Guess What I'm Doing?

...Yep, that's right, counting the entries for the big Girl Power contest that Chicklita and I hosted. Thanks to everyone who entered--there were a lot of you, which is great because all entries benefit a new up-and-coming YA review blog! The results will be up by Wednesday, so you'll want to check back to see if you were the lucky winner of all three books!

   If not, there's still time to enter the Frenemies contest that I'm also holding--it ends tomorrow, so hurry!

   I'm also editing my blog roll and format of my blog, so keep your eyes peeled (ick, I really hate that saying!) for some changes around here!

Contest Reminders!

Hey, guys,

Just updating you with the contests going on around here. Hurry to enter--all three are ending soon!

- The Girl Power contest that Chicklita and I are putting together ends Monday, June 1, so you only have 3 days left so enter! Check it out--we're giving away 3 awesome books: How to Ditch Your Fairy, Hot Mess: Summer in the City, and Celebrity Skin.

- I'm giving away a copy of Frenemies and Faketastic, both by Alexa Young, and some other fun goodies. This contest ends Wednesday, June 3, and you'll definitely want to check it out, because one person is going to win it all! Click here to find details on how to enter!

- Check out my interview on Mrs. Magoo Reads.  Mrs. Magoo and I are giving away a copy of Christine Hurley Deriso's Talia Talk, which is a very fun and cute read! This contest ends as well on Wednesday, June 3! Thanks, Mrs. Magoo! (:

Good luck to everyone!

Waiting on Wednesday

Demon Princess: Reign Or Shine by Michelle Rowen

Coming out September 26, 2009

   As if trying to fit in at a new school isn't stressful enough, sixteen-year-old Nikki Donovan just found out that her long-lost father is, in fact, the demon king of the Shadowlands--the world that separates and protects us from the Underworld. When she is brought there by the mysterious--and surprisingly cute--messenger Michael, she learns that her father is dying, and he wants her to assume the throne. To complicate manners, a war is brewing between the Shadowlands and the Underworld, her half-demon qualities are manifesting, and her growing feelings for Michael are completely forbidden. Ruling a kingdom, navigating a secret crush, and still making it home by curfew--what's a teenage demon princess to do?

This sounds great--I know I'm definitely looking forward to it. I love the unique twist, and isn't that cover simply fab? 

Uglies

Title: Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 425

Published: Simon Pulse, 2005

Recommended/Not recommended

Genre: Science Fiction

Cover: B+

Overall Grade: A-

   Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic world where the city is divided into two: one half is where the Uglies live, people who are awkwardly built with crooked noses and eyes too close to each other. On the other side of the river live the Pretties, beautiful people whose only jobs are to have fun, go to parties, and be happy.

   Tally is about to turn sixteen, and is more than excited: instead of getting her driver's license, she's about to undergo the operation that she's been anticipating all of her life--the operation that eventually transforms all Uglies into drop-dead gorgeous Pretties. But then Tally meets a girl named Shay, who doesn't want to become pretty, and they become close friends. On Tally's operation day, the government has discovered that Shay has run away, and they blackmail Tally: if she can find the mysterious town that Shay is hiding out in, miles and miles away, a place where people don't have to ever become pretty, then Tally will be turned into a Pretty. Otherwise, she'll have to face a lifetime of being ugly...But can Tally turn in her friend, especially when she learns the ugly truth about the pretty operation?

   My thoughts: I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised by Uglies. When I first heard the plot, I have to admit I thought it sounded kind of stupid and maybe even a bit boring. A world where everyone's goal is to become beautiful? I thought. Come ON. But all in all, I really liked it, even though I don't normally read sci-fi. The plot was interesting and thought-provoking, definitely, which was perfect for me because I was reading this for an in-school lit circle group. I was blown away by how creative Westerfeld was in making this amazing world that may seem perfect on the outside, but is deadly on the inside: all the futuristic details like hovercars were fun, and I loved how Tally and her friends mocked how stupid our civilization is (or in the book's case, was). Tally was a great character: sarcastic and funny and brave.

   On the outside, Uglies looks hefty at 425 pages, but for me, the middle to the end of the book flew. The plot moves quickly, and the action kept me glued to my seat, madly addicted to the plot. There were so many twists and turns that it might seem like the book will never end, but I was sucked into the actions and dialogue of the story so much that I didn't notice.

   My one problem was that some of the descriptions of objects and actions were really confusing so that it was sometimes difficult to picture what was happening. I don't really know all of the parts of a hoverboard! (:

   All in all, I highly recommend Uglies and I know I'll definitely be picking up the second book, Pretties, in the future--that cliff-hanger of an ending left me craving more!!!

Week In Review!

"Retrospective" was created by the oh-so-awesome Steph of Reviewer X!

Here's what went on this week:

Monday: I posted an interview with Cynthea Liu in which she talks about travel, food, and her book, The Great Call of China!

