaries, Diversity, Realistic Fiction, Tear Jerkers, YA, Sparkly Covers, DEAR

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.
Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

MY THOUGHTS

I know I loved a book when I have to start and stop a review several times and I'm still unsure I've found the right words for it, This is one of those circumstances. I'll Meet You There is a swoony, funny, sarcastic, and just everything you need from a book.

"Being a Marine isn't the only thing you're good at. Maybe you just don't know your thing yet, you know? I think..." I took a breath "I just think you're selling yourself short.'"

25%

Skylar is not your typical girl from Creek View. She has an actual chance of getting out. (Without becoming pregnant first.) Try as she might to stay out of trouble, it still found her. In the form of a Marine. Josh is back in Creek View after his tour in Afghanistan and and everything is different. Especially him. As the summer goes by, both Skylar and Josh see what's really important to them.

"...it's okay to be proud of yourself, Josh."

32%

I loved all "the feels" this book brought on. I laughed out loud, I cried, I got mad, I felt EVERYTHING while reading this. I was fully immersed in this story. Enough to cry real tears and talk back to the book like Skylar would jump from the pages and do what I told her.

"you can't have the light without the dark, right? Maybe our darkness was necessary for other people to see their light.'"

43%

I also loved the beautiful, lyrical way this story was written. Although the main character of this story is Skylar, there are some chapters from Josh's POV that are super intense and give us a look into his feelings. Though they sometimes hurt to read, I loved that Demetrios gave us that glimpse at Josh. This way we were able to see why he did what he did although we may not have agreed with it. Yes Skylar may have been the MC, but my favorite voice of the story was Josh's.

"What am I supposed to do when I'm bad for the one good thing in my life?'"

65%

As far as Josh and Skylar together there were so many hick-ups but I rooted for them the entire way. Both Josh and Skylar needed someone to be loved by and I wanted them to find it in each other. There were many times I was upset that they didn't do what I wanted them to, but at the same time, I understood. But trust me, the times they finally get it right, it was electrifying. Josh is seriously swoony and he and Skylar together captured my heart.

"Love is medicine and dreams are oxygen.'"

-Acknowledgements

Heather Demetrios is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. She dares to write outside the box, from teens with huge families that make it to television to teen amputated war veterans. Her writing swept me away to the trailer park in Creek View and even though Skylar was so intent on leaving, I didn't want to.

Overall, I give this

read harperteen E-galley henry holt i m a cover whore

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review 2014-09-01 10:20

NICOLE'S REVIEW: Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

The Twins Read's BookLikes Page

Lia flees on her wedding day with a bundle of stolen documents and her maid. She doesn't want to have any part in the arranged marriage she's forced into and throws duty aside in favor of her freedom. But Lia never really thought of the consequences that would surely follow her shunning of an arranged marriage with a possible political ally and she's going to have to man up and figure out how to fix the mess she's created. Runaway princesses, assassins, princes and a war that's just waiting to happen.

When I first started the book I was like well, okay. I can't begin to understand the pressure that comes along with an arranged marriage so let's give Lia the benefit of the doubt. It's not hard to imagine yearning for a life elsewhere when you're forced into marrying someone you've never met. It was kind of annoying that she'd shirk duty over the chance of finding love but hey, I'm not going to judge. Much.

Things started to get annoying when the love triangle was introduced. Enter Rafe and Kaden. One's a prince and the other assassin. Lia doesn't know who they are and assumes that one is a merchant and the other a fisherman (if I'm not mistaken). She spends an inordinate amount of time brooding over which boy she wanted and this goes on for around half of the book. Dances, boys, working at the inn, boys, getting attacked by a bounty hunter, more problems with boys. Ugh. She spends a lot of time complaining about being loved and wanting to love and finding love. Please. Stop.

Also might I add that Lia is kind of an idiot? When she manages to meet up with her brother and he tells her of the trouble brewing between Morrighan and Dalbreck and the marauders who want to conquer the two kingdoms she responds with surprise. SURPRISE. I mean did she not stop and think that maybe there was a reason for the political marriage? That maybe it was a way to get two kingdoms who were at odds with each other to form an alliance against the invaders? I mean Lia! Come on! And all for what? An imagined love?

