Monday, December 9, 2013

Author Guest Post & Book Review: Third Lie's A Charm by Lisa and Laura Roecker

New friend into old, the bond of the Sisterhood will never grow cold.

Life at Pemberly Brown is a whirlwind for Kate Lowry. Determined to finally destroy the secret society responsible for her best friend Grace’s death, Kate joins the Sisterhood hoping to go all Trojan Horse on their asses. But the night of her initiation another student at Pemberly Brown dies in what looks like tragic accident.

Kate knows better.

Kate and her faithful ginger, Seth Allen, immediately uncover a connection to the boy’s death and the secret societies that rule Pemberly Brown. But it’s not until Kate begins receiving pages from Grace’s old journal that she begins to piece together what really happened the night she died and how it connects to Pemberly Brown’s most recent tragedy.

Meanwhile, Kate’s ex-boyfriend Liam is following her around like an angry guard dog and she’s falling hard for the mysterious Bradley Farrow. Both boys are tied up in the mystery that surrounds Pemberly Brown, but only one of them can truly be trusted.

In this chilling conclusion to The Liar Society series Kate will fight to save her school from the evil that lurks beneath its hallowed halls. But will her quest destroy her or finally lead her to true love? She can only hope her third lie’s the charm.

Best Bits: What I appreciate most about this series is how consistent it has been. Each book has it's own plot and twists, but the overall goal (Kate taking down the societies) still stands. There's a sense of urgency in this book as well. When members of the now defunct Brotherhood start receiving messages challenging them to impossible and dangerous tasks, Kate has another thing to add to her plate. In this book we get a new perspective on the Sisterhood, because Kate has infiltrated their ranks. This gives the reader some idea why girls would want to be a part of the group. They look out for each other, and in a school where money and boys provide trials, it's nice to have a group to support you. As Kate begins to learn about Grace's motives for joining, I think she's able to begin to process her death (which, let's be real, she hasn't been able to do yet).

I also came to the realization that Seth is the Duckie of this series. He grew on me over the series, so much so that I want him to have his own hacker/conspiracy theory story! He's also the only person who consistently supports Kate. Now, this may not always mean he's supporting her in making good decisions, but he's there for her nevertheless. 

Holy crap! The ending. My brain. What?! How!? I still am processing the big reveals that the Roeckers wrote. I found them to be a completely satisfying way to wrap up Kate's story. 

Nit Picks: Although I really enjoyed the ending, I think it crept up on me really quickly. There were a couple of scenes that were building up to the big reveal that I would have loved to spend more time in. Camp Brown, for example, was a fun way for the the readers to get to see the characters off-campus, but it went by too quickly!

Third Lie's A Charm
By Lisa and Laura Roecker
Published by Sourcebooks Fire
288 Pages
Received for Review


Thanks to Laura and Lisa for stopping by! You can check them out at their website, or on Twitter! Now, on to the top five books that influenced them:

Before Lisa and I began writing together, I taught sixth grade language arts and would tear through young adult novels during "monitored reading" when I was supposed to be conferencing with students about their books. I always figured that time was better spent finding books they would love! This was when I read SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson. I would pass all the best ones along to Lisa who would tear through at an equally fast rate. SPEAK was the first YA book Lisa read as an adult and she couldn't believe what she was missing! Our books are nothing like SPEAK but that book is such an inspiration because it captures a broken, young adult voice so exquisitely.

BEFORE I FALL. We recommend this book to anyone and everyone because it's one we wish we would have read before or during high school. It holds such an important message about the choices we make and the people we impact without even realizing it. Our favorite section by far is when Sam spends the say with her little sister. I will never forget getting to the end of the book on my Kindle and turning on the read aloud feature (which is very digital sounding and sad) to listen to the end while I was driving (possibly more dangerous than texting while driving) because I couldn't wait to finish. I cried despite the computer voice.


THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE. This book is achingly beautiful and devastating and hopeful. Jandy Nelson's entire novel is poetic and the journey she takes the reader on is as magical as it is heart-breaking. I read this book with that right-before-you're-going-to-
burst-into-tears-sore-throat  because it's about great love and great loss and how the two dance. We love this book and are inspired by the beautiful writing.

WONDER. I read this book in one sitting. This book has it all. Heart and humor and the absolute perfect middle grade voice. I want to go back to the classroom just so I can read this book aloud and discuss how our differences are what bring us together. I just know my sixth graders would have loved it. I can't wait to share this with my own kids. It's a special, special book.


AHHHH. One more?! This is torture. For me it's a toss up between THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and ELEANOR AND PARK. Both stories capture the young adult voice so incredibly well and are written to perfection. As you can see, we're total suckers for contemporary! By the way, we could name at least 15 more great YAs that have a very special place in our heart.





Friday, December 6, 2013

Book Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13132661-also-known-as?from_search=true

Best Bits: I love a good spy story. This probably has something to do with the prospect of excitement and adventure that I didn't always experience growing up in a small town. Funnily enough, that's sort of how Maggie's story begins, too. She's a safecracking genius, but she's spent the summer in Reykjavik...not doing too much. Of course, when she's sent to New York it means there will be action, and that the Collective (the super secret Robin Hood-type spy group) trusts her to complete a mission. What made the book fun was getting to watch Maggie develop friendships. What starts out as a mission slowly turns into her acknowledgement that she deserves friends (and a romance oh la la). She also experiences some ethical dilemmas. As she learns more about Jesse, she begins to see him less as a mark, and more as a person she can relate to. Her first friend, Roux, was a great character. She's experienced the downside of popularity, and is a social outcast at their prestigious school. I found the situation really realistic. Drama! Should Roux find romance in the follow-up, I hope it's with someone deserving.

Nit Picks: Well, now I'm completely skeptical that Angelo is a killer and not just a forger...but I suppose that's not really a nit pick, that's just a suspicion I will always have. I think my main criticism, which I'm guessing will be focused more on in the second book, is that I wanted to see more of Maggie in action. My favorite scenes in the book involve her spy skills, so I think that a bit more of that would have bumped this one up to five hearts.

Also Known As
By Robin Benway
Published by Bloomsbury
320 Pages
 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (December 4)


Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.


 Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

When 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.


Published by Soho Teen
Release Date: March 11, 2014

Monday, December 2, 2013

Dystopian December


Well, I absolutely love Dystopian reads, even though they usually emotionally destroy me (I'm looking at you, Mockingjay). So, I'm helping to spread the word about Dystopian December. It's starting off with a crazy, insane, awesome contest. So, enter the rafflecopter below, and check out Tina's blog, The Book Landers :)

Sunday, December 1, 2013

December Updates (DAC & More)


Well, it's December and I've only read one debut from my original list...oops. Here's an update of what I have read (even though it wasn't in my original post). I only need to read 3 more, so the chances of actually finishing the challenge are fairly decent at this point. Here's what I've read/reviewed so far:


45 Pounds by K.A. Barson
Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross
Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black
Level 2 (now called The Memory of After) by Lenore Appelhans
My Sister's Reaper by Dorothy Dreyer
Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Poison by Bridget Zinn
Relativity by Cristin Bishara
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Copyright ©2009-2013 Cornucopia of Reviews. All Rights Reserved.