YA Historical Fiction Challenge

In 2011, I hope to explore more of one of my favorite genres- historical fiction. So I'm joining YA Bliss's Historical Fiction Challenge!

The goal? Read 15 Historical Fiction books in 2011. (I'm going for Level 3!)

This list is subject to change, and as I read find more Historical Fiction books, I'll add them to this post.

1. Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson
2. Vixen by Jillian Larkin
3. In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap
4. Faithful by Janet Fox
5. Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang
6. Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa M. Klein
7. A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
8. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
9. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelley
10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
11. The Season by Sarah Maclean
12. No Shame, No Fear by Ann Turnbull
13. A Sweet Disorder by Jacqueline Kolosov
14. The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird
15. The Last Full Measure by Ann Rinaldi

Anybody else participating in this challenge?

Book Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Title: The Replacement
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Series: The Replacement #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: Sept. 21 2010
My Source: Library
My Rating: 3.5/5

My Review:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

My Review:

I didn't realize how long it has been since I've posted a review. Allow me to apologize. :) Especially since I finished The Replacement about a week ago.

Maybe it's due to the fact that I haven't written a review in a while that this review is a bit unconventional. Or maybe it's just because The Replacement was not a very conventional book.

World building- I loved it so, so much. The small town of Gentry seems so typical at first, but we soon learn that dark secrets keep the whole town running. Weird things happen there all the time but the citizens are so ignorant, only believing what they want to, to avoid facing the dark truths. Yovanoff does an absolutely beautiful way of conveying this sense in her writing, characters, and the way the town is described. It's all very vague at first, which may bother some people, but I didn't mind it, because as the book progressed it became much more clear.

Mackie Doyle was amazing and I loved him. It was such a unique perspective to hear from. He wasn't supposed to live when he was younger, yet by the love of his family, especially his sister, he did. I also loved reading about Tate, Drew, Danny, and all the other supporting characters.

This book had so many good elements, but I had one issue that is a bit difficult to pin down exactly: it was too put-down-able. It took too long to really get to the plot and besides Mackie's charm, I found it hard to find something to keep reading. The resolution of the plot was fairly simple, and it all ended well, almost too well.

According to Goodreads, this is the first of a series called "The Replacement", so I'm expecting there to be sequels, though that is a bit disappointing for me because for some reason I think this book would be better as a stand alone. It wrapped up it's own story really well.

I almost don't want to rate this book, because I feel like I can't compare it to others. I didn't love it or hate it, it was just there somewhere in the middle. I'm giving this book a 3.5/5 rating, though I debated for a while about giving it a 4. I've read a lot of other people's reviews and they all love this book, so I would recommend it!

I want to caution anyone, I was surprised by the amount of strong language and f-bombs that frequently showed up in this book. It wasn't a ridiculously extreme amount, but if it bothers you this may not be the book you'd want to pick up.

Funny story- while I remember this- when I checked it out from the library the first time a section of 25 pages was missing from the middle, and it was a brand new book. I didn't realize they were missing until getting about a fourth of the way through it, and I was very upset! I finally got another copy though. Thinking back, this was a such a weird thing to come across in a brand new book and I think it makes this book all the more creepy. Maybe the Lady or some other creature cut them out? No, wait, they can't handle scissors. Metal. ;)

Cover: 5/5
It conveys such a creepy tone that really fit this book. Sharp metal objects hanging over a baby crib? Perfect.

Waiting On Wednesday: Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Release Date: July 21 2011

Goodreads Summary:
Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. The water calls to her, draws her in, forces her to sing her deadly song to unsuspecting victims. If she succumbs, she kills. If she doesn’t, the pain is unbearable. To keep herself and those she cares about safe, she shuts herself off, refusing to make friends or fall in love—again. Because the last time she fell in love with a boy, he ended up dead.

Then Lexi meets Cole. Against her better judgment, she finds herself opening up again, falling in love when she knows she shouldn’t. But when she’s offered the chance to finally live a normal life, she learns that the price she must pay to be free of her curse is giving him up.

