Tempest Rising, by Tracy Deebs

Tempest Rising, by Tracy Deebs
(Tempest, #1)
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Hardcover: 352
Age Group: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon
Source: Library
Challenge: Debut Author, Support Your Local Library, 350 page
Rating: 
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Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her-and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

I really, really liked this book. It was fun to read and very refreshing. I was hooked from the very beginning with Tempest's mother's letter. It was very intriguing! I wanted to read this book from the start when I saw it on the debut author list. The cover is gorgeous and I'm a sucker for mermaid books. I've always loved mermaids. The Little Mermaid used to be one of my favorite movies when I was little(Still love! Ha!) and though the last couple of years I haven't really thought much of mermaids, they've always had a place in my heart. 


I loved the characters. Though I have to admit, Tempest annoyed me a bit throughout the novel. It was more like "I can't believe you did that!" annoyance. But I still loved her. Plus, she knows how to surf! That has been on my list of things to learn how to do before I die. But I'm kind of afraid to even begin to try and surf. I also like how she has more guy friends than girl friends. That's how I've always been. I have my group of girl friends, but sometimes I get along better with guys. You don't really see that much in books, so I was glad to see it.


When Kona showed up, I didn't really like how Tempest instantly got all weird around him, but after finishing the book I realize why. But it still bugged me a little bit. But that's one of the only things that bugged me. I did love Kona though. He's weird, but really cool and I'm totally Team Kona! =D 

One more thing was the deal with Tempest's mother. The way everything happened so suddenly. I wish Tempest would of had a little more time with her, some sort of closure or something. It would of been nice and I know in that situation I would of wanted some sort of closure. (I really want to call my mom and tell her I love her right now, ha! Though we've had some hard times through my teen years!)

I actually kind of liked the evil sea witch in here (Nope, not Ursula, sorry! But that's a good thing.) even though she was so mean and just evil! But all her power intrigued me! Also, the mythology in this book and the different types of species that is half human just like mermaids was a really great add on. Like Kona! (I'm not going to tell you what he is!)

Overall, the writing sucked you in, like all good books do. I can't wait for the sequel. That ending made me want to find out what happens after that! I love all the descriptions used for being underwater, it really made everything that much more believable and I felt like I was a mermaid! 

Other Words for Love, by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Other Words For Love, by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
Publisher: Delecorte Books for Young Readers 
Release Date: January 11, 2011
Hardcover: 368 pages
Age Group: Young Adult
Buy:Amazon
Source: Library
Challenge: Debut Author, A to Z, Support Your Local Library, 350 page book
Rating: 

When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York--and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari's family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future. 
When misfortune befalls Blake's family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?

I finished this book over an hour ago, and since then I've been thinking about my review. This will be a hard book to review. To be honest I wasn't really sure what I was expecting out of this book. I mean, I saw it on the debut author challenge list and I fell in love with the cover. The summary sounded pretty interesting, so I added it to my list of books I'd like to read for the challenge. 


When I put it on hold from the library, I didn't really know what I was going to get out of this book. It sounded interesting, but I still wasn't sure. You know what I mean? But this book, wow. I'm so glad I read it. A lot of people probably see the cover, and the title and then read that this book is about first love and think it's a fluffy read. Well, they are all wrong. Very wrong. 


It's not only just about first love. It's basically nearly everything to do with growing up, being a teenager, trying to live up to what everyone expects you to be like. I think everyone can find some part of this book to relate to. 


At first, it was kind of hard to get into it. I'll admit that. You basically go through Ari's every day life; get up, eat breakfast, socialize with parents, go to school, socialize with best friend, eat lunch, come home, do homework, etc. But after a while I got sucked in. Lorraine has a way of writing it that doesn't make it seem boring at all. She makes you WANT to know about Ari's life. And lots of months went by, about two years, actually, and it didn't drag on at all. I find it amazing she was able to add years into the book without adding "Seven months later" or "one year later" etc. 


And the characters. Wow! They were so greatly mapped out and real. Everything felt real. I liked Ari, though she sometimes really annoyed me. Like towards the end especially. But she made me proud! And I liked Leigh, a lot better than Summer. Summer annoyed me. So did Del a little bit, but he was pretty cool. I really liked Blake, but some things he did really made me mad. You'll understand that once you read this book! 


And Ari's parents. They had a pretty big role in this book as well. A lot of books nowadays mentions their parents, but you don't get to know them very well. But her parent's were their own characters. Even Ari's father who isn't mentioned much in the novel because of his job, but still. Amazing! 


Overall, this was a great book. I overestimated it. This is a book you definitely want to read, no matter how old you are. This book is just so relate able. Oh, and by the way, it was set in the late 1980's, but half the time you forget about that and don't even notice! I will definitely be reading more by this author. I can't wait to hear news on another book by her. 

Where I Belong, by Gwendolyn Heasley

Where I Belong, by Gwendolyn Heasley
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 8, 2011
Paperback: 289 pages
Age Group: Young Adult
Buy:Amazon
Source: Library
Challenge: Debut Author, Support Your Local Library
Rating: 

Meet Corrinne. She's living every girl's dream in New York City—shopping sprees at Barneys, open access to the best clubs and parties, and her own horse at the country club. Her perfect life is perfectly on track. At least it was. . . .When Corrinne's father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. Instead of heading to boarding school, she's stripped of her credit cards and shipped off to the boonies of Texas to live with her grandparents. On her own in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the life she's supposed to be living. She doesn't care who she stomps on in the process. But when Corrinne makes an unlikely friend and discovers a total hottie at work, she begins to wonder if her life B.R.—before the recession—was as perfect as it seemed.

