Showing posts with label Alyson Noel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alyson Noel. Show all posts

5/22/12

REVIEW: Fated by Alyson Noel @alysonnoel @stmartinspress @mackkidsbooks


Book Description

May 22, 2012 Soul Seekers
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Immortals, Alyson Noël, comes Fateda breathtaking new saga brimming with magic, mystery, and an intoxicating love story that will steal your heart away. Meet The Soul Seekers.



Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter’s sanity, Daire’s mother sends her to live with the grandmother she’s never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are—the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead.

There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it’s when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guy she's meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.



AAbout the Author

ALYSON NOËL is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Immortals series, the Riley Bloom series, and seven previous novels for St. Martin’s Press. She lives in Laguna Beach, California, where she is at work on her next book.


SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE


MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT


After being dragged to movie location shoots around the world be her mother, Jennika, Daire, has what appears to be a psychotic break and attacks a teen heartthrob on the set the day of her sixteenth birthday.  After freaking out again, Jennika takes Daire to live with her grandmother, Paloma.  Daire's parents were never married and she was born when Jennika was only sixteen.  Paloma is an American Native healer and brings Daire's health around while teaching her ancient mystical ways.  The psychotic break that Daire has been having are actually her seeing on another plane.  The story follows Daire and her awakening to these mystical powers and her destined fight to save the community of Enchantment, New Mexico from evil. 


Basically, this is a story of good versus evil and it says so right in the story. There are two evil twins, Cade and Dace, that were separated at birth and brought up as light and dark.  As Daire acclimates to her new environment and powers, she finds a few friends that help her along the way.  I really enjoyed the Native American mythology presented along with the story but I almost didn't even start to read this one because of the dense synopsis at the beginning of the book that explained each animal spirit.  I did dig in at the first chapter and almost quit again because of the tiny, tiny print of this advance reader copy.  I hope that the final print has a more readable size.  Ok, those are really nitpicky things but it could have derailed a really good story.  


This is a much heavier reading experience than Noel's other works of Riley Bloom and the Immortal series.  It is a typical teen paranormal romance with a love triangle but the details surrounding it are quite intriguing.  I love the character of Xochitl, who is blind but can see far beyond without her vision.  The story is pretty fast paced once you get into it.  I look forward to the next installment in six months.





Details

  • Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (May 22, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312664850
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312664855

4/16/12

REVIEW: Whisper by Alyson Noel @mackidsbooks @alysonnoel



Book Description


This time, Riley might really have bitten off more than she’s ready for. After practically begging the Council for a more challenging Soul Catch, she is assigned an actual Roman gladiator—Theocoles, the Pillar of Doom. How is Riley, a skinny twelve-year-old, supposed to get through to him? Then she meets the beautiful Messalina, who convinces her that her only chance is to become part of this world. To accomplish this, Messalina helps Riley through a dramatic, mystical makeover, transforming her into the beautiful and mature teen she’s always wanted to be. Finally, Riley can experience her first boyfriend and her first kiss. With a dream this enchanting, will she ever want to leave?


About the Author

Alyson Noël is the author of Radiance, Shimmer, the Immortals series, and seven previous novels for St. Martin’s Press. She lives in Orange County, California.

alysonnoel.com

immortalsseries.com

SOURCE: NETGALLEY - Publisher

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Riley Bloom is still in the Here and Now and on a new journey to help a soul move on. In this latest installment, Riley's inner most desire almost comes true. After she dies at age twelve, she thinks she will never, ever become a teenager and reach the magical age of thirteen. After Bodhi, leads her to her next challenge, he leaves her and tells her this will be her most challenging case yet. She travels back to ancient Rome in order to help a gladiator named Theocoles move over the bridge. When she is befriended by Messalina, whose uncle owns the gladiator school where Theocoles trains, she finds her innermost wishes suddenly being fulfilled. She now looks like a teenager and actually has her first kiss! There the story takes a strange turn and Messalina forces her to relive the day that Theocoles is killed again and again. It is a wonder that Riley can escape the madness that Messalina has created.

The word whisper plays an important role in this story, where Riley again outwits the souls she is entrusted to help cross over. The world of ancient Rome is seductively described by Noel and you really feel like you are in the Coliseum cheering on the gladiators.   I am so glad I just read that this series will continue for another book.  I so enjoy Riley's adventures.  This is safe for the youngest of teens and is a series that even the most reluctant of readers will get into.  I know since I have recommend this series to several kids who say they hate to read but ask me when the next book will be out!




