You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover... Or Can You?

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

YAY! I'm super excited for this book to be released. Evermore was fantastic and I'm excitedly anticipating the reast of Ever and Damen's adventures. Plus the plot of this novel sounds awesome, I have a feeling this one will be a page turner.

Release: July 7, 2009

Synopsis: Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way. But just as her powers are increasing, Damen’s are waning.

In an attempt to save him, Ever travels to the magical dimension of Summerland, where she learns the secrets of Damen’s tortured past; a past which he has always kept hidden from her. But in her quest to cure Damen, Ever discovers an ancient text that details the workings of time. Now Ever must chose between turning back the past and saving her family from the accident that claimed their lives—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows sicker every day...

Cover: I'm glad to see a more unique cover for Blue Moon. It was disappointing (and strange) to see that the cover of Evermore was the same as that of North of Beautiful, minus the coloring and some added pictures. Luckily, this cover is unique. I really like the blue/black color scheme and, especially, the orb in the center. The first time I saw it I didn't notice that the orb held a field of daises. This cover is a much better improvement from the previous.

A Sweet Disorder by Jacqueline Kolosov

I'm really looking forward to this one. I really like Kolosov's previous novel, The Red Queen's Daughter (below), and was excited to hear she was writing another Tudor-era novel. If it's anything like her last novel, A Sweet Disorder will be great.

Release: June 9, 2009

Synopsis: Sixteen-year old Miranda has no idea how much her life is going to change upon hearing the news of her father's death. Left with little dowry to offer, Miranda faces a broken engagement, and is sent to live with her father's cousin, the Count John Hardwood, and his wife whose primary goal is to take her to Court and marry her off to the insufferable Lord Seagrave for their own profit.

At Queen Elizabeth's court, Miranda soon learns that a large part of her survival will depend on her knowing who to trust. All the maidens at Court dream of being one of the Queen's ladies in waiting. When Miranda distinguishes herself from the rest with her exquisite sewing and embroidery skills, she gets the attention of the Queen, much to the anger and jealousy of the courtiers, ladies in waiting, and even a trusted "friend."

As Miranda begins to win the Queen's favor, she is given the ultimate test-to recreate Elizabeth's mother's (Ann Boleyn) coronation gown. Miranda knows this is her opportunity to escape the shackles of convention and get out of a marriage to Lord Seagrave and instead establish an independent life at Court as the Queen's seamstress. But how will she reunite with Henry Raleigh, the man to whom she was once promised, and has always loved?

Cover: Normally subdued blacks and grays are not great choices for a cover in my eyes. But it actually works for this book. The drab backdrop accents the beautiful dress perfectly, making it look even more striking and rich. If I hadn't already recognized Kolosov's name, the dress on the front would've caught my eye right away.

The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolsov

I read The Red Queen's Daughter a few months ago and enjoyed it immensely. The story was incredibly rich in detail and beautifully written.

Paperback Release: April 28, 2009

Synopsis: Orphaned as a young girl because of the imprudent marriage of her mother, Queen Katherine Parr, Mary Seymour vows never to fall in love-and under no circumstances will she marry. Lady Strange, her mysterious guardian, offers the young woman an extraordinary alternative to marriage: Mary is to become a white magician who will join Queen Elizabeth's court and ensure the success of the Virgin Queen's reign.

Accompanied by her magical hound, Perseus, Mary sets out to learn the properties of different stones and the art and precision of natural spells. Soon after her sixteenth birthday, she joins Elizabeth's court as a lady-in-waiting. Upon her arrival, Mary realizes that Elizabeth's court is rife with men and women who are vying for power. The most dangerous of all is Edmund Seymour, Mary's disturbingly handsome cousin. From the moment she meets Edmund, Mary has to fight her growing attraction, especially once she discovers that he is a black magician, the dark mirror of her own self. But, despite the threat Edmund poses to Mary, he seems to be the only one who truly understands her. When Edmund becomes involved in a plot against the Queen, Mary finds her beliefs tested in ways she never could have imagined.

