Going on Vacation!

Hey guys - I'm officially on vacation- no work for a whole week! YEAH!! Heading to the Keys tomorrow for a few days. I'm really looking forward to a little R&R!!

I'll be trying to catch up on all my review books but taking a breather from the blog for a week. I need some time to catch up on my reading and not worry about posting. :)
I'm hoping to be back with my batteries recharged and a lot of great books read - wish me luck!

See you in a week!

Guest Post and Contest with Becca Ritchie, Author of Wynter Chelsea

I'm a college student with as much free time on my hands as procrastination will allow. Which, surprisingly and not surprisingly at all, is quite a lot. I have found that daydreaming is an art, and that I am a master at it. However, I have yet to fully harness night dreaming. Inception really showed me how much work I have to do. In these daydreams Wynter Chelsea: The Legacy was born at my sweet young age of 14 and published at 17. The supernatural tale has four young adults crammed into an Oldsmobile 442 on search for their missing parents across the United States. And the ride turns out rough, not so much because of the pit stops where they encounter demons, creatures, and spirits, but because Trevor Wynter won’t shut up.

This brings me to Trevor Wynter’s List of Most Awesome Superheroes (which also happens to be mine). The scrawny eighteen-year-old kid thinks he’s in league with these powerful men. Maybe there’s some truth in the matter. He’s never been injured, shoots blindfolded, sees the future in bits and pieces, and possesses greater fighting abilities than Amanda Chelsea’s older brother Jack.

 

 Number 5: Captain America

His humanity attracts me the most. Constantly pining over his lost comrade in the Avengers, Cap shows that superheroes have emotions too and not just for female loves.

Number 4: Spiderman

Besides X2, Spiderman might be one of my favorite superhero movies. And I’ve been following the remake with Andrew Garfield like a nutter. I love the idea that some lanky teenager has the ability to become something extraordinary. And now Parker makes every kid want to be bitten by a spider.

Number 3: Superman

Space alien? Check. Super senses? Check. Super strength? Check. Awesome? Check

Number 2: Rogue (X-Men)

X-Men provides a slew of cool powers. Discounting the fact that her ability makes her insane, she can experience all others mutant’s powers by skin-to-skin contact. Nothing beats that except…

Number 1: Pyro (X-Men)

Pyro, a mutant who can manipulate fire, might be in the evil Brotherhood, but his power makes Trevor Wynter’s dream of burning down a building seem like a reality. And even though I personally have a hard time handling matches, I’d like to think having Pyro’s ability would help me hurdle that fear. Then maybe I could light a candle.

Becca Michelle Ritchie grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia where she began writing at an early age. When she was 14, she completed Wynter Chelsea: The Legacy and published the novel at 17. Currently she attends the University of Georgia where she’s minoring in English and studying Telecommunication Arts. Her second novel (the sequel), Wynter Chelsea: The Sublimity was just released in late December of 2010. She is currently working on promoting her series as well as writing the third installment.

Official Website

****GIVEAWAY****

1 SIGNED copy of 

 WYNTER CHELSEA: BOOK 1: THE LEGACY

BY BECCA RITCHIE

Four hundred years ago a creature descended upon the Earth. The supernatural hunted innocent lives wanting blood and vengeance. Two families, the Wynters and the Chelseas, knew of the darkness that reigned over the world. For thousands of years they hunted and killed to protect those who knew nothing of the dangers.

Amanda Chelsea vies to be a part of the Wynter Chelsea legacy, constantly craving the thrill of a lifetime that her older brother, Jack, and the two Wynter boys experience. At seventeen, Amanda’s passion to fight is overwhelming, and she cannot come to grips with why the boys are protecting her. Abilities are cast upon the new generation of Wynters and Chelseas, only in hopes of guiding them to vanquish the impenetrable creature. Even as Amanda Chelsea receives the power of empathy, feeling other people’s emotions, it brings more harm than a vital potency. Through the turmoil in New Jersey, Dustin Wynter is the only one able to relate to Amanda with a similar gift. As Jack’s rage boils over the edge, Dustin must put the pieces back together and hold the legacy up with a shaking arm and a quirky brother by his side.

