Book to Movie Review: The Maze Runner

If you suffer from anxiety, BEWARE!

This movie was so intense. At one point I leaned over to Sweet Stuff and told him I was forgetting to breathe! To my surprise he said he was too. This film has you on edge from the first few minutes until the last scene. You do not have to be a book fan to love this movie, it needs no introduction or back story. 

What I learned from the Maze...
  • I would have more than likely died in the first 12 6 hours of exiting the cage. #greenie
  • Chuck made me think of the Goonies. Later I wanted to shout "Hey You Guys"
  • They grew way too many radishes. That alone would have made me choose death. 
  • I hated spiders before and I still really hate spiders. #griever
  • Thomas aka Dylan O'Brian nailed it! I might as well admit that I watch MTV's Teen Wolf and Stiles (O'Brian) is my favorite. So naturally I was going to watch this movie regardless. He didn't disappoint.
  • WCKD is good. #liars
The Maze Runner is the perfect film for suspense junkies, sci-fi lovers, men and even date night (get your snuggle on)! And of course this is typical #crack for YA and paranormal book lovers. 

Fall to peer pressure and see The Maze Runner!
 

Book Review: Freedom (Fearsome #2) by S.A. Wolfe

Summary:
*This is a stand-alone sequel to Fearsome. No cliffhanger!

Dylan Blackard is back in town and certain everyone knows his secrets.

Putting away his notorious reputation as the wild guy with a womanizing past, he’s now on a new path, wanting to be the good guy his brother can stop worrying over. As long as he gives up his old vices—including women—he can keep himself on the straight and narrow and finally live up to everyone’s expectations.

However, obsessing about his lack of self-control is making Dylan one humorless, cranky hermit. That all changes, though, when his brother hires a new employee, the stunning Emma Keller, who will be sharing an office with him and all of his tightly wound nerves.

Emma, a spunky young woman from New Jersey, isn’t about to feel sorry for Dylan and his situation. She is beyond distracting to him, and that is enough to turn his emotional balancing act upside down. Not only is she intelligent, and a smart aleck, she's also very determined to pull the sexy Dylan Blackard out of his self-imposed isolation.

From the moment he meets her, he feels alive again, but Emma doesn’t come as a gift with a pretty bow; she comes with major baggage—a family embedded in its own tumultuous history.

Will Emma be the tipping point that causes Dylan to regress into his past destructive behaviors…or will he actually pursue her for keeps?
 
Release Date: March 30, 2014
Age Group: New Adult
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kelli
 
Review:
I enjoyed Fearsome and was looking forward the continuation of the Blackard brothers' stories.  I was especially excited about Dylan's story.  Fearsome features Jessica and her love triangle with the Blackard brothers: Carson and Dylan.  Fearsome ends with Dylan going to a mental health facility for treatment of his bipolar disorder.  So, I was anxious to see how Dylan was doing when I started Freedom.

My complaint about Fearsome was that Jessica took too long to make her decision about who she wanted to be with, and that the bedroom scenes were more adult than new adult in nature.  I really liked the main characters better in this story: Dylan was likably flawed, and Emma was spunky and had a great no-nonsense personality.

I liked Emma right from the start---and I already knew I liked Dylan---so I started Freedom knowing that it was going to be a great read.  I enjoyed Wolfe's characterization, story line, and chemistry between Emma and Dylan.  I liked the way Wolfe handled Dylan's bipolar disorder: her description of his mental anguish was pragmatic and, at times, heartbreaking, and his journey to a balanced life was honest and realistic.

I enjoyed Freedom, but again, felt that the emphasis on the bedroom scenes was a little too much for my taste.  It was still a really fun, good read, and I'm happy I read it.  I'd recommend this series (I love that the books are stand-alones!) to fans of romance novels.
 
