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Passion Blue by Victoria Strauss

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It’s the fifteenth century, and seventeen year old Guilia is the illegitimate daughter of a count and his mistress, a seamstress in his household. She’s reviled by the count’s wife, so when the count dies, his widow decides to finally send Guilia away – to a convent to become a nun.
This is the last thing Guilia wants, since she regards the convent as a prison, but there’s nothing she can do to stop from going. She has no money of her own and no other family to take her in. Before she goes, she pays a visit to an astrologer/sorcerer and hires him to make her an amulet, trapping a “spirit” inside of it that is supposed to eventually grant her her heart’s desire. In Guilia’s mind, a husband will free her of the convent, give her a home of her own, and allow her to live a life of her own choosing.
At the convent, the nuns discover that Guilia has a talent for art, and she’s taken in to learn how to paint by a master painter, Maestra Humilita. The Maestra runs an entire painting workshop of just women in the convent, something that would be impossible outside its walls. The workshop is so well-regarded that private citizens as well as churches have commissioned paintings from them.
But Guilia still has marriage and escape from the convent on her mind, and she believes the spirit has granted her heart’s desire when she meets Ormanno, a young man who has been hired to repair a fresco in the convent. As she grows closer to Ormanno, she also grows closer to Humilita, and she learns that no matter what decision she makes, it will entail great sacrifice. (Indeed, women’s roles in this time period were so incredibly limited that anything less than great sacrifice for someone who wanted any measure of independence would have rung false.)
If you were to judge Passion Blue by its author blurbs, you’d think it was historical fantasy, but you’d be mostly wrong. Granted, there’s talk of a sorcerer and astrology and spirits, but it’s all within the context of Guilia’s belief set rather than what actually happens. For those sharp readers, there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it incident near the end of the novel that one could argue is proof of some sort of magic, but really, this novel isn’t going to appeal to those in search of their latest fantasy fix. It’s solidly for historical fiction fans.
Which is a good thing. The historical details are rich and very satisfying. I loved reading about the Renaissance techniques of creating color, of the labor that goes into preparing all of the equipment before the painter could even begin painting. I especially enjoyed reading about how intricate the color recipes were, and that they were so valuable they were written in code and kept in secret books that no one but the creator could read.
I also enjoyed reading about a way a woman in Renaissance Italy could make a life for herself that didn’t involve marriage and babies. The society of the convent is particularly interesting – the women all came to be nuns for a variety of reasons, and many of those reasons had nothing to do with religion. In some ways, the convent was a way for a group of women to function mostly independently, despite the many strict rules they had to follow.
Guilia is, perhaps, not the most perceptive of protagonists. She’s quite naive and is incapable of reading others accurately, which drives much of the conflict of the novel. She learns, though, and eventually comes to realize what readers had picked up on long before she had: her heart’s desire is not what she thought at all. It takes a huge mistake for her to come to this realization, but in the end, we’re left with a young woman who has carved out her own niche in the world.
The writing is lovely. Guilia herself seems quite young (in terms of maturity), but the writing is not juvenile. Strauss keeps the story moving at a nice clip and does a fine job interweaving Guilia’s relentless search for her heart’s desire with the historical backdrop. In less capable hands, the story may have seemed a bit slow or quiet, but I was never bored.
This is a great pick for historical fiction fans, particularly those interested in the Renaissance, women’s roles, or art. It’s also a nice change from historical fiction that re-imagines a well-known historical figure’s life. Those stories are certainly fun to read, but it can take a bit of the mystery out of the tale, since the end is a foregone conclusion.
Review copy received from the publisher/author. Passion Blue is available now.

2013 Cover Trends: Part Two

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Last week, I showcased some of the cover trends for 2013 YA books, and today, I bring you part two of the three part series (it might be four part — I haven’t quite figured that out yet). Again, these are things I’ve noticed after looking through tons of lists, cover reveals, and publisher catalogs, and they only represent covers already available to see for the coming year. There will be repeat covers in the various categories. 

All descriptions are via WorldCat or Goodreads. If you can think of other 2013 YA covers fitting any of these categories, leave a comment.  

Cities in the Distance


How many covers can either weave in (or in some cases, cram in) a cityscape into the background of the image? Sometimes you can figure out what the city is based on the landmarks and buildings you can recognize, and sometimes, the city is generic and unrecognizable.

This is a metaphoric cover trend, of course, when there is a person standing in the foreground of the city. Especially in YA. You know. One teen, taking on the big world. 

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff: Sixteen-year-old Boy Nobody, an assassin controlled by a shadowy government organization, The Program, considers sabotaging his latest mission because his target reminds him of the normal life he craves.

Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons: After escaping prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings are taken in by the Resistance but when Ember tops the government’s most-wanted list, Chase urges her to run and Ember must decide whether to hide again or fight back.