When the world couldn’t seem to become anymore dangerous, both parents of each family go missing. Now with no choice but to bring Amanda along, she finally is able to fight without hassle, but is it worth it? Is the disappearance of the ones she loved a price that she has to pay for her dream to join the legacy? Traveling across the United States, the four young adults must confront their hidden emotions and ultimate reason for living.

Wynter Chelsea is a novel about finding truth in oneself and truth in the world amid the darkness that follows. Readers of the young adult genre will connect with Amanda’s coming of age story, where life seems to be at the tip of her fingers but she can’t hold on to it. Wynter Chelsea has a spark of comedy with Trevor Wynter and love with the bubbling young romance of Amanda and Dustin. With a strong sense of love, loss, and sacrifice, Wynter Chelsea connects the sentiment of the reader to the page. When the reader closes the novel, their heart will surely be left within the lines.

Official Rules:

1.You must be 13 year or older to enter.

2. Open to entrants with a valid U.S. mailing address only. 

3. Entries must be received by Midnight EST on March 10th 2011

4.To enter to win, simply leave a COMMENT for Becca long with your email address.

Valentine's Day Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to 

Christina from Confessions of a Book Addict! 

Christina, you are the winner of Simon & Schuster's contest and you get to pick three titles from the books below. I have emailed you- please respond back with your picks and they will be on the way!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave me a comment.

I really enjoyed reading all your responses!

 

After the Kiss by Terra Elan McVoy
Love, Love, Love by Deborah Reber

 

I Like Him, He Likes Her by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Pucker Up by Rhonda Stapleton

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

Book Review: Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

DARKNESS BECOMES HER BY KELLY KEATON 
Reading level: Young Adult 
Hardcover: 288 pages 
Publisher: Simon Pulse (February 22, 2011) 
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.
She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Book Opening:

"Under the cafeteria table, my right knee bounced like a jackhammer possessed. Adrenaline snaked through my limbs, urging me to bolt, to hightail it out of Rocquemore House and never look back.

Deep breaths." 

Notable Scene:

"My legs gave out and I dropped to my rear on the dance floor, the gown billowing around me, making me feel very small and very much like the child everyone called me. A child pretending to be a big girl in her frilly ball gown.  A child who didn't know anything about the world she found herself in. A child compared to the old and ancient beings I'd come to know." – Page 204 ARC version

Confession:  Prior to reading Darkness Becomes Her, I assumed this was going to be the start to a new vampire series. Maybe it was the location. After all, Keaton couldn't have picked a more perfect setting for a creepy vampire story. But Darkness Becomes Her turned out to be completely different from anything I had imagined. I admit, initially I was a little disappointed – I had it in my head I was signing up for a certain kind of book and was a little unsettled when it turned out to be something different (though no fault of the author's).  But once the book hooked its claws into me and captured my interest with its unique world building and story line, I enjoyed immersing myself into Ari's strange new world. 

I loved Keaton's vision of "New 2." This was the crumbling, abandoned city of New Orleans, filled with misty old cemeteries, murky swamps and a city bursting with all sorts of bizarre oddities. To most people, New 2 was little more than a "dead zone". It was a place respectable folks naturally shied away from, and as such attracted mostly thieves and miscreants.  This type of gothic location couldn't have been more perfect for me- I ate up everything  about the city and couldn't wait to learn more. In some ways, New 2 was like a main character that I never got tired of reading about!

As for Ari, I loved her too. Imagine being a young girl on your own and deciding to head into a scary place like New 2 with no one watching out for you.  But Ari went anyways because she was tired of not knowing who she really was and what happened in the past to her birth mother. My heart was in my throat when Ari crossed the line into New 2- I loved that the book kicks off quickly with her making the decision, instead of languishing around with Ari wondering what she should do.

 

Though occasionally the writing did seem to meander a little bit for me, I was able to overlook it pretty easily. I was won over by Kelly Keaton's unique plot line and also with Ari herself, a truly unique individual with her strange silvery hair and  mind-blowing abilities. Throw in the dark magic of a once grand city with all sorts of secrets hidden underneath its dilapidated buildings and empty streets, and Darkness Becomes Her was a winner. The book ended on a major cliffhanger, involving one of my favorite characters. So be ready for it- it's a shocker! 