 

 

Book to Movie Review: the Giver

*Warning: Kelli is twitching because 'the' is not capitalized, I did it on purpose
Kelli #fighttheurge


I had major doubts about this one, and for good reason.
  • This is my all-time favorite book! I compare every dystopian story to this book, it is the gold standard for this genre.
  • I am not a huge Katie Holmes fan.
  • The previews hinted to a love story. the Giver IS NOT A LOVE STORY.
  • The actual book is pretty short and I was worried about how they might "fill" time.
  • This book is the first in the series and if the initial movie is a bust it is highly unlikely that subsequent films be made and THAT CANNOT HAPPEN. #inittowinit #wewantthemall
What did get me excited? (Before watching)
  • The movie being in black and white!
  • JEFF BRIDGES. He is just how I imagined the Giver/Receiver.
  • The world building looked awesome.
  • I was delighted that Jonas was a fresh face.
Post-Show Thoughts

Bridges, Bridges, Bridges... JEFF BRIDGES! He brought his A game for this film! 

In short, this is a MUST SEE! It was epic and everything I've been waiting for, for the last 20 years (yes, I read this book a looonnggg time ago). There was great detail put into Lowry's world that book fans will appreciate. I felt so devoid of emotions and the black & white film was a must to visually do this film justice. The love interest was a little more involved in the plot than I would have liked but it worked.

The question that I am left with is, when should we expect Gathering Blue?!

 

Book Spotlight: Dare to Kiss by S.B. Alexander



 
Summary:
Besides her family, Lacey Robinson’s only other love is baseball. She’s on top of the world when Arizona State University approaches her to discuss a scholarship. To be the first girl ever to grace a college boys’ team is beyond what she has ever dreamed.

Her fastball is impeccable, her curveball equally as good, and her slider annihilates anyone who dares to step in the batter’s box. But fate has its own way of throwing curveballs. When she looses her mother and sister to a home invasion, baseball and her dreams die with them. Tragedy has a way of seeping deep into her psyche, causing nightmares, panic attacks and blackouts. Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, her psychiatrist recommends a change of scenery and picking up the things that she loved to do, and for Lacey that is baseball.

After a move clear across the country, only two things matter to Lacey—overcome her PTSD and make Kensington High’s baseball team. But trying out for the team comes with obstacles—the captain, Aaron Seever, doesn’t want a girl on the team.

Her life is further complicated when she meets Kade Maxwell, a tall, sexy and drool-worthy bad boy who has a magical touch that awakens her feminine side and a kiss that slowly erases her nightmares. But getting involved with him may be dangerous when Kade’s archenemy returns to town to settle a vendetta.

To complicate matters, her PTSD has taken a turn for the worse. She has to find a way to heal otherwise she may not have a chance at anything in life, especially love.

This is a New Adult Novel and contains strong language and sexual content. Intended for audiences age 17+
 
 
About the Author:
For those of you who know me, you know the ‘S’ stands for Susan in S. B. Alexander. I chose to use my initials since there were a few Susan Alexander authors out there.
 
My life has taken me places where I’ve met wonderful people and experienced life in different ways. After high school I decided to forgo college. I enrolled in a business program where I graduated in ten months with a certificate that allowed me access to Corporate America. But, somehow the idea to enter into an unknown world at nineteen-years-old was daunting. To face my fear, I decided if the world was my playground why not shoot for something bigger, so I joined the Navy. The four years in the military was a great foreground to learn about life and the world around me. But, as the cliché says, Life goes on.
I traded the military for college. I became a High School Math Teacher and loved it before deciding to revisit Corporate America. I’ve held many roles in my career from sales representative to sales manager, but I never lost my passion to write.
 
Other than writing, I love golf, music, the Boston Red Sox, hanging with family and friends and most of all sharing my stories with my fans. 
 
Without readers, authors wouldn’t exist. So thanks to every reader out there for making a world where authors can call home.
 
Author Links:

 
 

 
 
 

Book Review: Temper For You (For You #3) by Genna Rulon

Summary:
"Life is messy. Love is messier." -Catch and Release

Meg Adeio has led a life of isolation—not by choice, by necessity—until one act of heroism forces her out of seclusion. Despite a past shrouded in mystery, Meg is “adopted” by an eclectic group of friends that become the family she never had. Life was good for the first time in…ever.

Or it was until Westly Black reappeared on her doorstep. She knew he was the last man any woman should give her time to—only good for one thing—yet a temptation no woman could deny. Wes might make her life messy, but Meg’s eyes were wide open and she had it under control. At least she thought she did.

When past and present collide, loyalties are tested, forcing Meg to sacrifice her future to protect those she loves.