Catherine by April Lindner: In this retelling of “Wuthering Heights,” Catherine explains how she fell in love with a brooding musician and left her family to return to him, and her daughter describes searching for her mother many years later.

A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwarz: It is 1903, and the world is divided between light and shadow. On the side of light is a wondrous science that has transformed everyday life by harnessing magical energies to ingenious new technologies. But each advance of science has come at the expense of shadow—the traditional realm of the supernatural. Now two ancient powers are preparing to strike back. Blood-sucking immortal Nightwalkers and their spellcasting Alchemist allies have a plan to cover the whole world in shadow. All they require is the sacrifice of a certain young woman whose past conceals a dangerous secret. But when they come after Elle, they get more than they bargained for. This enterprising young woman, the daughter of a scientific genius, has reserves of bravery and determination that even she scarcely suspects. Now she is about to meet her match in more ways than one: a handsome yet infuriating Warlock named Hugh Marsh, whose agenda is as suspect as his charms are annoyingly irresistible.

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier: I can’t even find the description in English yet. But this is the US cover for the third book in the trilogy. 

Fragments by Dan Wells: With the Help of Samm and Heron, Kira sets out on a desperate search for clues as to who she is, while Marcus and the remaining human population gear up for war with the Paritals. 

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston: More than a century after a catastrophic disaster wiped out most of humanity and covered much of the earth with ice, fifteen-year-old Cass yields to the voice in her head urging her to embark on a dangerous journey across a poisoned sea to the mythical land, Blue.

Gates of Paradise by Melissa De La Cruz: In the final installment of the Blue Bloods series, the young vampires of Manhattan must make terrible sacrifices in order to triumph over Lucifer and the Silver Bloods. Worth noting that all of the Blue Bloods books have taken this look to them.

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey: A orphaned sixteen-year-old servant in Victorian England finds love while unraveling the secrets of a mysterious society of inventors and their most dangerous creation. There’s a different cover in the WorldCat description, so this may not be the final. 

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith: Set in a futuristic, hostile Orleans landscape, Fen de la Guerre must deliver her tribe leader’s baby over the Wall into the Outer States before her blood becomes tainted with Delta Fever.

Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards: Weeks after his crucifixion and rebirth as Phoenix, Ash Fisher believes his troubles are far behind him. He and Natalie are engaged and life seems good. But his happiness is short-lived when he receives a threatening visit from Purian Rose, who gives Ash an ultimatum: vote in favor of Rose’s Law permanently relegating Darklings to the wrong side of the wall or Natalie will be killed. The decision seems obvious to Ash; he must save Natalie. But when Ash learns about The Tenth, a new and deadly concentration camp where the Darklings would be sent, the choice doesn’t seem so simple. Unable to ignore his conscience, Ash votes against Rose’s Law, signing Natalie’s death warrant and putting a troubled nation back into the throes of bloody battle.

Slated by Teri Terry: Kyla’s memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever. She’s been Slated. The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance – as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

Solstice by PJ Hoover: Piper’s world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom. Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth. This book was originally published by Hoover, but Tor is publishing it in 2013. This cover AND the original cover have the city thing going on.

The Ward by Jordana Frankel: Sixteen-year-old Ren is a daredevil mobile racer who will risk everything to survive in the Ward, what remains of a water-logged Manhattan. To save her sister, who is suffering from a deadly illness thought to be caused by years of pollution, Ren accepts a secret mission from the government: to search for a freshwater source in the Ward, with the hope of it leading to a cure. However, she never expects that her search will lead to dangerous encounters with a passionate young scientist; a web of deceit and lies; and an earth-shattering mystery that’s lurking deep beneath the water’s rippling surface. 

Is it me or is there also something about people being inside the letters of the title, too? See the Frankel cover, as well as a number of the covers where the font takes up much of the real estate in the first post of 2013 cover trends.

The Strange and Familiar Place by Rachel Carter: Lydia Bentley will do anything to fix the mistakes she made in the past, like losing her grandfather in time–and the only way she knows how to begin is by time traveling to 1980s New York with Wes, posed as a Montauk Project recruit. 

Tiger by William Richter: Wally lives alone in her Brooklyn loft. She’d be a regular teenager, except that she’s the daughter of a Russian assassin. Crime is in Wally’s blood, but she uses her legacy for good: she solves missing persons cases for the Ursula Society, an under-the-radar organization that uses oft-illegal tactics to find people the police have given up on. The person Wally most wants to find? Tiger, her own fugitive brother. But the closer Wally gets to finding Tiger, the more dangerous her search becomes. And Klesko, Wally and Tiger’s sadistic father, is again at large. With two highly-skilled con men against them, Wally and Tiger band together to destroy a conspiracy in which they—and their hearts—are mere pawns.

