Books and Sensibility

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Jess

Book Review : Ink by Amanda Sun

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“When the ink stopped being ink and started being. . . well, something else.”

– Ink, Amanda Sun

 

  • Release Date : June 25th 2013
  • Genre : Urban Fanstasy
  • Page Number : 377
  • Publisher : Harlequin Teen

. . . And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine. 
 Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. . .Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive

At first glance Ink is your basic YA formula; teen girl in a new environment and a chance encounter finds her inexplicably drawn to the jerk whose personality changes could give you whiplash.

However, Sun freshens up the usual YA status quo by setting the story in Japan, giving the story a nice bout of culture and diversity. The setting gives readers a glimpse into how other people live without being “showcase-y” about it. There isn’t an attempt to spoon-feed the reader, meaning Sun doesn’t attempt to explain every nuance about Japanese life to the readers.

The first chapter of this novel will without a doubt pull you in. American Katie Green is an outsider living in Shizuoka, Japan with her aunt after the death of her mother. All she has to do is keep her head down until she can move in with her grandparents in Canada. 

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Top Ten Moments from BookExpo America

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This year we focused on video so we could make a vlog about BEA….however, with Kat’s computer out of commission, it might be a while so, here is our BEA coverage in list form!

1. BEA Bloggers Conference

We really enjoyed the BEA Bloggers conference this year more than last.  The sessions were separated  by YA and  Adult. This Ihelped make the conversation more tailored. It was awesome hearing some of our  favorite bloggers speak in person.  After the session on blogging platforms we might be ready to convert to WordPress. . . maybe.

2. Teen Author Carnival

One of the highlights from Teen Author Carnival was hearing about how the cover of David Levithan’s Two Boys Kissing was made. It was taken by a teenage photographer.

3. Meet N Greet (Jess)

This year I found myself meeting and chatting with more librarians/teachers than book bloggers. I even met a charter school principal who was going to use signed books and ARCs to encourage her kids to improve their test scores.

4. The Bloggers

We met so many great bloggers. Everyone was so nice and stylish ! Special shout outs to Ashling from Reading Writing and Anything But Arithmetic, Alyssia from Mocha Girls Reads, Emily from Love YA Lit, Asher from Paranormal Indulgence, Mandee from Vegan YA Nerds Allison from Allison Can Read (who we meant to get a pic with) La’Mecia from Rotten Apple Reads and her sister Ta’Necia from Never Ending Stories and so many more !

5. Getting The Word Out There

Unlike last year, Kat and I made an effort to go to publishers we read the most and talk with publicist about Books and Sensibility.

6. Barnes and Noble’s Union Square Penguin Signing.

Kat and I are big Sarah Dessen and Marie Lu fans so we had to go to the Penguin author event in Union Square ! We showed up late (I had to go to the ELF store and  had some Famous Famigila Pizza) but standing up in the back was the best seat in the house. Richelle Mead has so many fans so we had to skip over her. I’ve linked to  Marie Lu’s fanart on her website and we asked her if she would draw something in the book.  I was expecting a logo or something instead she drew Day and June.

7. Holly Black

We went to the Holly Black signing and I told her how much I love the Curse Worker’s audiobook and she said how surprised she was that t Jesse Eisenberg was willing to do the sequel audiobooks even though he was Facebook-movie famous.

8. The Food

New York City is the place for foodies. We didn’t have time to try everything we wanted but we did try Korean fried chicken, Pinkberry (the New York ones are better than the DC ones) and ramen.



9. The Publicists (Kat)

A lot of the time the long lines at BEA are manned by people in the publications marketing or PR staff. While

waiting in line I got to chat with publicists about the books they were most excited about  and a few times they left their station to go and get me the galley we were just talking about. They were so awesome ! Siena, who works in publicity at Simon and Schuster had this cute Life’s A Witch phone case !

10. Dr. Who Fans (Kat)

I whipped out myTARDIS phone case for BEA. It was a nice icebreaker for when I met Robyn Schnieder who is a big Dr. Who fan. One woman saw it and told me she and her husband incorporated a Dr. Who quotes into their wedding.


Book Review : Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris + Giveaway

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  • Release Date: April 24th, 2012 
  • Genre: Sci-Fiction
  •  Pages: 480
  • Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Harper Collins Children)

Synopsis: Two days before the start of her junior year, Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed–as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from school Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And though it isn’t possible, she knows with every fiber of her being that Ben somehow brought her back to life.
But her revival, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something–but to what? . . .

Unraveling felt like reading an episode of the X-files. You start of with a seemingly normal town—in this case sunny San Diego–with normal people just living their lives when strange things begin to happen; burned bodies, a cryptic countdown, the mysterious Ben Michaels.

Instead of Mulder and Scully on the case, 17-year old Janelle Tenner (daughter of an FBI Agent) and her best (guy) friend Alex set out to put the pieces together.

Going in I had no idea what the plot twist or science fiction element of this book was and I found it to be quite creative. I haven’t read another book that uses this particular science fiction element as a plot device.

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#BEA13 Books We Are Most Excited About

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Last week Kat and I made our second trip to BookExpo America. It was a great week of discussion, discovery and general book-loving. Going in we were excited about a lot books, but also discovered some amazing books coming out this year. Here are 6 Post-BEA novels we are now buzzing about !

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Book Review : The Madman’s Daughter

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  • Release Date: January 29, 2013 
  • Genre: Sci-Fi/Historical
  •  Pages: 432
  • Publisher: Blazer + Bray (Harper Collins Children)


Synopsis : Inspired by H. G. Wells’s classic The Island of Dr. Moreau,The Madman’s Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we’ll do anything to know and the truths we’ll go to any lengths to protect. . . Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

. . . and you thought you had father issues. Juliet Moreau’s life has been world of hardship since her disgraced father, the mad Dr. Moreau,  abandoned her family leaving them to ruin. Years later a chance encounter leads Juliet to her father and his mysterious island inhabited by strange islanders.

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Audiobook Review : Days of Blood and Starlight

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” . . . Whatever went on in the ash fall landscape and blood crusted world of war where her creations went forth to do violence.  It wasn’t her concern. She conjured the bodies. That was all. What more could she possibly do ?“

“It was the deed that matter not words. Do the thing. Kill the monster. Change the world”

– Laini Taylor, Days of Blood and Starlight

  • Release Date: January 16th 2013
  • Length : 15 Hours 25 Minutes
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Publisher : Hachette Audio

Synopsis: An art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it. . . While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope. But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?


 Laini Taylor’s  Days of Blood and Starlight is the stunning continuation of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone story. I started this audio book the day it came out and I seriously did NOT want to finish it. Taylor’s beautifully written sequel continues the tumultuous tale of war, love and hope.

Placed on different  sides of a thousand-year-old war, Karou and Akiva have made their choice and now must  find some way of peace for their people, but a war this old doesn’t die so easily. Resurrections must continue, war must continue, but is their a place in this world for the  hopes and dreams of two lovers ?

Days of Blood and Starlight  is one of the most epic love stories you will read. Initially I was caught of guard by the insta-love in the first book, but the conflict and obstacles faced by Akiva and Karou will have you constantly wondering if love can prevail.

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