Young Adult Giveaway Hop

 Posted by  Contests, Special Features
Aug 072012
 

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

August 8 – 14

Hosted by I’m a Reader, Not a Writer and Reading Teen

 

LDS Women’s Book Review is participating in the Young Adult Giveaway Hop and giving you the chance to win your choice of one of the great young adult books by Utah authors below.

 *   *   *

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape–his only real hope for survival–may be impossible.

Read our review of VARIANT.

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

Read Shanda’s review of SLAYERS.

 

After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Magdalene Mae is transferred to what should be her last foster home in the tiny town of Silver City, New Mexico. Now that she’s eighteen and has only a year left in high school, she’s determined to stay out of trouble and just be normal.

Agreeing to go to the prom with Bridger O’Connell is a good first step. Fitting in has never been her strong suit, but it’s not for the reasons most people would expect-it all has to do with the deep secret that she is a shape shifter. But even in her new home danger lurks, waiting in the shadows to pounce. They are the Skinwalkers of Navajo legend, who have traded their souls to become the animal whose skin they wear-and Maggie is their next target.

Full of romance, mysticism, and intrigue, this dark take on Navajo legend will haunt readers to the final page.

Find SHIFTING on Goodreads.

*   *   *

All you need to do to enter is fill out the form below to make it easier for me to find you if you win, and then leave a comment below telling me what book you would choose and why.

***Don’t forget to leave a comment below telling me what book you would choose and why, otherwise your entry is incomplete.***

It is not a requirement to follow LDSWBR, however, if you like good clean reads, consider following us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or subscribing by email at the top of the sidebar. Thanks!

After you enter, be sure to visit I’m a Reader, Not a Writer for a list of participating blogs where you can enter to win even more prizes. Good luck!

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Jul 162012
 

The Eleventh Plague

Author: Jeff Hirsch

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Published Date: September 2011

Hardcover; 278 pages

Genre: YA Dystopian

ISBN# 978-0-545-29014-2

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing–and their lives–forever.

First Line

“I was sitting at the edge of the clearing, trying not to stare at the body on the ground in front of me.”

My Review

The Eleventh Plague intrigued me from page one. Stephen and his father bury his grandfather, the man who didn’t hesitate to punish the slightest mistake with his fists yet kept them alive after the Collapse following an attack from China and the release of P11, also know as the Eleventh Plague. Stephen is conflicted, not sure how to feel about being free of the man who knew how to survive but made his life so miserable.

Stephen’s world is one full of danger and uncertainty, of struggling and salvaging to survive. Before he has the chance to adjust to life without his grandfather’s beatings, his father falls and Stephen is suddenly shouldered with the responsibility of caring for his injured father and finding a way to keep them alive. When they are discovered by a group of men, Stephen agrees to let them bring his father with them to their “city” to be cared for by their doctor.

I was fascinated reading about Stephen’s reactions to being inside a house for the first time, his struggle to adjust to life in a community, and his curiosity about Jenny, a Chinese girl who insists on rebelling against everyone and everything. I liked Stephen, but Jenny takes getting used to. She is blunt, bitter, and a fighter. When Jenny and Stephen play a prank on the leader of the town, there is a misunderstanding and the citizens find themselves at war.

The Eleventh Plague is a well-written, page-turning story that is disturbingly believable. I haven’t read much YA Dystopian, so I don’t know how it compares to others in the genre. I liked that the book didn’t end the way I thought it would. I find myself wanting to know more about this city and other areas in the United States after the Collapse. I don’t know if it is part of a series, but I would definitely read a sequel. I think that 14-16 year-old boys would probably really like this book.

Content

A few swear words; no sex (just kissing & not much at that); some violence (a battle); one scene in which the teens drink home brew around a lake and the main character takes a sip then declines offers of more.