Thankfully, somewhere along the latter half of the book Lia grows a spine, realizes that she's a princess and she has duties to her people and her kingdom and finally -FINALLY- gets with the program. Better late than never. This is where things also started to get exciting and it got back to being FANTASY. Because really mooning over boys and watching them wrestle on logs over mud was kind of boring (and stuff like that doesn't only happen in fantasy books). I wanted action and angst and epic battles and magic! Maybe there wasn't exactly much of an epic battle but at least the latter part of the book rekindled my faith in the story with the twists and turns it took and that ending! Mmmmm.

I'd have given this book a higher rating if the first half was as exciting as the second but I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series. Hopefully it gets better and Lia puts away boys for a moment and focuses on saving her kingdom first. What's the use of boys if you're all dead.

mary e pearson high fantasy kiss of deception the twins read henry holt ya teen young adult book review

Source: thetwinsread.blogspot.com/2014/09/nicoles-review-novel-nails-17-kiss-of.html

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review 2014-03-09 16:36

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

Take Me Away...

Hardcover, 404 pages

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Published by: Hanry Holt & Co. (BYR)

Stand-alone

Source: Own

For fans of: Contemporary, Hot Literary Guys, GLBTQ, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Sparkly Covers, YA

Seventeen-year-old Bonnie™ Baker has grown up on TV—she and her twelve siblings are the stars of one-time hit reality show Baker’s Dozen. Since the show's cancellation, Bonnie™ has tried to live a normal life, under the radar and out of the spotlight. But it's about to fall apart . . . because Baker’s Dozen is going back on the air. Bonnie™'s mom and the show's producers won't let her quit and soon the life that she has so carefully built for herself, with real friends (and maybe even a real boyfriend), is in danger of being destroyed by the show. Bonnie™ needs to do something drastic if her life is ever going to be her own—even if it means being more exposed than ever before.

MY THOUGHTS

In my family there's mostly girls. From me, to my sisters, to my cousins, to my cousin's children. And to make it even worse we're all exactly seven years apart. (It's a little weird lol) And trust me, we couldn't be more different if we tried. I used to think that with all our personalities and girlie meltdowns life couldn't get any worse. But then, I read this. And now, let me just say.... THANK GOODNESS FOR MY FAMILY.

Bonnie™ Chloe is from a family of 13 children. To add to the chaos, her huge family stars in its own reality tv show. Of course this means there is no such thing as privacy in thier home. (This is where I started feeling thankful for my family.) Everything Chloe does is scrutinized and it's unfair. Chloe is a teen that never gets to be a teen and constantly gets reminded of the worst time in her life. As soon as she begins to feel the slightest bit normal, her world is turned upside down again. No one understands why she doesn't want her most private moments filmed for the world to see. No one understands that all she wanted was some things to herself. It's such unfortunate situation.

But even though no one else is listening, there is someone who sees how unhappy she is. Patrick. And let me tell you, ladies and gentleman, he is way too perfect. Everything he does centers around Chloe. Normally, I'd be all for that, but their relationship was a little intense for them to be in high school. But, no judgement because there are high school sweethearts out there in the world. I'm actually thankful she had him to go to because she really had it rough. She really deserved to get her happily ever after. Both her and her brother.

What I loved most about the book was the characters. For there to be 13 children, 3 parents, 2 boyfriends, 2 BFF's, about 3-4 camera/production people, and countless paparazzi, none of them felt flat to me.It really seemed like everyone had a purpose. Yes it was a bit chaotic, but look at the type of story this it. There was no way it wouldn't be... My favorite character was Benny. I liked the MC, but Benny was such a strong character. In the way he handled some things I was a little reminded of myself and I had to go back and evaluate some things.

It's funny, I put this book on my TBR because of its bright, beautiful cover. I wasn't really expecting the inside pages to affect me like they did. Demetrios' writing style sucked me in completely. I felt all types of emotions while reading this. I swooned, laughed, and even got a little misty eyed! (That scene with the boyfriend shirt?! Yeahhhh...)

From the amazing characters, to the chaos that is her family, to the emotional wild ride I was on while reading this, I enjoyed every bit of it. So much so I stayed up until 5 am finishing it (ON THE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME DAY SO I HAD ALREADY LOST AN HOUR OF SLEEP MIND YOU!) and I don't regret it. Now I'm just a little shocked that this is a debut.

Overall, I give this

Challenges Faves Henry Holt I'm a Cover Whore read Review

*MY THOUGHTS*

*MY THOUGHTS*

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MY THOUGHTS