Cover: When I originally read the book it was the cover that caught my attention. The red cover and pale but striking woman on the cover caught my eye and led me to pick up the book at the Stanford bookstore. When I got home and went to order the book, it was the cover that I remembered most and looked for. However, had it's new cover been the original, I'm not so sure I would've red it. While the new style may work well for A Sweet Disorder, it certaintly does not for The Red Queen's Daughter. The model's pale dress and skin are completely washed out by the bland gray backdrop and her averted eyes take away all of the strength that characterizes Mary. A change in cover was not a good choice for this book.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

I decided to read Evermore after learning what it was about. After all, it sounded a lot like Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ Golden; girl who sees auras moves to a new town after a tragedy, meets a guy who tones down all of the physic energy, and takes on an evil force. Since I enjoyed Golden, I figured why not read Evermore? Plus it’s written by Alyson Noël, so it must be good.

However after reading the first few chapters I was unsure. The story seemed just a bit too out there. Damen was too perfect and too mysterious and Ever (too perfect a name) seemed a little too… well fortunate. The girl survived a deadly car crash, came out of it with psychic powers, moved in with an aunt who just happened to be rich and given every teenage girl’s dream room in a mansion in, of all places, Laguna Beach, and she just happens to catch the eye of the new hottie, despite her oversized sweat shirts and jeans. I mean, please, can we at least be a little realistic?

As I continued to read though, I realized that that was the whole point of the book. Damen is too perfect and overly mysterious and Ever is too fortunate to be true. Nothing can be so seemingly perfect without there being something going on, which is exactly the case with Ever. Her life isn’t what it seems and nor is Damen, there is a deeper, darker secret lurking underneath that is just waiting to be revealed.

This book went from a skeptical “I’ll finish it because I’m already so far in” book, to an “I can’t wait for the next one” book in one chapter. All of the problems in the plot and minor imperfections were explained and transformed into twists that I never would’ve seen coming.

I’d highly suggest this book to anyone. It’s supernatural, mysterious, adventurous, romantic, and sure to please.

4 Stars!

In My Mailbox

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

To Carley Wells, words are the enemy. Her tutor’s innumerable SAT flashcards. Her personal trainer’s “fifty-seven pounds overweight” assessment. And the endless reading assignments from her English teacher, Mr. Nagel. When Nagel reports to her parents that she has answered “What is your favorite book” with “Never met one I liked,” they decide to fix what he calls her “intellectual impoverishment.” They will commission a book to be written just for her—one she’ll have to love—that will impress her teacher and the whole town of Fox Glen with their family’s devotion to the arts. They will be patrons— the Medicis of Long Island. They will buy their daughter The Love Of Reading.

Impossible though it is for Carley to imagine loving books, she is in love with a young bibliophile who cares about them more than anything. Anything, that is, but a good bottle of scotch. Hunter Cay, Carley’s best friend and Fox Glen’s resident golden boy, is becoming a stranger to her lately as he drowns himself in F. Scott Fitzgerald, booze, and Vicodin.

When the Wellses move writer Bree McEnroy—author of a failed meta-novel about Odysseus’ failed journey home through the Internet—into their mansion to write Carley’s book, Carley’s sole interest in the project is to distract Hunter from drinking and give them something to share. But as Hunter’s behavior becomes erratic and dangerous, she finds herself increasingly drawn into the fictional world Bree has created, and begins to understand for the first time the power of stories—those we read, those we want to believe in, and most of all, those we tell ourselves about ourselves. Stories powerful enough to destroy a person. Or save her.

And the winner is...

With the help of Random.org I selected the winners of the one year anniversary contest. Each of the six numbers corresponds with a number on my(randomized)list of entrants. Congratulations to:

Liyana - The Specialists books 1-3
Lalaland - Secrets of my Hollywood Life (Signed)
Nadia - Secrets of my Hollywood Life: On Location (Signed)
Robin_Titan - Secrets of my Hollywood Life: On Location (Signed)
Nora - Beautiful Americans (ARC)
Bookworm - The Princetta

I've sent all six of you an email. Please email back within 72 hours or else you'll forfeit your prize. Thanks to everyone who entered!

We've Moved!

You read that right, Chick Lit Teens has moved! Don't worry though, I haven't gone far. After just over a year of tacking on .blogspot.com to my domain name I've finally moved the blog to a plain old .com.

