Undone by Brooke Taylor

Serena and Kori have one of those friendships; one of those, you-are-everything-to-me-sisters-forevah kind of friendships. And to think that it started with a chance encounter in the eighth grade in a school bathroom.

Serena is quiet and subtly rebelling against her distant, Stepford-esque mother. Kori is the one with the guts and the voice. Serena is convinced that her friend can do absolutely anything, including tempt fate. This is where the list is born- a list of five things that Kori must do to tempt fate. But when something completely unexpected happens and tears the girls apart, it is up to Serena to fulfill the five simple goals of her best friend, all alone.


This was pretty much amazing. I was so excited when it came in to the library that I returned two unread books, JUST to circumvent my current five-books-at-a-time ban *sob* and take it out. I loved the characters from the beginning, their multilayered fexcellence and attitudes. They felt like my friends, just more tragic. Serena was such a familiar person, in that “Wow-this-author-is-freakishly-accurate-when-it-comes-to-writing-real-people” way. Her insecurities were completely believable and you root for her the entire book.



Plus plot. I liked the unexpected intersections of the character’s lives as they work through trauma. Plenty of unexpected “WOAH” moments and bitter surprises along the way. I don't think I've been so invovled in a realistic fiction since Chasing Windmills. And despite the sadness and darkness of the story, there was a great deal of humor involved as well. Snarky and very adolescent, which gave me even more proof that the author has that unique talent where she doesn’t lose her view of teenagerdom along the way to adultdom. Don’t you love that?



So, definitely 7 out of 7 Pearl Jam songs. Highly recommended! Also, don’t forget about the contest. That is the post directly beneath this one. There are six days left!

Fond-of-hyphens,
Aella

How to Be Bad by E Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle

Now I know that if you are a blog-hopper like myself, you have probably seen about 976 reviews for this particular book (even one of them on this site, although that was written by a different set of bloggers-who just so happen to be amazzzzing). But let's make it 977 as I say that the reason you have seen so many reviews is because it is so totally awesome (or because the people who are handling the publicity are wizards). Could we expect any less from the likes of E Lockhart (The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks makes me want to fan-girl scream), Lauren Myracle (Rhymes With Witches- creepy girl clique pwnage), Sarah Mlynowski (confession- I have no idea who this is- but I am determined to find out), and E Lockhart?

Jesse has just discovered an earth-shattering secret about her mother. And its changed her whole perspective. Suddenly, she's gone gung-ho for religion and is so obsessed with keeping the revelation silent that she is building walls between herself and her best friend, Vicks. But Vicks is having troubles of her own. Her boyfriend has moved on to college and left her loveless in no-where-ville, Florida. And then there is Melanie Fine. New to Florida and missing Canada, she can hardly stand living in her hyper-critical wealthy household. Solution for all of the above problems? To steal Jesse's mom's car and drive down to seek out Vick's boyfriend at college, of course. But our three heroines could never have predicted the adventures and (cough) experiences, that wait for them on the road.

I really loved this book. The characters were fabulous and all had their own unique voice through the combined creativity of writing styles in every chapter. I loved watching them grow, throw hissy fits, break into museums, overcome fears, and find/lose/find love. And it was all done with hilarity thrown throughout. There were many moments I found myself laughing, only to be stared at strangely by the people on my porch. But it wasn't all fun and games. The sad things were handled as well and excellently. Those times gave a lot more depth to the backstory and the unpredictable plot line.

I supremely hope that these three authors will write together again some time in the future. And I will miss the protagonists of How to Be Bad as well. And I think alot of the charm in their story was because they were written so well and felt just like your friends. That mixture you adore and would go on a road-trip with in an instant. It was really great how HTBB wrapped up the feeling in 321 pages.

7 out of 7 lightnings. woahwaitwhat? 7? yes. 7.

Finding Sarah Mlynowski Books,

Aella

An Interview with the Marvelous Cinda Williams Chima

In case the title didn't spell it out for you, I recently interviewed Cinda Williams Chima, author of The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, and The Dragon Heir (which I can't wait to read). Aella reviewed The Warrior Heir, and I reviewed The Wizard Heir a while ago. Well, I don't want to keep you waiting or anything. Here it is:

Note: I may have inserted occasional comments.

