Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Publisher: Harperteen

Young Adult

320 pages

Summary:

Making her way into a public school is all new for Laurel; the stares observing her every move as she walks down the hall, the stifling classrooms, and all the new people.  All her life, Laurel had been schooled by her mother in the safety of her home, up till now when she’s placed in a whole new environment.  One she doesn’t completely favor. 

PW: Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson

Footprints in the Sand

by Mary Stevenson

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. 

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. 

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. 

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, 

other times there was one only.

Review: Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Radiant Shadows

Author: Melissa Marr

Publisher: HarperTeen

Young Adult

352 pages

Summary:

Throwing her fist playfully with her father always ends with a too soft hit or careful tap from him in return.  Ani wonders why her father can’t accept her into the Hunt and fight with her like he does the others.  She wants to fight, she wants to run, she wants to communicate in the pack’s silent language, she wants to growl and ride on her very own steed, but all those things seem nearly impossible by the way people are treating her.  She’s not just her father’s little pup anymore; she’s ready to be out there and desperate to feed her hungers.

PW: Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster

Beautiful Dreamer

Stephen Foster

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!

AW: Aprilynne Pike

With a New York Times Best-seller under her belt, we expect to see much more greatness from this Arizona native.  Aprilynne Pike was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised in Phoneix, Arizona.  She received her BA in Creative Writing at Lewis-Clark State College, but writing isn’t her only passion.  When not spinning stories of mystical faeries and brutal trolls, Aprilynne can be found hitting the gym, singing, dancing and acting, or working with pregnant mothers as a childbirth educator.  With three children herself, where does Aprilynne find all this time to pursue her many callings?  My only guess is that she’s secretly Wonder Woman.  She can once again be found in the state of Arizona, where she soaks up the sun with her husband and kids. 

AW: Allyson Condie

Former English teacher, Allyson Condie pursues her love of writing as she eloquently tells her tales.  She lives with her husband and kids (three boys) in Salt Lake City, Utah were she’s accomplishing making all her dreams come true.  Other than her love of teaching young minds literature appreciation and writing brilliant novels, Ally enjoys reading (especially poetry), running, and listening to her husband play guitar.

PW: Meeting at Night by Robert Browning

Meeting at Night

Robert Browning

The grey sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low;
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand. 

Author of the Week: Jenny Han

Writer and chocolate cake lover, Jenny Han, was born and raised in Richmond Virginia.  On her path to becoming the talented YA author she is known as today, she studied at University of North Carolina and graduate school in New York.  At said graduate school, Han received a MFA in Writing for Children.  She now resides in Brooklyn where she has a part-time job working at a school library.

Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: HarpterTeen

Young Adult

335 pages

Summary:

Once again, there Evie is: a dreary cemetery, her fully-charged pink Taser (conveniently named “Tasey”), and another paranormal to take care of.  Work is never done for this sixteen year old IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agency) operative.  Since the program found her wandering around through foster care, she’s been living in their underground Center talking with her mermaid best friend, being stalked by her determined faerie ex-boyfriend, and saving the world from destructive paranormals… all the while wondering what it would be like to be normal.

Author of the Week: Sarah Dessen (last week)

Out of all the summer romances giddy girls flip through on those hot days by the pool, you’ll most likely find that it is a literary contribution of author Sarah Dessen.  In my years of obsessively reading young adult fiction, I have read many of Sarah Dessen’s romance novels; which always cause me to squeal and wish I could meet a boy as awesome as the ones contained in the pages.

“Illusions” Book Tour-Last Stop-NYC

Last stop for Aprilynne Pike on her Illusions book tour is non-other than the big apple!  She will be appearing at Book of Wonders on Thursday, July 28^th, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.  Don’t miss out on meeting this astounding YA author.  She’s not the only one signing—you can also find Sarah Porter and Melissa Walker there as well!

For more information and address to Book of Wonders visit: http://www.aprilynnepike.com/illusions-encore-tour-new-york-ny

Review: Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

Rosebush

Author: Michele Jaffe

Publisher: Razorbill

Young Adult

326 pages



See Jane Run.

Jane wakes up tangled in a Rosebush, paralyzed and without a clue to how she got there.

See Jane Hide.

Her friends convince her she was the victim to hit and run accident-but Jane begins to suspect that someone is out to kill her.  Now, she must use the clues left behind by each person who visits her in the hospital-friend, stranger, enemy-to piece together what really happened, before it’s too late.

See Jane Die.

The truth will change her life forever.   That is, if it doesn’t kill her.