Temper For You is a gripping story of regret, deception, and redemption – filled with raw emotion, sarcastic wit, intrigue, and love’s propensity to forgive.

• Though Temper For You is a part of the For You Series, it can be read as a stand alone
• This story is appropriate for readers 18+
 
Release Date: September 24, 2014
Age Group: New Adult
Source: Review copy from author
Reviewed By: Kelli
 
Review:
I've loved every single page of Genna Rulon's For You series, and Temper For You was every bit as good as its predecessors. Read my reviews of Only For You here and Pieces For You here

I already knew all the characters in the For You series, and I was happy to get to see them all again.  Meg was an enigma in Pieces For You---and in my PFY review, I wrote that I hoped book three was Meg's story.  I was so excited at the chance to get to know her better.

Meg is the complete opposite of her friends Samantha and Everleigh.  As open as Sam and Everleigh are with each other and everyone around them, Meg is a closed book.  The phrase that comes to mind when I think of Meg is that she keeps her feelings close to her vest.  Nothing about Meg is as it seems, not even her name.  Speaking of names, I loved the symbolism there (it's at the end of the book so I won't say more, but it was perfectly done).  I knew Meg surely had a very difficult past, but I could never have imagined just how horrific her childhood and young adulthood actually were. 

Westly was different from the other guys in the For You series, and I liked that his character was a big change of pace from the usual hero types.  Westly is a self-proclaimed immoral man whose only rule is that he doesn't date married women.  Everything else is free rein.  Westly is a defense attorney, who does well financially, and takes a lot of flack for his choice of career.  And he's just about the sexiest character ever written!  He isn't your typical 'bad boy,' but definitely has some bad boy characteristics that made him all the more alluring.

Meg and Wes think that they will have a no-strings-attached type of relationship.  Both are shocked by the turn their relationship takes, and the feelings they evoke in each other.  I love the way Rulon writes her characters' emotions.  She always makes me feel everything her characters are feeling.  I smile, laugh, and cry while reading her books, and love every minute of it.  I felt my heart racing several times while reading Temper For You, and even had to put the book down once due to my eyes being too flooded with tears to read.  
 
Meg's past was truly heartbreaking.  It was something I never expected, and I loved that Rulon surprised me in that way.  Genna Rulon's books are contemporary new adult romance novels with an edge.  Each book has a deep, intense element of suspense or mystery to it.  That element gives the stories an air of intrigue and urgency.  I always find myself just as interested in the mystery as I am in the resolution of the love story.  And I can't say that for many contemporary romance novels: most of them, I'm just in it for the love story.  The minor plot points are just 'fluff' to me.  There is no fluff in Rulon's novels.  Every sentence serves to further the plot, and that sharp edge makes her work stand out in a genre where the stories can start to run together.
 
I love the endings to the books in this series.  There is complete closure, yet nothing is an unrealistic happily ever after.  I love that the endings are so real.  Big, life-changing things happen in these stories, and no one comes out the same as they were in the beginning.  Sometimes the changes are good, and sometimes they are painful, but the growth itself is what I love to read about.  
 
I can't say enough good things about this book.  Everything about it was just deliciously good, from the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, to the love story, to the positive, uplifting friendships.  I loved everything about Temper For You and can't wait for Genna's next book!  If you are new to Genna Rulon, I highly recommend her For You series! 




 

Book Spotlight: A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzer

Last year I read and reviewed Lois Metzger's A Trick of the Light, the story of a young man battling anorexia.  It was such a moving and powerful read, and I haven't been able to forget Mike and the voice in his head.  Read my review of A Trick of the Light here
 
A Trick of the Light is now available in paperback, with an additional section called "Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Eating Disorders."  I think that this will be a great addition to the book, since one of my favorite aspects of A Trick of the Light was that I learned a lot about the psyche and inner thoughts of someone in the throes of an eating disorder.  A really unique feature of this book is that Mike's eating disorder, the commanding, berating, belittling voice in his head, is the narrator.  Reading this book gave me a deeper understanding of what it's like to live with an eating disorder, and how food--or the lack thereof--consumes every thought and waking moment.  Spotlighting this great book today has made me want to read it again---it's that good!   
 