Bottom Line: Suspenseful and intriguing, Darkness Becomes Her opened up a whole new paranormal world for me; one  dripping with Greek mythology, voodoo priests and a rag-tag gang of misfits struggling to survive years  in the once vibrant city of New Orleans.

1/2 Stars

Kelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. She likes pre-Raphaelite art, moonlight on snow, and MMORPGs. She lives in NC with her family, one Great Dane, and two incredibly hairy cats. DARKNESS BECOMES HER is her first Young Adult novel. She is published in adult fiction as Kelly Gay.
Official Website

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

 

THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET BY KADY CROSS

May 24th 2011 by Harlequin Teen

She thought there was something wrong with her. She was right. 

Finley Jayne has known for quite some time that she isn’t ‘normal,’ but when she beats up the son of her employer and is forced to flee, she stumbles into a world where there are bigger freaks than her. They take her in, treat her like family and demand her trust. How can Finley trust them when she can’t trust herself? And why is she drawn to the powerful Griffin as well as the dangerous Jack? She has to get herself under control before she gets into trouble she can’t get out of.

Griffin King is one of the most powerful men in Britain but he couldn’t save his best friend from almost dying. He is determined to save Finley and help her become the person he knows she can be, but there’s evil afoot in London. Machines have attacked humans under the orders of a nefarious criminal called The Machinist. He has sworn to protect his country against such a threat, but he’s never faced any foe like this. However, when he discovers The Machinist’s connection to his past, Griffin vows to end the villain once and for all — but he’ll need the help of all his friends, including the beautiful Finley Jayne – the girl in the steel corset.

Kady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics. Official Website

(This one kind of reminds me of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (which was so awesome) and that cover is swoon-worthy. Can't wait to read it! )

What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event spotlighting upcoming releases we are highly anticipating. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

 

Ten Tantalizing Questions & Giveaway with Kelly Keaton, author of Darkness Becomes Her!

Today I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Kelly Keaton, author of Darkness Becomes Her. Kelly stopped by to discuss her book which releases this week on February 22nd! She brought along a signed copy to giveaway to one lucky winner too (see details below). Let's get started!

Kelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. She likes pre-Raphaelite art, moonlight on snow, and MMORPGs. She lives in North Carolina with her family, one Great Dane, and two incredibly hairy cats.
Kelly’s alter ego, Kelly Gay, is a 2010 double RITA finalist and a recipient of North Carolina’s Art Council fellowship grant in literature. She writes the Charlie Madigan series for Pocket Books. Official Website | Twitter | Facebook

1.       Darkness Becomes Her is a dark urban fantasy novel set in New Orleans.  Ari, a girl who always has been different finds herself amongst the city’s deadly creatures, all which seem afraid of her. Can you tell us a little more about the book and share with us a favorite line, scene or passage?

 I like to think of the book as this slightly futuristic, edgy, teen clash of the titans in this haunting post apocalyptic-like setting, only everything is twisted and things you thought you knew about Greek mythology are no where near the truth, and Ari is at the center of it all. One of my favorite passages takes place between the little girl, Violet, and Ari in Lafayette Cemetery. (This would be an example of why I love Violet so much!):

       Goose bumps sprouted along my cold thighs and arms. Drizzle had forced a low mist to the ground, a thin gray shroud upon the grass. The sky above was lost in a sea of thick clouds, and the gnarled branches of the oak tree nearby spread out like dark lighting against the sky.

        "She'll be back soon," Violet said. "What are you going to do?"

        I glanced at the tomb where [name ommitted] had appeared. "I don't know."

        "You should kill her."      

2.       What three words would you say best describe Darkness Becomes Her?

Creepy. Lush. Forsaken.

