Showing posts with label SohoTeen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SohoTeen. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 03, 2015

3 Star #Review of I’m Glad I Did by Cynthia Weil

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and songwriting legend Cynthia Weil's extraordinary YA debut opens the secretive doors of the Brill Building-the hit factory that changed history. Part Mad Men, part Grace of my Heart, part murder mystery, I'm Glad I Did is a coming-of-age story at an unforgettable cultural tipping point: the summer of 1963.

JJ Greene, a gifted 16-year-old songwriter, defies her lawyer parents by secretly applying for a job in the famed Brill Building-the epicenter of songwriting for a new genre called rock-n-roll. But their warnings about the evils of the music industry prove far darker than she imagined when she finds herself at the heart of a cover-up that involves hidden identity, theft, and possibly murder.

Story Locale: New York, NY

Saturday, May 17, 2014

The A-Word (Sweet Dead Life #2) by @joypreble #Review #Hosted #Published @soho_teen

Jenna Samuels is about to turn fifteen. It's been almost a year since her stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust. Almost a year since he returned as her guardian angel, along with his "angel boss," Amber Velasco, the hot twenty-something former EMT. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe, swooping down to catch her as she tumbled off the balcony at the Houston Galleria. In short, a lot of A-word shenanigans and a mostly happy ending.

Except now Casey's begun to wonder why he's still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna. She's a handful, but there's got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his on again/off again, doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can't use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber. 

Enter Bo Shivers, Amber's "angel boss"—a mysterious A-word guy Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed. Whiskey-guzzling. Handsome in a grizzled way. Unpredictable. Okay, make that crazy. Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long, long, long time back—and he's been a thorn in Angel Management's side ever since. But Bo knows something is coming. Something big. Something that was worth forfeiting wings for Jenna... something that might just change everything for everyone.

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

#BookTour #Review Ask Me by @KimberlyRPauley #Giveaway @soho_teen

Click Me

Thanks so much to Soho Teen for the chance to read this amazing book!  
Check here for the full tour
*May not be active yet* 

Ask MeAsk Aria Morse anything, and she must answer with the truth. Yet she rarely understands the cryptic words she‘s compelled to utter. Blessed—or cursed—with the power of an Oracle who cannot decipher her own predictions, she does her best to avoid anyone and everyone. 

But Aria can no longer hide when Jade, one of the few girls at school who ever showed her any kindness, disappears. Any time Aria overhears a question about Jade, she inadvertently reveals something new, a clue or hint as to why Jade vanished. But like stray pieces from different puzzles, her words never present a clear picture.

Then there’s Alex, damaged and dangerous, but the first person other than Jade to stand up for her. And Will, who offers a bond that seems impossible for a girl who’s always been alone. Both were involved with Jade. Aria may be the only one who can find out what happened, but the closer she gets to solving the crime, the more she becomes a target. Not everyone wants the truth to come out.

Monday, March 10, 2014

{Review} {GuestPost} Liv, Forever by @amytalkington {Giveaway} {Published} @soho_teen

 Click to watch the trailer

Liv, ForeverWhen Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier—especially when Malcolm Astor, fellow artist and scion of one of the school’s original families, starts falling for her. Fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols warns her not to get involved with a “Wicky,” but things are finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy it.

But Liv’s bliss is cut short when she is viciously murdered. In death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that spans 150 years and many, many lives. Gabe, cursed with the ability to see their ghosts, turns out to be Liv’s only link to the world of the living.

Liv must rely on Gabe’s help to prove to Malcolm that she’s still present… lingering with the other spirits. Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham before more lives are lost.

Biography

Amy Talkington is an award-winning screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. Before all that she wrote about music for magazines like Spin, Ray Gun, Interview, and Seventeen (mostly just as a way to get to hang out with rock stars). As a teenager in Dallas, Texas, Amy painted lots of angsty self-portraits, listened to The Velvet Underground and was difficult enough that her parents finally let her go to boarding school on the East Coast. Liv, Forever is her first novel.