What We Become by Jesse Karp: Two years after destroying a corporate empire intent on controlling human thinking through technology, teenagers Mal and Laura engage in another battle to save humanity when a “coporate bogeyman” known only as the Old Man tries to gain absolute power.

 

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith: Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

Replica by Jenna Black: Sixteen-year-old Nadia Lake comes from a high-class Executive family in the Corporate States. Her marriage has been arranged with the most powerful family in her state, which means she lives a life of privilege but also of public scrutiny, followed everywhere by photographers, every detail of her private life tabloid fodder. But her future is assured, as long as she can maintain her flawless public image — no easy feat when your betrothed is a notorious playboy. Nathan Hayes is the heir of Paxco — controller of the former state of New York, and creator of human replication technology, science that every state and every country in the world would kill to have. Though Nadia and Nate aren’t in love, they’ve grown up close, and they (and the world) are happy enough with their match. Until Nate turns up dead, and as far as everyone knows, Nadia was the last person to see him alive. When the new Nate wakes up in the replication tanks, he knows he must have died, but with a memory that only reaches to his last memory backup, he doesn’t know what killed him. Together, Nadia and Nate must discover what really happened without revealing the secrets that those who run their world would kill to protect.

Baby Blues


About eight percent of the world’s population has blue eyes. But, we note eye color pretty frequently in YA fiction (seriously — I don’t really notice people’s eye color unless it’s completely noteworthy and most of the time, that’s not because they’re blue). So it only goes that a lot of book covers feature people with blue eyes.

A Touch Menacing by Leah Clifford: I couldn’t pull a description from WorldCat nor Goodreads. 

Asunder by Jodi Meadows: After the devastation of Templedark, eighteen-year-old Ana must stand up for the additional newsouls and figure out the mystery of their–and her–existence.

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown: Set in 1920s New York City, this is the story of budding magician Anna Van Housen, who has spent her whole life playing sidekick to her faux-medium mother–and trying to hide the fact the she actually possesses the very abilities her mother fakes. 

Finn Finnegan by Darby Karchut:  Finn (not bleedin’ Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures. Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn’s survival. Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of “fighting Irish.”

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter: During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can’t stop her–until Cronus offers a deal. In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he’ll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead. With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything. Even if it costs her eternity.

Imposter by Susanne Winnacker: Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again. Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

Insomnia by JR Johansson: Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death. Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker. Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?

Nobody Jennifer Lynn Barnes: Fifteen-year-old Claire Ryan has always felt invisible, always lived beyond people’s notice, which causes trouble when she instantly connects with seventeen-year-old Nix, who really can become invisible and has been sent to assassinate her.

Parallel by Lauren Miller: A collision of parallel universes leaves 18-year-old Abby Barnes living in a new version of her life every day, and she must race to control her destiny without losing the future she planned and the boy she loves. 

Seven Minutes in Heaven by Sara Shepard: After Sutton Mercer died, her long-lost twin, Emma, stepped into her life to solve her murder. Emma has unearthed many dark secrets while searching for her sister’s killer, but nothing has prepared her for the shocking truth.

Spellbinding by Maya Gold: When sixteen-year-old Abby traces her deceased mother’s family to the Salem Witch Trials, the nightmares she has been having begin to make sense, but soon she is caught up in a love triangle and an age-old quest for revenge.

Splintered by A. G. Howard: A descendant of the inspiration for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, sixteen-year-old Alyssa Gardner fears she is mentally ill like her mother until she finds that Wonderland is real and, if she passes a series of tests to fix Alice’s mistakes, she may save her family from their curse.

Starstruck by Rachel Shukert: Set in Old Hollywood, follows the lives of three teen girls as they live, love, and claw their way to the top in a world where being a star is all that matters

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi: Juliette has escaped to Omega Point, the headquarters of the rebel resistance and a safe haven for people with abilities like hers. She is finally free from The Reestablishment and their plans to use her as a weapon, but Warner, her former captor, won’t let her go without a fight. 

Mind Games by Kiersten White: Seventeen-year-old Fia and her sister, Annie, are trapped in a school that uses young female psychics and mind readers as tools for corporate espionage–and if Fia doesn’t play by the rules of their deadly game, Annie will be killed.

Premeditated by Josin McQuein: A contemporary thriller about the lengths one girl will go in order to get revenge on the boy who ruined her cousin’s life. 

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter: When feisty teenaged thief Kat’s on-again off-again boyfriend, Hale, suddenly inherits his family’s billion dollar company, Kat gets a tip-off that the will is a fake.

Colored Hair Streaks


This is a tiny trend but maybe one of my favorites. I love that these models all have a streak of color in their hair, and I think that has mega appeal to teen readers who will see themselves in these average looking girls. I note this small trend because the only other books I can think of with people on the cover that have colorful hair are the Lisa and Laura Roecker Liar Society books. 

