Diverse Reads

Strictly Indie : The Crimson Hunt by Victoria H Smith

May 11, 2013 1 Comment

Books and Sensibility’s month long dedication to indie

It’s hard to be in the YA book blogging world without noticing all the upcoming indie novels and novelists. So, to open myself up to more independent and self published authors, I am going Strictly Indie for the month of May. I will be focusing on reviewing, discussing and posting about indie novels and even have a few guest posts along the way.

Release Date: November 12th 2012

Pages: 340 pages

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Price: $3.99 ebook; 13.99 paperback

Synopsis: Ariel
Richmond’s everyday life consists of wrangling in her crazy best
friend, Piper avoiding her enemy Lila Hicks and finding salvation in her art, and the peanut butter brownie at her favorite cafe Demitasse.
But, the day Ariel makes eyes with Luca Grinaldi, murder and death begin to surround her. Ariel soon learns that people aren’t just dying–they are being hunted. And she and Luca’s meeting is a not just a coincidence, but destiny.

I’ve been following the publication of this novel since I happened upon Victoria’s blog for a contest. At the time she was being repped by Curiosity Quills, but deferred to self publish. It’s been interesting reading her blog and seeing the journey she has taken to self publication.

The Crimson Hunt is my first voyage into the New Adult category and I can definitely see the appeal. Being in their early 20’s New Adult characters are slightly more mature than YA characters, but still in the “I’m invincible” stage common to YA. While some Big Six publishers are dipping their toes in to the NA water, indie authors are heading in full force.

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Book Review + Giveaway : Prodigy by Marie Lu (Legend #2)

January 23, 2013 3 Comments

Release Date: January 29th 2012

Pages: 384

Genre: Dystopian

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Synopsis: June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

Meeting Marie Lu and snagging Prodigy were two of my top priorities at BEA and I was so happy to accomplish both ! It’s seems so long ago, but here I am with a Prodigy review. Sequel reviews can be hard, but I promise a review that is spoiler-free for Prodigy and only slightly for Legend…

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Book Review : Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

October 25, 2012 7 Comments

Release Date: May 1st 2012
Pages: 384
Genre: Mermaid/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Synopsis: For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave. He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth. His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods. Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back.

I have to admit when I saw mermaids making a splash (l know, I know ) on the YA book circuit, I was doubtful. I just always kind of felt like Hans Christian Anderson and Disney had already told the best mermaid story there is; young mermaid falls in love with a human and sacrifices everything.

But, I’ve been proven wrong as many YA authors put their bold, new and modern twists on the mermaid genre.

Debut author, Zoraida Cordova brings out her spin on the tale with The Vicious Deep, the story of Tristan Hart, a 16-year-old Coney Island lifeguard who discovers he is a merman. But Tristan isn’t just any merman–he is the heir to the Sea King, and to rightfully claim his throne Tristan will have to win the championship for the trident, an epic quest for the pieces of the trident against other merman.

Tristan is popular at school and with his friends, which is an unexpected change from the more common outcast, loner YA protagonist. His first-person narrative is filled with snark and a little bit arrogance as he discovers what his past.…

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Book Review: The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez with Jenna Glatzer

March 30, 2012 1 Comment

Synopsis: In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy—hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend’s parents—and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby’s story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.

The Pregnancy Project first came on my radar in January, when I watched the Lifetime movie based on the book . I had never heard the story and how could it not peak my interest? A teenager who faked her pregnancy for a school project? What was that all about? While the movie was decent, it left me with more questions, so I headed to the library for the book.

Luckily, this memoir provides a concise and pretty powerful story of not just Gabby’s struggles, but her family’s struggles as well. This is the first book in a while I’ve actually had an emotional reaction too.

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Book Review : The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan

November 11, 2011 Leave a Comment

“Maybe there is hope in the fragments, that what is lost can always be filled in by someone who knows.”

– David Levithan, The Realm of Possibility

This summer I read Will Grayson,Will Grayson a novel co-written by David Levithan. I got it because I had recently become a fan of John Green and to be honest I didn’t expect to like Levithan’s writing. However, within a few pages, I fell in love with it. He is an amazing writer. Levithan’s style is so unique and he is one of the few well known YA writers who is writing about gay and lesbian teens.

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