Review UNSPOKEN by SARAH REES BRENNAN @sarahreesbrenna @randomhousekids

Book Description

Release Date: September 11, 2012 | Series: The Lynburn Legacy (Book 1)

Kami Glass is in love with someone she's never met—a boy she's talked to in her head since she was born. This has made her an outsider in the sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale, but she has learned ways to turn that to her advantage. Her life seems to be in order, until disturbing events begin to occur. There has been screaming in the woods and the manor overlooking the town has lit up for the first time in 10 years. . . . The Lynburn family, who ruled the town a generation ago and who all left without warning, have returned. Now Kami can see that the town she has known and loved all her life is hiding a multitude of secrets—and a murderer. The key to it all just might be the boy in her head. The boy she thought was imaginary is real, and definitely and deliciously dangerous.

Download The Spring Before I Met You by Sarah Rees Brennan [PDF]

About the Author

SARAH REES BRENNAN was born and raised in Ireland by the sea. After college she lived briefly in New York and somehow survived in spite of her habit of hitching lifts in fire engines. Since then she has returned to Ireland to write and use as a home base for future adventures. Her Irish is still woeful, but she feels the books under the desk were worth it. 

SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE

MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Kami has a voice inside her head and it is not a weird voice telling her what to do or anything strange, just a comforting one that knows what she is going though and most of her secrets. This voice belongs to a male, probably around her age, that has communicated with her as long as she can remember.  The voice also has a name and strong personality as well as being real.  Just as Kami learns to deal with the guy she never expects to meet, he shows up in her small English village, Sorry-in-the-Vale.  Oh, and Kami has accepted that people thinks she is strange, so she just goes with it, doing whatever she wants, annoying anyone one who crosses her path and depends on her sarcastic wit to see her through.  My kind of girl!  Kami really comes to life when she decides to recruit the guy in her head and his brother to work on the school newspaper which she decided to start so she could be a reporter.  No one gets in the way of this girl.

So there is much mystery to be solved that revolves around the Lynburns who have just returned and she finally meets Jared, her moody and rebel voice.  As  Kami snoops around the town and starts to uncover the true dangers that lurk in her quaint town, she becomes more and more involved with Jared.  Kami is a girl on a mission to find out why the Lynburns have so many secrets and the true history of her village, especially now that there is a murder.  Kami may be the next victim if she can't unravel the family's secret.  It really took me the whole book to figure out the culprit. 

It true neo gothic lit style, this book deserves a dark and stormy night since Kami will brighten your day immensely.  The whole snarky tone is just perfect and seems to make fun of even the most serious points in the story.  There is still more mystery to be solved in this tiny town so I hope it is not too long before I get another installment.  Parents:  there is some alcohol and kissing as well as some violence, but nothing too graphic.  Fans of Beautiful Creatures should love this one as well.  

Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (September 11, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375870415
• ISBN-13: 978-0375870415

REVIEW: Team Human by Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan @harperteen

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2012

Just because Mel lives in New Whitby, a city founded by vampires, doesn't mean she knows any of the blood-drinking undead personally. They stay in their part of town; she says in hers. Until the day a vampire shows up at her high school. Worse yet, her best friend, Cathy, seems to be falling in love with him. It's up to Mel to save Cathy from a mistake she might regret for all eternity!
On top of trying to help Cathy (whether she wants it or not), Mel is investigating a mysterious disappearance for another friend and discovering the attractions of a certain vampire wannabe. Combine all this with a cranky vampire cop, a number of unlikely romantic entanglements, and the occasional zombie, and soon Mel is hip-deep in an adventure that is equal parts hilarious and touching.
Acclaimed authors Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan team up to create a witty and poignant story of cool vampires, warm friendships, and the changes that test the bonds of love.

About the Authors
JUSTINE LARBALESTIER is the author of Liar, How to Ditch Your Fairy, and the Magic or Madness trilogy, as well as the coeditor with Holly Black of Zombies vs. Unicorns. She and her husband, author Scott Westerfeld, divide their time between Sydney, Australia, and New York City.

SARAH REES BRENNAN was born and raised in Ireland by the sea. After college she lived briefly in New York and somehow survived in spite of her habit of hitching lifts in fire engines. Since then she has returned to Ireland to write and use as a home base for future adventures. Her Irish is still woeful, but she feels the books under the desk were worth it.

Details Reading level: Ages 13 and up Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: HarperTeen (July 3, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0062089641 ISBN-13: 978-0062089649

SOURCE: AROUND THE WORLD ARC TOURS

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT




Welcome to New Whitby, home of the vampires who settled in America much like the Pilgrims and have created their own community along side normal humans.  Here, they don't sparkle, sunlight can kill them and rules are in place regarding the turning of humans into vampires since a mistake result in a zombie!  Mel is a studious, normal teen who begins to note that things aren't all right in her home town.  Her BFF, Cathy, has decided she want to be undead, her other friend, Anna, has been suddenly sent spiraling by her father's disappearance and worst of all, there is now a vampire in her her high school.  The worst of these of course is the vampire, who Mel, despises in a sort of contempt usually reserved for litterers.  


Of course, you have your unlikely love matches, prejudices, and other high school pettiness but with vampires and zombies creating the issues as well as jocks / cheerleaders versus the nerds and geeks.  It points fingers at all the social injustices of bigotry but in a fun and sarcastic way.  Since the vampire, Francis, has started school, Cathy is drawn towards him and being a bit melancholy her whole life, falls in love with him and want to be turned.  Anna, the principal's daughter, has found that her psychologist father has just run away with one of his vampire patients.  All this leaves Mel searching for the truth of what actually happened to Anna's father and with the help of Kit (adopted by Francis as a baby) learns what love is and that her prejudice towards vampires is unfounded.  Oh and Mel tries to meddle in Cathy's life to keep her from turning Vamp, thereby losing her BFF, but not entirely.  


 Ahhh, how wonderful!  Finally, a book that pokes fun at all of the vampire teen angsty stories trolling around these days and written by two of my favorite authors. The story reminded me a bit of a snarky Nancy Drew and how there are all sorts of puzzles that Mel must solve in order to find out what vampires are really up to.  I adored the fact that Mel grows through each page and would love to read another installment of her adventures.  This one did end with a slight opening that might allow that.  If you enjoyed Meg Cabot's Insatiable, you are going to love this one!