Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Title: Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: August 31, 2010
Series: Paranormalcy #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository | IndieBound
Source: Won

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal.  Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still.  Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies.  She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths.  Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

This book was bleeping awesome! Right from the beginning, I loved Evie's demeanor and the tone of the story. The opening scene is what I would picture if I were trying to imagine a mash-up of Buffy and Veronica Mars. Fighting vampires with a taser? Yes, please!

Evie is such an awesome heroine. She is smart. She is believable. Her obsession with all things 'normal' is endearing. She's a kick-ass girl, but she still has some innocence about her which I adore. She is one of the few paranormal YA heroines who actually acts like a teenager - obsessing over her favorite TV show and clothes, and becoming self-conscious when her legs are stubbly or she isn't wearing makeup. She was refreshing and fun and witty and enthusiastic and amazing. She could be my best friend. I absolutely love her.

The pacing of the plot is great. The action and the down time are well placed to make it a fun and easy read. The romance in the book is so freaking adorable, and without being cheesy. The resolution was slightly abrupt, but good. And I really, really cannot wait for the next book, Supernaturally.

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: November 30, 2010
Series: Matched #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads |  Book Depository
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

In the Society, Officials decide.  Who you love.  Where you work.  When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices.  It's barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate.  So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.  Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices:  between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow - between perfection and passion.

I loved, LOVED, this book.  The writing is lyrical and beautiful.  The world building is executed really well.  I've seen a lot of people compare the world to the one in The Giver, and it is similar in that it is a dystopian society that has been created in an attempt to keep peaceful order and provide its people with a high quality of life, but at the expense of many freedoms.

I really like Cassia as a heroine.  She is smart, determined, vulnerable and afraid, yet brave.  Her voice is honest, pure, and expressive, and it makes you want things to work out for her so badly.  It is easy to feel her torments alongside her.  The supporting characters are also amazing.  It is refreshing to see a YA novel in which both parents are not only present, but also incredibly supportive, as Cassia's parents are.

The book moves along at a leisurely pace, and there is not a lot of traditional 'action' in this installment.  Cassia's struggles for much of the book are internal, but the tension of her setting makes every thought feel like it could result in life or death.  Cassia must always behave as though she is being watched.  The suspense kept me reading late into the night.

Before this installment comes to a close, Condie gives the reader a small peek at what Cassia's future will hold for her in book two.  When I finished reading it, I just had to hug it.  It is one of my favorites of the year for sure.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

I decided that I am going to participate in the 2011 Debut Author Challenge, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  This is my first time to be participating in this challenge.  I am really looking forward to reading some amazing new authors, and 2011 looks like it's going to be a great year to do it!

I am challenging myself to read at least 20 books by debut authors in 2011.
This list will change somewhat over the course of the year, but here are some of the books that I would like to read for the challenge:

1. The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher (1/1) 
2. Choker by Elizabeth Woods (1/4) 
3. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (1/4) 
4. XVI by Julia Karr (1/6)
5. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (1/11) 
6. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (1/11) 
7. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck (1/11) 
8. Timeless by Alexandra Monir (1/11) 
9. Warped by Maurissa Guibord (1/11)
10. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal (1/25)
11. Vesper by Jeff Sampson (1/25)
12. The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver (2/1) 
13. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney (2/8) 
14. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (2/15) 
15. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer (2/15) 
16. Exposed by Kimberly Marcus (2/22) 
17. The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge (2/22) 
18. Clarity by Kim Harrington (3/1) 
19. Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney (3/1) 
20. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard (3/8) 
21. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (3/22) 
22. Wither by Lauren DeStefano (3/22) 
23. Entwined by Heather Dixon (3/29)
24. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens (4/5) 
25. Enclave by Ann Aguirre (4/12) 
26. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter (4/19) 
27. Bumped by Megan McCafferty (4/26) 
28. Die for Me by Amy Plum (5/1) 
29. Divergent by Veronica Roth (5/3)
30. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby (5/3) 
31. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky (5/23)
32. Hourglass by Myra McEntire (5/24)
33. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (6/1) 
34. Blood Red Road by Moira Young (6/7) 
35. Hereafter by Tara Hudson (6/7) 
36. The Revenant by Sonia Gensler (6/14) 
37. Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz (6/28) 
38. Luminous by Dawn Metcalf (7/7)
39. Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris (7/12) 
40. Wildefire by Karsten Knight (7/26) 
41. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (8/2)
42. A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan (8/9)
43. Hooked by Catherine Greenman (8/9)
44. Witchlanders by Lena Coakley (8/30)
45. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle (9/6)
46. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (9/27)
47. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton (10/1) 
48. Saving June by Hannah Harrington (11/15)
49. Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey (12/8)

