Attention Self-published Teen Authors!

This coming August will be I Blog, You Read’s one year anniversary. I can honestly say that I didn’t know what to expect from this blog. I sincerely wanted to just read books and post my opinion of them. It frustrated me that a lot of great teen books weren’t getting their moment in the spotlight. The teen book world seems exclusively top ten lately and even though those books are usually great, some wonderful books get shelved in the shadows of these titles. So I make it a point to grab a book that’s shelved in the back so that I can recommend something different.

What I didn’t expect was to be asked to review so many books by authors themselves and their agents. I was most surprised by how many great self- published authors are out there trying to get the word out on their book. I have come across some books that I just couldn’t believe were denied by publishers. It’s very obvious that the publishing world is changing. So I have made a decision that during the entire month of August I will review only self-published YA authors. I’m hoping that I can fit in as many as possible but it all depends on life and how fast I can read.

I will of course have to list some requirements so that I can pack in the most authors. Unfortunately I have had to refuse on books simply because they were too long to fit in an already full schedule of reviews so I will have to be a bit more stricter on myself when it comes to my selection process. Keep in mind I’m doing this so that I can find the best self-published teen books possible, In order to do this I will have firmer guidelines for August.

So if you have a great teen book that you have published yourself and you think I may like send me a request and I’ll give an honest review.

CLICK HERE FOR REVIEW SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

Spear of Seth

I received Spear of Seth from author Rene Daniel for review. After reading that this book seemed to entice Indian Jones lovers I was definitely interested. Plus the characters were enrolled in college so I could see the opportunity that this book might have of reaching a broad amount of readers. Author Rene Daniel chose to write the book from two characters perspective, Alex and Heather. I really like when books are written this way because it’s like two books in one. It also takes place in Egypt so it includes a lot of the history and mythology along the timeline of the book. So I figured why not read a book that could educate and entertain.

Book Summary:

Alex is quite comfortable in his skin. He is a premed student of the Van Senmut College, so he has to be a serious young man, has he not? He now needs a summer job, and gets one. It is not what he is used to, since he will work as a translator at an archeological dig at the island of Elephantine in the Upper Egypt. Alex does not exactly care about history, but, since his mother is from Lebanon, he speaks Arabic, which gives him an edge. Little does he know what he is getting himself into. Enter Heather Van Senmut and her father, John Van Senmut, a grandson of the founder of the college and the archeologist in charge of the excavations. The dig is not just some dig; it is the ruins of the Temple of Osiris, which stands at the mythical place where Nile emerges from the Egyptian Underworld. The Temple attracts a lot of attention, some of which come from people, who would be more at home in Salem, Massachusetts, shall we say, about three hundred years ago. When John Van Senmut, falls ill and physicians give up on him, his daughter decides to search the Temple for the cause of the disease and possibly a cure. Her quest leads her, and her unwilling helper Alex, into the Netherworld, which survived the Egyptian civilization by two thousand years.

I usually discuss the lead characters at this point and any others who may have stood out for me. I am a big fan of characters that I can build an attachment to because they are the viewpoints of the story. I unfortunately didn’t build any attachments to the characters in Spear of Seth. I did look forward to reading Alex’s parts in the book only because he was sort of pushed into the adventure first. He’s definitely someone who didn’t have a clue what he was getting into when he signed up for the summer dig project. That could be why he shined a bit more then Heather to me. He was more identifiable to me as a reader.

This book is constantly compared to Indiana Jones, and I will admit that the stories that involve Egypt’s history, and the artifacts that have ties to this history are very Indy. I actually enjoyed these the best while reading because the characters in them were extremely interesting to me. The story about Hathor and Horus was incredible and that may be the moment when I really got into the book. However what I think makes characters like Indian Jones and even the characters in the Mummy series are the tensions between them. A huge chunk of the book has the two lead characters separated and creates a choppy perspective but you still see the main point of the story. But I think this is when the characters may have gotten lost for me. In the beginning of the book you get the impression that Alex is irritated by Heather, which got me amped up for their sarcastic banter that I had expected. And what I loved most about Indian Jones.

I don’t want to give the wrong impression of Rene Daniel’s work. He is talented in laying out the history involved in Spear of Seth and I think history buffs particularly will love this book and the ones to follow. But if you tend to snooze in history class you may not be able to keep up with the facts that are thrown at you. The star of this book is definitely Egypt, and if you want to know more about it in an informative adventure then I strongly suggest Spear of Seth. 