Summary:
Mike Welles had everything under control. He was a good student, an outfielder on the baseball team, a good son, a loyal friend. But that was before. Now things are rough at home, and they’re getting confusing at school. He’s losing his sense of direction, and he feels like a mess. Then there’s a voice in his head. A friend, trying to help him regain control. More than that: The voice can guide him to be better and stronger than he was before, to rid his life of everything holding him back. To figure out who he is again. If only Mike will listen. Writing with devastating power and precision, acclaimed author Lois Metzger gives us the story of one young man’s battle with his own shadows—a spare, stark, and vital tale of the way in which the things we build to protect ourselves can threaten to destroy us.
 
From the author:
This book has had a long gestation period!  In 2004, I read an article in the New York Daily News, called “Not for Girls Only.”  It was about a boy with an eating disorder.  I never knew boys could get eating disorders, and this idea took hold of me and wouldn’t let go.  I got in touch with the reporter, who put me in touch with the boy in the article.  He lives in California and I spoke with him and his family.  From them, I got the name of a doctor at Stanford, who put me in touch with families in NYC.  I met several young men and their parents.  I did research on the complex world of eating disorders, reading novels and nonfiction, and visiting hospitals.  A Trick of the Light evolved.  I rewrote it many times.  Over the years the book has had various different narrators.  First, Mike (the main character) told his own story.  Then his new friend, Amber.  Then his best friend.  Then his mom.  Then an omniscient narrator.  Finally, the voice in Mike’s head, the entity prodding him into more and more destructive behavior, which had become more and more prominent with every draft, became the narrator.  Once the voice took over the book, so to speak, the story fell into place as an intense psychological drama.
 
 
Author Bio
Lois Metzger was born in Queens and has always written for young adults.  She is the author of three previous novels and two nonfiction books about the Holocaust, and she has edited five anthologies.  Her short stories have appeared in collections all over the world.  Her writing has also appeared in The New Yorker and The Nation, and she blogs for The Huffington Post.  She lives in New York City with her husband, writer Tony Hiss, and their son.

Book-to-Movie News and Giveaway: Gone Girl

Today we are featuring the movie release of GONE GIRL, based on Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel.  

We are also happy to host a giveaway of a paperback copy of the movie tie-in edition of Gone Girl, sponsored by 20th Century Fox.  See the book here.  The giveaway is open to US residents only.

Keep reading for more information about the movie, Amy Dunne's Pinterest page, and the trailer. 
 
GONE GIRL – In Theaters October 3
 
About the film
Directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn – unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

Thriller
Release: October 3, 2014
Director: David Fincher
Screenplay by: Gillian Flynn, based upon the novel written by Gillian Flynn
Produced by: Arnon Milchan, Joshua Donen, Reese Witherspoon, Ceán Chaffin
Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry

 



 
 
 
  
Amy Dunne is missing. Her Pinterest page has been found.  #GoneGirl
Gone Girl's Amy Dunne has a Pinterest account you can explore. In the upcoming movie thriller Gone Girl by David Fincher, ‘Amazing Amy’ Dunne (Rosamund Pike) has gone missing and all eyes are on her husband Nick (Ben Affleck.) Everyone is wondering ‘Did Nick kill his wife?’
 
As evidence mounts and speculation rises, Amy’s past is coming into focus on Pinterest. What was she like? What were her interests? Did she leave any clues? Explore for yourself at http://bit.ly/AmyDunne  
 
 
 


 
 
Giveaway Rules:
This giveaway is open to US residents only.
Anyone over the age of 13 can enter to win.
The winner will be notified via email and has 72 hours to reply back and claim their prize.  If there is no reply within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.  
Thank you for entering, and good luck! 
 
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5dfba6e134/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway


The Next Big YA Book Event with Hipso Publishing

Today we are partnering with Hipso Media and Supernatural Snark to tell you about The Next Big YA Book Event.  From September 17th to October 1st, Hipso Media is opening up submissions to unsolicited manuscripts.  Isn't that exciting?  Click here to visit the sign-up page.

The Next BIG YA Book


Hipso is looking for the Next Big YA Book.  You got it?  We want it!  In order to find it, we have opened our submissions to any writer who believes they have created the next YA sensation. No agent necessary. No credentials needed.  The important criteria are that your manuscript must be finished, you must believe it’s great and it must not be already published somewhere else.

