Review: Circle of Silence by Carol M. Tanzman

  Title: Circle of Silence
  Author: Carol M. Tanzman
  Publisher: Harlequin Teen
  Publication date: 24th July 2012
  Source: NetGalley
  My rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Decripstion: THE BIGGEST STORY OF MY LIFE COULD BE HOW IT ENDS It's my turn to run a "Campus News" crew, and I've put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.

A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flagpole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda or initiation secrets-until a student lands in the hospital under "strange" circumstances.

I "will" blow this story wide open and stop others from being hurt...or worse. And while my ex, Jagger, might want to help, I don't trust him yet. (And, no, not because of our past together. That is "not" important to this story.)

But whether you find me, Valerie Gaines, reporting in front of the camera, or a victim in the top story of the newscast...be sure to watch "Campus News" at 9:00 a.m. this Friday.

This was heart poundingly good!

Seventeen year-old Valerie Gaines prime focus in life is to find and amazing news story that will propel her into the college of her dreams.  Being a news reporter is a goal she’s been working on since the eighth grade.  So when a series of bizarre school pranks happens, Valerie thinks she may have struck reporter gold.  The first and second pranks seem harmless but the third one hints at more sinister things to come, and they are all signed by MP.  Who or what is MP? This is what Valerie and her teammates on Campus News set out to discover.  However, just when Valerie thinks she has everything under control, her ex-boyfriend, Jagger, unexpectedly enrolls into the class and is assigned to her team.  Just what does he think he’s playing at?  He’s the one who ruined things.  Valerie will not let him distract her from getting what she’s worked so hard for.  And, she’s not about to let her heart be broken again! 

Valerie was an easy character to connect with, and you get caught up in the mystery trying to figure out things right along with her.  In spite of knowing that Jagger ruined his relationship with Valerie by kissing another girl, I ended up loving him.  I know, I know!  Don’t make that face, let me explain.  Jagger knew he screwed up majorly and Valerie doesn’t just let him have a free pass.  She busts his chops for a bit and then they end up moving beyond the past, and becoming friends again BEFORE anything romantic was even a suggestion.  Jagger wasn’t in a good place when he made a stupid choice, but I like the fact that he owned up to his mistake instead of trying to make excuses.  That’s the best way to handle a bad choice, and a great lesson for anyone.  That being said, the romance in this story was not the main focus.  Figuring out the mystery behind MP before the pranks turn deadly is the center of this story.  While I seriously suspected one person’s involvement, I was surprised at some of the revelations.   There is a wonderful secondary cast of characters, including Valerie’s large family and her teammates on the Campus News.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful thrill ride.  The ending really had me at the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t put this book down!  I couldn’t keep my eyes open last night and at 68%.  I had to go to bed!   So I woke up and started reading and was late going into work because of it!!  Let’s hope no one there reads this review!  This story was the companion novel in the WiHi series by Ms. Tanzman.  While there are some characters from the first story that pop up, you don’t have to read dancergirl first to enjoy Circle of Silence.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for allowing me to read this.

 

Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

  Title: Pushing the Limits
  Author: Katie McGarry
  Publisher: Harlequin
  Publication date: 24th July 2012
  Source: NetGalley
  My rating: 3.5 stars

 

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I can never get enough of reading stories about two characters who are complete opposites falling for one another. I think that’s what drew me to Pushing the Limits in the first place. Noah the guy at school with the reputation of a stoner, having several one night stands, and is known for being trouble. Then there’s Echo, the one popular girl that had it all; part of the popular crowd, had the perfect all star boyfriend, but when everything came tumbling around her, she isolated herself from everyone despite all her friends trying to encourage her to be part of them once more.

Both Echo and Noah had so many problems to get through, Noah trying to get custody of his younger brothers and Echo being unable to remember what happened that unfortunate night with her mother. I was compelled into reading to find out how their journey would end, would they end up finally being able to resolve the issues that had been tormenting them for the last few years? And having a happy ending they deserve?