You can now find the blog at www.chicklitteens.com or, if you're set in you're ways, be redirected to the new address from the old www.chicklitteens.blogspot.com.

Finally, for those of you who are lazy like me, I'm working to have chicklitteens.com (no www.) also redirect to the site. Until then you'll just have to add the www.

Thanks!

In My Mailbox

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman (ARC)

Release: June 1, 2009

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

The Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout (signed)

Fed up with her parents and all their ridiculous rules (they keep a binder full of them), fifteen-year-old Kendra Bishop writes away to The Black Sheep, a reality TV show that offers the chance to swap families with another teen. But when the camera crew shows up at her Manhattan apartment, Kendra starts to have second thoughts. Too late. Kendra's whisked away to Monterey, California, to live with the Mulligans. The carefree household that couldn't be more different that her own--complete with hippy parents, their five kids, and a pet ferret. And falling for Mitch, the Mulligan's seventeen-year-old son, only complicates things further, especially since Mitch despises the TV show and everything it stands for. But given the chance, Kendra might just be able to juggle first love, her new stardom, and a pushy TV producer who will stop at nothing for higher ratings.

Thanks to Free Book Friday Teens for this one!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

In Mary's world there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

When I first picked up The Forest of Hands and Teeth I was excitedly anticipating the fantastic read that the reviews promised. Instead I discovered a book that was sorely lacking in plot, characters, and interest.

The main character, Mary, was a makeshift heroine for a story that desperately needed a strong voice to revive it, but instead failed miserably. Like the plot she was flighty and indecisive, jumping from one confusing, uninteresting thought to the next with little to no reason or explanation and, just as quickly as she'd begun, would abruptly stop and change course again.

Even worse there were no connections between any of the characters. It would've been easier to believe that the Unconsecrated had minds than to believe that Mary was truly in love with Travis or best friends with Cass. Like Mary, all of the characters and their connections were weak and transparent.

Despite these faults, I spent most of the book genuinely hoping it would get better, I didn't want to believe that a book I'd had such high expectations for could be so bad. And yet, each time I felt the story may finally pick up Ryan tossed aside another possible plot in favor of a weaker, less interesting storyline that she would just cast aside later on.

In the end, the story sputtered out, long after my interest did. At the end I was left more skeptical than I'd been at the start. My first instinct after closing the book was to go get my money back and never go near it again, however I just found out that there is going to be a second book, The Dead-Tossed Waves. I desperately hope that this book will be able to save this series, as I still don't want to accept that this book can really be that disappointing. But the real question is will I really want to risk another agonizing read? I'm still unsure of the answer.

1 Star

I just wanted to point out that prior to reading the book I read multiple reviews, nearly all of which claimed that this book was one of the best of the year. Maybe I'm missing something, but I personally did not see it. There is obviously something there though if so many people enjoyed the book that much. So if you read and enjoyed the book, all the power to you. And if you're thinking about reading the book then take what I said into consideration. Like I said though, I could be missing something, so don't write the book off entirely, just be warned.

One Lovely Blog

Thanks to Diane at The Book Resort for awarding my blog with the One Lovely Blog Award. The award is given to new blogs and newly discovered blogs. I'm going to pass the award on to two awesome blogs that are fairly new or newly discovered:

Elise at Reading Rocks

Jill at Reading is Bliss

You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover... Or Can You?

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

Yay! I'm extremely excited for this book. Goose Girl was absolutely wonderful and, despite my wariness, so were the other two Books of Bayern. This fourth one is sure to be just as good. After all, Shannon Hale has a talent for creating the most intricate, breathtaking fairy tales and retellings.

Release: September 15, 2009

Synopsis: (It isn't much but it's all I could find) The fourth book in Shannon Hale's Bayern series, this book follows Rin, Razo's young sister.