To the selected author, Hipso is offering the following:
  • A publishing contract with Hipso
  • Custom cover
  • CBB book tour
  • Your book as an eBook on all major retailers – Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, around the world
  • Paperback print-on-demand
  • Book swag
  • Marketing campaign – readings, reviews, book-signings
  • 15 free advance review copies
  • Generous royalty program
  • Exclusive front-page podcast on AuthorsOnTourLive, iReadBooksRadio and iHeartRadio (which gets an average of more than 1 million hits a year)


Visit Hipso Media online here, and best of luck to all of the applicants!



Book Review: The 100: Day 21 (The Hundred #2) by Kass Morgan

Summary:
No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.


In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan's The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can -- together.

Release Date: September 16, 2014
Age Group: YA
Source: Review copy from publisher
Reviewed By: Kelli
 
Review:
I loved Kass Morgan's The 100 (read my review here), and started reading The 100: Day 21 immediately after finishing book one.  I didn't want to leave Morgan's unique, thrilling world (and I still don't!). 

I started this book expecting a gripping plot line, well-developed characters, and a fast pace.  Morgan delivered on all of those things, and more.  I loved the turn the story took in this installment.  It was unexpected and exciting.  The pace was even faster than The 100, again, I read this book in one sitting. 

I had two complaints about The 100: Day 21.  The book felt transitional to me, like Morgan was busy setting up book three and slacked a little on the action in this book.  My second complaint is that I wanted this book to be longer.  I finished it so quickly, and while I loved it, I wanted more to the story.

Many of the questions I had after finishing The 100 were answered in The 100: Day 21.  I enjoyed the flashbacks, as they provided a lot of history for each character.  I have even more questions now, and I cannot wait to find out more in book three.  The 100: Day 21 ended on a very surprising note and all I can say is that the ending definitely left me excited for book three. 

If you haven't tried The Hundred series yet, I highly recommend it!
 

 

Book Review: The 100 (The Hundred #1) by Kass Morgan

Summary:
In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.
 
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Age Group: YA
Source: Review copy from publisher
Reviewed By: Kelli
 
Review:
I never thought I'd say this, but I really like books set in space!  I started The 100 with great anticipation, hoping it would be as good as Beth Revis' Across the Universe (read my series review here). 

I loved the concept behind The 100.  The premise is that after a nuclear war, humans escaped to space.  All of humanity (with a controlled population, of course) now lives in space, waiting to return to Earth once the radiation levels drop.  I found the premise to be very plausible and that made the book feel relevant and realistic to me. 

The story is told in alternating perspectives, with four different narrators.  The multiple narrators were a bit confusing at first, until I learned their histories and then the narrative was perfect for this story.

I usually have one favorite main character in each book I read, but the way Morgan wrote her characters: so realistically flawed and utterly likable, made me equally invested in each character's story.  I found myself rooting for each of the four narrators to find happiness.

The 100 has a breakneck pace that had me finishing this book in one sitting.  It was one of those books that I couldn't fathom putting down.  I was so happy to have book two, The 100: Day 21 on hand, to start immediately after finishing The 100.  I didn't want to leave Morgan's world, and now my only complaint is that I have to wait for the next installment. 

I would recommend this series to just about anyone.  If you're new to the outer space setting, The 100 would be a great book to start with.     
 



 

Book Review: The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh O'Brian


Summary: 
From the author of the Birthmarked trilogy comes a fast-paced, psychologically thrilling novel about what happens when your dreams are not your own.
 
The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success:  every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

Release Date: September 16, 2014
Age Group: YA
Source: Review copy from publisher
Reviewed By: Kelli

Review:
I love Caragh O'Brian's writing--her Birthmarked trilogy is one I'll never forget, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of The Vault of Dreamers.  This book is very unique: combining a reality show with a boarding school for creative students.  I loved the premise, and the fact that the stakes are high for Forge School students.  The students are taped for 12 hours a day---the other 12 hours, they are required to sleep (and are even forced to take sleeping pills to keep them in bed from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am).  The show is broadcast around the country, and the students are ranked according to their popularity with the viewers.  If they are ranked highly, they make money from their banner ads, which run on their personal feeds.  Viewers choose which students to watch, and the more popular students seem to get everything: ad money, which they receive upon graduation, respect from staff and other students, and more job opportunities after graduation.