Details

  • Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Square Fish; First Edition edition (April 24, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312641567
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312641566



9/24/11

REVIEW: Dreamland by Alyson Noel

Description

Riley’s finding that the afterlife can be a lonely place when all you do is focus on work. So she goes to the place where dreams happen, hoping to find a way to contact her sister, Ever. She meets the director, who tells her about the two ways to send dreams. As a Dream Jumper, a person can jump into a dreamer’s dream, share a message, and participate. As a Dreamweaver, an entire dream can be created in a studio and sent to the dreamer. But Dreamweaving was outlawed decades ago, and the studio was boarded up. Thinking it’s her only way to reach out to her sister, Riley goes in search of the old studio. There she finds a ghost boy, who’s been creating and sending nightmares to people for years. In order to stop him and reach out to Ever, Riley is going to have to confront and overcome her own fears.

About the Author

Alyson Noël is the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Faking 19, Art Geeks and Prom Queens, Laguna Cove, Fly Me to the Moon, Kiss & Blog, Saving Zoë, Cruel Summer, and The Immortals series including Evermore, Blue Moon, Shadowland, Dark Flame, and Night Star, as well as the Immortals spin-off series beginning with Radiance. With over 2 million copies in print in the US alone, her books have been published in 35 countries and have won awards including the National Reader's Choice Award, NYLA Book of Winter Award, NYPL Stuff for the Teenage, TeenReads Best Books of 2007, and Reviewer's Choice 2007 Top Ten, and have been chosen for the CBS Early Show's "Give the Gift of Reading" segment, and selected for Seventeen Magazine's "Hot List" and Beach Book Club Pick. She lives in Laguna Beach, California.

Details

  • Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Square Fish; First Edition edition (September 13, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312563752
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312563752
SOURCE:  PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

**slight spoilers**

Riley Bloom has a habit of overstepping boundaries, finding herself in places she doesn't belong or shouldn't be.  None of that has stopped her before and in the third installment of Riley's adventures in the Here and Now, she finds herself trying to reach out to her sister, Ever.  She desperately craves becoming a teen and wishes she still had Ever in her life to guide her and offer advice. In some ways, Riley has matured incredibly, yet she still thinks impulsively, acts without thinking things through and speaks exactly what is on her mind.  Not bad traits, but all together, they tend to push people away.  Slowly, Riley is finding her place in the after life.

This series is really special and I love recommending it to younger readers.  It hits on a lot of topics like self acceptance, the ability to learn from your mistakes, as well as the important concept of maturity.  I loved the fact that Riley realizes her mistakes and learns from them.  She finds herself drawn to Dreamland, a place where people can connect with the earth bound and finds her wishing she can communicated and get advice from his sister.  She is still craving that all important birthday to become a teenager.  She accidentally wanders into Dreamland, which she is told to avoid, and finds a hurt boy that really needs help letting go of that hurt, but finds her temper gets the best of her in trying to help him.  I really can't wait until the next installment.

3/28/11

REVIEW: Shimmer by Alyson Noel

Description

Having solved the matter of the Radiant Boy, Riley, Buttercup, and Bodhi are enjoying a well-deserved vacation. When Riley comes across a vicious black dog, against Bodhi’s advice, she decides to cross him over. While following the dog, she runs into a young ghost named Rebecca. Despite Rebecca’s sweet appearance, Riley soon learns she’s not at all what she seems. As the daughter of a former plantation owner, she is furious about being murdered during a slave revolt in 1733. Mired in her own anger, Rebecca is lashing out by keeping the ghosts who died along with her trapped in their worst memories. Can Riley help Rebecca forgive and forget without losing herself to her own nightmarish memories?

About the Author

ALYSON NOËL is the author of the Immortals series and seven previous novels for St. Martin’s Press. She lives in Orange County, California, where she is at work on the next book in the Immortals series. Visit her on the web at www.alysonnoel.com.

Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Square Fish; First Edition edition (March 15, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312648251
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312648251
SOURCE:  PUBLISHER
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Wow, I am totally blown away by how much Alyson Noel packed into one slim novel!  There is a moral and history lesson in an easy to read story.  Empathy is probably something most kids around 12 are lacking and Riley is short on this trait, like most 12 year olds.  As Riley freely admits she is willful, stubborn and acts rashly.  After earning her glow in Radiance, she is granted a vacation with Bodhi and chooses to go to an island her parents had described often.  There she comes upon Rebecca, a soul who hasn't moved on from 1733 when she was killed during a slave revolt.  She goes through reasons behind Rebecca's pain and helps her move on.

The story is well balanced and most teens and pre teens should enjoy this story.  The younger ones may be a bit disturbed by the description of "beach bowling" where people are buried up to their head in sand and then, bowling balls are flung at them. There are some bits of violence described and again, some of the mentions might upset younger kids, but in this day of video games, it might not.  I loved how Riley truly grows through each encounter and that Bodhi actually guides her instead of using discipline to get her to go in the right direction.  This is a perfect follow up to Radiance and now I can't wait to read Dreamscape in Fall, 2011.


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