A Touch Menacing by Leah Clifford: See above, under blue eyes.

Over You by Amy Reed: A novel about two girls on the run from their problems, their pasts, and themselves. Max and Sadie are escaping to Nebraska, but they’ll soon learn they can’t escape the truth.

You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle: The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There’d be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the cameras would capture. And no one could have predicted that Justine would be the star. Now sixteen, Justine doesn’t feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film “Five at Sixteen,” all she feels is dread. The kids who shared the same table in kindergarten have become teenagers who hardly know one another. And Justine, who was so funny and edgy in the first two movies, just feels like a disappointment. But these teens have a bond that goes deeper than what’s on film. They’ve all shared the painful details of their lives with countless viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when this latest movie gives them the chance to reunite, Justine and her costars are going to take it. Because sometimes, the only way to see yourself is through someone else’s eyes.

Shadows and Silhouettes


They can take up the whole cover or they can be a tiny figment in the distance (often seen running), but there are a ton of shadows and silhouettes of people on covers. I feel like this trend started this year, but it’s full swing next year. I know I am probably missing a number of covers fitting this trend, so please add others you can think of to the comments. I love some of these so much — I particularly like the treatment on the Suma, the Grant, and the Block covers. 

Where I think there’s a chance this treatment could go too sexy (and I think it goes a little bit down the sexy road on Escape Theory), I’m pleased there aren’t weak shadows or silhouettes or girls with no agency in them. 

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma: Seventeen-year-old Lauren has visions of girls her own age who are gone without a trace, but while she tries to understand why they are speaking to her and whether she is next, Lauren has a brush with death and a shocking truth emerges, changing everything.

Bird by Crystal Chan: A girl, who was born on the day her brother Bird died, has grown up in a house of silence and secrets; when she meets John, a mysterious new boy in her rural Iowan town, and those secrets start to come out. 

Dualed by Elise Chapman: West Grayer lives in a world where every person has a twin, or Alt. Only one can survive to adulthood, and West has just received her notice to kill her Alt. 

Escape Theory by Margaux Froley: Bound by her oath of confidentiality and tortured by unrequited love, sixteen-year-old Devon, a peer counselor at a prestigious California boarding school, finds herself on a solitary mission to get to the bottom of a popular student’s apparent suicide.

Exile by Rebecca Lim: Mercy is an angel in exile and is doomed to return repeatedly to Earth, taking on a new human form each time she does. Now she “wakes” as unhappy teen Lela, a girl caring for her dying mother but never herself. As Mercy’s shattered memory begins to return, she remembers Ryan, the boy she fell in love with in another life, and Luc, the angel haunting her dreams. Will Mercy risk Lela’s life to be reunited with her heart’s true desire? This is the sequel to Mercy.

False Sight by Dan Krokos: All Miranda wants is a normal life. She’s determined to move past the horrible truth of her origin as a clone so she can enjoy time with her boyfriend, Peter, and the rest of her friends at school. But Miranda quickly learns that there’s no such thing as normal – not for a girl who was raised to be a weapon. When one of her teammates turns rogue, it begins a war that puts the world in jeopardy. Now Miranda must follow her instincts – not her heart – in order to save everything she’s fought so hard to keep. with the image of a terrible future seared into her mind, what will she have to sacrifice to protect the people she loves? The sequel to False Memory.

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston: See description under “Cities in the Distance.”

Half Lives by Sara Grant: Follows the lives of two unlikely teenaged heroes, mysteriously linked and living hundreds of years apart, as both struggle to survive and protect future generations from the terrible fate that awaits any who dare to climb the mountain.

The Last Academy by Anne Applegate: Fourteen-year-old Camden Fisher arrives at a boarding school after a falling-out with her best friend, but Lethe Academy is a strange place, where students disappear suddenly, and as she searches for answers Camden begins to fear what she will find.



Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block: Seventeen-year-old Penelope (Pen) has lost everything—her home, her parents, and her ten-year-old brother. Like a female Odysseus in search of home, she navigates a dark world full of strange creatures, gathers companions and loses them, finds love and loses it, and faces her mortal enemy. In her signature style, Francesca Lia Block has created a world that is beautiful in its destruction and as frightening as it is lovely. At the helm is Pen, a strong heroine who holds hope and love in her hands and refuses to be defeated.

Mojo by Tim Tharp: A boy who feels powerless in his own life sets out to investigate the mystery of a missing high school girl in his town, who attends an elite private high school very unlike his own.