3.       What do you love most about the main characters in your book?

I love that Ari doesn't fit in, that she's on this journey to find her place in the world. I love that she's practical and not overly angsty. She knows how to fight and how to take care of herself. Life has hardened her; she hasn't been brought up like your typical teen. And I like that she plays by her own rules and runs her own life. She's a warrior at heart, a hero. I have a special place in my heart for dark little Violet and the mystery that surrounds her as well as for Sebastian and the other lost kids of the Garden District.

4.       If Darkness Becomes Her was to be made into a movie, do you have certain actors you envision in the lead roles, or do you think unknowns would be best suited to play them?

I've never linked an actress to Ari, and no one pops into my head at the moment. I do think, after seeing Ben Barnes in Dorian Gray, that he really (with some minor alterations) resembles the vision in my mind of Sebastian. *fans self*

 
5.       If you had to pick a theme song for Ari, which one would you pick and why?

Ari kind of goes through a progression of themes. Bring me to Life by Evanescence is a nod to opening her heart to the possibility of romance and the unfolding of her curse. Untitled by Simple Plan is that initial realization of what she is, that utter defeat and heartbreak (and it's also a nod to her difficult past as well). And then at the very end of the book (don't want to give it away), but the chorus to Fighter by Christina Aquilera is a little thrown-down (the middle finger, if you will) to a certain goddess. :D    
 
6.       What were you like as a teenager and did you have any books in particular that were your favorites? If your teenage self was to read Darkness Becomes Her, what do you think she’d say?

As a teen, I had a good group of friends and did well in school and sports (played field hockey and some soccer), but I always felt like an observer, an introvert, and I was more comfortable and at ease when I was alone and with thoughts. I daydreamed - a lot. I had horses and loved to just jump on bareback and go off by myself for hours. There's something magical and natural about daydreaming on the back of a horse! And since I couldn't time travel or jump into an alternate reality, I read. I adored Egyptian, Greek, Celtic, and Arthurian mythology and read everything I could get my hands on. Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire was a huge favorite as a teen. It's what first drew me to New Orleans and started my obssession with the city. I think my teenage self would really respond to DBH. I drew from a lot of dark emotions, as well as my own hopes and fears when I was a teen. This is the kind of book I like to read, that I'd get excited over. All the things I love -- darkness, beauty, edge, romance, a fierce heroine, gods, powers, magic, heartbreak... It's all there. I think the teenage Kelly would like. :-) 

7.       If you could inhabit the life of one literary character and dive into their world for just one day, who would you choose and why?

Oh gosh, this is so hard to pick just one! I think my answer would change every day, but today I pick: Merlin. :D Then, I'd get to work magic, converse with dragons, see Arthur and Camelot and all the knights of the round table. I'd be able to communicate with the Lady of the Lake, the priestesses of Avalon and learn all about the worlds of the fae and the Celtic gods...   

8.       What would you say is the best advice you’ve been given as an author?

To not forget to live in the present. As an author I spend most of my days in other worlds. I'm working on books that don't come out for another year or so and my thoughts are often crammed with not only my fictional worlds, but future things (deadlines releases, etc). It's so easy to get lost in that and have it take up my attention even when I'm done writing. Sometimes I have to remind myself to stop. To enjoy the day I'm actually in. To pull myself out of the imaginary and the future to enjoy the present.
 
9.       When you have a free day with no responsibilities looming overhead, and your only mission is to enjoy yourself, what do you like to do for fun?

 Well, if I can manage to get thoughts of work out of my head (see above answer, LOL), I like to get outside and into the fresh air. Spend time with my family. Or recharge my creative batteries by reading or watching a movie. And if I'm really needing some 'me' time, I go shopping. I can spend hours at Kohl's!
 
 10.    Darkness Becomes Her, your debut YA novel releases in February 2011. What can we look forward to from you next? Any new series or other upcoming projects in the works?

I have an adult novel coming out in August (the 3rd in my Charlie Madigan (urban fantasy) series that I write as Kelly Gay), then next February brings the sequel to Darkness Becomes Her. And when I have free time, I work on Violet's story -- that strange little kid has an amazing tale to tell! :-) 

Want more? Be sure to check out Once Upon a Twilight for more tour stop information!