I like how O'Brian's books just start right in the middle of things, assuming the reader already knows what's going on.  It makes figuring the premise out a bit of a challenge, and definitely keeps the story interesting right from the beginning.  From page one, we know that Rosie is a rule-breaker.  She fakes taking her mandatory sleeping pill, to stay awake and see what goes on at night at The Forge School.  What she discovers is unsettling to say the least.  I have to say that I was sufficiently creeped out from the first time I read about the students' sleep shells.  I pictured them as a kind of see-through coffin.  The fact that there's so much emphasis on sleep at The Forge School was the first red flag that something sinister was going on at night.  And the plot only got more intense from there.

I liked Rosie from the start.  She's a classic underdog, with a home life that she is embarrassed of (her family is poor and her stepfather is abusive) and much to lose if she is kicked out of The Forge School.  Rosie's first obstacle to overcome is to survive Fifty Cuts.  Fifty Cuts describes the process of eliminating the lowest ranked 50 students at the school, and reducing the sophomore class from 100 students to 50.  Rosie is ranked well below the cut-off of 50, and knows she'll be sent home.  She doesn't have much to look forward to at home, no real career options, and therefore has a "nothing to lose" attitude.  Rosie is inventive, and decides to film the other low-ranked students to get to know them just a bit before they are sent home later that day.  A series of events unexpectedly bumps her up in rank, and she becomes quite popular in the span of one day's time. 

I like that O'Brian can describe one day in such great detail, as she does with the day of Fifty Cuts, yet keep from boring the reader.  I usually don't like it when too many pages in a book are devoted to just one day in time.  But, it completely worked for The Vault of Dreamers because so much happened on the day of Fifty Cuts.  The book ends up spanning several months in time, with the pacing being just right for the story.  As with the Birthmarked books, O'Brian's imagery was outstanding, as well as her characterization.  I love it when an author can make me care so much about their characters, even ones I don't particularly like. 

The Vault of Dreamers ends on a very surprising note.  I have to say that I was basically shocked at the ending.  To say it's a cliffhanger ending is putting it mildly...needless to say, I'm on pins and needles waiting for book two!

The Vault of Dreamers is futuristic, inventive, and thrilling.  I loved it and highly recommend it!





Excerpt: Day 21 (The 100, #2) by Kass Morgan

Kass Morgan's sequel to The 100 releases today, and we are honored to share an excerpt from Day 21.  This book was so exciting, and just as good as The 100.  Look for my reviews of both books later this week!

Chapter 1 - Wells
by Kass Morgan
Author of The 100 and its sequel Day 21
 
No one wanted to stand near the grave. Although four of their own were already buried in the makeshift cemetery, the rest of the hundred were still disturbed by the idea of lowering a body into the ground.
 
No one wanted to stand with their backs to the trees either. Since the attack, a creaking branch had become enough to make the anxious survivors jump. And so, the nearly one hundred people who'd gathered to say good-bye to Asher stood in a tightly packed semicircle, their eyes darting between the corpse on the ground and the shadows in the forest.
 
The comforting crackle of the fire was conspicuously absent. They'd run out of firewood last night, and no one had been willing to venture out for more. Wells would've gone himself, but he'd been busy digging the grave. No one had volunteered for that job either, except for a tall, quiet Arcadian boy named Eric.
 
"Are we sure he's really dead?" Molly whispered, edging back from the deep hole, as if worried it might swallow her up as well. She was only thirteen but looked younger. At least, she'd used to. Wells remembered helping her after the crash, when tears and ash had streaked her round cheeks. Now the girl's face was thin, almost gaunt, and there was a cut on her forehead that didn't look like it'd been properly cleaned.
 
Wells's eyes flashed involuntarily to Asher's neck, to the ragged wound where the arrow had pierced his throat. It'd been two days since Asher died, two days since the mysterious figures materialized on the ridge, upending everything the Colonists had ever been told, everything they thought they knew.
They had been sent to Earth as living test subjects, the first people to set foot on the planet in three hundred years. But they were mistaken.
 