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett: Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. Then Eli’s dream comes true. Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Nine Days by Fred Hiatt: Tenth-graders Ethan and Ti-Anna go to Hong Kong seeking her father, an exiled Chinese democracy activist who has disappeared, and follow his trail to Vietnam and back, also uncovering illegal activity along the way. Includes author’s note and the history behind the novel written by the girl who inspired it.

Out of This Place by Emma Cameron: Luke spends his days hanging out at the beach, working shifts at the local supermarket, and trying to stay out of trouble at school. His mate Bongo gets wasted, blocking out memories of the little brother social services took away and avoiding the stepdad who hits him. And Casey, the girl they both love, dreams of getting away and starting a new life in a place where she can be free. 

Ravage by Jeff Sampson: Sick of being at the mercy of adult conspiracies, Emily Webb forms a plan with the Deviants: They will destroy BioZenith.  

September Girls by Bennett Madison: When Sam’s dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he’s all for it– at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn to him. Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she’s different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he’s going to get her back, he’ll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here. 

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider: Star athelete and prom king Ezra Faulkner’s life is irreparably transformed by a tragic accident and the arrival of eccentric new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother–or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

The End Games by T. Michael Martin: In the rural mountains of West Virginia, seventeen-year-old Michael Faris tries to protect his fragile younger brother from the horrors of the zombie apocalypse.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith: Perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O’Neill meet online when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an e-mail about his pet pig, Wilbur. The two 17-year-olds strike up an e-mail relationship from opposite sides of the country and don’t even know each other’s first names. What’s more, Ellie doesn’t know Graham is a famous actor, and Graham doesn’t know about the big secret in Ellie’s family tree. When the relationship goes from online to in-person, they find out whether their relationship can be the real thing.

Weather Witch by Shannon Delany: In a vastly different and darker Philadelphia of 1844, steam power has been repressed, war threatens from deep, dark waters, and one young lady of high social standing is expecting a surprise at her seventeenth birthday party–but certainly not the one she gets! Jordan Astraea, who has lived out all of her life in Philadelphia’s most exclusive neighborhood, is preparing to celebrate her birthday with friends, family and all the extravagance they might muster. The young man who is most often her dashing companion, Rowen Burchette, has told her a surprise awaits her and her best friend, Catrina Hollindale, wouldn’t miss this night for all the world! But storm clouds are gathering and threatening to do far more than dampen her party plans because someone in the Astraea household has committed the greatest of social sins by Harboring a Weather Witch.

What We Saw at Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard: After glimpsing an older man in a room with a dead girl, sixteen-year-old Allie, who has a life-threatening allergy to sunlight, discovers she is the lone key to stopping a serial killer.

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith: See description under “Cities in the Distance.”

Masked and Shushed


Here are two smaller trends — neither are big ones, so I’m putting them together. The first is the eye mask, and the second is the shushing on the cover. Sometimes they are one in the same, too. This is the last set of trends for this post, since this is starting to get a little lengthy. 

Asunder by Jodi Meadows: See description under “Blue eyes.”

Pantomime by Laura Lam: R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide. Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star. But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.

The Stone Demon by Karen Mahoney : In order to produce the Philosopher’s Stone, as the demon hordes demand, alchemist apprentice Donna Underwood pits her unpredictable powers against a vengeful demon king, two maleficent faery queens, and an immortal magus with his own shadowy agenda.

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter: See description under “Blue eyes.”

Keep your eyes here for part three, which will be here next week!

Twitterview: Tiffany Schmidt & Send Me A Sign Giveaway

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This month, we have debut author Tiffany Schmidt as our Twitterview victim. Send Me A Sign, reviewed here, came out in October. She’s answering questions about the “c” word, about how she handles writing with two two-year-old boys, and much more. I’ve also got a signed copy of Send Me A Sign to giveaway to one winner. 

Without further ado, Tiffany: 




Pitch Send Me a Sign in 140 characters.
A superstitious 17 yr old girl is diagnosed with cancer & decides not to tell anyone. OR: Love, Life, Luck, Leukemia, Lies… & Alliteration

What inspired Send Me a Sign?

I started w/ a character who could lose herself in superstitions & then pushed her to her limits. PLUS, this song: http://tinysong.com/mWAe 




So, a cancer book? 
It’s NOT. The book contains cancer, but I’d never define it as A Cancer Book–anymore than Mia would define herself as A Cancer Patient.


How do you feel about the cancer genre and having your book categorized within it? 
I completely understand & simultaneously feel sad that some of the people who might relate the MOST are those who avoid the whole category

Superstitions and signs play a large part in Mia’s story. Do you personally believe in any more so than others? 
I swear I wasn’t superstitious BEFORE working on this book, but I’m becoming more like Mia every day.  

Does Mia?
Mia is very good at finding signs and superstitious signals that reinforce what she WANTS to believe.

