Tuesday Review-Kimberly Derting; The Body Finder

I'm so glad that I finally get to do a Tuesday Review. Tuesday Reviews means I made it through the whole book despite my many distractions throughout a normal day. It sounds odd, but working out has improved the amount of time I have to read while on the treadmill or bike. It's amazing what we do as grown ups, isn't it?

Okay, on to what you really want to hear. The juicy details of this wonderful book, The Body Finder. Well, I'm not going to give you the juicy details. I'm not going to do any spoiling on this blogspot! :0)

POV: First person past tense
LENGTH: 327 pages
GENRE: YA/Paranormal

First of all, I loved the main character, Violet. I couldn't help it because she reminded me a lot of myself and so there was an instant kinship between us, you know?

The author did a great job of setting up the story without boring or confusing the reader. Though I could have used a little less explanation of her gift, that is a minute detail that I'm not going to squabble about. As a whole this book is awesome and an enjoyable read. Once you start diving into the mystery with Violet, there's really no turning back.

The romance is also swoonworthy in this book. I found myself rooting for the boy that she really loved(her childhood friend), and sighing in frustration when they would miscommunicate with each other. She did a great job of setting up the emotions of a YA relationship with your best friend that is suddenly a lot better looking than he was in junior high. It brought back that situation in my life with stunning clarity and I really understood Violet's angst.

Despite swoonworthy romance, this novel isn't for romance readers. Kimberly Derting weaves her words and the mystery together so well that half the time I forgot I was supposed to be asking whodunnit; I had actually let go and trusted the author. Something I don't always do too easily. I have my die-hard stand-bys when it comes to suspense and now this book will be added to that shelf. So will her next book, Desires of the Dead.

I think this is a perfect example of YA. There are a few swear words, but nothing drastic and it's certainly not littered through the entire book. I wouldn't give this to my 10 year old only because of the mature emotional content. (Bodies responding to each other-no sex, but the charge of it is in the air!)Go. Buy. It. Just click on the link and VOILA! And if you don't already follow Kimberly Derting's author blog you should be. So click on her name and leave a comment!

Tuesday Review-Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush Hush

I'm not a huge fan of vampires or werewolves. I thought possibly there would be that element in this book and so I hesitated to buy it. However, I had read so many wonderful reviews, and I won a gift certificate, so why not? I bought it. I read the other book first. I finally cracked open Hush Hush and the first thing I noticed was the writing.

cover picture swiped from author website here!

Becca Fitzpatrick is an author that has a gift with words. Yes, it goes through editors and blah blah. But-the unique quality of her voice jumped out at me before even the story. She keeps you reading descriptions and I'm one of those skip-over-the-boring-description-of-the-yard-and-get-me-to-the-meat type of readers. I loved the way she could describe a sound or the forbidden place of Delphic.

Nora, the main character, is endearing. Though she tries really hard to be 'good', the bad boy Patch and influential best friend Vee are sometimes too much for her to resist. Another thing that I found gratifying was the characters' personalities. Nora and Vee are opposite as night and day and yet they can count on each other more than anyone else in their lives. Patch is exactly the kind of guy I wished was breathing all over me in high school, so I have to give swoon worthiness to him. :0)

It took me a while to get into the book. However, this can have a lot to do with kids. I'm glad I finished it though and would definitely suggest it to anyone that enjoys Paranormal YA. I also found the twist satisfying and not as predictable as I thought it would be. If you haven't read this one, put it on your list!

Tuesday Review-Ally Carter, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school - that is, it would be if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but it’s really a school for spies.

Cammie Morgan is a second-generation Gallagher Girl, and by her sophomore year she’s already fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (one of which involves a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn’t prepared her for is what to do when she falls for a boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl.

Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through town without his ever being the wiser - but can she have a relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s beginning her most dangerous mission - falling in love. -from BarnesandNoble.com Cover also from Barnesandnoble.com


I had heard about this book through Janet Reid's blog and read a lot of great reviews on this series. When I won my gift certificate to Barnes and Noble online, I rushed to buy it. First of all, I really like the cover on this book. I love how the title is in the newspaper ransom note type of font. :0) Very cool.


Written in first person from Cammie's point of view, it's easy to fall in love with her and her unique best friends, Bex and Liz. From the first page, the reader is pulled into the characterization. You feel like these are your friends, too. 


One really fabulous note...Cammie doesn't hate her mother. There are the obvious small strains of mother/teen daughter relationship...but Cammie admires her mother and shows that through her emotions and reactions to her. This was very refreshing for me, as I usually see a lot of MC's with either no parents, or bad parents. :0)


Now, when it comes to falling in love, I'm no expert at writing it and I generally don't read romance. It's a very legitimate genre and love is part of life. But, if I read a book for the sheer joy and fun of reading a book, I tend to gravitate to suspense, thrillers, mystery and bad guys. Not falling for a guy and becoming some blithering idiot. :-)


Apparently, Ally Carter doesn't feel that love has to be all hearts and romance either. Which I love. She cleverly weaves the plot around subplots and you hardly notice it's all about a boy. (Because it isn't really-but it is.) She hides the romance in covert operations and spy training and going undercover. It's a hilarious take on the traditional girl meets boy type of YA. 


So, all in all this was a light and fun read. I enjoyed the voice and style of writing and Cammie is endearing. Even the boy she is surveilling is adorable. I recommend it for young girls that read romance, they will find a shift in the typical form of writing, but I think they would find it refreshing. There is also no sex or even allusions to sex and if there was any cursing it might have been the word hell, but I don't remember any so it wasn't prominent. So, it's a safe read for younger readers that enjoy books above their level. 


Hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday! 