Some people had never left.
 
It had all happened so quickly. Wells hadn't realized anything was wrong until Asher fell to the ground, gagging as he swiped desperately at the arrow lodged in his throat. That's when Wells spun around -- and saw them. Silhouetted against the setting sun, the strangers looked more like demons than humans. Wells had blinked, half expecting the figures to vanish. There was no way they were real.
 
But hallucinations didn't shoot arrows.
 
After his calls for help went unheeded, Wells had carried Asher to the infirmary tent, where they stored the medical supplies they'd salvaged from the fire. But it was no use. By the time Wells began frantically digging for bandages, Asher was already gone.
 
How could there be people on Earth? It was impossible. No one had survived the Cataclysm. That was incontrovertible, as deeply ingrained in Wells's mind as the fact that water froze at 0 degrees Celsius, or that planets revolved around the sun. And yet, he'd seen them with his own eyes. People who certainly hadn't come down on the dropship from the Colony. Earthborns.
 
"He's dead," Wells said to Molly as he rose wearily to his feet before realizing that most of the group was staring at him. A few weeks ago, their expressions would've been full of distrust, if not outright contempt. No one believed that the Chancellor's son had actually been Confined. It'd been all too easy for Graham to convince them that Wells had been sent to spy for his father. But now, they were looking at him expectantly.
 
In the chaos after the fire, Wells had organized teams to sort through the remaining supplies and start building permanent structures. His interest in Earth architecture, once a source of annoyance to his pragmatic father, had enabled Wells to design the three wooden cabins that now stood in the center of the clearing.
 
Wells glanced up at the darkening sky. He'd give anything to have the Chancellor see the cabins eventually. Not to prove a point -- after seeing his father shot on the launch deck, Wells's resentment had drained faster than the color from the Chancellor's cheeks. Now he only wished his father would someday get to call Earth home. The rest of the Colony was supposed to join them once conditions on Earth were deemed safe, but twenty-one days had passed without so much as a glimmer from the sky.
As Wells lowered his eyes back to the ground, his thoughts returned to the task at hand: saying farewell to the boy they were about to send to a much darker resting place.
 
A girl next to him shivered. "Can we move this along?" she said. "I don't want to stand out here all night."
 
"Watch your tone," another girl named Kendall snapped, her delicate lips drawn into a frown. At first, Wells had assumed she was a fellow Phoenician, but he'd eventually realized that her haughty stare and clipped cadence were just an impression of the girls Wells had grown up with. It was a fairly common practice among young Waldenites and Arcadians, although he'd never met anyone who did it quite as well as Kendall.
 
Wells turned his head from side to side, searching for Graham, the only other Phoenician aside from Wells and Clarke. He didn't generally like letting Graham take control of the group, but the other boy had been friends with Asher and was better equipped than Wells to speak at his funeral. However, his was one of the few faces missing from the crowd -- aside from Clarke's. She'd set off right after the fire with Bellamy to search for his sister, leaving nothing but the memory of the five toxic words she'd hurled at Wells before she left: You destroy everything you touch.
 
© 2014 by Alloy Entertainment

Author Bio

Kass Morgan, 
New York Times bestselling author of The 100 and its sequel Day 21, received a bachelor's degree from Brown University and a master's from Oxford University. She currently works as an editor and lives in Brooklyn, New York. 
For more information please visit http://alloyentertainment.com/ and follow the author on Twitter.    
 

 

Book Review: Being Audrey Hepburn by Mitchell Kriegman

Summary:
In Being Audrey Hepburn, Clarissa Explains It All-creator, Mitchell Kriegman, tells the story of a 19-year-old girl from Jersey who finds herself thrust into the world of socialites after being seen in Audrey Hepburn’s dress from the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.Lisbeth comes from a broken home in the land of tube tops, heavy eyeliner, frosted lip-gloss, juiceheads, hoop earrings and “the shore.” She has a circle of friends who have dedicated their teenage lives to relieve the world of all its alcohol one drink at a time.

Obsessed with everything Audrey Hepburn, Lisbeth is transformed when she secretly tries on Audrey’s iconic Givenchy. She becomes who she wants to be by pretending to be somebody she’s not and living among the young and privileged Manhattan elite. Soon she’s faced with choices that she would never imagine making – between who she’s become and who she once was.