Choices — and the consequences thereof — play a huge role in your book. What do you think Mia’s biggest choice is? Her toughest?
Mia’s biggest AND toughest choice is to choose to steer her own life–regardless of where that takes her & who she might disappoint

Mia has a choice between two guys who are both good AND bad for her on some level. Do you think she makes the right one in the end? 
YES

If you had to give your book a “____ meets _____” pitch, what two (or three! or four!) books/films/shows would Send Me A Sign be a meeting of?
I fail so hardcore at this. Um, if you tilt your head & squint, it’s almost: BRING IT ON meets MY SISTER’S KEEPER (except, not really).

Send Me a Sign is your debut novel. Want to talk a bit about your publication journey? 
Pretty typical: Write. Revise. Query. Revise. Submissions to editors. Revise. Fret. Snuggle finished book:
Before writing, you were a teacher. How did that influence your writing?
My former students are always in my head as potential readers. I constantly ask: what would ring real to them? What stories do they need to hear? 

Who or what do you write for?
Myself! I absolutely can’t outline–I write because I want to know how the story ends & what happens to the characters in my head.


What was your most influential read as a teenager?
I loved Kate Chopin’s THE AWAKENING so much that I rewrote the ending as my college application essay.


Who are your top three writing influences?
Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Dessen, & Courtney Summers


Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?
Libba Bray reinvents herself with every book. I’m in awe of her talent and versatility… and just generally in awe of HER!


What’s the best writing advice you ever received?
Don’t feel guilty about Being Human – meaning, yes, this IS a dream come true, but it’s still okay to feel stressed & not enjoy every second


What’s your best writing advice to give?
Don’t you dare ever, ever, ever give up. Take risks. Challenge yourself. Read a lot. Also: There’s no such thing as too many kissing scenes.

What is your writing routine?
This is a picture of how my books get written:  
Or maybe it’s during The Schmidtlets’ naps. One of those is true


What gets you jazzed to write?
Reading something spectacular… or reading something AWFUL. Also, songs with great lyrics.


Do you have a writing soundtrack? Care to share a bit?
Each book has its own soundtrack. (SMaS has several — they’re built into the book) The main one can be found here: 



What’s next for you?
Bright Before Sunrise (Winter 2014). After that??? I guess you’ll have to wait and see!

Tell us a little bit about your 2014 book, Bright Before Sunrise.
One night. Two perspectives. Brighton’s a people-pleaser who NEEDS to be liked… and Jonah hates her. 

Favorite ice cream?
ALL of them. Or maybe peanut butter with kiwi, I’ve heard that’s delicious. Right, Kelly? 

Guest Post: Victoria Schwab on The Archived

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Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch (read Kelly’s review here), has a new novel coming out January 22, and we’re pleased to be a stop on the vlog tour leading up to its publication! The concept stood out to me immediately: the Archive is a library of the dead, where those dead act as books of history. There are certain people – librarians – who have the ability to “read” these histories of people’s lives. 
Sounds cool, right? Goodreads has a more detailed synopsis:
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each
body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians
can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which
they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here
four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined
to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once
was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories
from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the
people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for
staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous-it’s a
constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but
now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the
boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive,
the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately
altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece
together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In
this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin
lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit,
unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

As part of the tour, Victoria has created a series of vlogs that tell a little about what a person could read if she were a History in the Archive. STACKED is stop 12 on the tour, and we get a story about Neil Gaiman and hugs – both things worthy of discussion!

Victoria introduces the idea of the Archived and the vlog tour in the video below:



And you can read her History in this video:


To view all the videos in the vlog tour, including part one of the Neil Gaiman story, you can visit Victoria’s Youtube channel. Victoria’s also given us a swag pack to give away to one lucky reader (a tote bag and a couple of bookmarks), and I’ve thrown in a finished copy of the book when it publishes in January! To enter the giveaway, fill out the form below:

To be a woman and speak your mind

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In college, I worked as a peer writing tutor. Students made appointments through the studio and they’d get a half an hour or an hour session with a tutor to go over their academic papers. We’d read and offer feedback. My senior year of doing this, an invitation was extended to my best friend and I to present at a conference on the topic of peer writing tutoring, and she and I both jumped at the chance. We pitched a topic idea, and it was accepted. The studio was taking care of travel arrangements and registration, but we’d have to cover our own meals.

Being that we were both poor college students, we also applied for scholarships to attend the conference by writing essays about our topic and why we deserved the money. Both of us won the scholarships, which were somewhere around $200 each — not a lot, but certainly a lot for us.

(This is the part of the post where I admit to this being my most embarrassing moment ever)

The day of the conference, my friend and I were prepared. We’d had a really awful eight hour drive through sleet to the conference, and we were both miserable after it when we got to our hotel room. But we slept, and we’d gone over our notes enough to feel prepared. Except, when we went down to breakfast, my stomach started to hurt. I went to the bathroom thinking I was going to throw up. I didn’t. I ate, took some deep breaths, and I felt okay.

