Review: The Last Princess

* This book comes out May 8th*

Princess Eliza Windsor witnesses her mother's death - a bite of a luscious and rare strawberry. 

Now, in the year 2090, England is failing.  Crops refuse to grow on the infertile land. People are hungry, scared, and angry. Yet, for Princess Eliza, things carry on almost as normal.

One man has risen in the eyes of the people. He's the man responsbile for killing her mother. He's also the man who shoots her father in the middle of a ball.  She watches her father die seconds before fleeing the ballroom. Together her sister, the Queen, and brother attempt to escape the palace. Only Eliza makes it to freedom.

She's determined to save her family. Eliza joins her enemy's training camp where she spends her days training and spying.  She learns the location of the prison where her siblings spend their days.  Can she sneak into the Tower of London and rescue her family? What about the rest of her people? Can she help her people gain access to food and safety? Is her family and her country doomed?

My Thoughts: I really really liked this one. I loved the setting of futuristic England. I loved the royalty angle. I loved Eliza for her bravery and determination. She's strong and feisty. I really liked her best friend Polly - she was loyal, smart, and determined to help her friend. I liked Wesley - he's friendly, knowledgeable, and has family connections. It's a very emotional read - there's love and friendship, anger and hate, sadness and loss, and death and betrayal.  There were moments that I found simply unbelievable  - just a few, but it kept me from loving the book. Still, it's a great read and I think teens will gobble it up. I'm awaiting the sequel!


Cover Thoughts: LOVE IT! The colors draw me in as do the shadows.


Source: Little Brown and Company - THANKS!


Up Next: The sequel comes out in May 2013

2011 Debut Challenge: Wrap- Up

For the first time, I joined the debut author challenge.

Here are the books I've read from debut YA authors this year:

Faerie Ring
Liar Society
Bunheads
Hourglass
Goddess Test
Enclave
Divergent
Clarity
Paranormalcy
Vixen
Kat, Incorrigible
Die For Me

I might have read more and I know I didn't read all the ones I listed for the challenge. Still, participating in the challenge made me more aware of debut authors, which was great!

Review: Faerie Ring

Tiki and her family of orphans have been living in a secret room near Charing Cross Station. They make their living picking pockets in Victorian England. Lately their luck hasn't been too good.

Tiki has a bit of luck one night when she arrives at a mansion. After stealing a bit of food from the kitchen, she ventures into the library by mistake. There she finds a ring set in gold with a large ruby. The ruby flickers and almost calls to her.

Tiki takes the ring and hides it.

Little does she realize that the ring is actually a symbol between the Queen and the fey. As long as the ring is protected, the truce remains between them remains. However, if something happens to the ring, all bets are off.

The fey don't want to the ring to resurface while Tiki wants nothing more to get of the ring, once she collects the reward. She can't think of anything except a better life for her and her family. But will her greed create havoc for humans?

My Thoughts: I Loved this book! I loved the setting, the magic, the twists, and the romance. I loved the parts with the royals. I loved the street setting and the glittering ballgowns. I love Rieker. A wonderful debut novel and I'm so happy it's the start of a new series. I can't wait to read more about Tiki.

Cover Thoughts: I love the focus on the ring

Source: My Library

Review: Goddess Test

Kate and her sick mother move halfway around the country on Kate’s eighteenth birthday to fulfill her mother’s wish. She wants to move back to her childhood home. On top of her mother’s declining health, Kate now must also deal with a new school, finding new friends, and figuring out what to do after her mom dies.

Kate gets invited to a party. She doesn’t want to go, but she goes to appease her mother. Only the party turns out to be a prank – a deadly prank.

Kate meets Henry right after the accident. Henry makes her a deal – he’ll bring back Ava from the dead if Kate agrees to become a form of Persephone. Kate agrees to anything if it will just bring Ava back to life.

Now, she’s stuck in a bargain where she must live in a mansion for six months out of the year. She must pass seven tests in order to remain in the mansion – among the living. Meanwhile, Henry will do his best to help her and also keep her mother alive until the end of six months.

No other girl has passed the tests in centuries. Kate has no idea what’s she’s getting herself into. The more time she spends with Henry, the more she grows attracted to him. Can she break through his barriers and capture his heart?

My Thoughts: The first in a trilogy leaves the reader breathless – a beautifully haunting novel. Kate worries about everyone around her that she doesn’t realize how different her life will become. Readers watch her new life unfold as she struggles with loneliness, her frustration, her growing feelings for Henry, and her fears at failing the tests.

Cover Thoughts: I love the greenery and the old fashioned dress.

Source: reviewed for www.teensreadtoo.com

YA Debut Novel - perfect for the Debut Author Challenge

Review: Enclave

Deuce lives underground - in an enclave. The ruler rule with absolutism. Friends become family, if you're lucky to have friends.

As Deuce graduates from brat to Huntress, she can't believe her good fortune. She's partnered with Fade, a mysterious Hunter. As she goes out on her first assignments, she doesn't trust him. He's an outsider to her clan.

Together they discover the Freaks (tunnel monsters) are more active than usual. The Freaks might have wiped out an entire enclave. Deuce and Fade trek through the tunnels to uncover the damage.

What they find shocks them both, but what the enclave does with the information shocks Deuce even more. She loses all trust in the enclave and the enclave's beginning to lose trust in her...

My Thoughts: It took me a few pages, but then I was hooked. I loved the coming of age story, the fighting sequences, the horror at the government, and the determination of Deuce. She's a strong kick-butt character. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Cover Thoughts: Great cover!

Source: from Publisher

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

Review: Divergent

Beatrice lives in a world controlled by five fractions. At the age of sixteen, the entire class must take a test to determine their fraction. Beatrice's test is inconclusive - she's a Divergent. Beatrice can't tell anyone about her testing. Instead she goes home.

The next day, the ceremony takes place where the sixteen year-olds formally announce their fraction. Beatrice takes everyone by surprise when she chooses Dauntless (the fraction for bravery) instead of her own fraction of Abnegation (who values selflessness).

At first, Beatrice isn't sure what to expect. She doesn't expect learning how to shoot a gun, learning how to fight, fighting the other potential Dauntless initiatives, or learning how to face her fears.

While keeping her secret Tris (she renamed herself after choosing Dauntless), she learns that not everything is as it seems. As she sees more horror, she begins to question the Dauntless and other fractions. Is there something deeper happening in her world?

My Thoughts: The first book by Veronica Roth is a fast pace addicting read that pulls you in from the beginning and doesn't let go. It's a long but intense read. It's a perfect debut filled with the tension, action, danger, family disappointment, friendships, loyalty, rule breaking, and a little bit of romance. I'm already looking forward to what happens next, as it ends with you wanting more.

Cover Thoughts: I really like it, I love the flames and what they signify

Source: HarperTeen

GoodReads

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

2011 Debut Author Challege

I've heard about this challenge for a two years and this year, I'm joining the in on the fun. It's hosted by the amazing Kristi from the Story Siren. You must read at least 12 books from debut authors. She's also put together a list of titles.

Here's some that I'm going to be reading:
Unearthly
False Princess
Across the Universe
Angelfire
Entertwined
Clarity
Liar Society
Kat, the Incorrigible
Lipstick Laws
Divergent
Die for Me
Agent Toby