In Ripple, Mandy Hubbard spins a sea-ravaged tale of melancholy beauty, and the choices one girl makes between land and waves, love and freedom, her future—and her heart.

Why I'm Excited:
Mermaids/Sirens are probably the one paranormal genre I have yet to read a lot of books in, but the one I have read I loved. I've heard great things about Mandy Hubbard too though I have yet to read any of her books. This book looks amazing and the cover really caught my eye- I love the girl's dress, the stormy sky, the sea in the background... I hope the book is just as good!

What's your pick this week?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"It reminded me of the warm spring days taht used to unfold me from my wolf form, days when I was so happy to get my fingers back.
It seemed so wrong to be alone right now."

-pg 171 of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

If you love Shiver, you have to read Linger! I'm so glad I'm finally getting around to reading it. And if you haven't read Shiver yet, get a chance to read it by entering my giveaway here!

Shiver Giveaway

I'm giving away 2 paperback copies of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, as part of First Come Second Served Month!

Goodreads Summary:

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

Shiver is an awesome book I read awhile ago-see my review here! If you haven't read it yet, here's a perfect opportunity to get started on The Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

Giveaway rules:

• Please only fill out the form ONCE.
• You can have a total of 4 entries (all on the one form).
• US only
• You must be a follower of Book Infinity.
• Contest deadline: December 21
  

To enter: Fill out the form here.

Giveaway generously supplied by Scholastic, Inc.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING!

First Come, Second Served Month

Welcome to First Come, Second Served Month! To see a master list of all the giveaways and interviews happening this month, go here.

I will be reading one sequel a week. This week I will be reading Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.


Goodreads Summary:
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

Linger is book 2 of The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, the sequel to Shiver. I'm excited to start reading it!

If you're participating, link your reviews of sequels up over at Down the Rabbit Hole at the end of each week. (You don't have to sign up to participate or anything, either, just enter the giveaway by posting a review!)

In My Mailbox VLOG (13)

In My Mailbox is a super cool meme hosted by The Story Siren, to give book bloggers opportunities to share books they've recieved.

This week I have a VLOG... I will be covering I've gotten in the past 3 weeks since it's been a while since I've done one of these posts! I apologize it's a little long because of that, and I cut out a few parts where I felt like I was rambling to make it shorter.



For Review:
Entwined by Heather Dixon
From the Dead by John Herrick
Logic of Demons by H.A. Goodman
Manifest by Artist Arthur

For Giveaways:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz

From the Library:
Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Borrowed:
Minder by Kate Kaynak

Thanks to:
Extreme Reader Book Reviews
John Herrick
H.A. Goodman
Scholastic Inc.
Hyperion
Greenwillow Press
_____________________

Week In Review

Reviews Posted:
Manifest by Artist Arthur

Currently Reading:
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Upcoming Reviews:
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
_____________________

Fun Weekly Findings

This is a new feature I'm most likely going to be posting on it's own, but for today it's sharing a post with In My Mailbox. I am going to share one new thing I discovered this past week- it can be absolutely anything, from a new word I learned, to a new cover release I found, to a new book blog I discovered, or anything else. It's going to be a fun way for me to share cool new stuff- bookish or non-bookish! I will share only one thing or many, whatever I feel like.

I'll start the first post of Fun Weekly Findings by sharing a variety of things.

1. New Book Blogs I've Discovered!

Though I didn't join the Blogger Hop, I visited a couple of blogs from the list at Crazy For Books anyway.
Here are a few blogs I've recently started following:

Scribing Shadows

Books by their Story

Words and Whispers

Swords for Fighting

They all have great book blogs that should be checked out! I'm glad I discovered them.


2. Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen

I still haven't read Bright Young Things but I hope I can soon! I saw the cover for the second one- it looks great, as they usually do.







3. Starbucks Peppermint White Mocha
Oh my gosh if you haven't had it it's amazing. That's all I need to say. (Oh yes, and their red Christmas cups!)



I'm not making this a meme or anything... just something I'm doing for myself, but if you would like to join in leave a link to your post in the comments!