I liked how despite several differences Noah and Echo were like the perfect fit; they both had secrets and were just broken from the amount of heartache they had experienced. However they were the only ones that could understand where the other one was coming from.

Noah became a character I quickly fell for, I loved seeing his cocky, arrogant side, but also his softer loving side, which he saved just around Echo, and at times he just made me melt.

There are however always some characters you come across which will forever grate on you, these characters unfortunately in this book were Echo’s dad and step mum Ashley. Echo’s dad was always controlling and overbearing thinking he knew best. Ashley on the other hand comes across as always wanting to be centre of attention. Seriously why do they always have sucky parents in YA books these days? However there were some characters which made up for this disappointing pair and who I ended up adoring; Isaiah and Mrs Collins. Mrs Collins; Echo and Noah’s social worker was a total hoot at times, I actually forgot what she was there for because her role blurred across so many boundaries, she was the rock that both of them needed in their lives to uncover underlying problems and put them in the right direction. Isaiah, Noah’s friend was also a barrel of laughs, everyone assumed because of the way he looked, his tattoos and piercings he would be rough and have such an attitude, but he was the complete opposite, I would have loved to have got to know his character more.

There were however a few minor issues which bugged me, Noah quickly began to remind me of the Fuentes brothers more specifically Alex (who even though would always remain my absolute favourite) kind of peeved me off eventually. Also some of the decisions Echo made also made me knock off a star from my overall rating.

However despite these minor irks I did enjoy Pushing the Limits, it was a heartbreaking read, and the fact that I was eager to discover just how everything would end up for Noah and Echo, it certainly kept me captivated.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this book. 

Review: Dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

  Title: Dancergirl
  Author: Carol M. Tanzman
  Publisher: Harlequin
  Publication date: November 15th 2011
  My rating: 4 stars

 

Description from Goodreads: Ever feel like someone's watching you? Me, too. But lately it's been happening in my room.

When I'm alone.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I'm no longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm dancergirl. And suddenly it's like me against the world.— everyone's got opinions.

My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy,— even he's acting weird. And some stalker isn't content to just watch anymore.

Ali. Dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

Dancergirl was a realistic and suspenseful read.  I couldn’t put it down once I started!

Ali has spent most of her life dancing.  It’s her passion.  She works at the local dance studio so she’s able to take all the free classes she wants.  She never imagines the thing she loves most would end up turning her life upside down.  While at a park concert with her best friend, Jacy, Ali’s filmed dancing.  One of her film geek friends catches her, doing what she does best, and loads the video up on the internet. He edits it out as sort of a mini show with her as “dancergirl” and him as the quite crushing boy in the sidelines “shyboy.”  It immediately goes viral and Ali is thrust into the spotlight with everyone at school and elsewhere, suddenly taking an interest in her.  At first Ali is flattered by all the attention.  Everyone has had the desire to feel special and wanted at some time in their life.  But soon the initial excitement at the popularity wears off.   What’s more disturbing is this video has brought Ali into the sights of a stalker, which becomes apparent when a video of her dancing in her underwear in her bedroom gets posted!  As soon as Ali sees this, she is beyond freaked out and wants nothing to do with all this “dancergirl” business.   Ali and Jacy try to figure out who could be behind the stalking.  Ali becomes more and more paranoid, suspecting anyone and everyone around her.  Add to this, Jacy has been acting strange and sullen.  Ali thought he might have just been about to kiss her at the park concert which would be a very bad idea.  They’ve been best friends forever and know way too much about each other to go down that road, right?   Oh so wrong, Ali!!

I adored Jacy, he was such a lovely and protective best friend.  My favorite type of love interest in books is the best-friends-that-turn-into-something-more kind.  Even if Ali didn’t see it right away, they were a perfect match.  You realize early on, even when Ali doesn’t, that Jacy has something major going on.  I wanted Ali to figure it out sooner, and wanted to shake her a couple of times when the light-bulb didn’t go off!  Jacy was in need of support just as much as she was.   