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher:Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Young Adult

288 pages (Hardcover)

Summary:

Belly was never regarded as an equal, running around the summer house chasing after her brother Steven and Beck’s boys, Jeremiah and Conrad.  For as long as the span of Belly’s memory she always looked up to Conrad, admired him for his calm nature and athletic skills.  Her admiration quickly fueled a secret love.  Never did Conrad give her a second glance until that summer; the summer she turned pretty.  The summer that would change her life and also her opinion of the suntanned, water-soaked boys she knew in the summer time.   

Poem of the Week: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou

The free bird leaps
on the back of the win
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

Poem of the Week: "Why do I love" You, Sir? by Emily Dickinson

this is last weeks poem:

"Why do I love" You, Sir?

 Emily Dickinson

"Why do I love" You, Sir?
Because—
The Wind does not require the Grass
To answer—Wherefore when He pass
She cannot keep Her place.

Because He knows—and
Do not You—
And We know not—
Enough for Us
The Wisdom it be so—

Review: Warrior by Bryan Davis

Warrior 

Author: Bryan Davis

Publisher: Zondervan

Young Adult

432 pages (paperback)

My Rating: 3 ½ stars

I recently finished Warrior by Bryan Davis, the sequel to Starlighter in the series Dragons of Starlight.  As I’ve said before, I’ve never been one for a “dragon tale” so this was quite new to me.  It’s been a nice change from my normal favorites: fairies and ghosts.  Though I may never pick up another dragon-themed book again, I hold nothing against this series or this author.  I quite frankly love this series and can’t wait to finish it off with Divinier (Once the library gets it in).

Review: Shadowspell by Jenna Black

Shadowspell

Author: Jenna Black

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Young Adult

304 pages

 

I’ve decided that I’ll warn you all at the beginning of this review:  Shadowspell by Jenna Black has some minor sexual content that may not be appropriate for people under the age of13.  At least that’s my opinion.  So if you are mature enough to handle material at a “Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer” level than proceed. 

Back Cover Synopsis:

“On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm.  A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?”

Poem of the Week: If You Forget Me

If You Forget Me

Pablo Neruda

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Author of the Week: Frewin Jones

I would like to start off by introducing Frewin Jones as one of my favorite authors.  His Faeire Path series had me begging on my knees for more.  I think I cried when it was over.  I had grown to like all the characters and felt like I knew them over the span of this five book series.  Five books to get to know the fabulous world Jones created.  I truly wasn’t disappointed at all by any of these books.  Though, I did have to wait patiently for the last book to be written and placed on the shelves of the library.

Review: Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Fragile Eternity 

Author:Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperTeen
Young Adult
400 pages hardcover

"If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be."-Unknown.  Aislinn battles with this as her relationship with Seth evolves.  One night after a revel with her court, Aislinn seeks seclusion in Seth’s steel train house.  After nights like these she isn’t very stable and soon realizes that she can’t go on like this.  If she’s not careful she burns him.  Thoughts plague her mind about the short lifespan of her mortal friends and family.  One day she won’t have her ties to the mortal world. One day she’ll have to admit to herself that she’s meant to be a faerie and can’t go on living both lives.  Can she ever bring herself to let Seth go?

Poem of the Week: The First Snowfall by Lowell

The First Snowfall 

 James Russell Lowell

The snow had begun in the gloaming,
And busily all the night
Had been heaping field and highway
With a silence deep and white.

Every pine and fir and hemlock
Wore ermine too dear for an earl,
And the poorest twig on the elm-tree
Was ridged inch deep with pearl.

Author of the Week: Bryan Davis

Bryan Davis, born in 1958, taught himself to read before he reached schooling age.  He is a bestselling author of three different fantasy series: Dragons in our Midst, Oracles of Fire, and Echoes from the Edge.  Currently he has seven children and lives with his wife Susie in Tennessee.  He is also the author of several other works including The Image of a Father and Spit and Polish for Husbands, which I doubt are also young adult fantasy books.

First Day of Summer!

In honor of the official first day of summer, I'm kicking off the season with a some summer themed YA series!Usually when you think of summer themed literature you think-summer romances- that of which Sarah Dessen is famous for (I especially like Along for the Ride and Keeping the Moon by Dessen).

Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined
Author:Heather Dixon
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Young Adult
Hardcover: 480 pages

 

Back Cover Synopsis:

“Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Ink Exchange

Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperTeen
Young Adult
352 (hardcover)

Companion novel to Wicked Lovely. 

