Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: November 15, 2011
Source: Publicist

Overall:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Shatter Me completely exceeded all of my expectations when I was pulled into the harsh world of Juliette and Adam. The world-building was brutal and at times, disturbing. Mafi will have readers tangled up in so many lies and doubts, making it nearly impossible to predict what happens next.

Mafi's writing was absolutely stunning. The imagery and the strike-throughts did a good job of conveying Juliette's feelings of isolation and betrayal. The sometimes-blunt writing made Juliette's world seem all the more real. The storyline was complex and each unpredictable event occurred one after the other; keeping me on my toes.

Juliette's narrative completely entranced me and I was really able to connect with her because of her strong literary voice. I was able to watch her grow not only as a character, but also in her beliefs and her determination. She seemed very fragile at first, but as she started to trust Adam more and more, those layers were slowly peeled away. The chemistry between Juliette and Adam is unmatched from the very beginning. And because they share an even deeper physical connection, it just adds to their romance.

Shatter Me is dangerous, sexy, and original all in one. I was shattered when it had to end.

Populazzi by Elise Allen

Title: Populazzi
Author: Elise Allen
Pages: 400 (hardcover)
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Source: Author

Overall:

Cara has never been one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and always ready with the perfect thing to say. A girl at the very top of the popularity tower. One of the Populazzi.

Now, junior year could change everything. Cara’s moving to a new school, and her best friend urges her to seize the moment—with the help of the Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms into the perfect girlfriend for guys ever-higher on the tower, she’ll reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment, a straight climb up, but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

Hilarious and realistic, Populazzi will charm readers with it's seamlessly captured high school ambience. Allen crafts a fun story with the cliques, groups, and experiences. The lesson 'searching for whom you are and becoming someone who's not you, but then finding yourself again' is perfectly captured in Populazzi.

With Allen's writing being very engaging and appealing, readers will be hooked from the very start until the finish. Her writing also has a spark of humor and with the many various high school scenes that she remarkably portrayed, readers won't be able to help themselves but laugh.

Cara went under multiple transformations throughout the novel. She's likable and adorable, had her ups and downs, but was also very brave. At times, I was rooting for her and was hoping she'd get what she desired, but at other times as well, I couldn't help but judge her actions as she started loosing her own self and transforming into someone who isn't her.

The jargon, abbreviations, and lingo that Allen had twisted in with the story was amusing and humorous. It was fun to read all throughout with the silly or witty moments. Populazzi is one of those 'rise and fall' of popularity books but Allen made it unique as she added in twists along the way.

If you're looking for something light and fluffy, and a little thought provoking, Populazzi is the perfect read!

Upcoming Releases: September 2011

There are so many great books releasing each month that not a lot know about, so, I've decided to have a post solely focused on releases every month. My list shown below is taken from the original post, Upcoming Releases.

September 1:
Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald
Notes From An Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne

September 5:
The Shattering by Karen Healey
Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
After Obsession by Carrie Jones

September 6:
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
The Hidden by Jessica Verday
Vanish (Firelight, #2) by Sophie Jordan
Swear (Swoon, #2) by Nina Malkin
The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

September 8:
Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
Damage by Anya Parrish
Bloodborn (Other, #2) by Karen Kincy
Pure Red by Danielle Joseph

September 13:
Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst
Fateful by Claudia Gray
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
So Silver Bright by Lisa Manchev

September 15:
Away (The Line, #2) by Teri Hall

September 20:
Beautiful Days (Bring Young Things, #2) by Anna Godbersen
If I Die (Soul Screamers, #5) by Rachel Vincent

September 27:
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
The Vision by Jen Nadol
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Unforgettable by Loretta Ellsworth
My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin

September 29:
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

If I'm missing any other young adult releases for September 2011, please let me know and comment with the title, author, and the exact release date. Also, I may have some dates mixed up so I apologize for that!

Which books are you coveting for?

Giveaway: Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

Official Information:

• to enter, please fill out the form below
• entrants must be 13 years of age or older to enter
• September 7 is the deadline
• open only to residents of the U.S. & Canada
• check my contest policy

Many thanks to Zeitghost Media for providing the prize!

Paperback Cover (5): You Are Here

'Paperback Cover' highlights one new paperback cover that is different from their original hardcover release. Both the hardcover and paperback cover will be shown. The new covers are on the left, while the old covers are on the right.

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

Paperback release (left): April 24, 2012

Hardcover release (right): May 19, 2009

Emma and Peter are alike in a lot of ways. They are both lonely in a way that they really only mind once in a while. They both come from families that they don't quite understand. And they both feel like something big is missing from their lives.

So this summer they are off to find something. For Emma, it is a grave, a grave that may be her only connection to her family. For Peter it is harder to define, but perhaps easier to navigate. It is a freedom, a sense of something more than what he has now. So off they go, searching for what we all search for; something to make sense of who they are where they come from.

What do you think of the new paperback cover?