This story is something that could easily happen, and probably has in some form already.  With surveillance and camera phones everywhere, we’re often filmed without our knowledge.  This story pointed out the many ways this can go terribly wrong.  I was riveted by this tale and had to keep reading as the suspense level keep being ratcheted up, page by page.  I could easily put myself in Ali’s shoes; I would’ve been as creeped out by all this as she was!  Her level of anxiety kept rising with each new invasion.  I was a little annoyed that she didn’t immediately confide in her mother but we don’t always think with a clear head in an emotional situation.   There were several suspects and just when you think you know who’s responsible, you find out you’re wrong. 

I really enjoyed this suspenseful mystery!  Everyone who knows me, knows there must be romance in my reads.  While this is a little light on romance, I still found it satisfying and sweet.  The last few chapters were a definite thrill ride.   I’m now off to read the companion in this series: Circle of Silence.

 

Review and Giveaway: Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

  Title: Carnival of Souls
  Author: Melissa Marr
  Publisher: Harper Collins
  Publication date: September 4th 2012
  My rating: 4.5 Stars

Goodreads Description: In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

This was a deliciously dark, magic filled tale of daimons and witches, and their hatred of each other.

In Carnival of Souls, we have three POVs: Mallory, Kaleb and Aya.

Seventeen year old Mallory craves normal.  She moves from town to town, always “the new girl” in school.  She never has a chance to make close friends, or have a boyfriend, for that matter.  This is because her adoptive father, Adam, is a witch on the run.  He took something from the daimons long ago, and they want it back.   Adam has always taught Mallory to be constantly on guard and prepared for a daimon attack.  Although for all their running she has had yet to set one.   These are the rules she lives by until she meets Kaleb.  Mallory knows that whatever attraction she feels for him can never work because he’s a human, and she could never share her crazy world with him, putting him in danger as well.   Also, she’ll probably be moving again soon, if the past is any indication.  Little does Mallory know, Kaleb is far from human and he was sent to find her.

Kaleb lives in The City.  It’s is a world apart from humans with a rigid caste system in place, and Kaleb is on the bottom rung.   He is hired for his skills in “black mask” work, fighting and killing, and that’s why he’s been hired to find Mallory.  He finds his duty tested when he starts to care for Mallory.  In addition to the black mask jobs, Kaleb has also entered into a competition.  The Carnival of Souls happens once in every generation, and gives any daimon that wins a chance to raise his caste, and join in the ruling class.  The price could be your life as this is a fight-to-the-death situation.  Kaleb yearns to improve his lot in life and that of his pack mate, Zevie, and is willing to risk everything to do it. 

Aya, is a daimon in The City in the ruling class.  Because of the future that is inevitable for a woman in her position, she enters into the competition as well.  Otherwise, she’ll be married off and forced to breed.  Aya has plans to rule and improve her world, and having this future forced onto her does not fit into the plan. 

I felt a strong and immediate connection with Mallory and Kaleb, and I felt as if their concerns were my own.  Mallory is so innocent in spite of her violent training.  She strives to please her father and be the good obedient daughter.  Adam, her father, is keeping many secrets from her which I found irritating but I know it was motivated by his love.   The relationship between Mallory and Kaleb had shades of insta-love but I didn’t find this annoying at all.  Kaleb has to be my favorite character by far.  His loyalty and desire to protect the ones he loves while trying to improve their lives, is very touching.  I didn’t have an immediate attraction to Aya but as her story is revealed I understood the reasons behind her actions and warmed to her considerably.

This story was so well-paced and fast moving, it sucks you in from the first pages.  I was eager to turn the next page and find out the next revelation or plot twist.  Melissa Marr has a talent of writing dark tales where the lines between good and bad are often blurred and the characters are usually a little of both.  This was the case in Carnival of Souls.  While we’re not left with a horrible cliffhanger, the story is far from over.  I eagerly await the sequel and will be picking it up the first chance I get.

To share our love with you awesome readers we’ve decided to give away a SIGNED Advanced Readers Copy of Carnival of Souls.  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  So fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win!  The only requirement is that you follow the blog via GFC. The giveaway will run for a week, so make sure you get your entry in soon.  Good luck!