In the tradition of The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada, this is a coming of age story that all begins with that little black dress…
 
Release Date: September 16, 2014
Age Group: YA
Source: Review copy from publisher
Reviewed By: Kelli
 
Review:
Being Audrey Hepburn was such a fun, girly read!  I loved everything about this whimsical, imaginative book.  I kept finding myself wishing that I was Lisbeth: her rise to fame was inspiring and the clothes...oh the clothes...I wanted to wear them too (And look as good as Lisbeth did in them!).
 
Lisbeth is obsessed with Audrey Hepburn.  She watches all of Hepburn's movies over and over, with Breakfast at Tiffany's being her favorite.  Lisbeth's friend, Jess, works at the Met.  Jess secretly lets Lisbeth try on the black Givenchy dress Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Jess fixes Lisbeth's hair and makeup to give her the whole "Audrey look."  Well, to avoid discovery, Lisbeth has to rush downstairs, in the middle of a gala for New York's rich and famous young adults, and is mistaken for someone rich and famous.  She meets a pop star in the bathroom, who wants to be friends, and soon finds herself enmeshed in a totally different world. 
 
I thought that I knew where Being Audrey Hepburn was going.  I was so surprised at the depth and intensity of this book.  Kriegman kept the plot layered and very interesting.  If you're not into fashion, this would still be a fun book to read.  I loved that Lisbeth becomes a blogger (it's so fun, as a blogger, to read books about bloggers) and that she was mysterious and unpredictable.  The conflict resolution came as a total surprise, and I found myself quite pleased with how the story wrapped up. 
 
What made Being Audrey Hepburn so fun to read was that it was a glimpse into the world of Manhattan's elite.  Lisbeth's rise to fame was like a Cinderella story: the whole time she was enjoying herself, I kept waiting for her to be discovered for who she truly was.  There was so much creativity with the fashion, and diversity in the characters.  I liked that the minor characters were so well-developed, and that Being Audrey Hepburn wasn't just about Lisbeth.
 
If you like contemporary YA, fashion, or blogging, I would highly recommend Being Audrey Hepburn!


 

Book to Movie News and Giveaway: This is Where I Leave You

Today we are happy to spotlight the movie adaptation of Jonathan Tropper's This Is Where I Leave YouThis Is Where I Leave You debuts in theaters September 19, 2014.  Keep reading for more information about this movie, and for a chance to win a prize pack from Warner Bros.!
 
About the Film:
When their father passes away, four grown siblings, bruised and banged up by their respective adult lives, are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. Confronting their history and the frayed states of their relationships among the people who know and love them best, they ultimately reconnect in hysterical and emotionally affecting ways amid the chaos, humor, heartache and redemption that only families can provide—driving us insane even as they remind us of our truest, and often best, selves.
 











Genre: Dramatic Comedy
Rated: R
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard and Jane Fonda
Directed By: Shawn Levy
Screenplay By: Screenplay by Jonathan Tropper, Based on the novel "This Is Where I Leave You" by Jonathan Tropper
Produced By: Paula Weinstein, Shawn Levy, Jeffrey Levine; Executive Producers Mary McLaglen, Jonathan Tropper

Join the Book Club!
It’s always fun to read the book before the movie, right? Join Warner Bros. Pictures’ #TIWILY book discussion on the film’s Facebook page each Wednesday, and take part in the conversation for a chance to win signed movie posters and a trip to the premiere in Hollywood!
 



Visit all TIWILY websites - #TIWILY

·         Visit the official website
·         Like This is Where I Leave You on Facebook
·         Follow @wbpictures on Twitter
·         Follow on Google+ and Instagram

 
 


This Is Where I Leave You Giveaway
One lucky I'd So Rather Be Reading reader will receive a prize pack sponsored by Warner Bros., including a $25 Visa Gift Card to see the movie in theaters, and a hard copy of  This is Where I Leave You (featuring the movie tie-in cover).
 
Giveaway Rules:
This giveaway is open to US residents only.
Anyone over the age of 13 can enter to win.
The winner will be notified via email and has 72 hours to reply back and claim their prize.  If there is no reply within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.  
Thank you for entering, and good luck!  

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