1. Larissa's Bookish Life - Guest post/Giveaway - February 18th 2011
2. The Bookish Type - Interview/Giveaway - February 20th 2011
3. The Book Butterfly - Interview/Giveaway - February 21st 2011
4. Paper Cut Reviews - Interview/Giveaway - February 22nd 2011 
5. Fantastic Book Review - Book Summary/Excerpt/Interview/Review/Giveaway - February 21st-24th 2011
6. Dark Faerie Tales - Interview - February 23rd 2011
7. Wicked Awesome Books - Interview - February 25th 2011
8. Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf - Interview - February 25th 2011
9. Girl about Books - Interview - February 26th 2011
10. Good Choice Reading - Guest post/Giveaway - February 27th 2011
11. Once Upon a Twilight - Top Ten/Grand-prize Giveaway - February 28th 2011

****GIVEAWAY****

1 SIGNED copy of 

DARKNESS BECOMES HER & SWAG by 

KELLY KEATON

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is. 

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Official Rules:

1.You must be 13 year or older to enter.

2. INTERNATIONAL Entrants Welcome!

3. Entries must be received by Midnight EST on March 15th 2011

4.To enter to win, simply fill out the form below. Good luck!  

FORM

Win an ARC of Drought by Pam Bachorz!

Been hearing about DROUGHT by Pam Bachorz everywhere? Want to win an ARC? Well you've come to the right place! As today's stop of the DROUGHT Blog Tour, I have one ARC copy of the book to offer up.

Want to learn more about Drought? Check out the Teen Book Scene for more tour information. Tomorrow you can find Pam at The Book Fairy's Haven. Be sure and stop by!

****GIVEAWAY****

1 ARC OF Drought by Pam Bachorz

Ruby Prosser dreams of escaping the Congregation and the early-nineteenth century lifestyle that’s been practiced since the community was first enslaved.

She plots to escape the vicious Darwin West, his cruel Overseers, and the daily struggle to gather the life-prolonging Water that keeps the Congregants alive and gives Darwin his wealth and power. But if Ruby leaves, the Congregation will die without the secret ingredient that makes the Water special: her blood.

So she stays.

But when Ruby meets Ford, the new Overseer who seems barely older than herself, her desire for freedom is too strong. He’s sympathetic, irresistible, forbidden—and her only access to the modern world. Escape with Ford would be so simple, but can Ruby risk the terrible price, dooming the only world she’s ever known?

Official Rules:

1.You must be 13 year or older to enter.

2. Open to entrants with a valid U.S. mailing address only. 

3. Entries must be received by Midnight EST on March 1st 2011

4.To enter to win, simply fill out the form below. Good luck!  

FORM

Fab Five Questions for Tammar Stein, author of Kindred

Welcome to today's stop for author Tammar Stein's blog tour celebrating her novel KINDRED, which recently released on February 8th of this month. Be sure to check out the Teen Book Scene for more stops along the way! Tammar can be found tomorrow at Reading Teen where Amy will be reviewing the book.



Tammar Stein  is the award-winning author of the YA novel, Light Years, a Virginia  Reader's Choice book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2006. Her  second novel, High Dive, was nominated for an ALA Best Book for Young  Adults, 2009.

She lives in Florida with her family and bilingual dog.
Official Website  & Blog

1. In Kindred, Miriam who is caught in between a  good-evil power struggle between two angels.  Can you share with us a favorite line, scene or passage from the book?

I really love the opening line to the book: The first time I meet an angel, it is Raphael and I am eighteen. It was one of those lines that came fully formed. I sat down to write my book and that line popped up on the screen, like magic.

2. What three words best describe Kindred?

Someone. Is. Watching.

3. Kindred offers up a unique twist on the angel genre in that this time around the focus in not on one girl caught between two angels doubling as potential love interests. Can you discuss this more with us and how Kindred evolved from that first tiny spark into a full length novel?

Is it weird to say that I wanted to write a realistic angel novel? I was trying to imagine what it would be like to have an angel visit and all I could think was that it would scare the heck out of me. So that was the start of it. The spark. Having an idea for a novel, a spark as you called it, is wonderful. But it takes so much time and work to take it from that spark to a full length novel. KINDRED took me two years to write.