What is The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight?

So I was speaking with a friend over the phone and she tells me that she needs to find the statistical probability of love at first sight. I asked, “Is it happening right now to you—love at first sight?” She laughed saying that it was a book title not actually happening. That’s when I was introduced to Jennifer E. Smith’s amazing book. It seems like a simple boy meets girl story but it really is so much more. It deals with a family issue that is unfortunately typical of today’s youth and one that you hope you never have to experience. All in twenty-four hours.

Hadley has missed her flight to London for her father’s wedding to a woman she’s never met, and now has to take a later flight. Stuck at the crowded JFK airport she meets a boy named Oliver. He’s British, and wouldn’t you know it, he winds up sitting in her row. Time stands still as these two talk about life, love, and family to pass the time and a connection is immediately formed. They are separated after the flight and Hadley worries that she will never see Oliver again.

Hadley can seem a bit selfish at times but I can understand why. She doesn’t want her family to fall apart; she wants her dad to love her mom again so that he can come back home. She feels betrayed by her dad because he chose to stay and live in England. Hadley feels he is leaving them behind and running away. She is a girl who wants her life back the way it was and not something new. Families split up all the time now but through Hadley I can see the after effect of a young girl lost. She still has a sense of humor though. So please don’t think that this is a drawn out drama. Hadley is an excellent conversationalist who gets a little nervous around Oliver at times but I enjoyed how author Smith didn’t allow that to linger much, creating a real teen girl.

Oliver is a charming young man you is also an excellent conversationalist. He deals with a subject that I actually did see coming but not in the way Smith developed his story. Not wanting to spoil the book, I think it was original and tore the layers away from Oliver making the typical, confident guy vulnerable. The details that were involved in developing Oliver enabled me to actually see him and his nervous habits, his evasive looks when Hadley would ask a simple question that tore him apart on the inside and the looks that showed he cared for Hadley. I liked that his description wasn’t over done casting him in the dreamy teen light. He seemed like someone you would pass on the street, someone real.

I will say that I was in a bit of a reading slump and this book got me out of it. I read it in two days and loved that it had a lot of depth but wasn’t excessively long. I’ll admit when I see a book that’s way over 300 pages I sigh hoping that it’s good. Because I’m someone who has to finish a book but I’m uncomfortable when I feel forced to read on. It’s great when a heavy read can keep you involved until the end. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is only 236 pages, but I think it’s great when a short read like this is capable of packing in two stories that make you see a bigger picture.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is an excellent read that is just a simple cute love story. Hadley and Oliver both find each other during trying times in their lives and are able to escape with each during a seven-hour plane ride. I can faithfully recommend this book to any teen girl because it has no parental shocking moments in it such as sexuality but does have a lot of flirtatious moments that really make the book. It’s a sweet story that examines the possibility of love at first sight. 

Book trailers from Oliver and Hadley.

Revealing Eden by The Talented Victoria Foyt

A while back the thought had crossed my mind of what the future might look like, statistics going through my head of how minorities are becoming the majority and how the world would look differently. Poof! A request to review Victoria Foyt’s Revealing Eden in my mailbox. That’s fate working its magic people. With dystopian books on the rise it’s difficult to find something that sways away from kill or be killed situations. I know that it’s common to put love and romance on the back burner in the dystopian genre. Let’s face it, that’s not always the focal point to grabbing that particular audience. Revealing Eden crosses that line with superior story telling and gives the dystopian genre an opportunity to entice the romantics who shun away from the typical end of the world novels.

In a world that is threatened by an overheated environment due to the rays of the sun, Eden Newman’s white skin brands her the weakest and ugliest depleting class known as the pearls. Eden is required to find a mate by the age eighteen or she’ll be cast outside, cut off of all resources. If she can manage to entice a dark-skinned coal to pick her as a mate option then she’ll be safe. But cursed with a mate rate of 15% and forever labeled ugly how is this possible?

Eden’s father is on the brink of finding a solution for the pearls, but his experiment is comprised. In order for Eden to protect her father she must stand up to a beast like man she believes is her enemy and is overwhelming attracted to. Eden must change, not only her ideas of beauty but true love in order to survive.