1.) What was your first published piece of writing?

I published an essay about my son’s love of sports in the Plain Dealer (Cleveland newspaper). The first fiction I published was The Warrior Heir!

2.) Did you have a favorite book as a child? Do you have one now?

That's like choosing among my children. I remember loving Old Yeller and Charlotte's Web and Beverly Cleary books when I was really small. My parents had friends with teenage daughters that had shelves and shelves of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys and I used to borrow them by the sack. Later, I loved Lord of the Rings. That was my first fantasy hit.

*Cheers* Lord of the Rings!

3.) What do you do when you’re not writing?

My husband would say I’m always writing. I read. Sleep. Work my day job (I teach at a university, but I’m leaving to write full time.) I also like to garden and weave and hope to get back to that.

4.) Do you have any favorite quotes?

There’s one from Tolkien that I use in presentations that says that stories grow out of the leafmold of the mind.

5.) Have you ever thought about writing a Wikipedia entry?

No, I don’t really understand how to do that. Someone has posted about Warrior Heir, which is great, but there’s a big spoiler in there and I wish someone would go in and take the spoiler out (and leave the entry). Maybe I’ll figure it out after I leave the day job.

I've often wondered who actually writes the entries for Wikipedia...
6.) Are there any books that you strongly feel people should read?

The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, and the Dragon Heir. 
It’s hard to make a general statement because there are so many books and so many different appetites for reading. True fantasy fanatics should read the LOTR because Tolkien created the archtypes for so much of what we see in fantasy today.

Mmmm, the Lord of the Rings is on my list, too. Right next to Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and the Dark Elf Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore.

7.) Out of all the guilds (Enchanter, Sorcerer, Wizard, Warrior) which would you be if you had the choice?

I’d have to be a wizard, because wizards shape magic with words.

8.) Which of your books do you think has the best cover art?

I love them all, but I’d have to say The Dragon Heir. I love dragons.

I would have to agree with you. It's quite fabulous.

9.) Ok, multiple choice time *shamelessly stolen from B*
What should you get when you divide zero by zero?
a) 0 (Zero over anything is zero.)
b) Undefined (Anything over zero is undefined.)
c) 1 (Anything over itself is 1.)
d) 42 (The answer to the ultimate question is 42.)

Excuse me?

I'm confused by that too... but the scifi geek in me screams "42"

10.) Typhoons, hurricanes, or cyclones?

Typhoons. They sound so exotic and dangerous.

11.) Want to tell us a little about The Dragon Heir? Please?

The main viewpoint characters this time are Jason and Madison. But all the other characters have major roles onstage. There is a massive battle scene at the end. One of my favorite characters dies.
Also, if you haven’t seen it, the first chapter is posted to my Website. www.cindachima.com

In other news, I’ve signed a contract with Hyperion for a new fantasy series, first book tentatively titled The Demon King. There’s some info about that at my site.

I haven't actually seen the first chapter yet. I'll have to go check that out. I'm so glad that Jason is one of the main characters this time, he's amazing.
-------------------------------------------------

Well, I would like to extend my thanks for the interview and I hope that everyone enjoyed reading it.

From the Shadows,

No longer quite so secret...

I know that you've just been dying to know what the SAP actually is.... Well, I'm actually going to tell you. Ok, not everything, but enough so that you can go find out for yourself. It is no longer called the SAP, but Invictus Verbum (IV for short). They have a forum and a blog *crowd ooh's and aahh's*. IV is run by Kiri, Kyoko, Shizuka, and Aletheia (personal friends of mine and all around fantastic people). It's really very exciting, so you must scurry over and give my regards (and view the artwork... wonder who did that beautiful title banner.... heheh).

Well, I'm not going to tell you everything, go check it out yourself! Oh, wait, you'll need a link won't you...

Click here to see the wonderful Invictus Verbum

From the Shadows,

~Medeia Senka~

P.S. You might even be able to post your own reviews... or so I've heard