Review: The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

The Dead and Buried
by Kim Harrington
Published: January 1, 2013
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:
A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

Review:

The Dead and Buried is a well written, well paced ghost story. There is no gore, but the spooks are definitely there. I've always been a bit freaked out about the idea of ghost and seances, and you will never convince me to try a Ouija board. Not that I believe in that. 


Harrington does a good job of developing Jade into a 3-dimensional character. While I thought she was a bit of a brat at first, she managed to redeem herself and I realized that when I was a teen, I would have acted in a similar way. She's a bit shallow, but at the same time refuses to back down in the face of peer pressure and befriends the school oddball. Harrington doesn't get preachy with the anti-bully undertone and that's what made me like this book even more. She gets her point across and does it without seeming like it was forced or driven by an agenda. This was the same with the issues of blended families. Jade obviously has some pent up emotions form her mother's death and her father's remarriage that she needs to deal with. At first it all seemed one sided, and that is where I felt Jade's brattiness took over. Then bits and pieces of her stepmother fell into place and it was easy to see that some of the issues were hers.

Secondary characters are written just as well and each hint at the deth of their lives beyond the pages that they appear on. While it's hard to see any of them as a killer, it is also hard not to question their guilt. None of them are truly innocent of the things that Kayla (ghost girl) was doing, and each had their own motives for wanting her gone. I thought that the morbid curiosity of the other students was spot on. It's like a giant group of rubber neckers who have nowhere else to go. They all want to be friends with Jade simply for the fact that she lives in the dead girl's house.

There were few surprises in The Dead and Buried, but that did little to curb my enjoyment. This is a ghost story that works well and isn't trying to be something it isn't. If they made this into a movie it would be exactly the kind I would want to see.

Hosts Needed for Blog Tour - In the Winds of Danger by Linda Ulleseit

YA Bloggers, we are looking for hosts for our first blog tour! In the Winds of Danger by Linda Ulleseit is a YA Historical Fantasy and is book 2 in the Flying Horse Books.

Click on the banner to sign up now through Sign Up Genius. Don't forget to sign up on the Host with Us page so you don't miss any other events from Turning the Pages YA Blog Tours!

In the Winds of Danger (Flying Horse Books, #2)

by Linda Ulleseit

Released: February 3, 2013

Nineteen year old Nia is shocked when she is secretly offered the leadership of Third Barn. This new barn full of flying horses will need someone confident, experienced, and innovative, so why are both warring factions pursuing an untried girl? Suspicious that both sides want a puppet instead of a leader, Nia races to discover their secrets before making the biggest decision of her life.

Some of those secrets are unknowingly buried in the disconnected memories of a young groom named Owain. Terror and guilt haunt Owain’s dreams – and then a face from his nightmare arrives in High Meadow. Owain looks for answers in his past and uncovers a dangerous plot that could doom High Meadow's future. How can he foil the plot and save his people as well as the winged horses?

Cover Reveal ~ Of Darkness and Crowns by Trisha Wolfe

Of Darkness and Crowns (Goddess Wars #2)

by Trisha Wolfe

Release Date: September 1, 2013

Cover artist: Steven Novak

Cover Reveal Organized by: YA Bound Book Tours

***WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ BOOK ONE***

Summary from Goodreads:

The moon goddess has taken up residency
within Prince Caben, darkening his mind and soul. Now he hunts the very women
he sacrificed his life to save, his conflicting desires for love and power
raging a battle within him. Kaliope possesses the key to setting Bale free, and
Caben will stop at nothing to see his goddess restored. Even if that means destroying
the kingdom he’s sworn to protect, and the infuriating woman who torments his
thoughts.

Kaliope,
now the leader to the newly formed Nactue Guard, has vowed to save Caben. But
with a traitor lurking among her people, and powers she’s unable to fully
control, Kaliope’s mission becomes shrouded with doubt. Her new role as watcher
over Caben’s kingdom brings a burden she’s unable to bear alone, and appointing
the right person in charge of the prince’s affairs has turned a kingdom against
the Nactue leader. Saving her stubborn, willful prince from the darkness
overtaking him will be the battle of her life, and she needs people she can
trust by her side. But bad blood between members of the Nactue obscure Kaliope’s
journey, while her feelings for Caben cloud her judgment.

When the
time comes to do what she must to destroy the goddess of chaos, will she be
able to if it means losing Caben forever?

Book two
of the Goddess Wars is told in dual point of view from Kaliope and Caben. New
Adult Dark Fantasy, intended for readers 17 years of age and older. 

***Excerpt (Caben’s POV)***

The Crusher grinds to a halt. I’m propelled forward, and my head smacks the low-hanging ceiling of the front compartment.

“Damn, you fool!” I palm my throbbing forehead, eyeing the driver of the Crusher—the machines I now call by their Otherworlder name.

“Sorry, my liege,” he says, backing against his seat, farther away from the glowing ribbons circling my fingers. 

Ignoring him, I study the luminous white—like the surface of the moon—crawling beneath my skin, and marvel at the power. My power. Had I possessed it that day the Cavan Army forced me from my home, they never could have done so easily. But then, I never would have obtained this power. Ironic. 

“Just drive,” I tell him. I take a seat on the front bench, away from the foul stench emanating from the back compartment—our diversion tactic that will gain me entry into my palace, where
I know she’s being kept.

The glow beneath my skin illuminates brighter, reminding me of her skin. I curl my fingers into a tight ball.

The battle up ahead is only part of my plan, one that I know Kaliope will fall for. I need the reserves away from the palace. Then we’ll take care of her Nactue once we’re inside. My back
molars clamp down hard at the thought of her—a mix of something like fire and nausea invading my stomach.