I likely won't get to all of these, but it'd be nice!  My goal, though, is to read at least 20 of them.
Does anyone have any 2011 debut recommendations they'd like to share?  :)

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  It's also a great way to discover new books to add to your ever-growing to-read list!  Stop by Kristi's blog to participate or to take a look at what bookish things everyone got this week.

It's been two weeks since my last IMM post - here are the books that I've gotten since last time:

Borders had a big sale on some older hardcovers, so I took advantage of that this week and picked these up for about $3.99 each:

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar.  So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery.  But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him.  Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

Rumors by Anna Godbersen

After bidding good-bye to New York's brightest star, Elizabeth Holland, rumors continue to fly about her untimely demise.

All eyes are on those closes to the dearly departed:  her mischievous sister, Diana, now the family's only hope for redemption; New York's most notorious cad, Henry Schoonmaker, the flame Elizabeth never extinguished; the seductive Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind -- including Henry; even Elizabeth's scheming former maid, Lina Broud, who discovers that while money matters and breeding counts, gossip is the new currency.

As old friends become rivals, Manhattan's most dazzling socialites find their futures threatened by whispers from the past.  In this delicious sequel to THE LUXE, nothing is more dangerous than a scandal...or more precious than a secret.

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

After staking out, obtaining, and then being forced to give up her first boyfriend, Josh, all Cammie Morgan wants is a peaceful semester.  But that's easier said than done when you're a CIA legacy and go to the premier school in the world...for spies.

Cammie may have a genius I.Q., but there are still a lot of things she doesn't know.  Like, will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists?  And how much trouble is she really in after what happened last semester?  And most of all, why is her mother acting so strangely?

Despite Cammie's best intentions to be a normal student, danger seems to follow her.  She and her friends learn that their school is going to play host to some mysterious guests -- code name:  Blackthorne.  Then she's blamed for a security breach that leaves the school's top secret status at risk.

Soon Cammie and her friends are crawling through walls and surveilling the school to learn the truth about Blackthorne and clear Cammie's name.  Even though they have confidence in their spy skills, this time the targets are tougher (and hotter), and the stakes for Cammie's heart - and her beloved school - are higher than ever.

I also bought these for my Kindle:

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them. 

Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away. 

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up.  The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition.  The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry.  Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run.  His own people have turned on him.  His title is worthless.  All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service.  She's a brilliant airman.  But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure.  One that will change both their lives forever.

And this one I snagged for review from NetGalley:

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

My name is Meaghan Chase.

I thought it was over.That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stay by my side. Drag me into the core of a conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (4)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View.

Check it out to sign up and participate, or to discover some awesome book blogs!

This week's question:
What is your usual monthly book budget?

Book budget whaaat??  If I try to set a budget for books, I am convinced that it would only lead to disaster.  I buy books when I have extra money, and when I'm broke I don't buy them.  Some months I may buy one book, and others I might buy ten.

 The Book Blogger Hop is a meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Check it out to sign up and join in, or to check out some great book blogs!

This week's question:
If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?

Heck yes, I do!  I cannot stand to read a series out of order, and won't do it.