When we got to to the presentation center and we walking toward the room we were presenting in, I threw up. All over the floor, the walls, myself — totally mortifying. Even though the coordinators of the conference thought I was still good to present (yes, despite clearly being sick!), my boss took us back to the hotel and said she’d see us the next morning when we’d drive home.

I felt awful about it. But these things happen, and life goes on. I ended up sleeping all day to wear it off, my friend did homework, we ordered a pizza for dinner, and it was fine. The drive back to campus was no where near as treacherous the following morning.

A couple of weeks later, an email shows up in my inbox and in her inbox. We needed to fork over the scholarship money. My friend and I sent messages back and forth to each other. We agreed this wasn’t fair; the deal was that the department asked us to present and told us they were covering the expenses. We were told we didn’t have to apply for the scholarships. But we did it on our own time, with our own essays, and we earned the money ourselves.

For over a month, we were in meeting after meeting with our boss — a woman — and with various administrative bodies on campus — also women. We received emails that informed us that we should “do the right thing” and “give them the money.” We were each given fewer hours in the studio; they were, of course, not hours together, either. Further, we were told if we just gave them the money back and we didn’t make a “big deal” about it, if we “kept it quiet,” there would be no problems.

In other words, if we submitted to “what was right” and “kept quiet” about the change up in rules mid-way through the game, everything would be okay. What was clear to us was that there was a discussion about what happened after the event between different bodies and that there was a change in policy after the fact. It was expected we’d go along with this, not question it, and that we’d “do the right thing.”

We fought. We fought. We fought. After weeks of fighting, we came to a compromise to give them half the money. But even after that, we were never treated the same way by our boss. It became clear we were both a problem because we expressed our opinions, we spoke up about how we didn’t think this was fair, and we didn’t take their “be nice, be quiet, comply” to heart.

This is one isolated example of an issue that’s been bugging me for a while, that I’ve seen and experienced over and over again, and that’s the way women interact and communicate with one another. More specifically, the way having an opinion, of wanting to speak up about anything, comes with consequences.

It’s never easy to stand up for what you believe in or to express a concern, especially if it’s toward any sort of authority. But this is amplified further when you’re a woman. We could get into a discussion of gender and whether gender means anything, but I’ve talked about that before. Whether or not we believe in gender roles, there is still something ingrained socially about the roles and appropriate methods of behavior from men and women. This became brutally clear during this last political season, where women were a talking point (and in some cases, not a talking point) during debates among the candidates. It’s also not just an American political issue. It’s a political issue everywhere simply because being a women means certain things to certain people. If you have not watched this video of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaking out and up against sexism in Parliament, do so. Note not only what she says and how she says it, but note also that CNN comments that those who saw this called it “smoking hot.”

“Smoking hot.”

Also worth reading is this recent article in the LA Review of Books about Real Critics and book bloggers. It is, without question, gender coded. Look at the references to knitting circles, to feelings, to play dates, and so forth. Many men found this article to be witty and a humorous look at the world of reviewing. But that humor doesn’t really translate on my end.

No matter who you are or where you stand or what your reproductive organs are, you’re going to be judged on some level for what you say and how you say it. But there is something particularly tricky in being a woman and expressing an opinion. It’s difficult to hold your ground, to push back against what other people tell you or suggest you should do or say or think or behave. It’s risky to be assertive and stand up for yourself. Because no matter what, your words and your actions are scrutinized on the basis of your being a woman.

It’s not always obvious though. It’s incredibly subtle, and that’s why it’s so problematic. People who want to silence you don’t do so by wielding an ax. They do it by asking you to “keep quiet” so you don’t “cause trouble.” Code for, if you don’t say what’s on your mind, there won’t be any incident. Except, if you decode it, that actually means that the person maintains their authority. That they don’t need to defend themselves. That things can remain status quo.

Likewise, women are told to “be nice” all. the. time. “Being nice” is code for keeping your mouth shut, not sharing your opinion, and following along with what people want you to say and do. It’s pejorative. It’s degrading. It’s a phrase that is absolutely coded in gender politics — women should be nice.

Men do not get asked or told to “be nice.”

Nice is a way of downplaying opinion. It’s a way of telling someone that what they think isn’t pretty or kind and therefore, it doesn’t matter. Being told to be nice is one of the most condescending things you can say to another person or have said to you. It makes the person being told to be nice feel small. It achieves precisely what the person saying it hopes to achieve: power.