4. What do you love most about the main characters of Kindred?

I love how close Miriam and Mo are. They have their differences (to put it mildly) and they are very different people, but they’re family and they try to hold on to that.

5. What can we look forward to reading from you next? Any new series or upcoming projects in the pipeline?

I’m working on a companion to KINDRED. I can’t talk about it too much yet but I’ll keep you posted.

The first time I meet an angel, it is Raphael and I am eighteen.

Miriam  is an unassuming college freshman stuck on campus after her spring  break plans fall through. She's not a religious girl--when pressed she  admits reluctantly to believing in a higher power. Truth be told, she's  about as comfortable speaking about her faith as she is about her love  life, which is to say, not at all. And then the archangel Raphael pays  Miriam a visit, and she finds herself on a desperate mission to save two  of her contemporaries. To top it all off, her twin brother, Mo, has  also had a visitation, but from the opposite end of the good-evil  spectrum, which leaves Miriam to wonder--has she been blessed and her  brother cursed or vice versa? And what is the real purpose behind her mission?

Book Review: Kindred by Tammar Stein

KINDRED BY TAMMAR STEIN 
Reading level: Young Adult 
Hardcover: 272 pages 
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 8, 2011) 
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

The first time I meet an angel, it is Raphael and I am eighteen.

Miriam is an unassuming college freshman stuck on campus after her spring break plans fall through. She's not a religious girl--when pressed she admits reluctantly to believing in a higher power. Truth be told, she's about as comfortable speaking about her faith as she is about her love life, which is to say, not at all. And then the archangel Raphael pays Miriam a visit, and she finds herself on a desperate mission to save two of her contemporaries. To top it all off, her twin brother, Mo, has also had a visitation, but from the opposite end of the good-evil spectrum, which leaves Miriam to wonder--has she been blessed and her brother cursed or vice versa? And what is the real purpose behind her mission?

While I know there's a readership out there for people who are interested in religious fiction and angelic encounters, Kindred was not my cup of tea. But that's partly my fault.  I assumed the book was going to be the typical, romanticized YA angel-type story, which I always enjoy. But Kindred was not that book by any means. So if you are looking for a Hush-Hush, be aware of this prior to picking up a book like this. Kindred was not a paranormal romance but more of a celebration of religious rebirth with sub-plots within subplots. 

What I enjoyed: I loved the background story about Miriam with her family history. I would've actually liked to have learned even more about her parents.  I wanted to learn more about how her former Catholic nun mom and rabbi father shaped her life and her outlook on faith in general. 

I was interested in Raphael's presence in Miriam's life- what he wanted from her, why he chose her specifically and how she would handle the tasks given to her. I also was fascinated by her brother's conflicting situation with the evil presence guiding him down a very different path.

What I had a difficult time with: Stein has a very different writing style. I don't know the exact words to describe it, but it's something that you either love or hate. For me personally, I was a bit thrown by it and as such, I found it difficult to connect with Miriam's character.  While I admire her creativity, I found the writing to be very sparse. 

There is also a large portion of the book devoted to the degeneration of Miriam's health, which seems to have been brought upon by the angel Raphael's presence in her life. For me, this sub-plot spiraled out of control and took on much more prominence than was necessary—I didn't need to know the intricacies of Miriam's gastrointestinal problems at ALL.  Personally I think all of the medical drama didn't deserve as much "on screen" time as it did and it really took away from the book for me. 

Bottom Line:  While I'm confident that Kindred will find an audience with a specific type of reader and I admire Stein's originality with her unique, interesting premise, this wasn't a good fit for my reading style.

Tammar Stein is the award-winning author of the YA novel, Light Years, a Virginia Reader's Choice book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2006. Her second novel, High Dive, was nominated for an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2009.

She lives in Florida with her family and bilingual dog.
Official Website  & Blog

Be sure to check out The Teen Book Scene for more stops on the Kindred blog tour! Tammar will be featured tomorrow at Reading Teen.