Cover: While I still favor the original antique art looking covers of the first three books, I think that this cover is awesome. The lilacs, blues, and pale greens are absolutely beautiful and the girl in the center is striking. I especially like how the colors juxtapose with her dark hair. If I didn't know anything about these books I'd pick it up anyways just for the cover. The cover artists at Bloomsbury are talented, they created a great cover that's beautiful, but still no too far off from the old covers. It still captures the spirit of the series wonderfully.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

I read this book when it came out last year, but I just saw the cover of the paperback and I had to feature it. I'm a big fan of all of Sarah Dessen's books and this one was one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to her newest book, Along for the Ride.

Release (in paperback): May 14, 2009

Synopsis: Ruby is used to taking care of herself. But now she’s living in a fancy new house with her sister Cora—a sister she hasn’t seen in ten years—and her husband Jamie—creator of one of the most popular online networking sites. She’s attending private school, wearing new clothes, and for the first time, feels the promise of a future that include college and her family. So why is she so wary? And what is Nate— the adorable and good-hearted boy next door— hiding behind his genial nature? As Ruby starts to see, there’s a big difference between being given help, and being able to accept it. And sometimes, in order to save yourself, you’ve got to reach out to someone else.

Cover: As I mentioned before, this is not the book's original cover, it's the paperback cover. However I like this cover far more. The original cover of the book was nice, but the new cover is far better. The look of it fits in better with the covers of Dessen's previous novels and I especially like how the book's new cover almost exactly matches the final scene of the book. In this case, a cover makeover was the perfect choice.

Chick Chat: Jen Calonita

Did you always want to be an author? If so, why? If not, what did you want to be?
I always wanted to be a writer, but not necessarily an author. I loved writing and figured my career would be as a magazine writer, which is what I started out doing. I did that for almost ten years before I became an author.

Is being an author what you expected?
It was even better than I imagined! I love creating these characters and their world. It's so much fun when you get an idea and then it just snowballs into something so huge you can't stop it. You just have to write it down. I love working from home and being near my two boys. And getting to write from home in your pajamas is not too shabby either!


What was your road to publishing like?
I was extremely lucky. EXTREMELY. It's not the norm, I know. But I was working at a magazine called Teen People and one of my editors knew I had a book idea. She mentioned it to an editor at Little, Brown, which is my publishing house today. The editor there took my call and agreed to have coffee with me and basically tell me what I needed to do to write a book. She agreed to look at my proposal once I had one. When I had that all in order, and did a few drafts back and forth with them, I eventually wound up getting a book contract with them. My editor from that meeting is one of my editors today. It's amazing.

How has your background in entertainment helped you in writing Secrets of my Hollywood Life? My work as an entertainment writer inspires every part of Secrets. Knowing that world and moving in it was beyond helpful in creating Kaitlin and all her people. So many characters are based loosely on people I met, or interviewed. One character is based on someone who used to yell at me on the phone. A lot.

What inspired you to write Secrets?
Definitely my job at Teen People. So many teen actors I interviewed loved what they did. Some, you could tell, fell into it because they were pushed in by a parent or a manger or the like. I was always amazed that these gorgeous talented people could have the same insecurities and fears as the rest of us. That's what made me want to create Kaitlin.

Most writers have a close friend and/or family member that gives them support and criticism. Do you have anyone like this in your life? If so how have they contributed to your writing?
Absolutely! For me it's my good friend Mara. She's a fellow entertainment writer who I used to work with. I'm always bouncing ideas off of her and asking her opinion on things. What I love about her is that she always gives it to me straight. If my idea is rotten, she's not afraid to tell me and help me make it better.


Many teens dream of becoming authors. What advice would you give to writing teens?
Write as much as you can as often as you can. The more you do it--even if it's just for yourself in your journal--the better, I think, you can become. You have to be comfortable with your words. I also think there are a ton of great websites out there that publish teen writers and that's something amazing that I never had growing up. Take advantage of those opportunities.

Would you rather see Secrets turned into a TV show or a movie?
Hmm...I think a movie. The first book has a slight Hannah Montana feel so I don't think it would work for TV. And that said, I need to point out that my book was written before Hannah Montana existed!

If you could cast anyone to play you're characters who would your dream cast be?
That changes by the year! When Secrets first came out, I wanted Hilary Duff to play Kaitlin. Then it became Ashley Tisdale. But now these stars are older and doing more adult roles. I need a new young teen queen-like a Selena Gomez--to step into Kaitlin's shoes.