In the book blogging world and in the library world — both which are female-dominated realms — we’re regularly told we need to be nice. That being critical is problematic. That speaking out and up about things that matter to you can “hurt feelings.” What this means is that we’re being told to submit to someone or something in power, whatever it is. That since both of these communities are about being helpful and sharing (they are), we should continue to keep them thriving by “being nice.” Note that there is a significant difference in being nice and playing nice, as is illustrated well in Pam’s post here.

The thing about both these communities and about any other community is that it’s hard to speak up and out. When you’re part of a community, being a squeaky wheel is scary, no matter how much thought you put into something. When it comes to writing, when it comes to putting those opinions down on a blog or in print, you want to make sure you get them right. Words are powerful weapons. They can create fear in you as you write them, but they create just as much fear in those who read them.

Especially when they aren’t “nice.” Especially when you don’t just “be quiet” so things can be taken care of.

There is an added element of fear and power when it comes to words being written and spoken among women. They can come back in your face in unexpected ways and sometimes in inappropriate ways. Simply because you are a woman who is not “being nice.” If you’re not nice with an opinion, even if you are coherent and cogent and raise valid points, even if you’re willing to entertain counterpoints and alternative insight, the mere anatomical reality of being a woman is enough to make those points invalid, a problem, and worth muffling. You are told that if you don’t speak nicely, if you share your personal thoughts on a manner, that you don’t have the bigger picture’s best interests at mind.

Because that’s the thing: the role of a woman in society is to be nice. To play along. To nurture without question. To go along with those who are in charge. There’s no question this is what is central in political debates about abortion, about access to birth control, and so forth. You, as a woman, are not smart enough or informed enough to know what’s best for your body. It’s the responsibility of those in charge to make those decisions because they do know what’s best. Because if you were to share your opinion, if you were to follow through in what you think is best based on your experiences and your intellect, you’re not being nice. You’re not listening.

You are not being nurturing and you are not fulfilling your “role” in society.

Whenever I write a blog post I think could cause some sort of backlash — something where I have an opinion and I want to deliver it — I find myself not relying on my instinct. I have multiple other eyes read over it. I do the same thing with emails, with other means of communicating, particularly if it’s between myself and another woman.

Why is this?

I feel the need to check my tone. I feel the need to make sure I’m not coming off as bitchy or whiny or neurotic or hysterical. Think about all of those words for a minute. Is there an equivalent for any of them when it comes to the way men communicate?

There’s one thing to be said about checking to make sure something I write is logical or well-written. It’s a whole different thing when I’m wondering about how I am presenting myself as a person with an opinion.

As a woman with an opinion.

It’s unfair. It’s entirely unfair that I have to put myself under the scrutiny. But, it’s just as unfair that, as a woman, I’m told repeatedly that I need to “be nice,” or that I need to “keep quiet” and think of the best interests of others.

What about my best interests? I have every right to express them.

Opinions and feelings are two different things, but they work in tandem. Your opinions can be swayed by your feelings, just as your feelings can be impacted significantly by your opinions. But there is never a point when being a woman and having opinions should ever be conflated with being a woman and having feelings. They are distinct. They are both valid. They are both important and deserve to be expressed.

And I think the reason women have their opinions discredited, so often degraded, is that they’re being viewed as feelings and nothing more. That their feelings — those hormonal and feminine things — are being confused with their opinions — those things that come from being a well-informed, intellectual thinker.

Being “nice” is about the feelings.

Being “quiet” is about the feelings.

It’s not okay when it happens between a male and a female, and it is not okay when it happens between two women. We should be encouraging and supporting one another to have and to share opinions AND feelings.

How this relates back to the book world, to blogging, to librarianship and reading and to being a decent human being is simple: never, ever tell someone to “be nice.” ENCOURAGE inquiry. ENCOURAGE speaking up. ENCOURAGE thinking and feeling and having them together then separating them to see what is what.

Watch the tone you take when you speak with other women, regardless of your own gender. Do not read their words with any preconceptions of their feelings or of their intentions. Respond with measured care. Whatever your role of power, respect and acknowledge the legitimacy of other people’s thoughts.

Likewise, don’t back down if you’re pressured to behave or believe a certain way. Don’t blindly accept the rhetoric or the boxes you’re given. You have a right to your opinions and you have a right to expressing them the way you need to express them. If someone tries to tell you otherwise, you know exactly where they stand. It’s never about what you say.

It’s about staying strong.

Writing and sharing and expressing and creating are the greatest things and the most terrifying things. And as a woman, there are complications of gender. Speak your words as you need to speak them and stand by them. Don’t be bullied into changing your beliefs. That bullying comes from a place of fear because of just how powerful what you say and how you defend yourself in doing so is.

You’re going to burn bridges. You’re going to make tough decisions. But you’re also going to realize there are people who believe in you and — even if they disagree — they will defend your right to say them to the end.

And frankly, there isn’t anything more important than having people who have your back for being you, rather than for “being nice.”