Review: The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody
Young Adult Commercial Fiction
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (April 27, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0374339791
272 pages
ARC provided by the publisher

Synopsis from Amazon:

Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. Do good things and you'll be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what you deserve. But when Maddy’s boyfriend cheats on her, nothing bad comes his way. That’s why Maddy starts the Karma Club, to clean up the messes that the universe has left behind. Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe. It turns out Karma often has plans of its own.

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Friday Feature: True Blood Minisodes

Who: The Cast of HBO's True Blood.

What: Their 6 original "minisodes" that they are releasing each week until the upcoming season begins on June 13.

When: The first one is available now.

Where: The official True Blood website.

Why: Because this series is one of the best on tv and one of my all-time favorites. I'm itching for the new season to start! And, of course, because I love the series that the show was originally based on.

Here's the first minisode (NSFW):

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Pint-Sized 'Pinions: The Darkest Powers Edition

Since this series has almost been reviewed to death, mine are gonna be short and sweet.

The Summoning (Darkest Powers, 1) by Kelley Armstrong
Young Adult Urban Fantasy
HarperCollins (July 1, 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0061662690
400 pages
Read Your Own Books Challenge

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

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Review: The Turning - What Curiosity Kills by Helen Ellis

The Turning: What Curiosity Kills (Book 1) by Helen Ellis
Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Sourcebooks Fire (May 1, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-1402238611
224 pages
ARC provided by the publisher

Synopsis from Amazon:

Nobody can know your secret.
Nobody can know your power.
But if nobody knows who you are to begin with...what's stopping you?

I whisper, "What's so special about me all of a sudden?"

Nick says, "The Turning."

Mary feels different, but can't explain why. The fainting, the strange cravings...and worse, the things she's noticed about her body.

Mary doesn't know where to turn. If she tells her parents or her sister, she'll risk losing everything. She has no other family, no way of knowing if what she's going through is normal. Everyone she's ever known and loved could reject her...

Prior to receiving this ARC, I hadn't heard anything regarding this book or author Helen Ellis. I'm almost glad that I didn't have any preconceived notions toward it because I'm pretty sure that, if I had, they would have been blown away pretty quickly. My feelings about this book are mixed to say the least, but I'll do my best to to describe them for you.

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Thoughts On . . . the Importance of Liking Protagonists

)Last night I finally finished reading Runaway, the last installment in Meg Cabot's Airhead series. I first started the series because Scholastic had sent this book in early February. I had heard about the series before and, since I'm a fan of Cabot's, I decided to check out the first two novels. After finishing Airhead, I wrote off my lack of love for heroine Emerson Watts. It was only the first book after all and Em had a lot going on. Plus, she was a fairly sheltered teen and headstrong teen - her poor decisions and self-absorbed nature were understandable. However, as the series progressed with Being Nikki, I came to realize that I probably wasn't ever going to warm up to Em (or her love-interest Christopher for that matter). Despite that realization, I still enjoyed the overall story, Cabot's humor, and the secondary characters. Not loving the main character didn't prevent me from recognizing that these are still good books.

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Waiting on Wednesday: High Before Homeroom by Maya Sloan

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where we post future releases that we can't wait to get our hands on.

High Before Homeroom by Maya Sloan
General Fiction
Gallery (June 22, 2010)
ISBN13: 978-1439171295
320 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Losers, now you can get the bad-boy rep the girls find positively irresistible! Unleash your dark side with the Doug Schaffer plan for drug addiction and rehabilitation! (Kids, don't try this at home.)

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Review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Mistwood by Leah Cypess
Young Adult Fantasy
Greenwillow Books (April 27, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0061956997
320 pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Synopsis from Amazon:

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna.

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Review: The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

The Mage in Black (Sabina Kane, 2) by Jaye Wells
Urban Fantasy
Orbit (April 1, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0316037808
352 pages
Read Your Own Books Challenge

Synopsis from Amazon:

Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, the leader of the vampire race, just tried to kill her. When she arrives in New York to meet the mage side of her family, the reunion takes the fun out of dysfunctional.

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Review: She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott
Young Adult Commercial Fiction
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (May 25, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-1416999515
288 pages
ARC provided by publisher

Synopsis from Amazon:

When having money is all that matters, what happens when you lose it all?

Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rear-view mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the shame of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends -- friends that liked having trust funds and new cars, and that didn't like constant reminders that they had been swindled. So it was adios, Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.

Now, two years later, Ally's mother has landed a job back at the site of their downfall. So instead of Ally's new low-key, happy life, it'll be back into the snake pit with the likes of Shannen Moore and Hammond Ross.