Visit her website www.amytalkington.com, @amytalkington on Twitter, and on Tumblr.








A YA Mystery with a hint of Paranormal.  Which was a recipe for a great book.  Although this one had a little more fluff than what I would have liked.  It was a wonderful read.  And I love that the cover really ties into the books main character.  This one will draw in both teens and adults so deff pick it up and give it a try.  It was deff worth the read!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."
Guest Post with Amy Talkington 
When not writing books (or blog posts), I’m a screenwriter (and filmmaker). At this point,  I’ve written more than fifteen scripts “for hire” and several others for myself (not to mention the many short films I’ve written and directed). And now I’ve written my first book, Liv, Forever. People have asked me why I decided to write a book and what the difference is between screenwriting and book writing so I thought I’d share some thoughts about that with you here.

I actually first imagined Liv, Forever as a screenplay. I wrote up a fifteen page treatment on the characters and story before I realized I needed to write it as a book. Why? I think the answers to that question will help illuminate some of the differences between writing books and movies.

A)  I really wanted to explore Liv’s voice.
Screenwriting is incredibly prescriptive. You cannot go into someone’s head. You cannot even describe a room beyond the bare essentials. Looking at the story I’d crafted for Liv, I realized that I really wanted to go deeper. I wanted to explore the thoughts in Liv’s head. I wanted to know how she felt when she realized she was dead. I wanted to understand why she felt no capacity for love. I wanted to know how she saw the world. I knew I could get so much deeper into her thoughts and her unique perspective in a book.

B) I wanted to create a layered ghost mythology and history for the school.
I knew that I needed a detailed and twisty history and mythology for the school. This was something that I hadn’t cracked in the outline and I knew would be tough to crack in a screenplay without practically writing a book about it first. So, I decided I might as well just write that book!

C.) I’d always wanted to write a book.
Most screenwriters I know would like to write a book someday. At least just one. We are writers after all and we love books as well as movies. But there is another, more practical, reason (in two parts): books don’t get messed with and books get published. Working as a screenwriter for the studios (as I have for about ten years) can be very challenging because we’re constantly (and nearly always) rewritten. No matter who you are or how big your credits, your writing is rarely considered sacred (or even very important!).

And not only are you rewritten, but your work is seldom produced. Of those fifteen scripts I mentioned that I’ve written, only three have been produced. Just imagine writing fifteen novels for publishing houses (doing all the multiple revisions) but having only three actually published. (Side note: I have several studio projects in “active development” and hope to see at least one made this year!)

So you can imagine the appeal of having a book that will be published (just as I wrote it!). This is an uncommon experience for a screenwriter. And, I want to do it again, no doubt. But, at the same time, I’m also busy trying to turn Liv, Forever into a movie!

If you want to know all the latest on Liv, Forever follow me on Twitter @amytalkington and Tumblr http://amytalkington.tumblr.com/
Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.


Comment below to enter to win 1 of 2 Print ARCs! 

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

{Review} Liv, Forever by @amytalkington {Published} @soho_teen

Liv, ForeverWhen Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier—especially when Malcolm Astor, fellow artist and scion of one of the school’s original families, starts falling for her. Fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols warns her not to get involved with a “Wicky,” but things are finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy it.

But Liv’s bliss is cut short when she is viciously murdered. In death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that spans 150 years and many, many lives. Gabe, cursed with the ability to see their ghosts, turns out to be Liv’s only link to the world of the living.

Liv must rely on Gabe’s help to prove to Malcolm that she’s still present… lingering with the other spirits. Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham before more lives are lost.
 Visit Amazon's Amy Talkington Page
Amy Talkington is an award-winning screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. Before all that she wrote about music for magazines like SpinRay GunInterview, and Seventeen (mostly just as a way to get to hang out with rock stars). As a teenager in Dallas, Texas, Amy painted lots of angsty self-portraits, listened to The Velvet Underground and was difficult enough that her parents finally let her go to boarding school on the East Coast. Liv, Forever is her first novel.