At one time, I felt things for the black-haired beauty. I chuckle to myself. Well, at least my groin did. Just thinking of her body makes me ache, and I have to adjust myself. But that was
when I was weak, when I only thought and felt with that weakness. As much as I hated my father for thinking me too feeble to rule, he was right. I was pathetic.

Bale freed me. Released the part of me that I kept buried, locked away deep down, and I no longer fear anything. I think of everything that once made me shudder or quake with dread and laugh. It’s so simple.

Without fear, there is only freedom.

Power.

And if I free Bale completely, releasing her from within my being and making her corporeal, she’ll bestow me with even more power. I don’t care what the dark goddess does or where she goes once I restore Empress Iana’s relic. I don’t give a damn what happens to the
maggoty Otherworlders or their realm. 

I just want her out of my mind.
And I want the power.

Then I’ll set my sights on Perinya, and on gaining what’s mine.

A deep cackle fills my head, deep and sultry.

“Quiet, woman.” I roll my eyes.
We’ve come to a compromise, the goddess and I, that she may remain within my mind, but she’s to keep quiet. I got tired of her constant lectures and angry rants about her sisters. She does stay silent…for the most part. But the sooner I get her out of my head, the better.

Having a woman fill your thoughts is a weakness in itself. A sudden flash of a smiling, laughing Kal blurs my vision, and I shake my head.

There’s only one way to rid my thoughts of that woman.

Kill her.

“Burrow, leach,” I command the driver. “We’re coming up on the battle. Go underground.”

“Yes, my liege.”

Tonight, I plot. Find a way into the capital of Perinya and into my home. And then take back what’s mine. The goddess can have what she wants. I’m only interested in claiming what’s mine.

No one will ever take anything away from me again.

Don’t get in my way, Kal.

I shake my head harder, trying to quiet the pesky thoughts that always spring up when I think of her. Something left over from before—a residual feeling, an effect she has on me.

It won’t be there much longer. I smile, and Bale laughs.

***

Of Silver and Beasts (Goddess Wars #1)

by Trisha Wolfe

Release Date:  April 19th 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

In the
sand-covered queendom of Cavan, the goddess once saved a young Kaliope’s life,
preventing the mercury her father attempted to hide in her blood from reaching
her heart. Now, a cybernetic clamp filters it, but the silver streaks swirling
faintly beneath her skin are a constant reminder that she’s different.



When nineteen-year-old Kaliope is chosen as head of the Nactue Guard, she
becomes the sworn protector to her empress. In the midst of an invasion on a
neighboring land, Kaliope is placed in charge of guarding Prince Caben, the
last heir to his kingdom. But when they’re attacked by the feared
Otherworlders, Caben and Kaliope are abducted and taken below to a realm where
they must fight for their life in a caged arena.



Kaliope struggles to protect her princely charge, keeping him and herself alive
while battling inhumanly opponents, and trying to save the stolen, sacred relic
that will restore her empress’s life force and all of Cavan. And if she can
somehow awaken the goddess within her, she may save what’s most important.



New Adult Dark Fantasy: Intended for readers 17 years of age and older.

Of Silver and Beasts is on sale
right now for only $.99.  Get your copy
here:

Where to find Trisha:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | YouTube Channel 

***Bonus Material***

Don’t miss out on the bonus scene
of Astarte’s
Wrath – Bath
Scene in Xarion’s POV

Now Book Blog Tour Hosting!

I am sooo excited to make this announcement!! I love reading and writing YA books. I love supporting other new YA authors. I love YA blogging. So I've decided to start doing book blog tour hosting! I've participated in blog tours before, but I new to the organizing aspect, so this is going to be a bit of a learning process. For the next week or so, I'm going to work on compiling a starting list of bloggers to act as hosts. I'll have detailed info for the different tours and services I'll offer and then I'll get started with organizing actual tours. If you're interested in signing up to be a host hop on over to the sign up page. If you have any advice for me - PLEASE share!

Just to get my feet wet, I'm hosting 2 different contests. The first is for bloggers - sign up to be a host and you can win a $5 Amazon gift card. The second contest is for authors - enter to win one of the services I will be providing!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Review: Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Love and Other Perishable Items
by Laura Buzo
Published: Dec. 11, 2012
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Available: Amazon


Synopsis:
Love is awkward, Amelia should know.

From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia, is 15.

Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris—at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together?

Through a year of befuddling firsts—first love, first job, first party, and first hangover—debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up.

Review:
Love and Other Perishable Items is one of those hard books to pin down. The book is written through the points of view of both Amelia and Chris. I wasn't expecting that. Amelia's voice is very true to her age and I could definitely relate to her innocence. It was refreshing to read about a young girl who isn't involved in drinking, drugs, and sex. A girl who is not worldly. Amelia is 15 and frankly she acts it. Does she fantasize about Chris, yeah, but the reader is also aware that the chance of this being her 'one true love' is pretty slim. This is a testament to Buzo's ability to accurately capture the mind of a teenager.

Chris's voice was different. He's a 21 year old guy and has obviously experienced more of life than Amelia is even aware of. He's slightly melodramatic, but hey he's an English buff. He sees in Amelia what he is looking for, but he's also very aware of her innocence and like most 21 year old guys, he's not really interested in a chaste relationship.

The relationship that develops between Amelia and Chris is interesting to say the least. As the story progressed I grew a bit concerned with how Buzo was going to pull it together. I had seen 2 possible endings. One I would have rolled my eyes at and the other not really satisfying. Yet, she managed to pull out a completely different ending and at first I was a bit put off, but when I read the final page I felt like it had ended perfectly. 

If you're looking for a coming of age story then I definitely think this is one to pick up. Aussies may be interested to know that the story is set in Australia. :)