Wednesday: Instead of posting my usual "Waiting on Wednesday" post, I introduced a contest in which I'll be giving away a copy of Alexa Young's Frenemies and Faketastic and some other fun stuff. Check it out. I also posted a reminder for another contest I'm holding with a fellow blogger, themed "Girl Power". We're giving away 3 awesome books to one lucky person, so definitely enter!

Thursday: I posted a review for Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley. Definitely check it out when it's published in August. I loved this one!

Saturday: I posted my weekly In My Mailbox post. I got two cool books this week!

Sunday: I'm almost done with Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It's totally cool, and I'm excited to see how it ends! I also saw Night at the Museum 2. It was really fun and cute!

In My Mailbox!

    It was a light week, but a good one! In My Mailbox" was created by Kristi of the Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie!

Slept Away by Julie Kraut

   Laney Parker is a city girl through and through. For her, summertime means stepping out of her itchy gray school uniform and into a season of tanning at rooftop swimming pools, brunching at sidewalk cafes, and-as soon as the parents leave for the Hamptons-partying at her classmates' apartments.

   But this summer Laney's mother has other plans for Laney. It's called Camp Timber Trails and rustic doesn't even to begin to describe the un-air-conditioned log cabin nightmare. Laney is way out of her element--the in-crowd is anything but cool, popularity seems to be determined by swimming skills, and the activities seem more like boot camp than summer camp.

    Splattered with tie dye fall out, stripped of her cell, and going through Diet Coke withdrawl, Laney is barely hanging on. Being declared the biggest loser of the bunk is one thing, but when she realizes her summer crush is untouchably uncrushable in the real world, she starts to wonder, can CAMP cool possibly translate to COOL cool? Summer camp might just turn this city girl's world upside down!

Whew. Long summary, but doesn't this sound amazing? I am a total sucker for camp stories, so when this came in the mail (thanks, Random House!), I was so excited and now I can't wait to begin!

One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly Martin

   Finn has always felt out of place, but suddenly her world is unraveling. It started with The Party. And Adam Porter. And the night in September that changed everything. The only person who knows about that night is Audrey--Finn's best friend, her witness to everything, and the one person Finn trusts implicitly. So when Finn's childhood friend Jersy moves back to town--reckless, beautiful Jersy, all lips and eyes and soft hair--Finn gives her blessing for Audrey to date him. How could she possibly say no to Audrey? With Audrey gone for the summer, though, Finn finds herself spending more and more time with Jersy, and for the first time in her life, something feels right. But Finn can't be the girl who does this to her best friend...can she?

Love the cover for this one! The plot sounds just OK, so I don't know whether to read it or not. Thanks, Random House! This one comes out on May 26. 

Lipstick Apology

Title: Lipstick Apology

Author: Jennifer Jabaley

Pages: 286

Published: Razorbill, August 8 2009

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Recommended/Not Recommended

Cover: B

Overall Grade: A

   When sixteen-year-old Emily Carson's parents die in a plane crash, her world comes crashing down around her. Left only with a mystery behind her mother's last message, Emily Please Forgive Me, scrawled on a tray table before the plane went down, and questions, Emily's uprooted from her quiet suburban Pennsylvania life and is plunged into Manhattan, where she's to live with her makeup-mogul aunt. At her new school, Emily finds new friends--and meets boys. There's Owen, the amazing, gorgeous, popular one who makes Emily feel like a princess. And then there's Anthony, Emily's chemistry lab partner/baker/"brother" who helps Emily heal...

   My thoughts: Wow. What a phenomenal read! Once I hit the middle, I literally could not stop reading. This debut novel was like a contagious disease--I was sucked into Emily's world. I could picture all of the people and places and actions described. I was hooked. The vortex-like plot was addicting, beautifully written, and realistic, and I really like how Ms. Jabaley added a mystery subplot to it (Emily finding out why her mom was sorry) without being cheesy and false.

   Ms. Jabaley did a terrific job writing a story with enough twists and turns so that it was entertaining and compelling but not obnoxiously long and confusing, and making the novel equally serious/heartbreaking and funny/sweet/light!

    My one big problem was all the errors in the ARC that I read. There was everything from punctuation and capitalization issues to misspelled words and funky indents. It got really distracting after awhile, so hopefully they'll fix that before the final printing--yikes!

   And oh my goodness, the ending was so perfectly cliché and corny that I felt a bit nauseous, but happy all the same because I'm a sucker for happy endings! (:

   Although the plot was very predictable, I still found myself love, love loving Lipstick Apology just because it was so unique and fun to read. I know that when it comes out in August, I'm definitely buying a copy to reread over and over again! Overall, a very beautiful debut. You'll definitely want to watch this author.

* Karin Perry, my ARC is coming your way!