A YA Mystery with a hint of Paranormal.  Which was a recipe for a great book.  Although this one had a little more fluff than what I would have liked.  It was a wonderful read.  And I love that the cover really ties into the books main character.  This one will draw in both teens and adults so deff pick it up and give it a try.  It was deff worth the read!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."
Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

{Guest Post} {Review} {Giveaway} Relic by #HeatherTerrell @soho_teen

Relic (Books of Eva, #1)
The truth will test you...

For fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games: high fantasy and dystopia meet in this high-stakes tale of a civilization built on lies and the girl who single-handedly brings it down.

When Eva’s twin brother, Eamon, falls to his death just a few months before he is due to participate in The Testing, no one expects Eva to take his place. She’s a Maiden, slated for embroidery classes, curtseys, and soon a prestigious marriage befitting the daughter of an Aerie ruler. But Eva insists on honoring her brother by becoming a Testor. After all, she wouldn’t be the first Maiden to Test, just the first in 150 years.

Eva knows the Testing is no dance class. Gallant Testors train for their entire lives to search icy wastelands for Relics: artifacts of the corrupt civilization that existed before The Healing drowned the world. Out in the Boundary Lands, Eva must rely on every moment of the lightning-quick training she received from Lukas—her servant, a Boundary native, and her closest friend now that Eamon is gone.

But there are threats in The Testing beyond what Lukas could have prepared her for. And no one could have imagined the danger Eva unleashes when she discovers a Relic that shakes the Aerie to its core.





Biography

Heather Terrell is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in History, and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. While practicing as a lawyer, Heather dreamed of a fantastical job unraveling the larger mysteries of time and uncovering the truths lurking in legend and myth -- and found it when she tried her hand at writing. She first wrote the historical novels The Chrysalis and The Map Thief, which will appear in more than ten countries, as well as Brigid of Kildare. She made the transition to young adult fiction with the series Fallen Angel -- and continues it now with The Books of Eva.




Well this one was great and I don't think that the cover does it justice.  The first part of the book is all about Eva and her testing.  To it was some pretty good world building and a great start to the story.   As well as being able to tell friend from foe.  The last part of the book is all about after her testing.  Which was deff. my fav!  I so can't wait for the next one in this series.  I do with that the first half of the book was just a tad bit faster.  It tends to drag on some parts.  This book is deff set as a series.  Which is not bad.  Some issues in the book gets solved and some don't.  Its a great start to what is to be a great series.

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."


Guest Post with Author! 

Who would you cast as Lukas, 
the main character's mysterious love interest 

This is such a challenging question, because I have a precise image of Lukas’ rugged, handsome appearance -- with his dark eyes and hair--and it’s unique from anyone I’ve actually seen. It’s also difficult to cast Lukas in that he has such a specific background -- he’s from one of the  indigenous Arctic cultures, Inuit most particularly -- and he has unusual physical strength -- he’s a phenomenal ice climber. That’s a tough order to fill! That said, if I was forced to choose, I think I’d probably cast Taylor Lautner. Although he doesn’t have the actual Arctic background (at least not that I know!), his appearance approximates it, and from the Twilight 
movies, I’d say he has fairly substantial physicality. And he could probably convey Lukas’ unique qualities of innate kindness, quiet conviction, and smoldering emotion.


Giveaway!
So I have two ARCs of this book up for grabs and I'm not doing anything special for them.  Just share this post and comment on what you did.  The more you share the more points you get.  If you find that you can't comment (it happens a lot) just use the form on the side bar. 
This is open to EVERYONE!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

{Review} This is W.A.R. @LandLroecker

This is W.A.R.
This is W.A.R. begins with a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and whose murder blossoms into a call-to-arms. Enter four very different girls, four very different motives to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan, and only one rule to start: Destroy James Gregory and his family at any cost. Willa's initials spell the secret rallying cry that spurs the foursome to pool their considerable resources and deliver their particular brand of vigilante justice. Innocence is lost, battles are won—and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all.







Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing partners with a passion for good books, pop culture and Bravo programming. Not necessarily in that order. Lisa has always been a phenomenal liar and Laura loves to write angsty poetry, so writing for young adults seemed like a natural fit. The sisters live in Cleveland, Ohio in separate residences. Their husbands wouldn't agree to a duplex.





Although I tried to love or even like this book.  It turned out to be a rich kid kills and more rich kids try to solve the murder.  All in all it just wasnt well thought out in my book.

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

{Giveaway} Download CHRONICLE and enter the Relic Revealed Sweepstakes from @soho_teen #RelicRevealed


Click To Enter!



CHRONICLE: Before the Books of Eva tells the story of Madeline, the very first female to participate in the Testing for New North, after the Healing drowned the world...
 
Each year, the finest Gallants in New North embark on the Testing, a harrowing rite of passage through the frozen wastelands to recover Relics, artifacts from the evil time before the Healing. About these Relics the Testors construct their Chronicles, illustrating mankind’s depravity, his Vanity, his love of Tech, his sins too numerous to count. All true Chronicles are collected and made part of the Lex’s Holy Truths, year by year.

The Chronicle.  Nothing is more vital to the resolve of the inhabitants of the New North, the last inhabitants of an Earth flooded by the Healing. But not all Chronicles are deemed True. And not all Testors are Gallants. One year there was a Maiden, Madeline, the first but not the last. Braving the perils of the Testing, she discovered a Relic that, if Chronicled, would be the New North’s downfall...




The truth will test you...

RELIC is coming October 29th.

 
For fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games: high fantasy and dystopia meet in this high-stakes tale of a civilization built on lies and the girl who single-handedly brings it down.
 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

{Review} Dancer Daughter Traitor Spy @SohoTeen

Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy
A new breed of spy novel combines classic thrills (The Americans, John Le Carre, and Alan Furst), Bolshoi intrigue, and elements of the paranormal.Marina is born of privilege. Her mother, Sveta, is the Soviet Union's prima ballerina: an international star handpicked by the regime. But Sveta is afflicted with a mysterious second sight and becomes obsessed with exposing a horrific state secret. Then she disappears. 

Fearing for their lives, Marina and her father defect to Brooklyn. Marina struggles to reestablish herself as a dancer at Juilliard. But her enigmatic partner, Sergei, makes concentration almost impossible, as does the fact that Marina shares her mother's “gift,” and has a vision of her father’s murder at the hands of the Russian crooks and con artists she thought they'd left behind.  

Now Marina must navigate the web of intrigue surrounding her mother's disappearance, her ability, and exactly whom she can—and can't—trust.


 Visit Amazon's Elizabeth Kiem Page

About this author

Elizabeth Kiem is a writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

She has worked as a journalist for Reuters, NPR, and CNN and as a communications consultant for Unicef.

She has lived in Brooklyn for more than 15 years. Before that she lived in Moscow as it entered a new era.

Twenty years out of pointe shoes, she dances salsa and swing ... but she still has dreams on toe. They're every bit as good as the dreams where she flies.

Her husband is Ted. Her son is Henry. Her father is John. Which means that in Russian, she is Elizaveta Ivanovna.









I tried so hard to love this book. It is set in 1982 which is of course the year I was born.  Which made me want to love it even more.  But with almost no plot at all and a reading pace that is like molassas I just couldnt do it.  After 100 pages of wanting to pass out every ten seconds I just had to put it down!  So now I call to you my readers to see if this is something you would like to read instead! So I have a wonderful finished copy of this one up for grabs!


"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."
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