Welcome to all of the new faces, and welcome back to the old ones!
Here is some of what has been happening on my blog since last time:

Reviews:
Banished by Sophie Littlefield

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Extras:
In My Mailbox

Thanks for stopping by!

Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Authors: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: October 26, 2010
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Random Buzzers

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares.  But is Dash that right guy?  Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York?  Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions?  Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

This was a really cute book.  I thought that the idea of the red notebook was interesting and a bit whimsical, and I really liked the whole concept of it.  And, of course, it made me want to go poking around in used book stores.

I really liked Dash.  He had this whole 'Holden Caulfield minus the crazy' thing going.  Dash was a smartass who was a bit of a loner and a grump, though he was also a good guy with a handful of close friends who seemed to really think highly of him.
Lily started out a little too optimistic sugar-and-spice for me, but I liked the character contrast to Dash that she presented.  She was also quirky and fun, and she grew on me.

The plot is driven by the passing around of the red notebook and the challenges that Dash and Lily present to one another, which are fun and funny.  I liked the pacing of the book - it reads pretty quickly.  I finished it in one sitting without getting bored or frustrated with it.  It's a pretty light and enjoyable read.

It takes place during the winter holiday season in New York City - so if you are looking for a good Christmas or holiday read, then this one would be a good choice.

Review: Banished by Sophie Littlefield

Title: Banished
Author: Sophie Littlefield
Publisher: Delacorte
Publication Date: October 12, 2010
Series: Banished #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Random Buzzers

There isn't much worth living for in Gypsum, Missouri -- or Trashtown, as the rich kids call the run-down neighborhood where sixteen-year-old Hailey Tarbell lives.  Hailey figures she'll never belong -- not with the popular kids at school, not with the rejects, not even with her cruel, sickly grandmother, who deals drugs out of their basement.  At least Hailey has her four-year-old foster brother, Chub.  Once she turns eighteen, Hailey plans to take Chub far from Gypsum and start a new life where no one can find them.

But when a classmate is injured in gym class, Hailey discovers a gift she cannot ignore.  Not only can she heal, she can bring the dying back to life.  Confused by her powers, Hailey searches for answers but finds only more questions, until a mysterious visitor shows up at Gram's house, claiming to be Hailey's Aunt Prairie.

There are people who will stop at nothing to keep Hailey in Trashtown.  But when Prairie saves both Hailey and Chub from armed attackers who invade Gram's house in the middle of the night, Hailey must decide where to place her trust.  Will Prairie's past, and the long-buried secret that caused her to leave Gypsum years earlier, ruin them all?  Because as Hailey will soon find out, their power to heal is just the beginning.

When I received this book I didn't quite know what to expect from it, but what I got was pretty cool.  Amongst the plethora of vampires, werewolves, and angels that have cropped up in YA fantasy, the mythology of Banished is interesting, refreshing, and different.  As I became immersed in the story, I found myself thinking, "Yes, something new!"

I found Hailey to be a great protagonist.  I thought that her reactions to the things around her were believable and appropriate.  She just felt kinda down to earth and honest to me, and I liked that because it was easy to relate to and sympathize with her.  The supporting characters were well done also.  The creepy ones made me cringe and the rude ones made me want to punch them in their throats.  Prairie and Chub are lovable, determined and reassuring.  I also particularly liked their allies - we don't get to see much of them in this installment, but I am definitely looking forward to getting more of them in the second book.

The plot pacing is not as quick in the first part of the book, which is sort of introductory, but still intriguing.  Once that stuff is out of the way though, it picks up pretty quickly and easily.  After a while, I found it increasingly difficult to put down, as the danger, action and tension increased over time.  My one gripe was that it felt like the plot was a lot heavier toward the end of the book than in the middle.  Although the threat in this first book is somewhat resolved, I felt like it really wasn't, so I would have liked for Banished to continue just a little further with the story before stopping for book two.

If you like fantasies with a paranormal flair, you'll probably find this to be a new and exciting spin on the genre.