But then there's Jake Graydon. Handsome, wealthy, bored Jake Graydon. He moved to town after Ally left and knows nothing of her scandal, but does know that he likes her. And she likes him. So off into the sunset they can go, right? Too bad Jake's friends have a problem with his new crush since it would make Ally happy. And if anyone deserves to be unhappy, it's Ally Ryan.

Ally was hoping to have left all the drama in the past, but some things just can't be forgotten. Isn't there more to life than money?

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In My Mailbox (23)

This great meme is brought to you courtesy of Kristi at The Story Siren, the host, and Alea of Pop Culture Junkie, the inspiration.

Won from GetGlue.com's :

Willow by Julia Hoban

From NetGalley:

Tyger Tyger  by Kersten Hamilton

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Scoop: Children's Choice Books Awards

Hurry up and head over to www.BookWeekOnline.com! There are some great books and authors up for awards and you can contribute by voting for who you think deserves this year's Children’s Choice Book Awards. Voting Ends on Monday, May 3rd.

The Children’s Choice Book Awards winners will be announced live at the Children’s Choice Book Awards gala on May 11 in New York City as part of Children’s Book Week.

Read more after the jump »

Friday Feature: New Urban Fantasy and PNR Series I Enjoy

I've been meaning to do some categorized recommendations for books that I don't plan on reviewing. Here are some relative newcomers to the paranormal realm who's new series I plan to follow.

Who: D.D. Barant and her debut (under this pseudonym), Dying Bites (The Bloodhound Files, #1).
What: Urban Fantasy
When: This series debuted June 30, 2009
Why: It has the requisite sassy, smart, butt-kicking heroine, but with a refreshingly unique sense of humor.
Follow-up: The latest, Death Blows, was just released on March 30th. Book #3, Killing Rocks, is due out December 28, 2010.

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Review: Shadow by Jenny Moss

Shadow by Jenny Moss
Young Adult Fantasy
Scholastic Press (April 4, 2010)
ISBN13: 978-0545036412
384 pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Synopsis from Amazon:

In a time of kings, queens, and conspiracy, it's impossible to know whom one can trust. . . .

In a kingdom far away and long ago, it was prophesied at her birth that the queen would die before her sixteenth birthday. So Shadow, an orphan girl the same age as the young queen, was given the duty to watch her every move. And as prophesies do tend to come true, the queen is poisoned days before her birthday. When the castle is thrown into chaos, Shadow escapes with a young knight, whom she believes was betrothed to the queen.

Unsure of why she is following Sir Kenway, but determined to escape as far as possible from the castle, her long-time prison, Shadow sets off on an adventure with the handsome knight who has been charged with protecting her. As mystery builds, and romantic tension does, too, Shadow begins to wonder what her role in the kingdom truly is. Soon, she learns, it is up to her to save her land.

Jenny Moss's novel is a lyrical, fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, magic, honor, and romance that will lead readers on an incredible journey.

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Waiting on Wednesday: Trickster's Girl by Hilari Bell

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where we post future releases that we can't wait to get our hands on.

Guess I'm waiting until next year for this one . . . I haven't read anything by Bell yet, but I've heard good things about her work.

Trickster's Girl by Hilari Bell

YA Futuristic Fantasy/Dystopian

Houghton Mifflin (January 3, 2011)

ISBN13: 978-0547196206

288 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

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In My Mailbox (22)

Credit for the best meme ever goes to Kristi at The Story Siren, the host, and Alea of Pop Culture Junkie, the inspiration.

For review:

Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine (Yay!!!!)
Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
Queen of Secrets by Jenny Meyerhoff
This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas

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Pint-Sized 'Pinions: Cute Reads Edition

This edition of "Pint-Sized 'Pinions" is chock-full of feel-good and/or not too deep reads.


Wings by Aprilynne Pike
YA Paranormal
HarperTeen (May 5, 2009)
ISBN: 978-0061668036
294 pages

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

My 'pinion: A pretty simple (and not very deep) paranormal romance for teens. I can see this easily appealing to a younger teen crowd. While Laurel's feelings for David made sense given the evolution of their relationship, her supposedly deep connection with Tamani seemed a tad forced. I'll check out the sequel, Spells (due out May 1, 2010), but I'm not waiting on the edge of my seat for it.
Grade: C

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Waiting on Wednesday: Sellout by Ebony Joy Wilkins

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where we post future releases that we can't wait to get our hands on.

I'm super anxious to get my hands on this one! Not only is the protagonist a person of color, but the story has substance too.

Sellout by Ebony Joy Wilkins

Young Adult

Scholastic Press (July 1, 2010)

ISBN13: 978-0545109284

272 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

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