First off, don't be deceived by the cover. It's beautiful, but it makes it look like this story is all about love. It's not. I mean, don't think I don't love a good love story, because I do. But sometimes I like more than just a love story. There was some romance in this book, but it wasn't all that it was about. It was kind of the side part of it. 

I've been waiting to read this ever since seeing it on the Debut Author Challenge list. I looked it up and it sounded really good. When I was able to snag this at the library, I was very ecstatic and started reading it right away because I wanted a good, short contemporary to read. And it was great! 

I mean, I really liked it, but I didn't love, love it. If that makes sense. I mean, it kept you reading and you were done with 100 pages in a snap of a finger. You were sucked into Corrine's new life. The only thing that annoyed me to death was Corrine. She was such a brat! The way she treated people just made me want to smack her. I mean, yeah, it had to be really hard to move from New York city where you grew up all your life being rich (Must be nice!) and then in a short period being shipped to Texas to live with your grandparents and being put in public school, but still. 

She didn't have to be such a brat about it. I hated her constant whining about how her life sucked SO badly. But at least she grew up a bit by the end of the novel. She changed a lot for the better. I really liked  the new Corrine. 

I really liked Kitsy, too. She was a really nice, fun person. I'd love to have a friend like her! And I really liked Bubby and Hands, they were funny. Rider, on the other hand, ugh! That is all I will say about that, I can just say I could tell how he was from the start. 

I really liked Corrine's Grandma and Grandpa too, they were fun and I wish I had grandparents like them.   

Overall, it was a fun book to read. The writing was good and I can't wait to read more from Heasley. I was on her website, like I always do after finishing a book, and I saw she is writing a story about Kitsy! I'm ecstatic over that! I mean, I really wish there was a sequel to this one, but reading with Kitsy as the main character will be really fun. 

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton


Series: Angelfire, book #1
Next book in series: Wings of the Wicked
Publisher: Harperteen/Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Hardcover: 464 pages
Age Group: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon
Add to Goodreads
Source: Harpercollins @ Netgalley
Challenge: Debut Author, A-Z Reading, Support Your Local Library, 350 Page Book
Overall: 5/5

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul. A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once. While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul eaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

First Paragraph: I stared out the classroom window and longed for freedom, wanting to be anywhere in theworld other than gaping up at my economics teacher like the rest of my classmates. The last time I had listened to him, Mr. Meyer had been lecturing about fiscal policy, and that was when he'd lost me. My eyes rolled over to my best friend, Kate Green, who was doodling intricate flowers all over her notes and looked like she was thoroughly entertaining herself. Meanwhile, I was reduced to staring at the wiry, gray chest hair puffing out at the collar of Mr. Meyer's polo shirt like overgrown steel wool and wondering whether he'd ever considered waxing.

Angelfire was just wow. It was very unique and completely different from most young adult books. I mean, Angels have been making it's way to the top lately in the young adult publishing industry, but this is more than just angels! There are grim reapers! And not your typical creepy guy in a black hooded cloak with a scythe. Moulton completely created her own version of the grim reapers, making them all types of creepy creatures that go bump in the night.


She kept Ellie's world much like our own, but added a world that co-existed with the world called the Grim. Humans (Unless they were special psychics, or Ellie.) couldn't see the Grim or any of Grim's creatures.  


And speaking of those Grim creatures, there are some awesome fight scenes in this book. Moulton really knows how to write a kick-ass fight scene! Plus, her description is just amazing anyway. 


I had a few issues reading this book, but it isn't Moulton's fault. It's just because I read this on Netgalley and I'm still not entirely use to reading books on the computer. I like having an actual copy in my hands. I can enjoy them a lot more and I know I would have been in love with this book more than I already am if I had read it through a physical copy. This is my second-ever book that I've read on the computer.  


I have a love/hate relationship with Ellie's character. She's awesome and kick-ass, but at the same time she's annoying. The bad thing is, I can't really explain the full reason of why she's annoying. I guess you'd have to read it for yourself and see if you find her annoying as well. It didn't take away from the fact, though, that she's a pretty strong character and seemed real to me. I really felt bad for her about her bad luck with her car and then her dad issues. He was a real jerk! 


I also really, really, really loved Will! (How can you not? Seriously?) The only thing that bugged me was that he'd do completely ANYTHING for Ellie. I mean, yeah, I like guys who car enough about the girl they love that they'd do anything for them. But there is a line you have to draw somewhere. When he said some of the things he did, he just sounded downright pitiful and unbelievable. But other than those little moments, I loved him. If there was a way to ever see him, I'd so run up to him and give him a hug. Then I'd go cuddle with my husband, ha ha. 


I also really liked what Moulton did with the romance in this book. :) You can see the attraction and love Ellie and Will have for each other, but they don't really do anything about it for a long, long time. :) Which really bugged me while reading it because I really wanted them to get together and the moments where it looked like they were, and didn't, it drove me NUTS! But it bugged me/drove me nuts in a good way. 


This kind of reminded me a little of the anime show Blood Plus. Don't ask me how, it just did. For some strange reason. It's nothing really alike. But I love Blood Plus, so it's cool. :) 


I guess you would just have to watch the show to maybe kind of understand. I don't know. 


But overall, this was a great debut book! Major brownie points for Moulton! This was a great start to a new series and I can't wait until the sequel comes out! I'll be eagerly counting down the days to the release date. Which at the moment all I know of the release date is that it will be published in 2012. Boo!


I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a great debut with a unique story of angels and grim reapers. :)


Cover: I really like the cover. The model on the front fits Ellie's description perfectly and I love her outfit! The mist and the black birds in the background just makes the cover looks so...paranormal! The jacket art and design is by Joel Tippie and the jacket photograph is by Amber Gray.