Eden is a complicated character who has a strong inner voice but a weak shell. It’s great when this happens because the reader can witness this inner voice develop, and eventually break out into the amazing character of Eden. Eden at her weakest hates herself so much that like other pearls, she coats her hair and skin to appear dark in order to blend in. This is of course required if she were to go outside because the suns rays burn her flesh, sadly she wears it the entire day to have the sense of belonging. Eden’s character goes through a rollercoaster of emotions and actions. Victoria Foyt did a tremendous job of actually having Eden portrayed as a bit of a princess when she’s immersed in the foreign culture of nature, food and simplistic way of living in the rainforest. I didn’t expect this from Eden and was pleasantly surprised. Eden’s strongest and best moments are when she challenges Bramford’s feelings for her or when she enjoys getting the best of him by simply irritating The Jaguar Man. The entire book is really great but these are the moments I really enjoyed Eden.

Bramford is a pained headstrong beast, and Eden’s support that doesn’t walk on eggshells. I will not give too much away but I think the cover speaks for itself regarding Bramford. I loved reading his dialogue and how short he is with Eden. He is gentle with his words when need be, but usually straight to the point. He has a very cryptic past that I feel is laid out very well in the book. There are so many layers to him and he keeps the story going. One word that describes Bramford is sacrifice. He knows this well and it is his best quality. His worst quality is his willingness to trust people. Honestly, another book could be written on his backstory alone.

The third character in the book is Bramford’s body. Eden sees a lot of it, thinks about it a lot, and dreams about it. I am only commenting on this because I have read some reviews regarding the sensuality of the book. Come on people they are in the rainforest and you had to be expecting that from a character referred to as a beast, also called The Jaguar Man. I personally don’t feel a line is crossed, because my line may be different then yours. With what’s on TV today I’m pretty sure people can handle Eden’s gazing looks at Bramford.   

Bottom Line, there really are two awesome books in Revealing Eden, Eden’s story and Bramford’s. This can be easily compared to the classic story of Beauty and the Beast. But Beauty didn’t have an identity crisis and Beast wasn’t exactly okay with his transition. There is a much bigger picture with their story—seriously, much bigger, because there will be a second book in the series entitled Adapting Eden that I can’t wait to read. Victoria Foyt’s Revealing Eden has an opportunity to gain an audience of women who don’t usually read teen books and another by enticing non-dystopian readers who are romantics at heart. So for Earth’s sake read Revealing Eden and don’t be left behind.

Buy now for your NOOK

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Click here to find out more about Revealing Eden.

Oracle - Sunken Earth, The First of Many

I was given Oracle - Sunken Earth by C.S. Trisef, for review and what interested me most about the book was that it was a seven part series. The book is around 200 pages and a quick read, considering most books go over 300 these days. Plus it’s a new series that I think teen guys could be interested in. The first book takes Ret Cooper on a voyage of self-discovery, literally. He doesn’t remember anything from his past and his unusual illuminated skin, blonde hair and gleaming blue eyes makes it hard for him to blend in.

Ret Cooper was the only survivor amongst the wreckage of a ship caught in a hurricane near the Bahamas with no memory of his past. Now adopted by the Cooper’s he can begin to start a new life, until a his family discovers that Ret is truly unique with supernatural abilities and illuminating scars that begin to reveal on his palms and hands. Who is Ret Cooper?   

Ret, Ret, Ret, so simple but so memorable. He is a simple, honest hero. It almost seems like he is stuck living in his secret identity, waiting to break out into who he really is. He sees humanity and sort of dissects what he sees to the reader. While watching a football game he tries to grasp the concept of win and lose. Ret loves all athletics for the fun of it and making friends but doesn’t understand the competiveness side of it. The funny thing is that he is really good at all types of sports but because he won all of the time, people stopped picking him. His sister Ana even has to explain flirting to him after he is being nice to a girl who doesn’t have such a good reputation. Ret is a strong character that is written the right way. He has a vulnerable side to him yet he can do extraordinary things. He is what will entice readers to keep reading.

Benjamin Coy is…well…a strange duck. He is the father of Ret’s friend Paige and in the book leads Ret to believe he may know more about his scars. I didn’t know how to take Ben Coy at first because he is so mysteriously dangerous when he is first introduced but then develops into a new character with an odd sense of humor that almost seems borderline psychotic, but somehow it works. I can’t get into why he may be this way because I’ll spoil too much, but as you read the book and all the history involved in the plot’s entirety you will get why Ben Coy is Ben Coy. I so want to use his catch phrase right now, but I can’t because that will deprive the reader from the reveal. 