Visit Jeff Hirsch: WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Find The Eleventh Plague: GOODREADS | AMAZON

 

My Double Life by Janette Rallison

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Feb 252011
 

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (May 13, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0399252622
Her whole life, Alexia Garcia has been told that she looks just like pop star Kari Kingsley, and one day when Alexia’s photo filters through the Internet, she is offered a job to be Kari’s double. This would seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but Alexia’s mother has always warned her against celebrities.

Rebelliously, Alexia flies off to L.A. and gets immersed in a celebrity life. Not only does she have to get used to getting anything she wants, she romances the hottest lead singer on the charts, and finds out that her own father is a singing legend. Through it all, Alexia must stay true to herself, which is hard to do when you are pretending to be somebody else.


Once again Janette Rallison has delivered a book that all ages will love. My Double Life is a story of a teenage girl who has grown up with very little. Alexia has always been on the “outside” wanting just a little piece of feeling like she fits in. When she is offered the job to be the double for a famous singer, she jumps on it. The underlying story has to do with Alexia not knowing who her father is. Some of the events in the story you could see coming, such as to the identity of her father. The fun part is how this information comes out.

Alexia, the main character, is so easy to like. She is not whiny or self-centered. She is always trying to do the right thing. I recall finishing this book and thinking how I would not hesitate at all to have my daughter read this book. This cannot be said of all books written for teens. One of the main themes learned in My Double Life is that you should be grateful for the life you have. Other people’s lives may seem wonderful and perfect, but behind closed doors everyone has problems.

So, the main things I liked about this book was the humor, life lessons that are there, but not blatantly shoved down your throat, and likable characters. Readers that have read other books
by Janette Rallison will love this one. Those of you that have never read any of her books this is a good one to start with. My favorite book written by Janette is still Just One Wish so check out that one next.


If you would like to learn more about Janette Rallison, go visit her at her website here.

BIO:Janette lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, five children and enough cats to classify her as “an eccentric cat lady.” She did not do this on purpose. (The cats, that is; she had the children on purpose.) Every single one of the felines showed up on its own and refuses to leave. Not even the family’s fearless little Westie dog can drive them off.

Since Janette has five children and deadlines to write books, she doesn’t have much time left over for hobbies. But since this is the internet and you can’t actually check up to see if anything on this site is true, let’s just say she enjoys dancing, scuba diving, horse back riding and long talks with Orlando Bloom.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Hillary's Reviews
Feb 032010
 

Hey kids!
Today I am blogging about “The Hunger Games.” by Suzanne Collins. A little back story, Shanda and Sheila both read this book last year, told me I needed to read it, so I put it on my list, and then forgot until about 3 weeks ago. So, I picked up the book from the library, and my daughter stole it from me. She didn’t give it back until about 4 days before it was due. I thought for sure I wouldn’t get it done until I actually started reading it. 6 hours later (3am) I got it done, and it made my top-ten of all time favorite books!
Suzanne Collins writes compelling, engaging and engrossing characters. She has written other books, a series called “The Underland Chronicles”, and she has the “Hunger Games” trilogy. I am currently reading book two called “Catching Fire.” The third book, “The Victors” is due out this spring.
The premise of the story takes place in post-apocolyptic America. (I usually hate post-apocolyptic stories. They’re too depressing. But this one is wonderful) There is a group of people that form the Capital, and then there are 13 districts. Early in the formation of the country, the districts try to break out on their own, and are squashed by the Capital. As a form of punishment/or as a way to remind people of their place, each year the Capital forces each district to have a girl and a boy between 12-18 years old compete in “The Hunger Games” which is a game to the death. Last one standing wins, and provides a better life for their district. The main character, Katniss Everdeen ends up representing her district at the hunger games, and with a lot of adventure, a bit of romance and a lot of intense moments, an amazing story is told!
I would HIGHLY recommend this book. Highly. Really good writing, really great depth of characters, really creative and unusual story line. Very well done.
FTC- FYI- library
 Newer Entries