Tuesday Review-Meg Cabot, Airhead novels

Hey cool kids! You rock! Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's post, I enjoyed seeing everyone's different opinions. I can't wait for tomorrow's post! Keep it coming!

Today is Tuesday and I promised a book review each month. Soooo I guess I need to hold to that, eh? :0) I swear that is the last smiley face on the post. Well...I realized I'm smiley addicted.  Without further ado, I introduce you to Meg Cabot's Airhead series. Well, the first two anyway. (oops, almost inserted a smiley, again!)

*I have decided not to link to Amazon for the time being. Until they can be more professional about the cost of books which we work hard on writing...I don't want to support them. These are linked to Barnes and Noble online.*

AIRHEAD and BEING NIKKI

by Meg Cabot

Em Watts was just your average over-achieving brainiac...until disaster struck. Now instead of judging her by her grades, people are judging her by her looks...and she's stuck in a nightmare life she never wanted. Where do you hide when everyone knows your name?

Em Watts is just like 15 year old me without the gaming. I heart her. She has those typical "I'm not a typical teen" feelings. I love her crush on her best friend, Christopher. Meg Cabot portrays this as a sweet time in life, with all the confusion and hormones, but without trashy language or images.

At first I thought the book lacked believability. How judgemental of me! Meg Cabot managed to cleverly make this work. It's Em's brain put into Nikki's brain dead body. She explains this rather well, but not to the point of yawning complication. The catch is that Em has to continue Nikki's life-not her own.

Another thing I loved about both books was the voice of Em. It is all her, nothing adult or Meg Cabot bleeds through. That is something we all strive to portray correctly in our writing. She gives good example with these books. Em is an intelligent teenager, yet not above saying "gag me" and loves to show off her vocabulary through argument.

While it could go to the serious, darker side of teen angst, Meg Cabot keeps it light and humorous. While there may be a serious moment of heartbreak, she cuts right to the humor or breaks scene with something else-another new problem for her poor main character, Em. These books are written from Em's point of view, in first person and I love it. She shines through with every thought.

Now, personally, I'm not waiting with bated breath for the next in this series, but I could see where young girls would be. Meg Cabot combines humor with mystery and a touch of romance with a fast paced and intelligent read. I love that. I think the only issue I may have had with these books is that I would have liked to get to know her love interest, Christopher a little more. Although-I think she's done this on purpose so we learn more each book. :0) I would be interested in other books by her. She's an excellent writer.

If you would like to purchase these books or learn more about the author, please click on the links I have provided! Thanks for reading with me. :0) dangit, two smileys without even knowing it!

Tuesday Review Some Kind of Normal by Heidi Willis

Before I begin this post, let me thank you for supporting my creative get-together venture by following Critters Corner. I'm hoping this turns into something valuable.

Since this is my first Tuesday Review, it may be lengthy. Bear with me. I intend to improve upon the err..wordiness of my posts. :0) I will only commit to one Tuesday Review a month, though I'd love to do two. That depends on my progress in writing and well...the royals allowing me to read.

I'm really excited about my first review because right as this book hit the presses, I was honored to have Heidi Willis grace my blog with an interview, which you can read here. Now that I got my hot little hands on the book and I've read it twice (seriously), I'm excited to tell you all about it. However, I promise not to give out spoilers. Please buy it here! Also available on Amazon!

SOME KIND OF NORMAL - HEIDI WILLIS

How far would you go to save the life of someone you love? This is the question the Babcock family struggles with when 12-year-old Ashley is diagnosed diabetes, which quickly turns deadly.

Here are the technicalities.... Written in first person, present tense. Amazing. I don't read a lot of books in present tense. Honestly, I don't read a lot of books in first person. What I loved about Heidi's style is that I didn't even notice until the second chapter. Then I went back to make sure. Yup, it's in present tense. It's unfolding before my eyes. It gripped me. Drew me in. Again...Amazing.

The MC in this book, Babs Babcock, has this incredibly authentic southern voice. While she fears that she is not educated enough to handle the life she already leads, let alone a new complication..she is smart in life. I guess you could call it wisdom. Though we see her struggle through some of the same issues that any American family with two teenagers go through, I see her continually search for answers. We see her stand up for her children. We see her fall because of the stress of her children. Get a box of tissues. Babs is going to steal your heart. I hate when he uses words like obtuse. He knows I don't know them. I've taken to sneaking his SAT vocabulary book when he's at school just to keep from appearing stupid.

I cringed while Babs tried to talk with her twelve year old, Ashley, at the beginning of the book. Oh boy, I have two of those girls! :0) However, with each scene, Ashley and her smile, her strength and her innocence wraps around your heart and you feel like she's your own. If not your own, you definitely adopt her into your family somewhere. Ashley has this hilarious brother. In his silence, we get to know him. I love how well Heidi captured his character. He has a mohawk with various colored tips at the end of his hair. He scowls, he saunters. He takes care of the whole family without anyone realizing it. He sneaks up on your heart.

The Plot, the good stuff. Wow. The trials this family goes through has you rooting them on, standing up and screaming at ignorant church ladies and pointing your fingers at nurses that make fun of Babs' name. I actually called the nurse that did this a bad name. Yes, the story is good.

What I loved overall? This book made me think, empathize and entertained me all at the same time. I love her use of words. There wasn't a single scene this book could do without. Every word counted and that's something rare. I didn't skim a single paragraph. Let me tell you something, I do a lot of skimming. Even with some of my favorite authors. She's swallowed by the bed: a hummingbird in a squirrel's nest.

If you have a New Year's resolution goal idea of reading more. This one is a must. I can't wait for her to publish again.

Sentences in italics are direct quotes from the book, Some Kind of Normal by Heidi Willis. These are not my original writings.