Oracle has been compared to the Percy Jackson series but I think it’s the next step after. Characters like teacher Mr. Quirk, or Principle Stone may contain only a whisper of the juvenile humor in the Percy books, but there is so much detail to science, nature, and history that I feel the teen that read the Riordan books, as a child will appreciate the Oracle series. There is a lot of scientific content in this book but I was able to follow it with only a couple of questions for my husband. But this only interested him in the book and isn't that what this all about. There may have only been a slight matter of flow after Coy’s yacht trip but nothing to overshadow the entire book. I really did enjoy the story.

While I read Oracle - Sunken Earth I kept remembering a series called Kyle XY. I think because of the family aspect of this story. Mostly because of Pauline, Ret’s mother, who tells Ret the story of how they found him and the death of her husband. I thought that this scene was beautifully written. I even highlighted it so that I could share it with my husband.

Bottom line, I think people who take an interest in science, and history will enjoy this book. Because C.W. Trisef seems to touch basis on elements I think that some followers of Avatar The Last Airbender series will be entertained by it as well. Oracle - Sunken Earth has adventure, mystery and a bit of humor to take you and keep you on Ret Coopers journey to discovering why he is here. 

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Torn by Ashley S. Morgan, FREE for Kindle owners!

I recently reviewed Torn and since then author Ashley S. Morgan has updated her cover of the book. So here is the new cover reveal and a link for Kindle owners to grab their free copy. This is only available today May 1, 2012. Click the cover to purchase and enjoy.


Read my Review

Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium

WARNING: SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ DELIRIUM, AND IF YOU HAVEN’T FOR PETE’S SAKE CLICK HERE.

So I finally read Pandemonium, the sequel to Lauren Oliver’s Delirium series, and I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as the first book, but I am anxious to read Lauren Oliver’s third book in the series. The book did take me a while to get into. However, it really did pick up towards the end but didn’t have the same intensity as Delirium did throughout. Lauren Oliver is an extremely great author. She sets up a scene like no one else and commits to getting her readers to care about her characters. I think I just cared too much about Alex to be convinced that Lena could care about anyone else. I guess I’m just too loyal.  

So Pandemonium leaves right where we left off. Lena not wanting to be cured of deliria, the disease of love has crossed over to The Wilds. But without the love of her life Alex, who has been killed by the cured during their escape. Lena learns how to survive with the help of a few new characters and has to figure out how she will go on without Alex. Lena is reborn as a tough as nails girl who will face even harder choices then before that will have her facing even more secrets on both sides of the fence.

In Pandemonium we get both versions of Lena. The book is written in chapters of then and now. Then chapters describe Lena’s story right after her escape and at her most vulnerable. The now chapters take us to Lena after she has a bit of a thicker skin and more survival training. I preferred the now chapters just because they had a faster pace when it came to Lena’s story.

Of all the characters Raven struck me the most. At first I didn’t like her that much but when I found out more about her and her backstory I thought she was a remarkable character. You like her one-minute, then she makes a mistake that may forever blemish her but then she redeems herself like no one else. I’m not saying that the characters lack humanity but I just feel Raven’s story is thoughtfully realistic to what Raven has seen as a young woman. I can see why she is harder on Lena because she was Lena once.     

Julian a boy who lives with the cured is a lot like Lena just before she met Alex. Julian is at the brink of deciding what he should fight for and if it’s worth the risk. He has a hard past but I feel his story is more unpredictable and original. I was expecting his personality, but not his story. His father’s ideal of perfection is Julian’s curse. As a reader I think Julian’s purpose was to simply make Lena stronger. If Lena convinces Julian that there is a better life, then somehow she hasn’t let Alex go entirely. He sort of goes on living because he started Lena on this very path. I think that’s why I carry a soft spot for Alex. He challenged the lead character in the series to change. Sorry Julian.

I think the characters in the book were insanely good. Each one had a unique story that complimented the lead character Lena. Raven the girl she could become, Julian the person she was, and finally Lena who is a reflection of Alex and what he did for her that would forever change her life. That’s fantastic writing when characters have that much power over a story. BUT, I am afraid the story took to long for me to get into. I finished the second half of the book in a day or two because of…well life. The first half took about a week to finish. I think in a movie it would have had me glued to the screen. When watching a movie I think there is just a bit more patience. When reading a book that is slow you can just close it and go back to it. A major character dies in the previous book! You just expect the next book to start with a bang. This isn’t just my opinion either. I spoke to a couple of other followers of the series and they agreed…regretfully. Seriously their faces cringed. BUT, the ending of Pandemonium is so juicy good that I will be reading the third book. Lauren Oliver you pulled me back in.