Summary:
All Leslie wants is to just get away; an escape from her alcoholic father and drug-dealer brother.   She wants to find some outlet to let out her frustration, a way to signify her owning her own body.  That’s when she sees it.  The perfect tattoo, but not perfect for just anyone, perfect for her and she must have it.  It’s hers as if it speaks to her inner being.  It calls to her, a voice so twisted but sweet.  She’d do anything to have that tattoo painted onto her skin, but once the needle touches her skin, the ink changes her more than she ever imagined.

Poem of the Week: Annabel Lee by Poe

Annalee's Choice:
This is my all time favorite poem.  I love anything and everything Poe.

Annabel Lee

Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

New Team Member: Maretta Rose

Hello!  We would like to welcome our newest member to Eloquence: Maretta Rose!  Yes, we have the privilege of knowing her in real life and she is truly amazing.  She shares that same passion for reading as me, Annalee, and Nicolette.  I'd like to take this time to introduce her and also tell you what reviews to expect from her. She is graciously cooperating to read the books I tell her to, though I'd only make her read those that she found interest in.  I'm not that bossy...others could disagree but whatever. 

Author of the Week: Elizabeth Scott

Born in 1972, Elizabeth Scott grew up in a small town in southern Virginia.  So small that they didn’t even have a post office!  Since both of her parents were teachers, she ended up being taught by them; took classes from her father for three years.  Many kids dread when their parents come to school, and some even have to go through the horror of having their parents as teachers.  I was one of those kids who got to have my mom as a teacher, though I was too small to remember, and apparently loved it?  Of course because she was my preschool art teacher and I was only 4. 

Review: Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Glimmerglass

Author: Jenna Black
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Young Adult304 pages

Back Cover Synopsis:  

“Normal: it’s all she’s ever wanted to be, but it couldn’t be further from her grasp…

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn’t just an ordinary teenage girl—she’s a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Review: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely
Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperTeen
Young Adult

352 pages (328 hardcover)

Summary:
In the midst of the crowded streets, back alleys, parks, and neighborhood hangouts in Huntsdale there lurks creatures of unthinkable demeanor; invisible to the human eye, except to those with the Sight.   These creatures are faeries.  No, not the frilly little things that dance around in meadows sprinkling magical dust.  Like your preconceived idea of faeries, they can be delicately beautiful and mischievous creatures, but there are also ones with gnashing teeth; always looking for a good fight, alluring mortals, and with no intention to play by the rules.  Aislinn can see them.  She watches as they play tricks on mortals and do unthinkable acts to one another.  Every time a faerie gets too close or curious, her Gram’s rules repeat in her head:

Author of the Week: Melissa Marr

Like most little kids, Melissa Marr, author of the New York Times bestseller Wicked Lovely, grew up believing in faeries, ghosts, and every other magical beast imaginable.  You can see those themes radiate throughout her works as well.  As an author, she develops relatable and also relatively stubborn characters (especially in her Wicked Lovely series).  Before she became the fabulous writer she is today, Melissa Marr taught college literature. 
She applied her earlier knowledge of literature and folklore to her writing.

Review: Starlighter by Bryan Davis

Starlighter 

Author: Bryan Davis

Publisher: Zondervan
Young Adult

400 pages

Hesitant to read Starlighter by Bryan Davis, I went into it with low expectations. By the description and topic I had semi convinced myself this was a “boy book.”  And usually I try to find something with both adventure and some romantic flare.  Best of both worlds right?  Finally it came to the time where I couldn’t put off reading any longer.  The librarian lady told me to have it in by the date it was due or I’d get fined (Yes, common knowledge).  And since my mother decided that I must pay my own fines, I wasn’t going to let that happen.  So I sat down in a comfy chair looking out over the Southern River, took a deep breath and dove in.  Not literally because I prefer to swim in water in which I can see my feet and/or if there is anything swimming beside me.

Review: the invisible by Mats Wahl

                                      

   the invisible
 Author: Mats Wahl  Publisher: New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

Young AdultHardcover:186 pages

Let me just start out by saying, I had no idea what to expect from this book.  It sounded a bit creepy and might have the potential to be very fascinating.  The invisible by Mats Wahl can be associated with The Invisible the movie, which is a remake of the Swedish film(based on this book). Ahhh Swedish literature…truly fascinating isn’t it?  I can now officially say I, Anna, have read Swedish literature (however…it was translated to English…it still counts).  Yes, I do believe this is when someone cracks the joke “You should tell that at parties!” And I laugh dismissively and silently pull on my theoretical confidence pants.