Besides writing and reading what else are you passionate about?
My family. I adore my husband, and sons Tyler, who is four, and Dylan who is five months. And of course, our chihuahua, Captain Jack Sparrow!

What are some of your favorite books?
I love books that make me laugh and no one does that better than Sophie Kinsella. Her Shopaholic books are genius. I also loved "Can You Keep a Secret?" When I want something heavy, I turn to Jodi Picoult.

What are your favorite TV shows and/or movies?
I watch a lot of TV! I love Gossip Girl, 90210, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, the Food Network (Guy Fieri is a must).

When can readers expect to see Broadway Lights on shelves? Can you give us a hint as to what it’s about?
I am writing it right now and it's a lot of fun taking Kaitlin to New York. It will hit shelves in spring 2010 and the book is all about Kaitlin's time in New York and what it's like for her to be in a Broadway show. It's also the first time her and Austin have been separated for a long period of time and they both have a tough time with that. Sky pops up too. A lot! The two get into a lot of crazy situations together, which is fun to write.

Are you working on any other projects, besides Secrets? If so, what and when will they be released?
Yes, I have Sleepaway Girls, which will be out this May. That's about a CIT named Samantha who goes to sleepaway camp for the first time and butts heads with the queen bee. I also just finished a novel called Reality Check, which is about four best friends who get their own reality show. It deals with what happens to their friendship when they become stars. I also have Secrets 6 in the pipeline. Kaitlin will be back in Los Angeles for that one, but I can't say much more than that at this point. I'm just glad her story will continue.

Script Frenzy

Amidst my spring vacationing I completely forgot about the start of Script Frenzy. Script Frenzy is run by the same people who host NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which runs every November and is a load of fun and writing craziness. During Script Frenzy participants write a 100 page original script ( TV, movie, story collection...) in 30 days.

I've never given much thought to writing a script, or even considered it for that matter, but I enjoyed NaNoWriMo so much in November that I decided to give Script Frenzy a try. Writing a screenplay is a big change from writing a novel, but the challenge of telling an entire story through dialogue is one that I'm excited to take on. In addition to the thrill of trying something new I'm hoping that Script Frenzy will serve as a good exercise that will, hopefully, improve my writing.

If you too are interested in trying your hand at writing a script you can sign up for Script Frenzy here as well as learn more about the event. And don't worry about starting late in the game, as I mentioned before, I'm just starting my script this week.

Happy Frenzy!

Diving In

While I may appear to be a connoisseur of YA books, there's actually a large number of books, and genres, that I've yet to read. Lately, however, I've been starting to branch out and have dived into some new series that I never would've considered reading. And I have to say, to my surprise, I'm enjoying it!

Don't get me wrong, I love my books and genres, but it isn't always easy to find books that suit my tastes. (New murder mysteries and historical fiction aren't exactly dropping left and right, even though I'd like them to.) But, while finding books that fit my criteria may be hard, it is harder to delve into new types of books. With some encouraging (and forcing) from my friends and family though I've stepped out of the box and found some good new books and series.

Private by Kate Brian is one of those series. I've known about it for awhile, my sister being an avid reader of the series, but I never read them. Some of that has to do with my own skepticism and some my sister's skepticism as to how I'd like them. However, I started reading them a few weeks ago and am already up to date. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The books may not be The Hunger Games or A Great and Terrible Beauty, but they keep me entertained and on the edge of my seat. Whoever thought that a book about the cliche scholarship girl at an upscale private school could be so suspenseful? Surely not I.

Another book is Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Ya ya, I know that these books have been all the rage over the past few months and they're right down my alley, but I've never read them. Mostly because I have a slight fear of vampires and because I have a thing with reading fad books. When a book is so huge I sometimes find it hard to connect to the book without feeling like I've sold out. (Case and point: Harry Potter) Thanks to the never ending forcing of my friends and family (and many forced viewings of the movie) I finally caved and read the first book. And, yep, you guessed it, I enjoyed it.

With two positive experiences with new genres and books I'm going to be doing some more exploring, so keep an eye out for some unique and out of the box reviews coming soon.